Hiking in national parks, lens suggestions?

apekkpul wrote:

I plan to visit in a few national parks in Finland/Norway Lapland next summer, and I will definitely want to shoot both stills and video. We'll do some 2-3 days hikes, sleep in tent, carry all stuff in a backpack. Then we'll drive to another area, maybe rest a day in a hotel, and do another hike.

I have EM10 mark II. Zoom lenses would be handy but I only have not-so-good ones:

- Olympus 12-50mm, this I might take with me

- Panasonic 45-200mm, this is pretty heavy lens and I don't like it too much

I also have two primes: Panasonic 20mm and Olympus 45mm.

Ideally I would like to manage with one all-around zoom and one prime. For example, I would purchase Panasonic 14-140mm (ii) and use it for landscape photos/videos, and use Panny 20mm for low light situations.

I will also take LX100 and iPhone 6s with me, and a hiking pole with a camera mount so that stabilize cameras if needed.

I would be nice to hear from people who have been hiking and carrying gear what worked and what did not. Please also share best practices to protect gear from rain.

Pekka

Take the E-M10, 12-50mm, and 20mm.  Leave everything else.  If you really want to buy a new lens, then get the 12-40 f/2.8 and leave the 12-50mm and 20mm behind.

If you want telephoto for wildlife, then it's either the Olympus 40-150 R (real cheap) or the 75-300 (more reach but more weight).

I don't recommend the 14-140 over the 12-40; a world of difference.

For rain, if you want to shoot in the rain then you want a rain sleeve; the cheap ones are good enough.  But note that when it's raining, there isn't much light so you want a fast lens.  That's where the 12-40 becomes a valuable addition.

The main consideration is weight; and telephoto lenses are going to add weight.

The hiking pole camera mount is usually a 1/4-20 thread.  I like to do panoramas in portrait orientation, for that you need a little more equipment.  I would add a universal L-bracket to your camera and get an Arca QR plate for the walking stick.  Then you can easily pop your camera on/off; if it's easy, then you will use it.  Use the level gauge display to keep the camera level while rotating.

Remember: less is more; function over form; bring extra socks.