Most common filter size

[Mrcurtain]

I just upgraded to an Olympus 5050 digital camera and will be taking it on a long trip through India, Africa and the Middle East.

The add-on adapter I got for the camera is in the odd size of 43mm. I'm pretty convinced that if I need replacement filters (or just want a new toy) I won't be able to buy 43mm filters in the 3rd world.

So... I'm thinking of buying an additional adapter - 43mm => 46mm? 49mm? 52mm? 55mm?? What size am I most likely to be able to find.

Thanks,
-Adam

[BobTrips]

Hi Adam,

Can't say what you're likely to find on the road....

I started with an Oly C2020, wanted more 'reach' and got the Oly 1.45x tele lens. It's 46mm. I suspect 46 is a more common size than 43.

I'd suggest leaving home with a UV and a polarizer. Not much else that can't be done with PS after you get home.

If you don't have one, consider an Extend-A-View to let you use the LCD to frame in bright light. I like to take close-ups of flowers and architectural details. The parallax problem of a P&S design drove me crazy.

When are you heading to India? I should be there by late January.

bob

[Mrcurtain]

My flight leaves January 16. I'll be leaving Dehli pretty quick, and heading back to Rajastan for a while before heading down to a beach near Goa. Maybe I'll see you there.

How important do you think that the Extend-A-View is? I haven't tried my camera in a lot of bright sun. There hasn't been much around SF lately. I'm thinking that I can solve the LCD glare problem by either:
A) Tilting the LCD away from the sun
B) Creating a loop with my hand and viewing the LCD through there.

Cheers,
-Adam

[BobTrips]

I don't think you can count on A. It would cut down on your framing options.

Maybe B would work. I know that when I was shooting the C2020 I ended up using the Extend-A quite a bit when doing closeups or an tele extender. The optical viewfinder just didn't work.

I'm heading to Bangladesh about the second week of January. May stick to the eastern part of India and work my way to Nepal if the political situation doesn't get worse.

[Mrcurtain]

The Olympus 5050 has a nice tilting LCD. That's what I was refering to with method A. I'll just see how thing go and then at some point in the future write about my experiences traveling with a digital camera.

As for Nepal, I traveled through there last year. The war was in full swing, but there were no real problems for tourists. As a matter of fact, it was probably much nicer with half the typical number of tourists. I walked across the border between communist rebel Nepal and government held Nepal with no problems at all. Though, sleeping in a hotel next to a sand bag bunker was a new experience for me.

http://www.geekeasy.com/travel/galleries/Everest_Trek_nepal_border.html

Cheers,
-Adam