diamax is good, but still preparation is essentials with or w/o porters

Hi Mirtos,

You have lots of good advice on equipment. I have hiked in the Khumbu region of Nepal at up to 18,000 feet. It is not easy. I was 58 at the time, and trained for 3 months daily without fail to do the hike. Slow is best when going up these heights. See your doctor about diamox as it will help, although you will pee a lot when you take it. As someone noted above, think about the weight porters carry and be friendly with them. Kilimanjaro is a great adventure; but like all great adventures, preparation is essential.

Thanks for the advice everyone. We're going to do a bunch of test hikes in Colorado (I know its not nearly as high, but we'll learn a little bit more about ourselves).

Thanks also for the opinion about the expandability of the lense. Thats a very good point that I failed to consider. Thanks again

I would worry about the D600 problems that have arisen. In whatever body choice you decide out of the new releases I would recommend getting it asap and working with it before you go...better to find any quirks or problems before then while.

Lenses well whatever you want to take. I would take some zooms and a couple of primes.

As far as the mountain goes...my boss climbed it when I was in college and someone from his group was coughing up blood. Out of their group only him and his brother were the two that made it up. So IMO weight is an issue even if you are going to have someone carrying stuff or not. You are still going to be using it and do you want 10 lbs of camera gear around your neck or on your shoulder while you hike? Probably not. I think in most cases an F4 with VR would do you just fine and if you get in low light then get a prime out.

I have never hiked that high, but some of my most recent ventures were 14,276 ft Mt Antero and 14,270/14,267 ft Grays and Torreys peaks in Colorado as well as 9,665 ft Sacagawea Peak and 10,298 ft Hylite Peak in Montana.

I got altitude sickness on both Grays and Sacagawea peaks. I made it up Sacagawea but felt terrible after being at the peak and hiking around some up there. I didn't make it up Grays and Torreys and was forced to stop at around 13,800 ft after I became very sick. I basically stumbled back down the mountain feeling like I had the flu with a killer headache, tunnel vision and feeling like I needed to puke the whole time.

So I wouldn't take it lightly...

TaoTeJared said:

Lenses... I would stay away from any that are not internal zooms (i.e. lens expands in length) as much as you can.

70-200vr, 24-70mm, 16-35vr - For durability - no brainer.

I believe the 24-70 expands. I know because I'm taking mine to Israel and Jordon in 3 weeks and am definitely concerned about dust, so much so that I'm packing a blower for the trip.

Having been at 14,110 feet several times in the past, I do understand the thin air issue. One must slowly go to this altitude and if one does not properly prepare, altitude sickness will get you and ruin your day. Also, potentially fatal. But, if you are an experienced climber and have been above 14,000 feet (about 5,000 meters) then you know how to prepare.

Camera...you had said four or five lenses which suggests the finances are of little concern. Two camera bodies. If you plan on a documentary, take a course in doing this and learn the function of the Nikon pro cameras. Then go D800 or D4 if the weight is of no concern. Adam has it spot on with the lenses. The 16-35mm f/4 VR and 70-200mm f/2.8 VRII. And I might go with the TC-20EIII. This would give you 400mm equivalent on full frame. As I like the fisheye effect, and I use a modified 10.5 on full frame...this might be an addition. Snapshots in the evening may require an f/1.4 as VR is great but does not stop the subject motion. 24mm, 35mm, or 50mm f/1.4...your choice.

And, the equipment to clean the sensor if the environment is less than ideal. Possibly one of the Lens Coat or Aqua Tech covers would be helpful. And as suggested.... a lot of memory cards.

mirtos

If you do go for the 24-70, rather than the 24 -120, then yes, I would recommend you also take the 70- 200; may be an extra body as well, to avoid continually changing lenes

Forget teleconverters with the D800. If the 70- 200 mm is not long enough, and you do not take, the admittedly heavy, 200-400, just crop; the D800 has enough resolution for some vicious cropping

documentary = TV/Movie = 1080p = 2mb. 4k video (which is actually width of the screen now 4096 x 2160 pixels) is shy of 9mb. You will have more than enough resolution.

Outside of that I would go with the D800 - who knows if the D600 "spots" will be fixed. For doing that trip, why not. A bit better made and more resolution for crops as well. That can save a long lens for sure.

Lenses... I would stay away from any that are not internal zooms (i.e. lens expands in length) as much as you can.

