It’s easy to go nuts on stuff you have to have in order to travel. This is especially true if you’re a photography nut, and I try to resist as much as possible. I'm going to Nice next month, and I'm taking two film cameras with me in addition to my regular digital on my trip to Nice next month. So I’ve gotten film (120 & 35mm), plus a third battery for the Canon digital and then I finally bit the bullet on the smaller Platypod. This is a device that serves the same function as a tripod, sort of , but it’s really a kind of plate with screws in it and a place to attach your camera. Good for long exposures and low angles especially, and it can be placed on a table top when I want it off the ground. It can also be strapped to a tree or other object, although I don’t think that’s a likely scenario for me. Picture above. It’s a little pricey for a flat piece of metal, but it seems to be a well thought-out design, so I think it should be useful. I got a ball-head tripod mount (the only way to attach the Platypod to a camera), and I hope the whole rig will support the DSLR with at least the smaller zoom lens. There’s a bigger version for larger cameras and big lenses.

I’m taking three cameras, in addition to the iPhone: the Canon t6i DSLR, a “new” late-sixties vintage Olympus 35 SP 35mm rangefinder (sweet little camera), and a 1950s Rolleicord twin-lens reflex. The Rollei was given to me by my grandfather, and I’m not sure why he parted with it, but he had sort of devolved to very simple point and shoot film cameras late in life, and maybe the Rollei was just more camera than he wanted. But it still works flawlessly, and I love it, even though I don’t use it as much as I would like.

Oh, I also got a new cable release that will work swell with the film cameras. I could probably buy another ten items to take with me, but I'm holding the line at this point.