Travel options to reduce weight

[jmbillings]

Crikey, I've not posted here for a while... anyways...
I currently own a sackful of primes. I've occasionally tried zooms but never really gelled - my last attempt was the Samyang 24-70 2.8 but the weight, zoom-creep and being a slightly decentered sample put me off.
But- I am getting older. My back is starting to feel the weight of gear more. And while it's ok for a walk from the car, I am facing a Europe trip in the autumn mostly via train and don't want to be hoiking a ton of gear around. Likely to be shooting a mix of cities/street and landscapes, and I often like to shoot interiors of big churches and stuff with an ultrawide. I'm also possibly looking at a short trip in India later in the summer and changing lenses from a backpack on those streets sounds like a terrible idea.
Most threads from recent years default to suggesting the 24-105 but I think there's a whole bunch of other options now. I kinda worry about F4 being limiting and losing the ability to get nice bokeh shots at night - but if I want to cut down on weight it's probably a necessary evil. Perhaps I keep something like my Samyang 45/1.8 in the bag for those too as it's tiny and light...
Anyway, in the absence of a 16-200 F/1.8 which weighs 450g, what would you do..?

(Edit - camera-wise I will probably be using my A9, rather than my A7Rii, so suitability for the higher MP bodies perhaps not critical...)

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[Maxmolly7]

Sony RX100VII?

Small, ligh and capable 24-200mm ff equivalent.

 

[Jefenator]

I've been roaming happily with 2 or 3 small primes for a long time.

I'll admit, it's a bit of a quirky / niche approach. But it has its rewards.

I might be open to the right f/4 zoom eventually. (Would be nice to cover all those in-between FoVs, and go all day without changing lenses.) And of course keep one fast-ish prime handy for when I want to go shallow and/or dark.

 

[LenRivers]

If the idea is travel, small camera bag and camera. Thoughts regardless of cost. Leica Q2,Q3

Sony RX-10 series

Olympus TG-7 or like TG series

Fuji X100 series

APS-C or micro 4/3's

Buying used even. Its pretty much your call and the camera is what it is...

If this was me and I own or have owned my suggestions.

The next thing I do to narrow this is to know what my purpose and itinerary of the trip will be. Do I want to show people or landscapes, is water /ocean involved could gear get wet. If the weather is bad am I shooting or leaving the camera gear in a hotel room. Will my camera bag always be with me.

If I was to look at this from the other side like I was traveling from out of my Country to my Country as a tourist what might I decide photography wise ?

 

[ahaslett]

Light travel kit - PL 25/1.4, OM5+Laowa 10/2,OM 12-45/4 1kg gear


Heavy travel kit - 8/1.8 fisheye, Laowa 10/2, OM1 + 12-40/2.8, OM 40-150/2.8, MC14, FL-LM3 2.5 kg gear


One-lens solution - A7CR + 20-70.4 G

I can add CV 15/4.5, Sigma 35/2, Viltrox 35/1.2, Sony 55/1.8 ZA or Samyang 100mm T2.3 to the one-lens kit, depending on what I’m expecting to shoot.

The two lens kit is Tamron 17-28, 28-75 f2.8. Maybe the 55/1.8 goes well with those.

The ability to crop to APSC at 26Mpix is a great plus for the A7CR.

The afterthought kit is the GM1 in its leather case with a 20/1.7 or 35-100mm kit in a pocket.


35-100mm kit

It all depends what you mean by travel and what compromises I want to make.

The OM5 is my real travel kit. It has excellent IBIS and a lot of functions.

Andrew

--
Infinite are the arguments of mages. Truth is a jewel with many facets. Ursula K LeGuin
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[AeroPhotographer]

I would mount a Sony or Samyang 35mm f1.8 on your best A7... body and nothing else. Try cropping 35mm down to 1500 pixels before you travel. That looks great on most monitors and shares well with friends and forums. This crop is the equivalent of 35 to 210mm. Try it.

You may be temped by the Sony 35mm f1.4. It's one of the world's greatest 35mm lenses, but in most situations we do not perceive the difference between f1.4 and f1.8, as demonstrated by the following two photos. And the f1.4 is twice the weight of f1.8.

