Headed to Base Camp Everest

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Philip555

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Z8, Z180-600, Z70-200 f2.8 and 24-70 f2.8 is my current arsenal. What do I bring? This is 14 days walking up and back with 20% reduced oxygen at base camp. I am fit heading for 69 years old. I want memorable views, night sky and usually will be looking for bird and animals as the majority of my shots. Has anybody visited Base Camp to say if there is actually much bird life? The 180-600 is very flexible but it’s pretty heavy. Do I buy a Z100-400 perhaps? What about teleconverter for the 70-200? Is this a situation where FX makes sense to give extra reach on 70-200 in FX? This reduces pixels but with Z8 should be fine. I don’t think I can possibly carry all lenses!
 
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I have trekked in this area twice. Birds more or less absent. You most likely start in Lukla at around 2250 m altitude. And then it just goes up, up, up. At the time I had the D610 and the 24-120 mm and that worked for me. It is landscapes and mountains that you photograph.
 
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I’ve done the trek, and it definitely isn’t a place you see much wildlife (including at lower elevations). I assume you are starting in Lukla? If you are starting lower than that, maybe there are more birds, but I just don’t remember seeing much from Lukla going up. The only other “wildlife” are dogs and yaks.

Are you going with a dedicated photography group? A dedicated trekking tour? Or independently? If it is with a dedicated trekking group, you may not have as much freedom to linger to take pictures as you might hope. The goal of each day is to get from point A to point B (or to acclimatize on rest days) on that style of trip. This does open up beginning and end of the day opportunities before you start and stop when there can be good light. There are certainly plenty of options to make pictures, but you kind of just have to grab what opportunities there are and be accepting that the focus of the group isn’t you taking pictures. Obviously, if you are with a bunch of photographers on a workshop or if you are doing it independently, you have a lot more flexibility.

The other thing - after you get to Tengboche, almost everyone starts to feel the altitude no matter how fit you are. I went with grand hopes of doing some dawn, dusk, and night photography……and basically did none because eating a warm meal, having some tea, and getting into a warm sleeping bag quickly became the routine at the end of each day (and the priority).

If I were to go today, I’d probably take a Z6ii and the 24-200 or a z7ii and the 24-120 and make the best pictures I can with that. Maybe I’d take a 35 or 50 for pictures of people and for Kathmandu. I definitely wouldn’t schlep a tripod. I would aim for as little weight as possible in your daypack (and don’t expect to have access to the bag the porter is carrying outside of at the tea houses, as they walk at quite a different pace than you will be walking). You will be drinking more than usual - I purified about 5L of water a day which was all in my daypack each morning. The temperature can vary wildly as well, so you will likely have multiple layers, hats, gloves, etc in your day pack. You can easily have 15-20lbs on your back and a fairly full pack before you put in any camera equipment.
 
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Philip555 said:
Z8, Z180-600, Z70-200 f2.8 and 24-70 f2.8 is my current arsenal. What do I bring? This is 14 days walking up and back with 20% reduced oxygen at base camp. I am fit heading for 69 years old. I want memorable views, night sky and usually will be looking for bird and animals as the majority of my shots. Has anybody visited Base Camp to say if there is actually much bird life? The 180-600 is very flexible but it’s pretty heavy. Do I buy a Z100-400 perhaps? What about teleconverter for the 70-200? Is this a situation where FX makes sense to give extra reach on 70-200 in FX? This reduces pixels but with Z8 should be fine. I don’t think I can possibly carry all lenses!
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Which base camp are you talking about? Nepalese or Chinese/Tibetan?
 
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Philip555 said:
Z8, Z180-600, Z70-200 f2.8 and 24-70 f2.8 is my current arsenal. What do I bring? This is 14 days walking up and back with 20% reduced oxygen at base camp. I am fit heading for 69 years old. I want memorable views, night sky and usually will be looking for bird and animals as the majority of my shots. Has anybody visited Base Camp to say if there is actually much bird life? The 180-600 is very flexible but it’s pretty heavy. Do I buy a Z100-400 perhaps? What about teleconverter for the 70-200? Is this a situation where FX makes sense to give extra reach on 70-200 in FX? This reduces pixels but with Z8 should be fine. I don’t think I can possibly carry all lenses!
Click to expand...
Wide angles for landscapes. Suggest Tamron 70-300 instead of heavy 70-200. If you’re like me, you’ll need lots of Tylenol for altitude headaches. Enjoy
 
