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What’s Your Minimalist Kit?

  
 
kakomu
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p.5 #1 · p.5 #1 · What’s Your Minimalist Kit?




Sy Sez wrote:
The query I "gathered" from the initial post was equating to a Minimalist entire kit.
Many of the reply's refer to a Minimalist portion of a Maximus kit for a specific purpose.
Not quite the same thing.


I like the direction my post went. It’s a fun thing to think about. I definitely learned how different the points of view can be and I learned a bit about what other people think about downsizing.

I’m still uncertain where I want my minimalist kit to end up. I’ve gotten my lens count down, but I’ve also been thinking about going in a different direction. I’ve been thinking about going in the mirrorless direction but trading up the bulky L zooms for the tiny consumer zooms. I want to be able to throw the camera in my shoulder bag without carrying a 3.5lb brick. I may trade my 5D in for a discounted RP.



Jan 15, 2024 at 09:51 PM
TakesRandomPics
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p.5 #2 · p.5 #2 · What’s Your Minimalist Kit?


Canon R5 + RF24-240 is my go to minimalist. The minimalist of maximalist is always carrying a second battery


Jan 16, 2024 at 05:20 PM
garyvot
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p.5 #3 · p.5 #3 · What’s Your Minimalist Kit?


kakomu wrote:
I may trade my 5D in for a discounted RP.

Perfectly reasonable.

Canon has got refurbished R8s on sale now for a pretty good price with a one year warranty. Same size and weight as the RP, but much more modern internals and more capable overall. If you could swing that price difference, I'd recommended it.

Edit: be prepared for a learning curve going to mirrorless though. There are many more ways to customize the cameras, and autofocus (with the various tracking modes and AF areas) can take some time to understand. YouTube is a great resource, as is this forum.



Jan 16, 2024 at 05:33 PM
kakomu
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p.5 #4 · p.5 #4 · What’s Your Minimalist Kit?



garyvot wrote:
Perfectly reasonable.

Canon has got refurbished R8s on sale now for a pretty good price with a one year warranty. Same size and weight as the RP, but much more modern internals and more capable overall. If you could swing that price difference, I'd recommended it.

Edit: be prepared for a learning curve going to mirrorless though. There are many more ways to customize the cameras, and autofocus (with the various tracking modes and AF areas) can take some time to understand. YouTube is a great resource, as is this forum.


I’ve been hemming and hawing on this. I’d really like to get the R8, but honestly, I don’t think it adds much that I want or need. Aside from weight, the only other thing I want is the ability to transfer photos to my phone. I’ve grown to loathe editing photos on my laptop, but I’d love to edit them on my iPad or iPhone. The RP does that. I really want to take the photos I take and send them to my wife or friends.

The R8 is better when pushed to the extreme, but I’m not an extreme photographer, so I’ll probably get the RP and save a few hundred dollars, money that could help buy me a 35mm f/1.8, 15-30mm or 100-400mm. Once I unload my SLR kit, I can round out the kit, I suppose.



Jan 16, 2024 at 09:31 PM
rscheffler
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p.5 #5 · p.5 #5 · What’s Your Minimalist Kit?


kakomu wrote:
I’m still uncertain where I want my minimalist kit to end up. I’ve gotten my lens count down, but I’ve also been thinking about going in a different direction. I’ve been thinking about going in the mirrorless direction but trading up the bulky L zooms for the tiny consumer zooms. I want to be able to throw the camera in my shoulder bag without carrying a 3.5lb brick. I may trade my 5D in for a discounted RP.


The consumer-grade RF lenses are not the 'cheap' (low image quality) kit lenses of old. They're surprisingly good, TBH. I got a 24-105 STM with a used R6 and thought it would collect dust. But I bring it to things where I don't need the absolute quality of the 28-70/2, nor the weight, nor want to worry about possible damage to it.

And these RF consumer lenses tend to be pretty small and light, which certainly helps with a 'minimalist' kit. The tradeoff though is the zooms are all quite slow, like in the f/5.6 and slower range at the long end. But there are also some decent prime options, like the new 28/2.8 pancake.

I understand the appeal of saving some money with the RP, but it's old tech. R8 would really be a step up and would give you longer tolerable service life in a second generation, more mature mirrorless camera. R8 is basically the guts of the R6II, including its very good sensor, which happens to be my main camera currently. It replaced and significantly outperformed my 1DXII, especially in respect to AF performance. R8 didn't get IBIS, but most lenses that benefit from it have optical image stabilization. I don't think you need to be an 'extreme' photographer to benefit from the 'quality of life' improvements of the R8.