 

[Rod McD]

Hi,

I'm heading for 70, hike, and prefer traveling light. I wrestle between two approaches.....

Kit 1...... I've had multiple small primes for a long time. By small, I mean sub 300g for each lens. I used to take a 24, 35, 50 and 90, but eventually found four cumbersome. So I switched to 24, 40 and 90mm. As a kit, it works for me. I don't care about their speed - modern high ISOs and software are fantastic. All faster lenses (f1.2-1.4) are much bigger and heavier. They'll give better bokeh but personally I have no interest in them as lenses for travel. Other people have a different view - it just comes down to what you like.

Kit 2........ The immediacy of a zoom and the ability to avoid getting dust on my sensor lead me to try the 20-70/4. On size, it's significantly bigger and heavier on-camera than my small primes. In the case, it's heavier than any two of my small primes but lighter than any three of them. On IQ, it's almost as sharp. The primes still have an edge of between one or two stops, and they still have an edge in sharpness around the periphery of the image. All that said, the zoom suffices for all online viewing and most prints I actually make.

That all covers possibilities in the region of 20-90mm. If you want a small lens in a longer FL you out of luck with Sony. It's not a brand that offers any small telephotos. Zero. (I'd love a tiny 135mm for travel.) I do own the 70-200/4Gii. It's excellent and very versatile, but it weighs over a kilo complete with caps, hood and collar in any lens case worth having - a bit of lump in the day-pack for extended travel. The only solution if you want a small telephoto is to adapt a legacy prime lens. eg I sometimes take the 20-70 and a Pentax M 120/2.8 which weighs only 330g including adapter.

Hope that helps.

Cheers, Rod

 

[NAwlins Contrarian]

I currently own a sackful of primes. I've occasionally tried zooms but never really gelled - my last attempt was the Samyang 24-70 2.8 but the weight, zoom-creep and being a slightly decentered sample put me off.
But- I am getting older. My back is starting to feel the weight of gear more. And while it's ok for a walk from the car, I am facing a Europe trip in the autumn mostly via train and don't want to be hoiking a ton of gear around. Likely to be shooting a mix of cities/street and landscapes, and I often like to shoot interiors of big churches and stuff with an ultrawide. I'm also possibly looking at a short trip in India later in the summer and changing lenses from a backpack on those streets sounds like a terrible idea.
Most threads from recent years default to suggesting the 24-105 but I think there's a whole bunch of other options now. I kinda worry about F4 being limiting and losing the ability to get nice bokeh shots at night - but if I want to cut down on weight it's probably a necessary evil. Perhaps I keep something like my Samyang 45/1.8 in the bag for those too as it's tiny and light...
Anyway, in the absence of a 16-200 F/1.8 which weighs 450g, what would you do..?
(Edit - camera-wise I will probably be using my A9, rather than my A7Rii, so suitability for the higher MP bodies perhaps not critical...)

There are many possible approaches and even more opinions about the best one, but reading your post, three options occur to me as IMO most worth considering:

(1) Give up the ultrawide, some ability to isolate subjects, and a little image quality (IMO / IME not as much as you'd think unless you print large) and instead of carrying any ILC, go with a Sony RX100 Va (or V or IV, or if you don't mind the lesser viewfinder, a III). My RX100 IV weighs 298g, fits in most jacket pockets, and rides unobtrusively on a belt pouch. The lens is decent, and gives you the equivalent of a FF 24-70mm f/4.9 - 7.6.

(2) Give up more than (oxymoron I know!) moderately ultrawide and a little bit of ability to isolate subjects and buy or rent a Sony 20-70mm f/4. It's 488g, so with your A7R II, that would be a 1113g kit.

