Spring cruise to Japan - kit

[BWD]

I'm a moderately experienced enthusiast that will be going on a cruise to Japan in spring 2026 with my fabulous but not overly patient wife. Stopping in the usual cities/towns. I figure it'll mostly be street photography with temples, shrines, gardens, forts and the other famous sites, all crowded. Probably on and off buses with lots of shorter stops. I'm limiting myself to the lightest, smallest, minimal kit I can carry and still get the shots I want. I have a Sony kit but it's too big for this trip. I'm trying to chose my camera(s) & lenses only from my Olympus MFT kit. Here's my initial plan and my full kit. Let me know if I'm on the right path. All advice appreciated.

My plan:

OM Systems OM-5 Mark ii

9-18mm f/4-5.6 (MFT) 18-36mm FF

14-150mm f/4-5.6 (MFT) 28-300mm FF

OM-D PEN P7

20mm f/1.4 (MFT) 40mm FF
14-42mm f/4-5.6 Pancake (MFT) 28-84mm FF

My full Olympus kit:

OM Systems OM-5 Mark ii

OM-D E-M1

OM-D E-M5 mark ii

OM-D PEN P7

OM-D PEN -E-PL9

OM-D PEN E-MP2

9-18mm f/4-5.6 (MFT) 18-36mm FF

12-45mm f/4 (MFT) 24-90mm FF

14-42mm f/4-5.6 Pancake (MFT) 28-84mm FF

40-150mm f/4-5.6 (MFT) 80-300mm FF

14-150mm f/4-5.6 (MFT) 28-300mm FF

12-200mm f/4-5.6 (MFT) 24-400mm FF

17mm f/1.8 (MFT) 34mm FF

20mm f/1.4 (MFT) 40mm FF

25mm f/1.8 (MFT) 50mm FF

45mm f/1.8 (MFT) 85mm FF

 

[CameraCarl]

I spent two weeks touring Japan with my family in late 2023. I took a Sony APS-C camera with a 24-105mm (Full Frame equivalent) lens and a 16mm f2.8 (FF equivalent) lens which I used 15% of the time. I also had a backup Sony RX100 IV point and shoot camera (which I used either at the widest 24mm FF= or longest 70mm FF= settings). A telephoto might have been nice for architectural details on buildings, but I didn't really miss it. I would; however, have been disappointed if I didn't have my widest lenses along.

 

[mfinley]

If your criteria is "limiting myself to the lightest, smallest, minimal kit I can carry and still get the shots I want." then why not your smallest, lightest body and a couple of lenses , be it zooms or primes that will get the shots you want and call it good?

 

[Reggie Stration]

If your criteria is "limiting myself to the lightest, smallest, minimal kit I can carry and still get the shots I want." then why not your smallest, lightest body and a couple of lenses , be it zooms or primes that will get the shots you want and call it good?

Based on your description of the type of photos that you will be taking, maybe also take a top end iPhone or similar. Make your life even simpler. ;-)

Then see which one you use the most.

 

[saltydough]

That is really a long list which needs to be narrowed down by a lot.



Some considerations could be how you carry them and how fast you can react or change lens. Pick 2-3 of them that you use most often.

 

[Craig Gillette]

I'm a moderately experienced enthusiast that will be going on a cruise to Japan in spring 2026 with my fabulous but not overly patient wife. Stopping in the usual cities/towns. I figure it'll mostly be street photography with temples, shrines, gardens, forts and the other famous sites, all crowded. Probably on and off buses with lots of shorter stops. I'm limiting myself to the lightest, smallest, minimal kit I can carry and still get the shots I want. I have a Sony kit but it's too big for this trip. I'm trying to chose my camera(s) & lenses only from my Olympus MFT kit. Here's my initial plan and my full kit. Let me know if I'm on the right path. All advice appreciated.

