p.1 #1 · Lightweight Backpacking Kit on a Modest Budget
Hi - I primarily shoot DSLR on crop cameras for sports and birding. I am also an avid backcountry hiker/backpacker and would like to build a second lightweight mirrorless kit for landscape photos. I know many carry the RX100 series to keep things light and simple, but I still like to have interchangeable lenses so I can use the camera for travel/street use. Given this is a hobby and weight and limited budget are considerations for me, are the crop a6xxx series still the way to go or do some of the early gen FF cameras like the a7r or a7rii with a lightweight prime or zoom offer better value for IQ in the backcountry? Oftentimes I can’t justify carrying a tripod in addition to my camping gear so curious if the IBIS on the later gens is required for hand held shots or if an a6000 or A7r Mark I will work well with the right lens combo. Seems like the weight of the FF lenses might negate the benefits for me.
Any advice on Sony body/lens combo recommendations for my intended purpose is greatly appreciated.
Note that many lenses and some new bodies have been introduced since that otherwise comprehensive article was posted. For example, the Voigtlander 21/3.5 seems to be an attractive lightweight option. I suppose that I could be happy with that lens, the ZM 85/4, and something somewhere in the middle (say, a Tamron 35mm f/2.8 macro) for a fairly compact and light kit. (That's not what I happen to use, but you get the idea.)
Less expensive and lighter-weight options may be available from some manufacturers such as Samyang; for example, you could check the reviews of the Samyang 35/2.8, 45/1.8 or 75/1.8 and see if they would suit you and fit your budget.
p.1 #4 · Lightweight Backpacking Kit on a Modest Budget
Likely sub $1,500 for body and first lens until I sell some other gear. I’m looking at used for this reason. I was also leaning towards a lighter weight zoom as a lot of the places I hike aren’t conducive to changing lenses frequently in the field. But I prefer shooting primes.
p.1 #5 · Lightweight Backpacking Kit on a Modest Budget
The tamron 28-200 cannot be beat for a one lens setup. Add a wide angle prime or the tamron 17-28 and you have everything covered in a lightweight package. This is what I use when hiking + a7c.
p.1 #6 · Lightweight Backpacking Kit on a Modest Budget
Earlk15 wrote:
The tamron 28-200 cannot be beat for a one lens setup. Add a wide angle prime or the tamron 17-28 and you have everything covered in a lightweight package. This is what I use when hiking + a7c.
Thanks. I’ve read good things about the Tamron so will check it out. The a7c has a nice form factor for hiking (similar to the A7r mkI). Unfortunately it’s out of my budget when also needing to buy a lens.
p.1 #7 · Lightweight Backpacking Kit on a Modest Budget
You might consider the A7C with the 28-60 lens which is at a discount when bought with the A7C. I have seen some used. It is over your budget new, but it is FF and takes interchangeable lenses. Yes it is over your budget, but it might be worth waiting until you can afford it. A new APS-C is due out soon with many parts of the A7C with smaller body, but it will not be FF.
As for your title, a very lightweight backpack is the Freerain 24 Matador. They make various sizes, but I have used them in lousy conditions and rain and snow did not get in. I have used them with MF lenses in neoprene bags inside them. The slightly larger or I guess now the middle size is nice as one can pack extra clothing inside along with camera gear.
p.1 #8 · Lightweight Backpacking Kit on a Modest Budget
I would ask are you type of backpacker taking landscape shots or flora fauna shots or want little of both? I think a used Sony A7 or a7ii is a great camera for backpacking. I had both and backpacked often. Yes batteries are a drag but unless you are shooting a lot all day and do not charge at night or replace batteries when drained you will be fine. I also used to use a A6000 and kit lens , which covered I believe 16-50mm. It was more than good for nice photos of landscape and general shots. I recently bought a 24-105mm lens to use for backpacking though it might be a tad larger than I thought so that plan could change . I think having a nice zoom is great to capture a lot if you are unsure of what you might find out there. If I was backpacking somewhere I thought I was going to be seeing a lot of huge epic landscape, I would eat the weight and pack a nice wide. My personal kit has been 50mm only but this has massive limitations for some. I personally like the 50mm look for landscapes and since I'm not always shooting landscapes when backpacking, it allows me to have preferred focal length for general shots. Don't forget your phone as camera as well. That can also help fill gap in focal length and general shots. Good luck and have fun!
p.1 #9 · Lightweight Backpacking Kit on a Modest Budget
stgrove wrote:
You might consider the A7C with the 28-60 lens which is at a discount when bought with the A7C. I have seen some used. It is over your budget new, but it is FF and takes interchangeable lenses. Yes it is over your budget, but it might be worth waiting until you can afford it. A new APS-C is due out soon with many parts of the A7C with smaller body, but it will not be FF.