(3) Given up zooms and accept switching lenses, and choose three light, reasonably fast primes to cover your needs. I'm thinking one in the 16-20mm range, one in the 35-50mm range, and one in the 75-90mm range. There are lots of very good lenses out there, but just to give some examples, among the well-regarded autofocus options are:

* for the wide lens, Viltrox 20mm f/2.8 (157g), Sony 16mm f/1.8 (304g), or Sony 20mm f/1.8 (373g);

* for the slightly-wide to normal lens, Samyang / Rokinon 35mm f/2.8 (86g), Sony 35mm f/2.8 (120g), Samyang 45mm f/1.8 (162g), Viltrox 40mm f/2.5 (167g), Sony 40mm f/2.5 (173g), Sony 50mm f/2.5 (174g), Viltrox 50mm f/2 (205g), or Sony 35mm f/1.8 (281g); and

* for the moderately-long lens, Samyang 75mm f/1.8 (230g), TTArtisan 75mm f/2 (328g), Sony 85mm f/1.8 (371g), or Yongnuo 85mm f/1.8S DF DSM (385g).

So to go with your 625g A7R II, a trio of f/2 or faster primes weighing 697g? Or a trio of f/2.8 or faster primes weighing 473g?

 

[Impulses]

I'd take my 17-50/4, a wide/normal prime (35-50), and a short tele prime (75)... Or maybe just the 17-50, a 35-45, and my FD 135/3.5. I think most people and most recommendations would now default to the 20-70/4 G though, maybe with a prime. There's the 16-25/2.8 G as well... FL preferences are pretty subjective tho, which were your most used primes in the past? I would think that + use case matters most.

My most minimal combo tends to be CV 21/3.4 + SY 45/1.8 (or TTArtisan 50/1.4), I like that a lot for inconspicuously shooting a mix of people and places, but if I'm out with the express purpose to shoot I like having my 20G /35GM / SY75 trio more, itching to try 16G / 35GM / SY135 (I've already tried something similar to this with the CV21 instead and enjoyed it). For me shooting primes tends to be less cumbersome than zooms tbh.

Regardless of whether I have a 17-50, 20-70, or 28-200 I'd still want at least one prime alongside them, and those zooms tend to be as large as two of my smaller primes anyway. When I shoot zooms primarily it's about ultimate versatility, so 17-50 + 50-400... Will still throw in a prime alongside those.

 

[Bobby Handal]

I like my lightweight , standard vacation (not wildlife, just normal sightseeing) combos:

Sony A7CR , either 28-200mm or 28-300mm VC Tamron, Sony 16mm f/1.8, 28mm viltrox pancake lens and 35mm f/2.8 Samyang.

 

[Jacques Cornell]

The most obvious combo for covering UWA to tele is Tamron's 17-28/2.8 and 28-200/2.8-5.6. Add a small bright prime for night and shallow DoF. To save weight, you might also take a Samyang 18/2.8 instead of the 17-28. I have one and like it: cheap, ultralight, and sharp across the frame at f5.6.

I went with Tamron's 20-40/2.8 and 50-300/4.5-6.3 instead, and I also have a selection of small Samyang primes to complement these. I'll explain why if anyone's interested.

When I was day-hiking regularly, I used a single 10x zoom to avoid lens-swapping. I was shooting landscapes in good light, so didn't need big apertures. Nowadays, I'm not hiking or traveling much, so two zooms is an acceptable compromise for broader zoom range. And, the UWA zoom's relatively large f2.8 max aperture, combined with modern image stabilization, serves well for dim, wide shots such as church interiors.

One consideration is total weight vs. on-shoulder weight. If you have multiple lenses, each one can be smaller and lighter, so that your camera body with a lens on it can be lighter on your shoulder or neck while the weight of other lenses rides in a pocket, pouch, bag or backpack. This does, though, necessitate more lens swapping. One old-school all-prime solution I like is my a7CR with Samyang 18/2.8, 35/1.8 and 75/1.8. Each lens is pretty small and light, and Crop Mode gives me a second effective focal length from each one - 27mm, 52mm and 112mm - while still delivering 26MP.