My plan:

OM Systems OM-5 Mark ii

9-18mm f/4-5.6 (MFT) 18-36mm FF

14-150mm f/4-5.6 (MFT) 28-300mm FF

OM-D PEN P7

20mm f/1.4 (MFT) 40mm FF
14-42mm f/4-5.6 Pancake (MFT) 28-84mm FF

My full Olympus kit:

OM Systems OM-5 Mark ii

OM-D E-M1

OM-D E-M5 mark ii

OM-D PEN P7

OM-D PEN -E-PL9

OM-D PEN E-MP2

9-18mm f/4-5.6 (MFT) 18-36mm FF

12-45mm f/4 (MFT) 24-90mm FF

14-42mm f/4-5.6 Pancake (MFT) 28-84mm FF

40-150mm f/4-5.6 (MFT) 80-300mm FF

14-150mm f/4-5.6 (MFT) 28-300mm FF

12-200mm f/4-5.6 (MFT) 24-400mm FF

17mm f/1.8 (MFT) 34mm FF

20mm f/1.4 (MFT) 40mm FF

25mm f/1.8 (MFT) 50mm FF

45mm f/1.8 (MFT) 85mm FF

Maybe this:

OM Systems OM-5 Mark ii

OM-D PEN P7

9-18mm f/4-5.6 (MFT) 18-36mm FF

14-150mm f/4-5.6 (MFT) 28-300mm FF

17mm f/1.8 (MFT) 34mm FF
12-45mm f/4 (MFT) 24-90mm FF

"I'm limiting myself to the lightest, smallest, minimal kit I can carry and still get the shots I want." I don't know how to do this all that well with my Sony stuff. The more smaller and minimal the more I wonder and/or find out about which shots I might want or might have wanted and didn't get.

In a general sense, I like 16mm to 200mm in "travel." How that comes together can vary with which lenses one actually has or are available in a mount, etc. Two bodies give you redundancy and back-up and a quick swap, faster than swapping lenses. But carrying two bodies. I don't know OM or the individual lenses by size/weight or quality. A good phone may well be the right answer, or suitable "just in case." I doubt any given body or lens will fail. It's almost 50 years since I was in Japan so educated guessing about shot opportunities.

The 12-45, I'm guessing, should be on your favorite/fastest/better body. Probably get most of the shots. 24mm over 28mm and out to 300mm (or 200mm) would be infrequent but not impossible, thinking it's a handier lens to deal with. 9-18 on the other body. I'm thinking wider will be more useful and quickly needed than the longer focal lengths. 17mm over 20mm as a "fast" prime, I'd like the somewhat wider in f1.8 over the somewhat narrower in f1.4.

Not sure your itinerary, what can stay behind or goes everywhere all the time, etc.

One body/lens? Pick one and the 12-45.

 

[BWD]

CC: So, maybe I could take the 12-45mm f/4 (24-90mm FF) instead of the 14-150mm which is bigger and heavier. That helps reduce the carry. Thanks for the feedback. I'm excited. Japan seems like such an aesthetic place. Great for photographing.

 

[BWD]

MF:

I'm concerned that if I leave out the 9-18mm and/or the 14-150mm that I might miss shots at the far ends of the range. I feel like the 20mm should be the only prime I need. The 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 Pancake is perfect for Japan, right? Two bodies is belt and suspenders. Am I overly paranoid? ;-) Thx.

 

[BWD]

RS:

My Google Pixel 9 Pro XL will be with me, but it makes me feel more like a tourist than a photographer. It just doesn't FEEL right. Make sense?

 

[BWD]

SD:

My plan, as stated is two bodies and four lenses.

OM Systems OM-5 Mark ii

• 9-18mm f4-5.6 (MFT) 18-36mm FF
• 14-150mm f/4-5.6 (MFT) 28-300mm FF

OM-D PEN P7

• 20mm f/1.4 (MFT) 40mm FF
• 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 Pancake (MFT) 28-84mm FF

Still too much?

 

[BWD]

CG:

Great feedback! You're the 2nd one to reco the 12-45mm which I do love. I think I agree with your opinion about the long ended not being critical. I'm going to leave the 14-150mm home. I've thought (probably too much) about the primes. First, I was going to bring the 17mm & 25mm. Then, the 20mm & 45mm. Finally I settled on the 20mm only. It should be good for any low light opportunities. Not too wide or too long. Is two bodies overkill? Paranoid? Thx.