As for your title, a very lightweight backpack is the Matador. They make various sizes, but I have used them in lousy conditions and rain and snow did not get in. I have used them with MF lenses in neoprene bags inside them. The slightly larger or I guess now the middle size is nice as one can pack extra clothing inside along with camera gear....Show more →
Thanks for the tips. I use a dedicated lightweight backpack for my camping gear, so the camera kit is secondary to that. I line it with a compactor bag to keep important stuff dry, and would likely wrap the camera and lens in a ziploc or lightweight dry bag. I’m honestly more focused on the hiking and views/vistas, but bringing just my camera phone leaves a lot to be desired. I’d like to step up to a FF but it involves a lot of compromises on my pack strategy and base weight. The other draw of a FF camera is general purpose photography when I’m not on the trail. I think I’d really enjoy experimenting with some vintage glass on the mirrorless cameras.
---------------------------------------------
ebwkiw wrote:
I would ask are you type of backpacker taking landscape shots or flora fauna shots or want little of both? I think a used Sony A7 or a7ii is a great camera for backpacking. I had both and backpacked often. Yes batteries are a drag but unless you are shooting a lot all day and do not charge at night or replace batteries when drained you will be fine. I also used to use a A6000 and kit lens , which covered I believe 16-50mm. It was more than good for nice photos of landscape and general shots. I recently bought a 24-105mm lens to use for backpacking though it might be a tad larger than I thought so that plan could change . I think having a nice zoom is great to capture a lot if you are unsure of what you might find out there. If I was backpacking somewhere I thought I was going to be seeing a lot of huge epic landscape, I would eat the weight and pack a nice wide. My personal kit has been 50mm only but this has massive limitations for some. I personally like the 50mm look for landscapes and since I'm not always shooting landscapes when backpacking, it allows me to have preferred focal length for general shots. Don't forget your phone as camera as well. That can also help fill gap in focal length and general shots. Good luck and have fun!...Show more →
I shoot 50mm equivalent primes for street photography. I really like that look. While my hiking destinations/environments vary, most of my photos are views/vistas and not flora macros. I do get to some places with just incredible views. The Tammy zoom could be a good compromise so I don’t have to carry a lot or change lenses in the field, but a WA prime is tempting. Unfortunately grams/lbs start to add-up quickly and the weight of FF gear means I can carry less water and other necessities on the trail.
p.1 #10 · Lightweight Backpacking Kit on a Modest Budget
If weight is a serious consideration, then looking to aps-c might be a good thing. Because I have the figures handy, the A6400 and 18-135 weighs in at 1.61 lbs, and I believe the kit price is $1300 for the two? With the manual Samyang 12/2 prime, it totals to 2.15 lbs. It's aps-c and the lens isn't 2.8 for any of it's range. OTOH, the A7C and Tamron 28-200 weigh in at 2.37 with no wide angle accompaniment. (The Tamron 28-75/2.8 and the 28-200/2.8-5.6 are essentially the same size, the Sigma 24-70/2.8 is larger and heavier, the 28-70/2.8 is a little smaller and the 28-60 is even smaller.)
p.1 #11 · Lightweight Backpacking Kit on a Modest Budget
Earlk15 wrote:
The tamron 28-200 cannot be beat for a one lens setup. Add a wide angle prime or the tamron 17-28 and you have everything covered in a lightweight package. This is what I use when hiking + a7c.
I was going to recommend the Tamron 17-28/28-200 set as well - excellent and lightweight and reasonably priced - but 1500 won't get you there. I would consider looking at lenses like the Tamron 17-70 and the new 11-20, and one of the older bodies crops. But if you can stretch to a single FF body and the 28-200, that hits way above its weight and cost!
p.1 #12 · Lightweight Backpacking Kit on a Modest Budget
The A7rII fits in your budget and only weighs a bit more than the A7c while having 42mp vs 24mp. That extends any lens’ reach by quite a bit. I think it’s worth the difference in weight if you’re main concern is landscapes.
For lenses, the Tamron 28-200 is great, but if you don’t need quite that long, the Sony 28-60 is a lot smaller and lighter. The 28-60mm plus the A7rII would provide a nice range with phenomenal image quality in a very small package.
p.1 #13 · Lightweight Backpacking Kit on a Modest Budget
To get started you could go a6000 which is cheap used and still capable and add the sigma 19, 30 and 60 2.8 lenses. These are also capable and dirt cheap used.
p.1 #14 · Lightweight Backpacking Kit on a Modest Budget
I backpack with an A7RII and Tamron 28-200, which used should be at or under your budget. I also bring a 21 f/1.8 prime for wide angle and astro. This setup isn't too heavy, but is certainly heavier than an APS-C or m43 setup would be. When you add in the extra batteries, USB charger, dust blower, camera bag, tripod, other small misc. things the whole setup is around 8.5 pounds. Not exactly light, even though I've spent a good deal of time optimizing things.
