This summer, I am going on a two week holiday in Italy where I will visit Rome, Florence, Sienna, Napels and Sicilly (and maybe some other cities). I want to make sure that I have the right equipment with me. So far:

- Sony HDR-HC1E
- Sony VCL-HG0737Y
- Rode NTG-2 directional microphone
- Spider Brace 2
- Manfrotto tripod
- Sony NP-QM71D

The following things are on my short-list:

- Rode Deadcat Wind Muff
- Extra Sony NP-QM71D
- Quick charge unit

Furthermore, I need a good bag for the transportation of all my equipment. Prerrably something that can be carried in the field easily. I want to have my equipment with me all the time, so it must be comfortable and I must be able to wear it all-day while walking and sightseeing.

Furthermore, Italy is very sunny. In sicilly, the summers are really hot with sun all day. So I am almost sure I need something to stop down the light falling into my lens. I guess that means that I need a ND filter and at least a UV filter. Does anyone have experience with these filters?

Finally, I need a good cleaning kit for my camera/lens. I am not sure if I will encounter any dust but I want to be prepared for that.

I hope someon can fill me in, also when you also did a trip similair to mine in a nature park or on a holiday in a remote country. Thanks.

I had a sound guy with me when I went years ago. With that in mind...

we had a small luggage two-wheeler. That helped cart stuff around and you can fold it up and stash it quick.

The power system is 50 Hz, so whenever you shoot interiors you will see a "flicker" or "strobe" effect. I adjusted the camera to a 1/100 shutter. I lost about a stop of light, but it fixed the problem. I was able to purchase power adapters for their wall outlets from a travel store, and most of my gear was switchable to the larger power output there (210 watts+-?). I shot a lot of stuff in low light with a Hitachi 3000 and a BetaSP back. Took a lot of chances, and I wasn't sure if my job was going to be there when I got back, but the footage turned out great.
Candle light at a vinyard..3 tenors singing at a 400 year old castle... ah yeah. Florence was amazing.

Good luck to you.

Jeff Patnaude

Sorry- I forgot to mention the filter info.

The UV doesn't really do much but protect your lense. You need a "French Flag, or a mattbox. A French Flag is an arm with a clip on it that attaches to the camera. The other end has a metal (or whatever material - you can improvise this too) square that you can position to shade the camera.

ND filters are great to have- make sure you get a Polarizer first. That will reduce the light by a stop and take out reflections and glare.

Of course, I always recommend a small travel book on the local language.
Even if you mess up- they always appreciate the effort (unless their French).
Ciao,
Jeff

Definitiely take a 37mm circ.polariser filter. Some people don't like them on Hc1/A1 as they report grain in deep-blue skies, but for sure take one. Also i'd take 37mm UV filter for lens protection from finger-prints, dust, dirt, airborne water.

Really i recommend strongly a lenshood for the Y lens. Cavision make one i think : LH77 ?! (something like that - do a search for Cavision on this site).
Shooting into strong sunlight will cause flare on a wideangle lesn like that unless it's IMMACULATELY clean. They're almost impossible to keep super-clean all day long, and you will suddenly notice this when shooting into (or nearly into) direct sunlight and all the little bits of debris on the surface of the lens flare out and reflect sunlight. The camera can and will focus on this debris on the front element.
Solution : get a Cavision lens hood, check front element (and rear element) of the Y lens (and cam's own lens) at the start of every day and periodically throught the day.

Cleaning:
Use a blower-brush as a first step. If that's not enough, use microfibre cloth. If that's not enough, add a SMALL amount of lens-cleaning fluid to the microfibre cloth. also people speak highly of the 'Lenspen'. Do a search on B&H site for "Lenspen". Quite cheap.

You'll only get flikcer on a NTSC camera in Europe (50Hz mains frequency) when under fluorescent lights. Shouldn't happen much. Be aware of it indoors but i doubt very much you'll encounter them.

Definitely good advice about phrase book - i would never go to a foreign country without a smattering of phrases to at least ingratiate yourself a bit with the locals. pretty rude to expect the whole world to speak english.
Generally, the smaller the town, the less the locals will speak english.

I *think* you can plug your cam straight into teh socket (provided you have an adaptor) - certainly PAL cams can take 110V and 240V. I would check this first though. Some Euro countries have 220-240V.

