Malaysia - Travel and Photography Tips (page 3 of 4)

Equipment

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Camera equipment must typically be kept to a bare minimum because of airline restrictions and personal physical limitations. We all know about airline restrictions. At photo destinations, equipment must often be carried through steamy jungles where temperature and humidity make physical exertion nearly unbearable. Unless extreme and very expensive measures are taken to transport equipment, very large lenses must stay at home. The equipment sets we used to take photos in Malaysia proved to be versatile enough to cover a wide range of subjects, yet compact and light enough to be transported.

Some would find the lack of focal lengths between 70 and 300 mm unacceptable. Using a Canon 100-400 mm IS zoom lens in place of the 300mm lens would certainly correct this. The 300mm lens is quite a bit lighter and smaller and performs very well with teleconverters. The zoom covers the missing focal length range and eliminates the hassle of adding and removing teleconverters. In the film setup, the longest focal length available with the zoom (560mm, F8) is slightly shorter than that of the 300mm (600, F8). In the digital setup, the longest effective focal length available with the zoom (896mm, F8) is longer but a stop slower than the 300mm (670mm, F5.6). Getting enough focal length is always a problem, but so is getting enough light. This only shows that everything is a compromise and there is no universally correct equipment choice. The correct equipment is that which best fits the user's individual shooting style. With its light weight, low noise at high ISO settings, and the so-called magnification factor, the Canon EOS 10D goes a long way toward solving both the light and focal length problems. When using this camera I try to compose a bit more carefully because the relatively small 6 megapixel image will not tolerate cropping as well as a high resolution film scan or the image from a higher pixel count camera like the EOS 1Ds or EOS 1D Mark II. 

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Image stabilization technology available from Canon and Nikon eliminates the need for a tripod in many cases. It's a good thing, because about half of the time a tripod is unworkable in the shooting situations we encounter. Even with image stabilization, any photography under the dense forest canopy often requires some support such as bracing against a tree to help keep the camera still. Even if the camera is rock steady, most wildlife is not. This makes wildlife photography under the canopy very difficult due to the low light and long exposure times. With digital equipment the option of using ISO settings of 1600 can often save the day. Pushing Provia 400 two stops produces unacceptable results in my opinion. Another obstacle is the dense ground vegetation. It is so thick that creatures more than a few yards away cannot be seen.  Some smaller and approachable subjects like insects stay motionless for short periods during which a photograph can be taken. Pure flash exposures can be quite effective in these situations. The flash will freeze any motion and produce a dark or black background. It’s best to photograph larger wildlife along the edges of clearings or bodies of water where the sun can provide adequate illumination. These "transition zones" where one type of habitat meets another are often the most productive for wildlife anyway. This fact holds true everywhere, not just in the tropics. Overcast light is optimal since it reduces the contrast to levels that film (or your digital camera) can tolerate. Using fill flash to reduce contrast can also be a good option in some cases.  

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When film is used, Fuji’s Provia 400F produces wonderful results, especially considering the fact that most photos would be impossible with a slower film. If you are using film on a similar trip, I'd guess that  80% to 90% of it should be ISO 400, and much of that will end up being pushed a stop. The ability to shoot at ISO 800 is essential for sharp images in many of the circumstances we have encountered. Films like Fuji Provia 100F work well on occasions when long exposures are desired or when adequate light is available.

Special Considerations

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It should be obvious that plastic bags, umbrellas, and rain covers are needed when visiting places that receive more than 200 inches of rain per year. A few other things may not be so obvious.
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In order to avoid the growth of damaging fungus, cameras and lenses should be kept in a dry atmosphere whenever possible. I think it is relatively important to let everything dry out for some period of time each day, which typically means the nighttime hours. Fungus will ruin lenses by growing on and etching the interior glass elements. It will also damage delicate mechanical and electronic components in camera bodies. The simplest way to prevent this problem is to seal equipment in zip-lock plastic bags along with a desiccant such as silica gel. Silica gel is actually not a gel at all. It typically comes in the form of small hard beads. It is widely available, cheap, and is perfect for this purpose. The best kind contains an indicator that changes color from blue to pink when the gel is saturated with water. The silica gel can be put into a perforated plastic bag or a cloth bag to keep it out of camera equipment. Then it and the camera equipment are sealed together in a larger plastic bag. Saturated silica gel can be dried in any microwave or regular oven and then returned to service. 
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The above paragraph states what you "should"  do. It is obviously a big pain, and I don't do any of this unless the weather is particularly rainy and damp. Under normal conditions during the dry season I simply leave my camera and lens mounted on the tripod, open up my camera bag, and leave it all in a place where there is some air movement. That seems to work fine, at least for a couple of weeks. If you are lucky enough to be in a place that has a fan, it's perfect. If you are in the city where air conditioning is readily available the silica gel is never needed. Just be careful that the equipment does not get too cold, or make sure you give it time to warm up before using it.
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Extreme humidity in the field can form condensation on cameras and lenses when their temperature is more than a few degrees below the ambient air temperature. This seems especially true on rainy days early in the morning. Traveling with equipment in air-conditioned cars can pose a real problem under these circumstances. It can take thirty minutes for a lens to warm to a point where it will no longer fog. Contrary to the usual practices here in the states, equipment should be kept at or slightly above the sweltering ambient temperatures.
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You should be aware that travel and nature photography in remote parts of southeast Asia poses a few special health risks. My travel physician recommended typhoid fever, hepatitis A, and tetanus vaccinations. While all of the cities are malaria free, the remote jungles are not. An anti-malarial drug such as Malarone can help avoid this risk. Lariam is a much cheaper malaria preventative, but its side effects are the subject of controversy and law suits. Other serious mosquito borne diseases such as dengue fever exist, but the only preventative measure for these is to avoid mosquito bites. Carry and use insect repellant, and take any precautions possible to avoid bites. Wearing long pants and thin long sleeved shirts can help quite a bit if you can stand wearing them in the extreme heat. I can't handle wearing more than long pants and a t-shirt, all made from very thin cotton, in these locations. A basic first aid kit that includes fever reducers, and a supply of Imodium can be quite handy. I know from experience that some tropical fevers hit hard and without any warning. People in this circumstance can be incapacitated and unable to obtain medication without help. Medical assistance may not be available at all in some areas. Travelers planning a visit to Malaysia's most remote regions should get medical advice from a good travel physician before going.

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