My two cents are that if you are not bringing a tripod, full frame might not be worth it over smaller sensors. I strongly considered smaller sensors, but the advantages to me for full frame is 1) sunrise/sunset shots on a tripod shot at base ISO on the A7R II gives me a lot of megapixels and dynamic range to work with, and 2) there are much better lens options for astro. At the time I also really wanted a lens with good sunstars (I settled on the Zeiss Loxia 21) although I've found I do not use sunstars as often as I originally thought. The problem with with the Sony cameras is that the IBIS is not amazing, and the lens stabilization, at least for the 24-105, is not any better...so if you do not have a tripod, you will be cranking the ISO, negating most advantages of the larger sensor. In fact, some m43 and Fuji cameras have IBIS that would allow you to push the limits of handheld shooting in low light much better than Sony full frame would!
If you decide on full frame, I would recommend my setup...but depending on how you value weight or if you decide against brining a tripod, I would seriously consider the following: the Sony a6400 + 18-135 or the Olympus E-M1 Mark II + 12-100. My pick would be the later if you want to skip the tripod.
p.1 #15 · Lightweight Backpacking Kit on a Modest Budget
Your budget is tight but this does not mean you can’t get great gear to allow you to concentrate on what’s truly important: making meaningful images.
I’d stay full frame and choices you can trade out as your budget and needs grow. A used A73 is a superb bet. One of the best cameras yet made by Sony and still used by many pros including me. Lots of deals out there for good condition ones.
For now, with tight budget, I do agree your best choice might be Tamron’s superzoom 28-200. Like any lens with such a wide range there are trade offs but most can be corrected automatically in post processing. Importantly, it’s very good at the wide end, solid at longer focal lengths, and lightweight for all it does.
The balance of body and weight with this lens is comfortable.
As time goes on, and budget allows, you can consider selling the one lens to trade up to two lenses with even better optics to cover this range, including going a bit wider to include 24mm.
Now go out there and make great pictures, my friend!
p.1 #16 · Lightweight Backpacking Kit on a Modest Budget
Thanks everyone for the additional responses. I think the later A7 bodies plus the Tamron 28-200 and adding a WA prime and tripod would tip me too far over my weight limits. I wanted to go FF for the sunrise/sunset shots and multi-use factor off the trail, but looks like I’ll be pushed into crops and lighter lenses by my weight constraints. I can bring a light weight tripod on occasion, but I’d be looking at ~5lbs for just the FF camera, Tamron zoom and tripod before considering other accessories.
The A7Rii plus Sony 28-60 could work for me as it would be ~1.7 lbs but it would be iffy in low light. You’ve all given me a lot to think about.
p.1 #17 · Lightweight Backpacking Kit on a Modest Budget
a7R2 (and a few extra batteries!) is an amazing camera and great prices on used. For a WA, I recommend a used Loxia 21, which can be had very reasonably. Just having this camera and lens are going to give you some really great shots, and probably fit within your $1500 initial cost.
p.1 #19 · Lightweight Backpacking Kit on a Modest Budget
Most of my shooting comes while backpacking. Usually 15 mile days with 3-4k gain, and in the Sierras, so weight is a big concern. My camera is mounted with PD clip on my backpack strap. I have both an a7iii and a6000. I don't bring the a7iii backpacking, the a6000 works great for me. I use the 18-135 most of the time, I also bring the 10-18 with me. I love the 18-135, it really does great for being a travel zoom "kit" lens. I often find myself shooting on the long end.
If the trip is occurring near new moon then I'll bring Sigma 16mm F1.4 in place of the 10-18. The new Samyang 12mm f2 AF is very tempting to replace 10-18 and Sigma 16mm for wide and astro duty. The Sigma is a bit heavy so its not ideal. I also prefer to bring the a6000 because I can bring a very small light tripod and I don't have to worry about it tipping over or not being steady. I also find the a6000 is less bulky feeling on my chest when backpack strap mounted. Also if my camera gets damaged then oh well it's a cheap body and I'm not cursing over it. On the image quality side I think the a6000 is just fine, if you are backpacking to backpack and taking photos is secondary and an added activity then the a6XXX is perfect. If you are backpacking to specifically take photos at specific locations and you will be at specific locations at the best times of day then bringing a FF makes more sense.
p.1 #20 · Lightweight Backpacking Kit on a Modest Budget
thechandra wrote:
Most of my shooting comes while backpacking. Usually 15 mile days with 3-4k gain, so weight is a big concern. Camera mounted with PD clip on backpack strap. have both an a7iii and a6000. I don't bring the a7iii backpacking, the a6000 works great for me. I use the 18-135 most of the time,I also bring the 10-18 with me. If it's new moon then I'll bring Sigma 16mm F1.4 in place of the 10-18. The new Samyang 12mm f2 AF is very tempting. I also prefer to bring the a6000 because I can bring a very small light tripod and I don't have to worry about it tipping over or not bieng steady. I also find the a6000 is less bulky feeling when strap mounted. Also if my camera gets damaged then oh well it's a cheap body and I'm not cursing over it....Show more →
Do you find you shoot the 10-18 wide open when you use it? I know that lens is highly thought of for the apsc cameras but it seems like the manual focus Samyang gets you similar IQ for less $ and less weight.
I hike similar routes. Do you find yourself wishing you carried the FF for wide angle shots? or is the weight difference/pack volume just not worth it?