If all of this still seems too burdensome, you might also consider a Micro Four Thirds kit. I shot MFT exclusively 2014-2020 and really liked it. Panasonic's 14-140/3.5-5.6, in particular, is a very small and light 10x zoom that performs better than you'd expect. I hiked with it on a Panasonic GX9.

https://camerasize.com/compact/#624.859,770.931,ha,t

 

[wheresrunnicles]

Crikey, I've not posted here for a while... anyways...
I currently own a sackful of primes. I've occasionally tried zooms but never really gelled - my last attempt was the Samyang 24-70 2.8 but the weight, zoom-creep and being a slightly decentered sample put me off.
But- I am getting older. My back is starting to feel the weight of gear more. And while it's ok for a walk from the car, I am facing a Europe trip in the autumn mostly via train and don't want to be hoiking a ton of gear around. Likely to be shooting a mix of cities/street and landscapes, and I often like to shoot interiors of big churches and stuff with an ultrawide. I'm also possibly looking at a short trip in India later in the summer and changing lenses from a backpack on those streets sounds like a terrible idea.
Most threads from recent years default to suggesting the 24-105 but I think there's a whole bunch of other options now. I kinda worry about F4 being limiting and losing the ability to get nice bokeh shots at night - but if I want to cut down on weight it's probably a necessary evil. Perhaps I keep something like my Samyang 45/1.8 in the bag for those too as it's tiny and light...
Anyway, in the absence of a 16-200 F/1.8 which weighs 450g, what would you do..?
(Edit - camera-wise I will probably be using my A9, rather than my A7Rii, so suitability for the higher MP bodies perhaps not critical...)

What are your favourite primes / focal lengths.

Personally if I want to go really light I’d take just a single prime in the normal range. Could be my 50/1.4GM, but that’s still quite big so more realistically my Voigtlander 50/1.2 Nokton or my Sigma 45/2.8.

Weight allowing I’d build out from there, so Voigtlander 21/3.5 and maybe Sigma 90/2.8 or a vintage 135. That would give a similar range to the 24-105. Probably a bit heavier overall but much lighter on the camera.

All that said, in somewhere like India I can see the appeal of zooms and generally prefer primes, but do own some zooms. The 28-60 is worth a look. Tiny but sharp. I’m fond of the 20-40 which is also nice and compact and a very useful range. Personally I prefer the Tamron 28-200 over the 24-105 as I like the over 100 range (in the shared range it’s close to as fast or faster). I also have the 17-50. It’s a bit bigger but very versatile and the internal zoom is very useful. It would be on my list for an India trip (it did well for me in Jordan last year).

Most of those zoom options aren’t great for bokeh shots, so you need to think what’s important, flexibility of zooms or prime rendering/speed.

 

[gnPhoto]

I'm also possibly looking at a short trip in India later in the summer and changing lenses from a backpack on those streets sounds like a terrible idea.

If you are worried about theft, its no more than in any big city (like Paris or LA or NY, etc.). However I would worry about dust, so would take extra caution. As you have two bodies, I would suggest to pair 16-35 f2.8 A7Rii and 700200 with A9.

Most threads from recent years default to suggesting the 24-105 but I think there's a whole bunch of other options now. I kinda worry about F4 being limiting and losing the ability to get nice bokeh shots at night - but if I want to cut down on weight it's probably a necessary evil. Perhaps I keep something like my Samyang 45/1.8 in the bag for those too as it's tiny and light...

16-35 with 70-200 combo, would be my suggestion!
I carry f2.8s, but 16-35 f4 pz with 70200f.28 is also a travel friendly option

Mark-ii GMs are lighter (and expensive)

Anyway, in the absence of a 16-200 F/1.8 which weighs 450g, what would you do..?
(Edit - camera-wise I will probably be using my A9, rather than my A7Rii, so suitability for the higher MP bodies perhaps not critical...)

Carry both

https://www.instagram.com/neelagopi/

 

[motiwala]

Personally, I do not find f/4 limiting, especially when paired with one small prime. Sony 20-70 f/4 is a great option.

I am also getting older and have been through the exact same shift. I used to be an all-prime guy, carrying the 55/24/16-35GM combo. But lately, I feel more inclined to enjoy the moment and capture it rather than constantly swapping lenses. So I reluctantly got the Zeiss 24-70 f/4 — and honestly, it has surprised me. It performs far better than the reputation it seems to carry online. And, the 20-70 f/4 seems to be even better.

I still pair it with the 55/1.8 or sometimes the RX1, but I now change lenses far less often than I used to.

 

[wheresrunnicles]

I'm also possibly looking at a short trip in India later in the summer and changing lenses from a backpack on those streets sounds like a terrible idea.

