Hiking in national parks, lens suggestions?

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

http://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/56989867

My backpacking description is near the end of my post.

I'd typically take a general zoom, a long tele for wildlife and a macro.

If it were me, I'd bring the Olympus 14-150mm II since it's light, weatherproof and cover quite a bit of range

I'd pack either the macro 60mm or the 45mm for shallow DOF effect images

If you expect to shoot wildlife, I'd bring the Oly 75-300mm (or the Panny 100-300mm)

Voila, there 's no need to bring too many based on my own hiking experience

Cheers,

Thanks for the suggestion, Oly 14-150mm (ii) seems to be a great all-around lens.

dv312 wrote:

If it were me, I'd bring the Olympus 14-150mm II since it's light, weatherproof and cover quite a bit of range

I'd pack either the macro 60mm or the 45mm for shallow DOF effect images

If you expect to shoot wildlife, I'd bring the Oly 75-300mm (or the Panny 100-300mm)

Voila, there 's no need to bring too many based on my own hiking experience

Cheers,

Weather sealed lenses are only protected when mounted on weather sealed bodies. Unfortunately, the OP's EM10 II is not weather sealed.

Lee

Thanks. Did I understood correctly that when hiking you have a small/day backpack and Digital Holster at the same time? I wonder how this combination would work if one carries a pretty heavy backpack?

Indeed, so mark I might be good enough. One reviewer in Amazon commented that mark II's video focusing seems to be better in low light. Also, mark II could be a less prone to flare.

apekkpul wrote:

Thanks. Did I understood correctly that when hiking you have a small/day backpack and Digital Holster at the same time? I wonder how this combination would work if one carries a pretty heavy backpack?

I'd use the same setup regardless of pack size. It makes the camera available, and sitting on the hip belt is about as comfortable as if it was in the pack. The trick is to find backpacks that can mount the holster securely on the waist strap.

apekkpul wrote:

Thanks for the suggestion, Oly 14-150mm (ii) seems to be a great all-around lens.

I have the 14-150mm and I find it doesn't have enough reach for wildlife, mainly birds.  Also, it is most often too slow for landscapes in the bush.  When hiking, I prefer the Pana 100-300mm.  For landscapes, I also carry the Oly 12-40mm or I use my smartphone, a Samsung Note 4.

I have tried many ways to carry the camera and I prefer to attach it to the front of the back pack harness using quick detach straps.  I make my own but they look somewhat like these:

http://optechusa.com/reporter-backpack.html

Enjoy your trip.  I'm jealous !

I recently bought the Oly 14-150 (great, sharp, compact lens) and I think it would serve you well on your trip. Couple it with the primes you already have and you're good to go.

Hi

When hiking this week I took my EM10 mkII and 12-32mm. Nice and small and light. But there again I take general pictures of scenery and family when out and about. So for me no need for a longer FL in these situations. If there was wildlife involved I would take the 35-100 f2.8.

For this I take the 12-35 and 35-100 f2.8 Panasonics: lighter and smaller than the Olympus equivalents and they share the same filter size and are weather resistant (with the E-M1). They don't focus very closely so I'd also take the Oly 60mm macro. This is also my basic foreign travel kit.

I suppose for the Panasonics against the 14-150 one has to balance zoom range, volume, weight, cost, max aperture and knowing you'll always have the correct lens on: only you can decide where the sweet spot lies (plus what else you will be using the lenses for).

I do recommend MindShift Gear's Panorama photo backpacks for daysack use and I think they've now produced some larger models that might suit your 2-3 day hikes.

The 75-300 is essential for wildlife in National Parks. You may not use it much but there are some opportunities requiring the reach. Otherwise, your 12-50 should serve you well. Do not carry too much and do not forget several extra batteries.

Backpacking obviously limits the choices due to size/weight, but puts the photographer out there in the best light (sunrise, sunset, storms breaking up).

I would take:  12 mm, 25 mm, 75 mm Olympus lenses and a light weight tripod.  I might substitute the 60 macro for the 75 if wildflowers were a priority.

I would bring a plastic bag to cover camera during rain.

Have a lens shade for each lens to keep rain off the lens and to prevent flair.

maljo

I often go out with nothing by my Oly 9-18. It's extremely compact (about the same size as the oly kit lens collapsed), takes a threaded filter so I can use a polarizer, and at the 18mm end is long enough to provide some flexibility.

I'd start with the 14-150 (II) and suspect that would get the most use.

Add the 9-18 for those dramatic vistas (and it doesn't add too much weight or bulk) or maybe just the FE body cap lens if you really want to save weight.

If you need more reach in a small package, check out the Tokina 300 mm mirror lens, or if you can fit a larger lens, the 75-300/100-300

The 20 mm is so tiny, there's no reason not to take it.