Compact kit with best IQ for travel?

zuikowesty wrote:

Ultra wide to wide, primary lens on my E-M5ii

• Laowa 7.5/2 - small, fast, good IQ, manual focus, not sealed
• Oly 12/2 - small, fast, good IQ, expensive, not sealed
• PL 12/1.4 - largish, fast, good IQ, expensive, sealed
• Voigt 10.5/0.95 - large, fast, good IQ, expensive, manual focus, not sealed

I usually use the Oly 9-18mm as my wide option.  I would use the Laowa 7.5mm if I had one.

Wide option, primary lens on my wife's E-PM2

• Oly 17/1.8 - small, fast, good IQ, not sealed
• Pany 20/1.7 - tiny, inexpensive (used), fast (except AF!), good IQ, not sealed
• PL 15/1.7 - small, fast, good IQ, not sealed
• Pany 14/2.5 - tiny, inexpensive (used), average IQ, not sealed
• Sigma 19/2.8 - small, inexpensive, good IQ, not sealed

I use the Oly 17mm f/1.8 as my fast prime.  I find 17mm to be a very versatile focal length. A lot of people like the PL 15, but I find it too similar to the focal length on my iPhone.  Also, I like to do a lot of portraits, and 15mm is just too wide for me.

Zoom options for either body

• Oly 12-40 - already own, good IQ & sealed, but a bit heavy
• Oly 40-150R - already own, small & light, slow, ok in good light
• Pany 12-32 - already own, tiny, average to good IQ in good light, prone to SS on E-PM2
• Pany 35-100 - about 1/2 size of 40-150R (but... I'd probably opt for the 14-150 below for not a lot more cost, and much more versatility)
• Oly 14-150 - same size as 40-150R, all-in-one option, sealed

I usually take both the Oly 12-40 *and* the Oly 14-150.  That may be a little weird, but it works for me.  I use the 12-40mm more in urban situations and the 14-150mm --- well, I use the 14-150mm just about everywhere.

I sometimes take the Panasonic 12-32 as an ultralight option, but the 12-40mm winds up in my bag more often.

If I add the 14-150, then things become much more versatile, with one wide range zoom on one body, and the pancake just comes out at night for low light and pocketable use, while I have an UWA or WA as my primary lens.

I *adore* the 14-150mm, one of my most heavily used travel lenses.  It has been my go-to lens for so many travel situations:

• Hiking (anywhere)
• Balloon rides in Turkey
• Downpours in Alaska
• Cloudy days, when I have to go for detail shots because the sky would just be blown out with a wide angle.
• ...  (the list just keeps going)

Anytime I don't know what to expect photographically, the 14-150mm is my pick. The only drawback is 14mm isn't quite wide enough for a lot of urban situations.

I can't imagine taking a trip without the 14-150mm in tow.  The only trip where I didn't use it heavily was Carnevale in Venice last year.  Of course, I pretty much had my entire kit with me on that trip.  The f/2.8 zooms, along with the 75mm, were my mainstays there, but that was an exceptional circumstance.