Conundrum

[Mike Farley]

I shall shortly be doing something which I have neglected to do for a while, namely get on a plane and fly off somewhere. Heck, for a while I did not even have a valid passport. Hopely it will be a place that is warmer and sunnier than the UK has been of late. Someone ought to tell the weather gods that the season is now officially Spring and that Winter is over.

Those who know me will realise that I am not short of camera gear, which mainly stems from a decision I made a few years ago to buy a limited amount of m43 equipment for those occasions when I did not want to lug around a much bulkier and heavier DSLR. Somehow, when I realised that I was not sacrificing image quality, my resolve to have just one body and a couple of m43 lenses faded and nowadays I inevitably do not not venture out much with a DSLR. In fact, I have hardly shot with my Canon kit at all for the past few months. The problem is that I have never really committed to m43, so I have an odd selection of inexpensive lenses which in the main do not match the capabilities of those in my possession which were made by Canon. I have most focal lengths covered, with the exception of a wide-angle, but that is not an aspect of photography where my eye seems to be particularly attuned. Also, I do not have the same range of accessories for m43 which limits my options.

If I go somewhere in this country, none of this is a problem as everything just goes in the car. A plane is different and I will have to make a choice, but which one? Does anyone have any advice?

[Rose]

I would never take 'everything' as you're faced with too many choices ! When flying I only take two lenses, once I've decided what sort of photography I am going to be doing. A carry-round lens plus one other. This time I brought my 24-105 and 16-35. Not a combination I usually take, but ideal this time for interior shots, plus general use and street photography.

[Mike Farley]

I would never take 'everything' as you're faced with too many choices ! When flying I only take two lenses, once I've decided what sort of photography I am going to be doing. A carry-round lens plus one other. This time I brought my 24-105 and 16-35. Not a combination I usually take, but ideal this time for interior shots, plus general use and street photography.

I must admit that I am veering towards the 7D as my choice, with the 17-55 EF-s (28-90 FF equivalent) lens, plus 70-300, 10-22 EF-s (16-35 FF equivalent) and maybe the 50 1.8. That way I have most bases covered, although most of the time I would probably be shooting with the 17-55. If I were certain of the subject matter I would mostly be shooting did not include wide-angle scenes or landscape, the m43 kit would be the more likely option. Maybe I need to do some experimentation before I make my final choice.

[Rose]

Sounds like a lot of lenses.... Where are you going ? Do you know what you're going to be doing ?

[Mike Farley]

Sounds like a lot of lenses.... Where are you going ? Do you know what you're going to be doing ?

Well, yes, it is more lenses than is ideal, but is a bare minimum when I am not really sure what I will find.

I suppose that an alternative would be something like this, but I do not want to buy a camera specifically for a holiday.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00M0LQVEQ/r ... B00M0LQVEQ

I'll be in Malta.

[davidb]

One thing you must consider - how much weight can you carry on to the plane?

[Mike Farley]

One thing you must consider - how much weight can you carry on to the plane?

I am travelling with British Airways as they do not have a weight restriction for hand luggage. The only restriction is bag size, which is governed by international flight regulations.

[Rose]

If I were going myself, (I have been to Malta so have a good idea of what you might see and do) I would take the 24-105 as a general purpose lens, the 16-35 for interior shots and landscapes, and the 70-200 zoom. Hope that helps ? And yes, I know that's three lenses and I said I only ever fly with two ! LOL

[Mike Farley]

If I were going myself, (I have been to Malta so have a good idea of what you might see and do) I would take the 24-105 as a general purpose lens, the 16-35 for interior shots and landscapes, and the 70-200 zoom. Hope that helps ? And yes, I know that's three lenses and I said I only ever fly with two ! LOL

Thanks, Rose, that does help. Given that I would be shooting APS-C, my lens selection is similar to yours. My 70-300 lens is the DO version and is more compact than my 70-200, which makes it handy for travelling.

[davidc]

For me it depends entirely on where I'm going. e.g. for Bali I took only a general purpose 24-70 and my wide angle lens for the 6D. I then took two underwater cameras/housings but that's besides the point

I prefer to take a sturdy rucksack with all the lenses I think I'll need + a more versatile pack-flat bag. I then only carry the lenses in the smaller bag I need on that given day for shooting. For Myanmar, I took -

17-40mm
24-70mm
100mm macro
50mm f1.8
35mm f2
150-600mm

Plus the camera, tripod etc. I knew there would be a ton of shooting opportunities so packed for everything.

The only time the weight is an "issue" is carrying it from house > cab, cab > check-in and then from airport > hotel. At all other times I'm carrying a small subset of the gear I need and it's extremely manageable with the rest of the gear sitting locked up in the hotel. Carrying all your gear all the time is a bit silly. I'd much rather take a lens and not use it than not have the lens and miss the opportunity.

Where are you thinking about going?