What Did He Use...
When I was in Burma and Thailand I used two different cameras, one film and one digital.
My digital camera is an Olympus Stylus 410 Digital. It is wonderful because it is very compact and weather resistant. I highly recommend it. You can find it on the web through the following site: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=316117&is=REG
The film camera I used is a Yashica Mat 124 G, which uses 120mm and 220mm film. This style of camera was first designed in the early twentieth century and was perfected around 1960. The Yashica Mat 124 is the most popular form of the Twin Lens setup and includes a built in light meter, which is essential for good photography. I bought my camera through Ebay several years ago, since the Yashica Mat has not been made in over thirty years. I highly recommend it to anyone seriously interested in photography. You can find one on Ebay now for about $100 to $200. Film is not too expensive - one roll of twelve exposures costs about $3 or $4 for good film. Developing costs about $10 to $12 at reputable developers. The film that I used on my trip was Kodak Portra 160NC and Kodak Portra 160UC for color. For black and white I used Ilford HP5 Plus 120 which costs about $2 per roll. Both are very easy to get through the web at: http://www.bhphotovideo.com
Another camera I brought with me and let my friend use is a Holga and uses the same 120mm film as my Yashica. It is wonderful because it is very, very cheap. The version I use cost me only $12 -- now you can find it for $16 at http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=171188&is=REG. They also have a version with a flash - which would be great for people pictures and other interesting work. http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=228024&is=REG
Check it all out. Great cameras... if you need any help or advice- contact me.