OMG, I ♥ PONIES!!1

I have some cash saved up for a D700 that I won’t be buying anytime soon and I was thinking of experimenting with medium format in the mean time. I’m looking for something that I can slide in my regular camera bag instead of two lenses, so the smaller the camera, the better. Should I consider folders?

I’ve been doing some reading and I get the impression that apart from an overpriced Fuji nobody has been designing or building MF folders since the 1960’s. And those apparently have several inherent issues (lens alignment, inaccurate focusing, film flatness) and obviously they’re getting pretty old… old lens designs, primitive lens coatings, mechanical wear & tear, etc. At this point I’m even wondering if any of them – including the 6x9 versions with rarer lenses – would produce noticeably better enlargements than my 10 megapixel dSLR with a good prime.

Budget, ease of use, and availability aren’t really issues. As long one shows up for sale every now and then. My main concerns are size and image quality.

Any suggestions?

I currently use a Nikon dSLR but sometimes this is too noisy and too large for my taste - even with a small prime.

I’m looking for something pocketable, quiet, with a wide angle, and great image quality at f/2.8.

A digital point & shoot is silent and has a great form factor, but I have yet to see one that’s responsive or offers shallow depth of field.

A Leica M? I could live with the price of a used one but these cameras draw *more* attention than my dSLR. Possibly a Voigtlander. Any other rangefinders with a great lens selection?

Point & shoots such as the Contax T2/ T3, Ricoh GR1, Yashica T4/ T5 etc. all seem to have drawbacks of their own (mostly lacking features or a p.i.t.a. user interface). They’re also all getting fairly old for a used electronic device. Any new stuff?

What would you use?

Seven weeks from today, my wife and I are starting a nine month RTW trip. We’re both big photography buffs and we’re bringing a Nikon dSLR each, plus a point & shoot. At the same time, we want to keep our gear to a minimum. We’re backpacking, so we’ll probably carry all our gear in our daypacks (nondescript camera bags) every day for nine months.

We expect to be 2 weeks max between large cities. We’re afraid of relying on a portable hard drive for storage (what if it gets stolen). And we want to automate the geotagging of all three cameras. I haven’t bought anything for that yet.

What would you bring?

List an entire setup if you want – I’d love to read what the regulars & experienced travelers in this section would bring!

Or just suggest a specific lens, a third party neck strap/ wrist strap, a way to get all the shots home safely, your favorite GPS solution. Would you bring a flash gun? A battery grip? Provide all the suggestions you want – I’m eager to hear them!