Travel with mFT. Advice on lens/body choice.

aliasfox wrote:

Chris Prinos wrote:

45mm was definitely useful when I wanted something longer - and with a 2x digital crop, you can get 90mm (180mm eFL) out of 8MP, which is plenty functional on the long end.

The digital crop may help w/ visualization, but the resolution hit is bigger than you suggest. A 2x crop will cut your resolution by a factor of 4x (so, 4 effective MP, not 8MP).

You're right. I avoid doing work that requires thinking in the morning (paperwork and emails instead), it looks like I should avoid writing posts that require thinking, as well.

I've seen other members of this forum swear by the digital teleconverter in-camera; I usually just crop in post processing to get the framing I want. Either way, a 45mm lens on a 16MP sensor should give a fair amount of working room for someone who likes working in short-telephoto.

Actually the digital tele converter is supposed to over sample the cropped portion of the sensor and the RAW files you end up with are larger than you would get by simply cropping.

I've run experiments and it is very hard to tell the difference between a digital teleconverter shot and a cropped shot in post processing but there is a slight advantage to the digital teleconverter. That advantage however is outweighed in my opinion by difficulty in framing of a smaller image, put differently I'd rather crop in on my subject from a full image than use the teleconverter and possibly cut off part of the subject.

the question nobody has asked is, how important is photography on this trip? From your camera/lens collection, I'd assume that you have plans beyond posting Facebook pics, but what are they? If it's casual snapshots to bore the family, it's one thing; if you plan on making giant arty prints, it's another.

I have experience traveling by motorcycle with cameras; for me, the photography aspect was pretty important, since I was getting paid for it; I'd bring a compact camera "spare" along with the "real" camera. Actually, i still bring two cameras even as a tourist, although my biking days are over; usually the second camera has been a ruggedized, weatherproof one like an Olympus Tough, but I'm more and more treating my EPL5 as a fancy point-and-shoot and taking it instead. It'll fit inside a shoe when I pack, or in just about any little cranny.

If I were in your boots, I'd take the EM10, which is only a bit bigger than the EPL6, a spare battery, a charger with the duckbill adapter so no cord, either the 14-42 kit or a Panny 12-32 (smaller yet), and one other lens; in my case, probably my 17 mm f 2.8, which seems to be universally reviled but which I really like.  For you, the 20 mm. Either one takes up hardly any space and will fit inside something else. Maybe, just maybe, if the photography aspect is really important, find room for the Pen, too; wearing the second lens, because it takes the same battery and isn't much bigger than a paperback book, and it's comforting to have a quality spare. Smaller, really. If there's room. I find the lack of external controls and viewfinder on the Pen to be a handicap, while the EM10 is a joy to use and with the grip left at home, really tiny. But the EM10 for sure.

jalywol wrote:

Epl6, but treat yourself to a VF4 for sunny days outside. Bring the 14-42mm for wider. Problem solved!

Or, sell the GX1 and EPL6, pick up a GM5 with kit 12-32mm. It's REALLY tiny, and has an EVF. That with kit lens and 20mm would be an unbeatable travel combo.

-J

I'm pretty sure it's easier to pack an E-M10 than it is to pack an E-PL6 and VF4. Judging from packing my E-PM2 and VF2, the eyecup sticks out, and the viewfinder hump ends up being bigger than if he just brought along the E-M10 in the first place.

PL6 would be great if the OP has no intention of using the viewfinder.

Given your stated interests and size/space limitations, if I were in a similar situation with the same interests, I would look seriously at a Lumix LX100. It would offer a range of focal lengths that would satisfy any of your stated needs with the possible exception of a telephoto for the occaisional long view. However, it seems from what you have stated,that would be unlikely. One major benefit would be that it would provide outstanding performance in a very compact and travel-friendly format.

Excellent suggestion regarding offloading some equipment and getting the GM5 with 12-32.  That tiny camera will deliver images every bit as good (and better) than your current equipment.  Again, have a great trip.