Gear for travel over the years

My very long hikes and XC skiing are in the past for me, I think but I'll still have a small kit for travel on foot.

I'm a bit undecided.  X-E3 is obvious plus either the 23/2 or the 27/2.8.  My interests are scenery and wild flowers so in season I'd add my Zeiss 50/2.8 but the 30/2.8 is interesting.  Not interesting enough to buy it though.  Now of course I'm tempted to stick the 14/2.8 in another pocket and my resolve crumbles as I think perhaps a small bag?  I've just got an X-H2, should I go for the extra pixels?  A bigger bag?  And so on.

When it comes to travelling with a camera, there are really three different kinds of weight (and bulk).

Luggage weight is the amount you take with you on the trip. That's really down to your tickets/luggage rules. Some very large lenses may be out, but even a GFX system could go carry on with most airlines, if you don't have much else to take.

Bag weight is the amount you take in the bag (if any) you have with you each day during the trip. In my view, that's the more important consideration, at least if you're walking a lot. A heavy bag means you enjoy things less.

Strap weight is the camera and lens you have with you. I'm not hugely sensitive to strap weight, but when I had an S1r with a Sigma 14-24 round my neck in Split, it did start to annoy me.

When planning for a trip, you really have to work backwards. Work out your maximum strap weight, then rule out any heavier combinations.

Then work out your maximum bag weight (and size) see what different combinations work for any particular day. It may be all your trip is the same and you plan to take everything everywhere. However, that often isn't the case. For example, in a town with historic buildings, you want the 14mm for sure. You can probably live with nothing longer than 35mm. On the beach you may want a WR combination. If you go to a wildlife reserve, you may need a long telephoto you won't take anywhere else with you, etc. As long as you have somewhere else to leave your other gear, you'll be fine.

Finally, you work out if your different combinations work in your carry-on luggage. If they do, I wouldn't worry about having more gear with you. You needn't take it all on every day, you just give yourself more options.

Oh, and nice shots by the way!

Great photos

I suggest the XF 18mm f1.4 , the most stellar lens I ever owned

Awesome set of images.

If you don't mind, where in New Zealand was the mountain/lake photo taken?

My wife and I are planning a trip to your country in April 2023.

Still working out what gear to bring. It's a bucket list trip for us so naturally I have the illusion of being able to cover all photo opportunities but also know that having too many options will get in the way.

vegetaleb wrote:

Great photos

I suggest the XF 18mm f1.4 , the most stellar lens I ever owned

In my case the 18/1.4 would be too close to the Q2. That camera has a nominal 28mm which is actually a 25mm. Long story. Had the 18/2 Fuji and compared it to the Summilux, which was substantially wider than the assumed 27mm Fuji.

A good friend of mine has the 18/1.4 and loves it. I guess it comes down to preferences as I always preferred either 20, 24 and 35mm lenses over a 28mm. If the Qs had a straight 28mm I wouldn't have bought it. The 25mm makes a real good land and cityscape camera. And for wider, I just bought the 13/1.4 Viltrox.

Robmas4229 wrote:

Awesome set of images.

If you don't mind, where in New Zealand was the mountain/lake photo taken?

My wife and I are planning a trip to your country in April 2023.

Still working out what gear to bring. It's a bucket list trip for us so naturally I have the illusion of being able to cover all photo opportunities but also know that having too many options will get in the way.

Lake Matheson, Fox Glacier, West-Coast South Island. It always looks like that, even on a bad day and the bushwalk around the lake you want to do more than once. Before sunset and early in the morning. During the day, wind can spoil the near perfect reflection and you would then need some ND filters  I would strongly recommend taking an ND1000 for your widest lens and a tripod.

Flick me a PM if you need or want some extra information.

Deed

Iuvenis wrote:

When it comes to travelling with a camera, there are really three different kinds of weight (and bulk).

Luggage weight is the amount you take with you on the trip. That's really down to your tickets/luggage rules. Some very large lenses may be out, but even a GFX system could go carry on with most airlines, if you don't have much else to take.