If you are worried about theft, its no more than in any big city (like Paris or LA or NY, etc.). However I would worry about dust, so would take extra caution. As you have two bodies, I would suggest to pair 16-35 f2.8 A7Rii and 700200 with A9.

Most threads from recent years default to suggesting the 24-105 but I think there's a whole bunch of other options now. I kinda worry about F4 being limiting and losing the ability to get nice bokeh shots at night - but if I want to cut down on weight it's probably a necessary evil. Perhaps I keep something like my Samyang 45/1.8 in the bag for those too as it's tiny and light...

16-35 with 70-200 combo, would be my suggestion!
I carry f2.8s, but 16-35 f4 pz with 70200f.28 is also a travel friendly option

Mark-ii GMs are lighter (and expensive)

Anyway, in the absence of a 16-200 F/1.8 which weighs 450g, what would you do..?
(Edit - camera-wise I will probably be using my A9, rather than my A7Rii, so suitability for the higher MP bodies perhaps not critical...)

Carry both

https://www.instagram.com/neelagopi/

I’m sure that’s a great kit, but two bodies and 2.8 pro zooms doesn’t seem like the light weight solution the OP wants.

 

[Phaser]

If weight and size reduction is the most important, I'd go with the Sony A6600 and Sigma 10-18mm F2.8 DC DN + Sigma 18-50mm F2.8 DC DN.

 

[Jefenator]

If weight and size reduction is the most important, I'd go with the Sony A6600 and Sigma 10-18mm F2.8 DC DN + Sigma 18-50mm F2.8 DC DN.

Even if you don't go all in on APS-C, I find it can still come in real handy.

On my last big trip the A7 was the go-to, but I also brought my ancient NEX-7 as kind of a rough-duty "B" shooter. (Small, cheap, killer IQ – what's not to like!) I didn't bring any APS-C lenses for it; the FF Viltrox 20/2.8 & Sony/Zeiss 35/2.8 felt like they were made for it & rendered quite well. It also makes a nifty tele-extender for my 50mm & 85mm.

 

[motiwala]

If weight and size reduction is the most important, I'd go with the Sony A6600 and Sigma 10-18mm F2.8 DC DN + Sigma 18-50mm F2.8 DC DN.

Agree, I carry my Fuji xa7 or Canon M kit when I want it totally light.

 

[Bobby Handal]

I took the A7CR with Tamron 28-300mm VC to Brasil, nice and lightweight combo.







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[gnPhoto]

I'm also possibly looking at a short trip in India later in the summer and changing lenses from a backpack on those streets sounds like a terrible idea.

If you are worried about theft, its no more than in any big city (like Paris or LA or NY, etc.). However I would worry about dust, so would take extra caution. As you have two bodies, I would suggest to pair 16-35 f2.8 A7Rii and 700200 with A9.

Most threads from recent years default to suggesting the 24-105 but I think there's a whole bunch of other options now. I kinda worry about F4 being limiting and losing the ability to get nice bokeh shots at night - but if I want to cut down on weight it's probably a necessary evil. Perhaps I keep something like my Samyang 45/1.8 in the bag for those too as it's tiny and light...

16-35 with 70-200 combo, would be my suggestion!
I carry f2.8s, but 16-35 f4 pz with 70200f.28 is also a travel friendly option

Mark-ii GMs are lighter (and expensive)

Anyway, in the absence of a 16-200 F/1.8 which weighs 450g, what would you do..?
(Edit - camera-wise I will probably be using my A9, rather than my A7Rii, so suitability for the higher MP bodies perhaps not critical...)

Carry both

https://www.instagram.com/neelagopi/

I’m sure that’s a great kit, but two bodies and 2.8 pro zooms doesn’t seem like the light weight solution the OP wants.

Agree, but if OP prefer not to change lenses, then two body solution can be used. If highest priority is size/weight reduction, then 1 body with two lenses. If okay with f/4 then 16-35pz and 70200G2 are good options. As Sony GM2 are not very heavy, carrying two 2.8s + 1 body is about 2.5Kg.

Another option would be 24-105 f/4 with one body and a good smartphone camera.

https://www.instagram.com/neelagopi/