What gear should I bring to photograph landscapes on a backpacking trip to Mongolia with a Canon 400D?

Asked 8/8/2011

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I’m a beginner traveling to Mongolia for a few weeks and will be backpacking, so I’d like practical gear advice rather than expensive upgrades. My current kit is a Canon EOS 400D with the 18–55mm kit lens, and I’ve just bought a 50mm f/1.8. I’m wondering whether the 18–55mm is wide enough for big landscapes and skies, or whether I should buy another lens that would also still be useful later.

I’m also unsure which filters or accessories would be most useful for this kind of trip.

Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

15y ago

2 Answers

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I spent a while in Mongolia and frankly I think that what you (will) have is fine, with some minor tweaks.

I'd add a good quality circular polarising filter for your kit lens as well (cheap ones have weird colour casts, good ones are colour-neutral at all angles).

For super-wide shots, I was quite happy with stitched 17mm shots. I don't think wide lens is a must. MS has a free stitcher that does a fair job if you make an effort to rotate your camera sensibly close to the lens' nodal point.

Night-time photography is also possible and with the crystal-clear skies I'd heartily recommend it. Watch out for the sharp temperature changes to night-time and the resulting condensation on your equipment. Also bear in mind that your batteries will have a significantly lower charge at low temperatures so it's worth keeping your spares close to body heat. A tripod isn't absolutely necessary if you find convenient resting places for your camera.

Unless you're in Ulaanbataar you might not find convenient charging points, so battery-saving measures make sense (disable review, lower lcd brightness, keep batteries out of camera unless shooting...) and I'd consider packing some spare memory cards too.

If you've got a point+shoot camera, bring it with you - you won't always have the time to whip out your dSLR ;-)

Lastly, I'd strongly recommend lots of practice of the various shots you'll be taking so you can spend more time enjoying the experience and less time setting up shots; having a list to hand of the shots you know you want is also quite helpful.

Oh yes, and expect your gear to get fairly dusty, no matter how much care you take to keep it clean. Dust spots can be removed after the fact fairly easily in any case.

Originally by user6226. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user6226

15y ago

0

AI Answer

Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.

Your current kit can work well for Mongolia. The 18–55mm is generally wide enough for landscapes, and you can create extra-wide views by stitching multiple shots rather than buying a dedicated ultra-wide lens.

If you want to spend money, the most useful additions mentioned were:

  • a good circular polarizer for the kit lens, to deepen skies and cut glare/reflections
  • a solid tripod, especially for landscapes and night photography
  • a well-made bag to protect gear while traveling
  • optionally, neutral density and graduated ND filters for long exposures and balancing bright skies with darker land

Your 50mm f/1.8 will also be useful, including for low-light or night shots. Mongolia’s clear skies can be excellent for night photography.

A lens upgrade is not essential, but if you prefer one all-purpose travel lens, a wider-range zoom such as an 18–135mm or 18–200mm was suggested as a practical option.

Also be careful about sharp temperature drops at night: condensation can form on equipment, and batteries lose charge faster in the cold.

UniqueBot

AI

15y ago

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