Bag weight is the amount you take in the bag (if any) you have with you each day during the trip. In my view, that's the more important consideration, at least if you're walking a lot. A heavy bag means you enjoy things less.

Strap weight is the camera and lens you have with you. I'm not hugely sensitive to strap weight, but when I had an S1r with a Sigma 14-24 round my neck in Split, it did start to annoy me.

When planning for a trip, you really have to work backwards. Work out your maximum strap weight, then rule out any heavier combinations.

Then work out your maximum bag weight (and size) see what different combinations work for any particular day. It may be all your trip is the same and you plan to take everything everywhere. However, that often isn't the case. For example, in a town with historic buildings, you want the 14mm for sure. You can probably live with nothing longer than 35mm. On the beach you may want a WR combination. If you go to a wildlife reserve, you may need a long telephoto you won't take anywhere else with you, etc. As long as you have somewhere else to leave your other gear, you'll be fine.

Finally, you work out if your different combinations work in your carry-on luggage. If they do, I wouldn't worry about having more gear with you. You needn't take it all on every day, you just give yourself more options.

Oh, and nice shots by the way!

We travel a lot and just did Hawaii, Grand Canyon, Yosemite, Canada, Uruguay, Argentina, Ecuador and Antarctica this year, and if it doesn’t fit in my Wandrd 11L or 21L under the seat then it stays home which is why I typically travel with only my a7rII (soon to be a7rv) w/24-105mm, a prime (soon 35mm f/1.4) , and my x100V for street shooting.

My wife and I never check bags no matter where we go so everything needs to fit in the overhead or under the seat (my Wandrd 21L fit under every airplane seat), this way I know I’m not packing too much to carry on long walks, and we walk a lot which is why I just purchased the 11L.  And a 24mm or 35mm would probably suite me fine most times for walking around so I’m going to purchase the 24mm or 35mm f/1.4 as my only travel prime.

I remember packing for a trip to Chile years ago and the damn backpack felt like it was over 30lbs and we did an eight hour hike up/back in Torres del Paine National Park and I was freakin’ miserable, and now I’m almost 10 years older. I also pack so that I don’t need to leave anything important in the hotel since some more rural destinations don’t have wall safes, that’s something to also consider depending on the type of travel some people may do.

deednets wrote:

Robmas4229 wrote:

Awesome set of images.

If you don't mind, where in New Zealand was the mountain/lake photo taken?

My wife and I are planning a trip to your country in April 2023.

Still working out what gear to bring. It's a bucket list trip for us so naturally I have the illusion of being able to cover all photo opportunities but also know that having too many options will get in the way.

Lake Matheson, Fox Glacier, West-Coast South Island. It always looks like that, even on a bad day and the bushwalk around the lake you want to do more than once. Before sunset and early in the morning. During the day, wind can spoil the near perfect reflection and you would then need some ND filters I would strongly recommend taking an ND1000 for your widest lens and a tripod.

Thank you.

Flick me a PM if you need or want some extra information.

May take you up on that at some point. We will be spending about 1.5 weeks on the north, and the same length of time on the south island. Itinerary is mostly planned out already.

Deed

Robmas4229 wrote:

deednets wrote:

Robmas4229 wrote:

Awesome set of images.

If you don't mind, where in New Zealand was the mountain/lake photo taken?

My wife and I are planning a trip to your country in April 2023.

Still working out what gear to bring. It's a bucket list trip for us so naturally I have the illusion of being able to cover all photo opportunities but also know that having too many options will get in the way.

Lake Matheson, Fox Glacier, West-Coast South Island. It always looks like that, even on a bad day and the bushwalk around the lake you want to do more than once. Before sunset and early in the morning. During the day, wind can spoil the near perfect reflection and you would then need some ND filters I would strongly recommend taking an ND1000 for your widest lens and a tripod.

Thank you.

Flick me a PM if you need or want some extra information.