 

[Craig Gillette]

CG:

Great feedback! You're the 2nd one to reco the 12-45mm which I do love. I think I agree with your opinion about the long ended not being critical. I'm going to leave the 14-150mm home. I've thought (probably too much) about the primes. First, I was going to bring the 17mm & 25mm. Then, the 20mm & 45mm. Finally I settled on the 20mm only. It should be good for any low light opportunities. Not too wide or too long. Is two bodies overkill? Paranoid? Thx.

We did a week in Switzerland, moving around by train, and then a river cruise. While we had to be aware of our carry-on capacity for flights to and from, after flights, carry-on type stuff can go in other luggage or be left in room/boat.

I had a 17-28/2.8 and 28-200. (Your kit might differ in focal lengths, etc.) 28-200 all the time in Switzerland, 17-28 and 28-200 both got use on the cruise section, 17-28 especially in the urban walking, but still some longer shooting and a lot towards the long end from the boat. 17-28 and 28-200 did lead to a fair amount of swapping at times in urban areas. I did research several planned locations to get a better idea of focal length opportunities. (With my 28-200 in ff, it's essentially the same size as the Tamron 28-75/2.8 so, it goes instead of a 28-75 and 70-200, for example. You may have different lenses/coverages in MFT.).

I took an aps-c and 18-135 as a backup. Didn't need the "back-up" and I'd expect cameras and lenses are extremely reliable. Never carried both. Phones can be very useful as cameras. My wife got a lot of use out of hers and it worked well for her. Lots of cameras of all sorts seen, especially but not only in Switzerland. On the cruise, perhaps 2 or 3 of us with"real" camera kits, almost everyone carried and used phones.

 

[BWD]

CG:

I was on a Scandinavian cruise for 3 weeks a few months ago. I brought my Sony APS-C kit. A6600, 11-20mm, 18-135mm (fantastic!) and a 35mm f/1.8 prime. I also brought a Lumix TS100 superzoom. It was a relatively heavy for me. I'm old with bad hips and back. The Lumix proved useless. IQ was what I call barely adequate for a tourist. I never used the prime. The two zooms worked great, especially the 18-135. It's my composition that wasn't up to par. Decent but not great. I got a few winners, but hoped for more.

When I traveled in the past, it was either a touristy trip with my wife OR an outdoorsy hiking, paddling/rafting trip with my daughter where I really used my camera gear. Since my mobility issues prevent the latter, I now only go on cruises with my fabulous wife who wants nothing to do with photography. I started using the Olympus MFT gear for the great weather sealing and IBIS for the outdoors. Plus, it's all so comparatively small. Now, I'm hoping it'll satisfy my photography jones, not be too heavy, and not irritate my wife too much.

I'm hoping to put both bodies and the 4 lenses in a 6L sling pack to carry with me. My thinking in bringing both 12-45 (best IQ) & 14-42 (tiny) is to keep lens changes to a minimum by using 2 bodies. The P7 with the 20mm for busy city/street stuff & the 14-42 if we go up for a view. The OM-5ii with the two zooms for shots from the ship, landscapes and any countryside we visit. Make sense?

Thanks for all the feedback. Most appreciated.

 

[Craig Gillette]

I'm not sure I understand the reasoning in having both the 12-45 and 14-42 along. I can see a "wide," mid-range (which both of those are), and something longer. Which could overlap mid-range or just be longer. The mid-range, 12-45, I guess if better and somewhat broader range, being firmly planted on your favorite/better body, then swap wide or long as needed on the other body, and it goes in bag with whatever was last needed until a new opportunity comes up.

I don't know these lenses by anything but listed range, so not sure weight and bulk or image quality.

I could see several ways to go with just 2 or 3 lens, 4 if desiring the fast prime.

 

[BWD]

CG:

Understood, so maybe leave the 14-42 home and take the 40-150 for the longer range. I was thinking there wouldn't be many opportunities requiring the long end, but no reason to ignore it totally I guess. Thanks for the advice.