Final thing : *BE CAREFUL IN EUROPE IN SUMMER IN GENERAL BUT ESPECIALLY ITALY, AND ESPECIALLY NAPLES AREA - the thieves are VERY VERY GOOD*. They are on the lookout for tourists with expensive equipment and you do NOT want to excessively advertise your gear. Obviously if you're shooting, you're shooting, but ALWAYS be as compleltely aware of your surroundings as you can, always be aware of where you gear is, your bag is. If you put your bag down, shoot 2 minutes footage, your bag may no longer be there. Keep everything zipped up ALWAYS. Never wander even 5feet away from a bag you've put down. Use small locks if you can on a zipper (travel locks).

Naples especially can be BAD for this, - a classic method they use (especially with women) is to zoom past on a motor scooter and just snatch handbag or whatever. OR a guy on foot will snatch camera / bag and his buddy zooms by 5secs later on a scooter (with another guy riding pillion) - the 1st guy throws the bag/camera at the guy on back on scooter, ......everyone gone in 10seconds. I don't want to worry you but unless you're on the ball as a tourist you may have a theft which could ruin your trip.
Oh final thing - be aware also of hoards of kids running round you - they try to distract you and swipe stuff out of your bag / pockets / backpack.

Thanks for your great advice. I would like to clear up that I have a HDR-HC1E, or in other words the PAL version. Furthermore, I speak spanish near fluently and Italian has very much in common. I do have two travel guides from Capitol (well-known) for Italy in general and Sicilly in specific.

You mentioned the thieves. I had a discussion about non-expensive vs. expensive bags in another thread. One of the main reasons why I want a professional bag is that they are from kevlar and very hard to cut open with a knife. Furthermore, they have locker zips which cheap bags often do not have. Glad you brought it up, cause I had forgot to mention this.

muy bien!

have a fun time over there. Don't get paranoid about the street-thieves but i just thought i'd mention it. hopefully you'll come back and say 'what thieves?!' - thats a perfect result.
PAL version can take either 110V or 220-240V so all you need is a physical plug to adapt to italian power-socket.

Siena is nice - lots of cobbled narrow streets, and a nice big central plaza thingy with i think a big church / cathedral (it's been a few years..).

If you have time i thoroughly recommend visiting the ruins of Pompeii and walking up Mount Vesuvius - just a few miles from Pompeii. Both aren't far from Naples. Vesuvius isn't that big actually and there's a road that goes up from the base almost to the top. You can probably walk it in about 2 hours. From there, it's a steepish walk up the lava rocks to the crater. Great views, lot of history, and....... overdue to erupt again !!

My wife recently returned from a trip to London. She bought one of those power converters before she left. It fried her hair dryer. I would recommend taking along a digital voltage meter for checking things out before plugging a piece of expensive equipment into the power supply.

Voltage in Italy is definitely 220-230V, 50Hz.

I would double-check with Sony that your camera will be fine to re-charge in a 220V environment. But i remember Floris said it was a PAL camcorder and so that should be fine for plugging straight in. - it's really the power-supply itself that needs to be able to 'cope' with 220V Ac. Output from the power-supply will be the same (something like 12V DC) for both the PAL and NTSC versions. So i think it's just a question of making sure that the power-adaptor that you got with your A1 camcorder is going to be fine in 220V situ.

I'm not sure why, if someone's bought a power-converter (essentially a transormer that changes AC voltage up or down) should fry their hairdryer. A power-convertor's job is to take the 240V you get in UK and convert it to 110V that is suitable for the USA-purchased hairdryer. Clearly if it fried the hairdryer either it didn't work properly or was used at an incorrect setting. (if there's a 2-way switch on it, obviously it needs to be set to input 240V and output 110V).
The hairdryer will defintiely fry if you give it 240V AC and it's designed for 110v AC, and you haven't used a voltage-transformer.

Does anyone have a link to a good cleaning kit / or seperate parts that they have experience with and that have the best price / quality balance?

I lived in Florence for four years and I strongly urge you to keep your wits about you (and your equipment) while near the train station, the Duomo and the Ponte Vecchio. Same goes for Termini station in Rome. For the most part, 75% of the theives are gypsy looking types, often young women carrying a small child. The deal is that they try to distract you with the baby or a newspaper and while you're not paying attention, away go your goodies. I got to know a few of these girls (platonic to be sure) and they are just mixed up kids who are taught to lead this kind of life by necessity. Just walk with purpose, head up and looking forward. Keep your hands on your bags and you'll do fine. Buon Viaggio!