70-200vr, 24-70mm, 16-35vr - For durability - no brainer.
2x or 1.7x TCs.
50mm f/1.8. Always have to take a 50mm.

24mm is wide on FX and there, I'm willing it will be more than wide enough. In the midwest we have land where you can see for 70-80 miles on a good day from a high point. Super wide angles can get to be too much. 24mm is about as wide as I like going. Depends on taste and what you are grabbing. I think I would just take my Tokina 17mm & 15mm fisheye can call it good for a super wide. Those two with the 24-70 would give one everything and with a D800 you can crop what you don't need.

For Hardrives, I would go a used net book with 2 500gb drives. Use one for back up.

Power - you might look at Goal Zero (Goal Zero - Escape 150 Adventure Kit is one I have been looking at picking up.) I have seen them used by quite a few people. Brunton are good as well.

Filters - 3-4 stop grad or split filter to bring the skies back.

Tripod - lightest you can find.

Pack - I use a Lowepro DryZone Rover Backpack and you can get all of the lenses and photo gear in there that I put above. It can hold a ton and is still comfortable to carry. Heavy pack but waterproof, has a water bladder, and mine has take'n the worst I have thrown at it. I plop it down in mud puddles without hesitation other than to keep mud off my backside.

thanks for the suggestions everyone.

FYI I wasn't diminishing the difficulty when I said this, and if I came across that way, I didnt mean to.

I would also recommend against the 200-400. Yes, perhaps you won't be carrying it, but I can guarantee that your porters will hate you for bringing that beast. I would think the last thing you'd want on an expedition like this is to be surrounded by hostile porters. Just no fun.

On a somewhat related note, a friend of mine, who became paralyzed in a ski accident, went on to become one of the most decorated para-Olympians in history. He climbed Kilimanjaro in a wheelchair. Worth spending a few moments watching the video.
http://www.one-revolution.org/

@mirtos - first of all it's Kilimanjaro not Kilamanjaro :) as for this being an extended hike... well.... it's 5000m above sea level. You still need to prepare for it, even if someone will carry You to the top - which isn't as ridiculous as one may think especially on the so called "pepsi route". anyway, no more off-topics. I pretty much agree with sevencrossing though I would recommend:
- d600 instead of d800 - You need good skills to get snap on photos on d800, and for documentary high resolution is not a must
- 16-35 f4 as a main lens
- 70-200 f4 as a second lens
- TC 1.4 - for all the wildlife snaps, You don't need too much of mm in Africa - 280mm with an additional 1.5 crop gives You 420mm f5.6 - there's plenty of light
- good solid tripod with a good ballhead, I would go for at least series 3 gitzo or series 55 from manfrotto + gitzo ballhead
- good sensor cleaning solution, Kenya (I assume that You will go on a safari either before or after) is very dusty
- storage - get at least 120-140gb os storage for 2 weeks or a colorspace udma II
- as for solar systems... well, if You want best of the best get Brunton flexi panel + Brunton resync (or sustain II, better though heavier), this will keep Your whole group running
as for weight... well, from Your post I see that You have no experience in trekking... therefore no matter how many porters You hire, weight is always a concern as You always have to carry Your camera with You - unless You don't need the camera anymore... and prefer that someone will take care of it, if You know what I mean.

I would take

D800E

As you not shooting action, I would recommend VR f4 lenses over the f2.8 alternative
as the most likely cause of loss of resolution will be camera shake
( others will disagree and suggest the 24 -70 f 2.8. Don't lose too much sleep over this choice they are both excellent lenses )

16-35 f4 VR landscapes
24- 120 f4 VR general purpose
200-400 f 4 VR wild life
105 f 2.8 Macro
24mm f 1.4 pre dawn and after sunset

the whole lot should fit in a Lowepro DryZone 200 Backpack

( I just love spending other people's money)

I'm not normally a nature photographer. I'm going to be going (or my wife, not sure) to be going up Kilamanjaro next year. I plan to get a full frame camera for the trip. Can someone recommend good wide angle and zoom lenses (I'm thinking id like to bring no more than 4 or 5 lenses) for the trip. Heavy rain is a possibility once you get to a high enough altitude. Weight isn't as much of a concern as the group you go with you can pay someone to help carry things.

I should mention that these pictures will be used in a documentary so high resolution is very important.

Kilamanjaro isnt a 'climb' but an extended hike.

Also, does anyone have any experience with solar chargers?