May take you up on that at some point. We will be spending about 1.5 weeks on the north, and the same length of time on the south island. Itinerary is mostly planned out already.

Deed

Sure, no worries. Where will you be going?

deednets wrote:

Gringostarr wrote:

Sadly you can only pick one between having a small and light kit or fast and amazing glass and this applies no matter which system you buy into.

I will say that your post has me looking at the planned changes to my kit in a completely different light and now I'm looking at a third option to consider which would consist of just the 16/1.4, 30/2.8, 56WR, and 70-300, especially since the 30/2.8 has shown itself to be the prefect one lens solution for backpacking. Upgrading to an X-Pro4 would yield a full WR kit at just under 5lbs, a backpacking kit of under 2lbs, and a walkaround travel kit of the 16&56 at 3lbs which is very appealing to me and inline with what I'm trying to achieve with the other options with one less lens to keep track of and a completely uniform filter size outside of the macro.

That's a lot of glass. Looking at those lenses, why not try the unthinkable and just use the 16/1.4 and the 56/1.2? You might know how close the 16/1.4 focuses, right?

Deed

Not really, the 13/1.4, 30/2.8, & 50/2 (one of the possible kits I'm looking at building) is actually 5g lighter than the 16/1.4&56WR.

The 4 lenses I listed would be the only lenses I'd have, however at most I would only ever plan on bringing 3 of them with me depending on what I'd be shooting. No sense bringing the 56/WR with me on hikes or when I'm doing dedicated landscape when the 70-300 would be much more useful for that endeavor. Conversely, no sense bringing that same 70-300 with me for street or night photography.

For me, a good telephoto as well as a good macro lens is essential which is why the 70-300 is there and the 30/2.8 just replaced the 60/2.4 along with being a preferred focal length for me over the 35/1.4. To round things out though on the wide end the choice has always been between the 13/1.4, 14/2.8, and 16/1.4, however after your fantastic travel shots with the 56/1.2 I'm now considering that along with the 50/2 to fill the gap loosing the 60/2.4 made, especially since with the planned departure of the 35/1.4 it would be nice to have a subject separation lens.

gdanmitchell wrote:

The OP's mention of the Pentax system brings back memories. Decades ago we (my wife and I) took the tiny ME and MX bodies on long Sierra Nevada backpacking trips and other kinds of travel, using a few of the excellent little Pentax lenses that were available for the system. Those were beautiful travel cameras in their day.

Later on I inherited a Rollei 35 from my father. For those who don't know the camera, it was not much larger than a pack of cigarettes and it had a retracting lens — 35mm focal length if I recall. It was the smallest high quality 35mm camera I ever saw. (It since ended up in the hands of one of my sons... who collets and uses old Leica's. But I digress.)

When it comes to "travel cameras," we are fortunate to have so many great options today. I can do things with the gear that I travel with today that I couldn't have done with that older gear. One of the BEST things is that we don't have to carry and manage all of that film! On one of our long (two-week) backpacking trips, my wife and I carried something like 30 rolls of film. Today? Memory cards.

Ah yes, the little Rollei 35 ... I think it came in a variety of lenses, one was F3.5 another 2.8 ...

Fabulous design! These days I would - of course, right?? - complain that anything above F2.0 FF isn't going to be on my list. Any list.

The ME had fabulous long time shutter auto function, important when you shoot slides!

I typically carried 20 rolls on any given trip that went past 2 weeks, then reduced the slides to 200, 4x50 magazines to bore what appears to be now ex-friends with endless shots of doors in Greece, courtyards in Italy, tiles in Portugal and temples in Thailand ... *sighs*

But good fun it was anyway.

The F3 a notch above the ME for sure though ...

Nikon F3 + 24mm, Portugal 1986.

Deed

I love to read these threads because I think most photographers struggle to decide what to take with them on a fun trip. As I get older my back is often suggesting I take one camera and one prime lens. My brain will often say " But what if the camera breaks, you should pack a back up just in case!"  My back will shout " Dude, use your phone if the camera quits on you."

deednets wrote:

Robmas4229 wrote:

deednets wrote:

Robmas4229 wrote:

Awesome set of images.