I roughly planned my journey today. We will fly from Eindhoven (Netherlands) to Pisa. We'll find a place to stay in Pisa. From Pisa, we will visit Florence, Siena and Lucca and do a few days on the beach. Then we will travel to Napels via Rome (but won't visit it yet). We will stay in Napels for two days, of which one day we will visit Pompei / Vesuvius. From Napels, we will go to Messina (Sicilly) from which we will visit Palermo, Corleone and some of the other beautiful places on the island. Then we will travel back to Rome (long trip by train!) and stay there for three days and fromt here fly back home!

The only thing left now is to get my gear sorted out and complete!

Hi Floris,
If you haven't bought a bag, try the Tamarac 752 Adventurer. It is plain looking strong, and you can carry all your stuff, and have on your back while you shoot.

It is a still photo bag with a big bottom compartment, and two backpack top compartments. All the zippers can go to the center and are covered, cutting down the opportunity for snatch and grabbers.

And it doesn't look like a camera bag.

http://www.tamrac.com/welcome.htm

Go to daypacks/backbacks.

The Sony charger with your camera works fine with 220 in Italy; all you need is a Euro converter plug. You can buy 'em on line, at a travel store or at the airport when you land.

If you are in Pisa, and have the time, Cinque Terre, (The five towns) is great. The Italian version of the Rivera.

Happy Trails...

Jack Hubbard

I am not sure which one you mean, but the model 5547 or the Adventure 7 looks pretty good to me. However, I am not sure if it can hold the HDR-HC1 with Sony Y wide-angle lens and Cavision LH77 and QMF71D battery attached, so not seperatly, but in standby/ready-to-shoot status.

Thanks for your tip regarding Pisa, I will write it down!

just a typo correction Floris : it's Naples, not Napels.
(well actually to be accurate it's Napoli....Naples is just the non-Italian spelling of the name).

Also, be careful on trains too in Italy. All kinds of theft stories. Be careful especially not to fall asleep without securing your gear VERY well. Take locks for all zips etc. with important gear inside, and i reco a metal cable to secure stuff to fixed object/railing.
Italian thieves praying on sleeping tourists is, unfortunately, not uncommon.

Your right about the name. In The Netherlands, we speak dutch, and Napels is the dutch translation of Napoli. I must have messed it up as I normally tend to use the Italian names as I think they are nicer to speak out.

Thanks for the advice on thieves. I have already been in Rome and have witnessed robbers in action at Termini and in the metro and I am always very careful with my bags. But you cannot be careful enough, so thanks that everyone reminds me of the thieves so I definately won't forget!

I have sorted out almost everything. I only need some more help with the bag. What I am looking for is a bag where I can place the HDR-HC1 with Sony Y wide-angle lens and QMF71D battery ATTACHED. It would be great if the Cavision LH77 lenshood could also stay on the setup. Furthermore, I take the Rode NTG-2 with Deadcat, cables and chargers, tapes and spare batteries. The Spider Brace 2 stays home but I would like something on the sides to attach a tripod so I can carry it all with one bag on my back.

That makes me ask another question. I now have a really heavy and sturdy Manfrotto tripod but am looking for something much lighter, smaller but still stable and strong to serve as my travel tripod. Any suggestions? I am thinking about aluminum or carbon fiber instead of metal.

I am thinking about aluminum or carbon fiber instead of metal.Carbon fibre is pretty big bucks but it´s a very rigid material and low density.
Aluminum...... is a metal ! ;-)

I think 99% of tripods are alu or carbon-fibre. Magnesium or titanium would be an option if you were a really purist but impractical as it´d be stupidly expensive, and i´m 99% certain that alu or cf is about it.

Hope I'm not to late for you planning... and its not gear related... but here is a thing I send to people.... formatting is gone... maps, & pics too, try googleing the names of places... enjoy!

A few places to go in Italy.... tips. in general DO NOT eat anywhere close enough to see the building that made the town famous. do not eat if the menu is in english - worse if its in english & german & japanese - RUN.

Florence...
eat at IL LATINI - ask anyone, they will know where it is. Make a reservation! They do 2 seatings. Get there about 10 min early even with reservations. Be very hungry the food does not stop.
Via dei Palchetti Florence
Ph: 39 055 21 09 16
The steak is great – best in Italy - if you are not worried about Mad Cow, also make sure you get the Vin Santo & Biscotti for desert.

