Haven't really spoken about my trip since returning. It was truly amazing.
Have 27 rolls processed with a 28th still in my XA to be processed.
Kit I finally wound up taking was: 4T and 3 bodies plus XA, 35~80/2.8,
50~250/5, 50/1.2, 50/2, and 21/2. Took neither a flash or tripod.
Originally planned on taking the Tokina 80~200/2.8, but discovered that it
and the 35~80 wouldn't quite both fit in the mini-trekker attached to
bodies. The 50~250 proved more than adequate, and the speed was not
problematic (middle east, lots of sun and sand). The two zooms were
probably my most used, but the 21 saw a fair bit of action as well. The two
50s were the least used. I only took a couple shots with the macro (in a
museum in Jordon). Shot mostly Portra NC160, but had some 400 as well.
Saw precious little film gear in use on the trip. Eclectic assortment of
digital stuff. One little point of particular joy for me was while in
Petra. Saw a gal with an OM-10 trying to capture the treasury building with
a 50/1.8. I pulled up along side her and let her borrow my 21 for a couple
shots. She didn't even know how to remove the 50mm from her camera. I put
the 21 on and she went off and shot a few frames. Came back quite wide eyed
and thanked me profusely.
I plan on organizing the pile of photos and joining you all in the current
century by posting some(all?) for viewing and critique.
All I can say in conclusion is that if you're ever afforded the opportunity,
don't let it slip away. Egypt has photo ops almost everywhere you go.
Israel has its own charm and no shortage of picturesque sights, and Jordan
really surprised me. I was looking forward to Petra but didn't know what to
expect beyond that. In retrospect, it may have been the highlight of the
trip, from a purely tourist standpoint. Jaresh is unbelievable. One of the
cities of the Decapolis. And the people were nice and VERY appreciative of
our being there everywhere we went (all three countries). Tourism is worse
than bad. And many of the places we visited have no economy whatsoever
without the tourist traffic.
Jim
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