Compact kit with best IQ for travel?

OM mani padme hum wrote:

The first question that needs to be asked, IMHO, is whether you're going wherever *primarily* to take photos, or whether that's secondary to your main purpose, which could be going to jazz clubs or museums, skiing, cycling, etc. If you'll be by yourself, faffing around doesn't matter so much, but if you're with others who are not obsessed with photography then streamlining gear as much as possible will save a lot of time and conflict. Less to lug means you can move faster too.

I try to avoid being with people who don't like taking photos, or at least appreciate the scenery enough to be tolerant of those who are...

As for which lenses to take, that's personal and I don't know that anyone else can help with that. FWIW, I never used the Oly 12 f2 after getting an f2.8 zoom, and disliked the Oly 12-50 quite a bit as it's slow, bulky, has power zoom, etc. The 12-100 Pro is remarkably capable, but it's not small, light, cheap or unobtrusive. There are lots of pros and cons to weigh up.

Agreed.

More time looking around and less time fiddling with gear works for me when travelling, but YMMV.

I feel the same way, especially if I'm in a location where things will change quickly, like in a city, so a lens like the 14-150 is ideal. But once I get out into nature, I can easily spend hours or days exploring locations, so having a range of lenses available is more important. But if reaching the location means multi-day wilderness hikes, then I'm back to preferring a simple kit again...

As Antoine de Saint-Exupery said: "Perfection is achieved not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away."

Thanks, I can definitely relate to this sentiment. I have been fortunate to have spent 6 weeks travelling in the past year, in 6 different locations, and each trip has taught me something about what I can leave behind to lighten the load. We just began a 7th week (back to Sedona again), and I will undoubtedly learn more lessons this time, but have decided to forego any more gear purchases until after this week is done - a 2nd week in the same place should be a good test as any gear that didn't see use either trip can be trimmed from the kit...