Triumphrat

Espen36

I am planning a long trip on my 2003 Tiger 955 this summer. I am an avid photographer and was thinking on carrying my Nikon D80 (a digital SLR) with a couple of lenses in the tankbag. Would like to hear some experiences with this regarding the influence the shaking and vibration of the bike will have on the camera and the lenses. I know cameras are supposed to be able to endure this, but I am unsure as whether this will be so for hours and hours while riding through Europe? Any experiences?

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Garyhjd

I did several major trips last year with my Canon Xsi (450d) in my tank bag with a 28-135 on it. The camera did fine, in fact in Glacier National park it took a good 8 foot fling onto rocks. Lost a lens cap, scratched the crap out of the camera, but Canon told me after testing that it was in perfect shape expect for cosmetics. So I can say is keep the tank bag zipped if you are moving, that's how I dropped mine, and me, and the bike, oops.

CDickey

If I'm local I put my 5D with a few lens's in a LowePro sling type backpack. When I have the tank bag on I put the camera into a small Crumpler bag and then put it into the tank bag. Have done it this way for a while and the vibes have had no effect on the camera but it is a Canon so....

Espen36

Garyhjd: I hope you and your bike did well then, after all. Did you carry the camera inside a camera bag inside the tankbag?

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ModernMuseum

I won't hesitate to take my D700 and 18-70 on a trip around town or on a 600 mile road-trip. I've done it before and I'll do it again.

Hell, sometimes I just sling it on my back and take off!

Garyhjd

Bike was fine except the several thousand in damage, made it in just under $3k. The camera sits right inside the front of a bags connection engage sport tank bag. next is my hat, then a large bottle of water. Add in some sundries on the sides and everything is snug.

My thoughts on digital cameras are that they are nothing but disposable light boxes. When I made the switch to digital I left Nikon and went Canon, and hate to admit I wish I still had my F body Nikons, they were very tough cameras. But I figured digital cameras are short lived electronics and Canon has Nikon beat in the mid to low end level. Just my thoughts

ModernMuseum

I'm a Nikon guy and I'll agree with you there, although the D90 is a very strong camera. I bought my gf one a while back and the video is awesome. The XSI is a fantastic camera as well.

Espen36

Wish I had a D700. They´re superexpensive, though. Some people say it is the the lenses that matters when it comes to image quality and not the camera body. What do you think?

I still got my F80 as well and I am thinking of bringing it along instead of the D80... the F80 is more sturdy. Also, using film one does not need to think about backing images up and never go out of space.

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ModernMuseum

Well, regarding your first query, that's a double edged sword. The body is just as important as lenses are. However, most people upgrade bodies as a crutch, thinking that throwing money into photography (bodies) will ensure better pictures. I've had an array of bodies and lenses over the past few years and I can say that, although more expensive lenses offer sharper images and usually guarantee a constant aperture throughout the zooming range, they won't necessarily make you a better photographer when you upgrade.

That being said, you should buy a body that suits your needs. Do you shoot a lot of high ISO low light stuff? If so, a D300 or D700 could be in your future. I got rid of my D80 because the metering is notoriously out of whack, and the system likes to meter off of whatever focus point is chosen.

Also, keep in mind that your lens line-up should be suited for the camera's sensor size. A D700 is a FF sensor, which will utilize FF lenses. It will still suit DX lenses, but the focal point (zoom) will differ slightly. If you already have a lot of DX lenses and don't feel like replacing them with a full FX line-up, you might consider waiting around for a body that supersedes the D300.

As far as film versus digital goes, it is being said that with the advent of the D700 and its Canon counterparts, digital has finally caught up to the likes of a 35mm film camera. Personally, I have left film a long time ago and have never looked back. I have a contrasting opinion regarding the space requirement. Digital obviously takes up way less space and is more versatile then film any day of the week.

Regarding the expense, if I was you, I'd buy all of my things from bhphoto.com like I do (NYC, America), sign up for an Aramex account, and get everything shipped over to the UK. It's still way cheaper than buying in the UK IMO.

Let me know if you have any questions. Also, check out newschoolofphotography.com...a photo site started by a fellow subaru enthusiast friend. You can get some great advice there as well.

bchecket

Ditto on the backpack. That's how I carry mine. And when I go for long rides, I almost always take the camera. Since I go places I normally don't go in the car, having the camera with me is great. Its a Nikon D80 and mostly I carry my 18 - 70mm lens though occasionally I'll take the 70 - 200mm if I'm headed to a state park or something.

So far, the camera handles the vibration without any problem whatever. The padding in the backpack is essential as far as I'm concerned but I'd bet that any sort of makeshift padding would work just fine.