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Thanks so much the various replies. Yes, I depart from Lukla on a guided charity expedition not at all photography focused. Really appreciate the comments from those having done this trek. Mention made of Tamron 70-300 which was also suggested by my preferred Nikon retailer in London, Grays of Westminster. I hope I don’t sound a snob, but I like Nikor lenses. Tamron? Really! That said I have seen good comments on UTube re Tamron. Certainly v light lens. I am also greatly influenced by the comment that great expectations of photography can end in desperation for my sleeping bag. Thanks all. The comments have certainly made me think v hard.
 
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I agree with the suggestions that you need to travel light.

I would actually suggest picking up a good super wide lens either the 14-24mm f2.8 or a top prime in this range. I definitely would say no to the 180-600. I have mixed feelings about the 70-200 solely because of the weight, some telephoto could be interesting in mountain landscapes.
 
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Being on the Nepal side, just be aware that while there are mountains everywhere, THE mountain is a bit shy hiding behind her sisters Nuptse and Lhotse. Ama Dablam tends to be the star of the Khumbu (and for good reason). If you are still feeling fit at Gorak Shep, the trip up Kala Patthar gives the best view of Chomolungma.
 
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Philip555 said:
Z8, Z180-600, Z70-200 f2.8 and 24-70 f2.8 is my current arsenal. What do I bring? This is 14 days walking up and back with 20% reduced oxygen at base camp. I am fit heading for 69 years old. I want memorable views, night sky and usually will be looking for bird and animals as the majority of my shots. Has anybody visited Base Camp to say if there is actually much bird life? The 180-600 is very flexible but it’s pretty heavy. Do I buy a Z100-400 perhaps? What about teleconverter for the 70-200? Is this a situation where FX makes sense to give extra reach on 70-200 in FX? This reduces pixels but with Z8 should be fine. I don’t think I can possibly carry all lenses!
Click to expand...
There's no bird life up there at all. The air is so thin, your 2.5kg Z8/24-70 kit will feel like 12kg when you're halfway up and 25kg at Base Camp. Take your smartphone. Much smarter. You'll enjoy the magic photo ops in Nepal but avoid hauling heavy cameras and lenses up The Mountain.
 
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Wonderful project ! as you mention it's in may, I would advise to train at high altitude around 10 000 feet if you can to see how it goes with let say a 10kg backpack no more, including everything you intend to bring not only camera stuff, I would go for Z8 and 24-120 f4 only, you can certainly hire one for one month or two.
The highest I've tried was 13000 feet and I can assure you it was not an easy walk.
wish you a nice trip!
 
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Thanks all the helpful comments. A bit surprised by the clear lack of birds theme because before reaching out to this forum I thought they were plentiful. This based on a number of Google reports I have seen and that aroundd 130 species are known in the park area. I have a hike to Snowdonia in couple of weeks as a practice, but as its only 3500ft it does not test lack of oxygen. I think therefore I will head to the Alps for higher altitude experience with backpack as suggested. Based on those experiences I may go iPhone only, or just Z8 and 24-70. Thanks again. :cool:(y)
 
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Thanks all, you are re-shaping my expectations and packing. Given this is a once in a lifetime experience I am seriously wondering whether to leave the Nikon at home and use my iPhone 14 to capture the landscape. This is a big move from where I started when starting this string! It shoots raw but I need to question the quality. That said I’m no professional photographer, I’m looking for a great record of what I witnessed to shown my family and I guess that’s it. Possibly post on Instagram too.
 
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Philip555 said:
Thanks all, you are re-shaping my expectations and packing. Given this is a once in a lifetime experience I am seriously wondering whether to leave the Nikon at home and use my iPhone 14 to capture the landscape. This is a big move from where I started when starting this string! It shoots raw but I need to question the quality. That said I’m no professional photographer, I’m looking for a great record of what I witnessed to shown my family and I guess that’s it. Possibly post on Instagram too.
Click to expand...
There is no chance I would travel half way around the world to see earth's greatest mountain range, and just bring an iphone. I would bring your 2.8 lenses, the 24-70 and 70-200.
Have a great trip!!!
 
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