millsart wrote:
What its a question of is can you still enjoy yourself with such gear, and also is the point of the trip even to enjoy yourself or not ?

I think you hit the important point here.

If I'm going to get paid for a shoot, I want the very best with me, too bad about the weight. If I'm on vacation though, not so much. Sure, a full DX kit of a 10-20/17-55/70-200, tripod and macro lens will produce awesome shots for me, but carrying just a single body, 18-200vr and 10-20 means after an 8 hour hike I'm jumping out of bed the next morning to do it again.

If you have to look at the pictures you took to remember a hike, you were carrying too much weight.

I used to carry the 14-24, but recently sold it and realigned my kit.

I moved from a 5D with 24-105 and a 17-40. I used to take this combo backpacking and traveling all the time. It was a bit heavy, but still very manageable, gave a great range and the images were just incredible. I've now switched to a d700, 24-70, 35mm and 24-85. While I absolutely love the d700, I don't take it out nearly as much as I did the Canon gear. The d700 alone is a brick of a camera, and with the 24-70 on there it's just unmanageable for hiking trips especially because it's so nose heavy. I've also been using the 24-85, but it's just ok compared to the Canon 24-105 and lacks IS which is a bummer. Also, they really have nothing to offer as a substitute for the 17-40L. I'm really hoping Nikon comes out with some lighter f/4 zooms soon. I really love the d700 and I enjoy using it much more then the 5D (It's much better wedding camera), but there is just no getting around the fact that Nikon doesn't have a decent replacement to the 24-105, 17-40 combo.

I've also been thinking about getting a g1 or maybe a lighter Nikon body but can't seem to put together a kit I'm happy with at a reasonable price.

rubberband wrote:
millsart wrote:
What its a question of is can you still enjoy yourself with such gear, and also is the point of the trip even to enjoy yourself or not ?

I think you hit the important point here.

If I'm going to get paid for a shoot, I want the very best with me, too bad about the weight. If I'm on vacation though, not so much. Sure, a full DX kit of a 10-20/17-55/70-200, tripod and macro lens will produce awesome shots for me, but carrying just a single body, 18-200vr and 10-20 means after an 8 hour hike I'm jumping out of bed the next morning to do it again.

If you have to look at the pictures you took to remember a hike, you were carrying too much weight.

I agree, that is why I take my travel camera on long hikes: D90 with 18-200 lense.
Interesting side note: when I take a camera on a hike, I have to stop walking and thus appreciate the scenery much more.

There are also two other factors. 1. I cannot afford to loose my D3 work cameras on an unpaid trip. 2. Professional gear attracts thieves and panhandlers.

I will have to rethink this when I get my D700x or D800. The 14-24 will definetly be paired with the 24mp camera and I expect the increased picture quality will justify the extra weight.

My travel kit consists of the D700, 12-24 f/2.8, 24-70 f/2.8 and the 70-200 f/2.8 VR plus flash, filters, CF cards, spare battery etc. I carry all in my backpack. If I feel I don't need it for the day's shoot i leave the 70-200 at "base camp" for the day. I have stopped uuing my shoulder bag because of the wieght of the sytem. With the backpack weight is not an issue for a full day.

This is great info. Thanks!

when I want to travel light, I take a D40x+18-200VR, when I want to travel light with the best gear possible, I take my D3+Tamron 28-75 2.8, and I add the 14-24 and the 70-200VR. I also hike with a lot of gear (two bodies, all the heavy lenses including a 200-400VR...), as an example: in the mountains in Mont-Tremblant, Québec province:
so weight is a relative concept

I'm getting a back ache just looking at that bag you've got Guy, especially with a 200-400 in there! lol

I'm a hobbyist, and I don't mind taking my "heavy" D700/14-24/24-70 gear when I'm on vacation. I have a variety of bags to carry my gear (depending upon what I'm doing), but I'm often out all day and I don't worry about my gear slowing me down or inhibiting the fun.

If I might make a suggestion, why don't you take your camera bag - a big one - to your local camera shop and load it with the gear you're talking about? That should help you figure it out, and even though it might be a little uncomfortable asking it's better than paying a ton of money for gear you don't use as much as you'd like because it's too heavy.

The fact that people (including myself) are considering buying entire new/additional kits for traveling says plenty about Nikon's current lens lineup imo.

I'm taking a D700, 24-70 and 14-24mm to Paris in a few weeks. Yep, it's heavy but that's good glass and I want the 24-70 for walk-around and the WA for landscapes. Overall I think it's a great pairing.

Even at the expense of no telephoto lens? Some of the best landscapes are the product of telephoto shots.