If you don't mind, where in New Zealand was the mountain/lake photo taken?

My wife and I are planning a trip to your country in April 2023.

Still working out what gear to bring. It's a bucket list trip for us so naturally I have the illusion of being able to cover all photo opportunities but also know that having too many options will get in the way.

Lake Matheson, Fox Glacier, West-Coast South Island. It always looks like that, even on a bad day and the bushwalk around the lake you want to do more than once. Before sunset and early in the morning. During the day, wind can spoil the near perfect reflection and you would then need some ND filters I would strongly recommend taking an ND1000 for your widest lens and a tripod.

Thank you.

Flick me a PM if you need or want some extra information.

May take you up on that at some point. We will be spending about 1.5 weeks on the north, and the same length of time on the south island. Itinerary is mostly planned out already.

Deed

Sure, no worries. Where will you be going?

To be brief, so as not to bore other viewers of this thread, . .

Home base on the North Island will be a B&B near Lake Karapiro, where my wife will be participating in an international event. We'll hit most of the highlights within driving distance from there. I'll likely have time to escape for some personal photography time while she's busy.

Afterwards on to the South Island where we will visit destinations around Mt. Cook, Queenstown, Franz Josef and finally Christchurch then the long journey back to USA/FL.

Robmas4229 wrote:

deednets wrote:

Robmas4229 wrote:

deednets wrote:

Robmas4229 wrote:

Awesome set of images.

If you don't mind, where in New Zealand was the mountain/lake photo taken?

My wife and I are planning a trip to your country in April 2023.

Still working out what gear to bring. It's a bucket list trip for us so naturally I have the illusion of being able to cover all photo opportunities but also know that having too many options will get in the way.

Lake Matheson, Fox Glacier, West-Coast South Island. It always looks like that, even on a bad day and the bushwalk around the lake you want to do more than once. Before sunset and early in the morning. During the day, wind can spoil the near perfect reflection and you would then need some ND filters I would strongly recommend taking an ND1000 for your widest lens and a tripod.

Thank you.

Flick me a PM if you need or want some extra information.

May take you up on that at some point. We will be spending about 1.5 weeks on the north, and the same length of time on the south island. Itinerary is mostly planned out already.

Deed

Sure, no worries. Where will you be going?

To be brief, so as not to bore other viewers of this thread, . .

Home base on the North Island will be a B&B near Lake Karapiro, where my wife will be participating in an international event. We'll hit most of the highlights within driving distance from there. I'll likely have time to escape for some personal photography time while she's busy.

Afterwards on to the South Island where we will visit destinations around Mt. Cook, Queenstown, Franz Josef and finally Christchurch then the long journey back to USA/FL.

Lake Karapiro a wild destination, I actually had to google it to find out where exactly it is. Cambridge is horse country and Rotorua is less than an hour away, so you could do some "photography" stuff in Rotorua, geysers galore, often not particularly populated:

Or Waitomo Caves??

In the South Island you won't be going to Te Anau? Milford Sound? Really? There are some really quite spectacular fairy tale rainforests you could visit ... or Milford Sound itself:

And: yes, it often looks like this, if you have your own car and can arrive here before 8am

There are other things to see around Queenstown and Te Anau, Q-Town is possibly a bit overrated, but the pizza at The Cow is still excellent.

Milford Sound

Doubtful Sound, a bit like Norway in the South Pacific

Deed

Wow, great images! Now I'm even more excited.

Yes, we will be renting a car. Definately planning on Rotorura and the caves. In Queenstown (another home base really) we plan on taking the heli to Milford Sound and doing the tour there. As well as some wine tours.

From your images it appears my 12 and 70-300 will be quite useful, as well as possibly a couple of primes in between. Maybe even the 16-80, although I was thinking of avoiding TWO heavy-ish zooms.

I really appreciate your taking the time to post those photos and the additional information. The COW sounds interesting.

-Rob