Two bodies or an extra lens for my upcoming trip to Rome?

redli0nswift wrote:

As the title says, my wife and I are going to Rome in September.

I'm back and forth between picking up the 35-100 F2.8 Pany or for the same amount of money; a second body like the Oly E-PL6 (same battery as my E-M10), with a 20mm F1.7 Pany, and a 45mm F2.8 Oly.

Now, I'm buying this gear used for the most part to keep the costs down. I would use the 35-100 to compliment my current setup. I would use a second camera as a super lightweight choice for my wife. This way we could both take shots of Rome. Your thoughts?

Current gear:

OMD E-M10

12-40mm 2.8 PRO Oly

25mm F1.4 Pany

Sirus Tripod ~13inches

Billingham Pro bag

Batteries (3)

Memory cards (3)

I would lean toward a second body for the trip. A longer lens does come in handy occasionally, but not enough to justify carrying a 35-100 f2.8.  If you get in a jam, you can always switch on the digital teleconverter for the handful of shots when you really want the distant details. On my last two trips to Rome, I used the longer lens (the kit 40-150) mostly for architectural details around the Forum. Otherwise, it stayed in my camera bag.

You might also want to consider something wider than the 12mm on the 12-40. An ultra-wide comes in handy in places like the Pantheon.

I also like the idea of you and your wife both having cameras. She may be more patient with your shooting if she can shoot, too.

You should get a second body:
- each of you can have a camera, and perhaps reduce lens change frequency
- backup in case one body fails on trip
Only question here may be, will you need a viewfinder for the E-PL6?

Additional lens considerations:
- not sure about the Panny 20mm f/1.7. Does it play nicely with the Oly? Kinda close in focal length to your 25mm f/1.4, to compliment that I suggest something a bit wider like the 17mm f/1.8, I think that you will find that to be much more useful in Rome, if you want a 2nd fairly fast, somewhat wider prime.
- For the rare occasions when you might need something longer, the Oly 40-150mm is much better IQ than you'd expect for the $120 or so you can usually get it for. It's not a 35mm-100mm f/2.8, but not a slouch and I think an excellent compromise in order to have a second body for such a trip.