The other great place to eat for real cheap is the Pizza at the post office - this is basically the commisary for the mailmen - but its some of the best in all of Italy - or it was 10 years ago - most people don't know that its open to the public, and there was talk of closing it so ask...

For ice cream go to Vivoli
Address:
Via Isola della Stinche, 7r
Florence 50122
In the Historical Center
Phone: +39 55292334


To buy leather goods... it is cheaper than most stores & cooler
Inside the Monastery of Santa Croce
Manufaturers of fine leather goods The main entrance into the Leather School is through the Santa Croce Church (we are located next to the Sacristy, in the old dormitory of the Franciscan Friars) but, out of respect for the Church, we invite our visitors and customers to use the entrance through the garden that surrounds the magnificent Apse of the Church (Via San Giuseppe 5R).

Half way between Florence & Rome –

On the MONTE ARGENTARIO - there is a great 7 mile long beach... the town of Porto Ercole is very nice, the foccacia bread at the tiny bakery between the town square & the port is some of the best in italy.

Terme di Saturnia - ( about an hour from Porto Ercole) now you can either go to the fancy spa hotel - but you probably won't be able to get in on such short notice, or you can do the free open to the public one. sure there are allways lots of german tourists, but there are lots of real Italian farmers/blue collor types there too. You can sit in a waterfall which gives a great massage, and rub the sulphorus moss all over your body. there is no changing area so bring a towel.

After you go to Saturnia eat at a place called Laudomia. It is near Montemerano -- i.e. the restaurant is between Montemerano and the Terme di Saturnia. Montemerano is north of Manciano, a biggish town on Route 74.

Parco dei Mostri (or "Monster Park") by the town of Bomarzo about an 75minutes from Rome (north west) close to the town of Viterbo. The park of Monsters of Bomarzo was devised by the architect Pirro Ligorio (he completed the Cathedral of Saint Peter in Rome after the death of Michelangelo and built Villa d'Este in Tivoli) on commision of Prince Pier Francesco Orsini, called Vicino, only to vent the heart broken at the death of is wife Giulia Farnese The park was born in 1552 as "Villa of Wonders" to be the only one of it's kind in the world. Phone # +39-761924029


You can literally go inside this ones mouth!


A more modern take on the Bomartzo is in Garavicchio, Tuscany, about 100 km north-west from Rome along the coast. The garden, called Giardino dei Tarocchi in Italian, contains sculptures of the symbols found on Tarot cards. The garden took many years, and a lot of money, to complete. It opened in 1998, after more than 20 years of work. it is by Niki de Saint Phalle.


In Rome, eat at Da Tonino a cool little place where the drivers for the members of Parliment often go to eat. It is hard to find, there is no sign, in fact it barely looks like a place to eat, but the address is (I think) 18 Via Governo Vecchio at corner of Vico d' Avila - basically get to the parliment square and ask people even if you dont speak Italian - they might not even have heard of the resturant, but should be able to help with the streets. Look for guys who are drivers... dark suits, standing by nice dark cars smoking... watch where they eat.


Giolitti
Super ice cream – best in all of italy
neighborhood: Centro Storico
tel: +39 066991243
email: info@giolitti.it
web: http://www.giolitti.com/

Great Bar Harry's Bar
Reminiscent of the 1950s La Dolce Vita era.
Via Veneto 150

Wow! Thanks for the great information. I am going to print your post and take it with me, on my trip and in my planning!

Stu, this are some tripods I looked at. What do you think?

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=261907&is=REG&addedTroughType=categoryNavigation

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=415688&is=REG&addedTroughType=search

These two look perfect for travelling:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=418303&is=REG&addedTroughType=search

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=415688&is=REG&addedTroughType=search

They may not be the best tripods but I just need a good one for travelling that is light-weight and above all compact. It is either this or no tripod, as I am not going to carry a heavy, large tripod nor a $400 Bogen tripod.

But maybe there are other suggestions in this category.

Ok, I have decided to purchase the Sony VRT1500 tripod as it looks really sturdy yet compact and and light-weight.

For the bag, I narrowed down the field:

Lowepro Mini Trekker AW Camera Backpack - Black
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=WishList.jsp&A=details&Q=&sku=278343&is=REG

Petrol PCCB-1N Compact Camcorder Bag - for Canon GL-1, XL-1, Sony DSR-PD100 and DSR-PD150 Camcorders
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=WishList.jsp&A=details&Q=&sku=236223&is=REG

Porta Brace CS-DV2U Mini-DV Camcorder Case with Universal Cradle - for Most Mini DV Camcorders up to 14" Long (Black with Red Trim)
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=400699&is=REG&addedTroughType=categoryNavigationd

The Porta Brace bag ($149) looks beautiful as well as really though. However, I do not like it that it is not weather-proof / water-resistant (at least, I can not find that stated anywhere, nor does it have the rain icon in its brochure). The Petrol bag ($99) looks good but there is something about it I do not like. Finally, the Lowepro Mini Trekker seems perfect. It is all-weather-proof, has many compartments, a tripod can be attached and it fits the compartments for luggage in airplanes. $110 also is a nice price. I also think a backpack is the most comfortable transportation method. In places with thieves, you can always carry them in the front. It might look ackward but it is better then having your expensive gear ripped.

I will think about it a little bit more and make a good decision.

OK, I see 2 easy ways to carry your gear. Roller case or padded backpack (photo backpack). The BEST roller case has got to be a Pelican TM1510DF (or 1610 if you want larger). You can slap a lock on it - but yes never let it out of your sight.

In Rome find Cafe Abruzzi. Best ravioli I have ever eaten. I still dream about it (and the 100+ year old waiters are wonderful)

Always watch out for scooter's that come in close,thieves have a trick of grabbing your gear and dissapearing into the crouded streets.Also make shure you buy a top quality ND filter.I bought a well known but cheaper brand and I find at certain angles in bright sun light I get tiny spots showing up in the footage,it looks like dust particles, but infact it turned out to be a problem with the glass.Also if you are going on a holiday,thats a lot of ground to cover in two weeks,you'll be running around like a blue arsed fly, take an extra week and enjoy yourself.

OK, I see 2 easy ways to carry your gear. Roller case or padded backpack (photo backpack). The BEST roller case has got to be a Pelican TM1510DF (or 1610 if you want larger). You can slap a lock on it - but yes never let it out of your sight.

In Rome find Cafe Abruzzi. Best ravioli I have ever eaten. I still dream about it (and the 100+ year old waiters are wonderful)

Thanks. I will locate that one. Thanks for all the great tips.

I have purchased the Lowepro Nature Trekker AW II and received it a few weeks ago. After a few test, I can really say that this is very comfortable backpack with ample of space for all my gear. I have growth options! I will upload some picture in the near future with the bag and all my gear.

The only thing I am not completly sure about is the tripod and head. The tripods I am considering at this moment are:

Manfrotto/Bogen 755B (67cm folded, 163cm extended, 2.8kg)

http://www.manfrotto.com/Jahia/cache/offonce/pid/3314?livid=68|73&lsf=73&child=5

Manfrotto/Bogen 756B (59cm folded, 143cm extended, 2.2kg)

http://www.manfrotto.com/Jahia/cache/offonce/pid/3313?livid=68|73&lsf=73&child=5

The fluid heads I am considering are:

Manfrotto/Bogen 503 (8kg load)
http://www.manfrotto.com/Jahia/cache/offonce/pid/3293?livid=80|86&idx=87

Manfrotto/Bogen 701RC2 (4kg load)
http://www.manfrotto.com/Jahia/cache/offonce/pid/2353?livid=80|86&idx=87

Finally, I might consider one of these:

Velbon DV-7000
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=366741&is=REG&addedTroughType=search

Velbon CX-570
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=158818&is=REG&addedTroughType=categoryNavigation

The last two might be for travel purposes only. As the CX-570 only costs $40, it could be the perfect travelling tripod. For my production, I can then purchase a more expensive and sturdy Bogen/Manfrotto tripod with 503 video head like the 755B/503 combination.

Ah, Italy. I remember those days when I was still the Navy, back in 83'. Our home port on the mediterranean cruises was Naples.

I remember a few times when a group of us would pile into two cabs and tell the drivers that first one to the military comissary would get an extra $20. Those guys were nuts! Nobody obeys a traffic signal. The sidewalks arn't even safe.

Yes, most of your best eating places will wind up in somebody's basement makeshift restuarant. I can't remember them anymore.

The HC1 is a perfect choice. Small, concealable and will command little unwanted attention.

My only advice to you is what our command told us. Blend in. Don't look like a tourist. We wore simple clothes and didn't shave much, etc. Take note.

Most of all, have a good time.