Jan 16, 2024 at 09:56 PM
fritzx6
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p.5 #6 · p.5 #6 · What’s Your Minimalist Kit?


I realize this is the wrong answer for the canon board but the answer for me is my RX1RII. For the size and weight (507g is less than just my 35L lens alone) it is downright unbeatable when I need something small but don't want to sacrifice IQ. My only regret is that I waited as long as I did to get one. While I wouldn't want to rely on it for fast moving subjects, it's brilliant for just about everything else that 35mm is well suited for.

If I am limiting myself to canon kit, then the r5, and either the ef 50L and/or the ef 16-35mm f4.



Jan 16, 2024 at 10:04 PM
rscheffler
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p.5 #7 · p.5 #7 · What’s Your Minimalist Kit?


I'm really surprised Canon has not made a premium fixed prime lens compact camera yet. Maybe too niche, but the Leica Q series is very popular (for a Leica) and the RX1's lens is possibly one of the best ~35mm lenses I've ever made photos with...

Given the influencer induced frenzy around Fuji's X100 camera, you'd think other brands would be jumping on releasing something similar...



Jan 16, 2024 at 10:07 PM
marximus4192
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p.5 #8 · p.5 #8 · What’s Your Minimalist Kit?


Standard minimalist kit: R6 with 24-240, 16 2.8, and 50 1.8. Even more minimalist: R10 with 18-150. The most (least?) minimalist: R10 with 28 2.8.


Jan 17, 2024 at 04:37 AM
sencarna
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p.5 #9 · p.5 #9 · What’s Your Minimalist Kit?


A Canon R8 with the 28mm pancake lens is my ultimate minimalist walk-around combo. If I want more reach, then I switch the 28mm with the 24-105mm f/4.


Jan 17, 2024 at 05:55 AM
garyvot
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p.5 #10 · p.5 #10 · What’s Your Minimalist Kit?


kakomu wrote:
I’ve been hemming and hawing on this. I’d really like to get the R8, but honestly, I don’t think it adds much that I want or need. Aside from weight, the only other thing I want is the ability to transfer photos to my phone. I’ve grown to loathe editing photos on my laptop, but I’d love to edit them on my iPad or iPhone. The RP does that. I really want to take the photos I take and send them to my wife or friends.

The R8 is better when pushed to the extreme, but I’m not an extreme photographer,
...Show more

At the risk of sounding like we are piling on, I would encourage you to reconsider the R8 / RP decision. As Ron says, the R8 is assembled from Canon's A-list parts bin. It's not just the AF, but the sensor that is greatly improved as well.

The RP has the sensor from the 6D Mark II. This sensor has very limited dynamic range by modern standards, and you will really struggle with noise if you ever need to lift the shadows much, even when shooting at low ISOs. (Bizarrely, the shadow noise from this sensor is not only worse than its contemporaries, but worse than even older models like the 5D Mark II, in my experience.) AI denoising software can help rescue these images, but it's an additional workflow step and should not be needed at low ISOs (or in your terms, non-extreme photography).

In any case, if cost is of the utmost importance, it's not a deal breaker since there are ways to deal with this in post, but it is at least another data point to be aware of.



Jan 17, 2024 at 08:39 AM
 


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jcolwell
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p.5 #11 · p.5 #11 · What’s Your Minimalist Kit?


If I was going to buy a contemporary, mirrorless camera for a small system, it would have to have IBIS. So, at this time, the R6 II is the lowest on the Canon RF food chain that I'd go.


Jan 17, 2024 at 09:05 AM
kakomu
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p.5 #12 · p.5 #12 · What’s Your Minimalist Kit?


garyvot wrote:
In any case, if cost is of the utmost importance, it's not a deal breaker since there are ways to deal with this in post, but it is at least another data point to be aware of.


Cost really is a factor. Granted, I can afford all the kit, but my wife and I give ourselves an allowance so that we aren’t spending our regular funds on our respective toys.

For me, the extra $500-$600 could be spent on the RF 15-30 and / or RF 100-400. Or super minimal with the 28mm pancake.

I’m trying to be a bit more zen with my kit and worry a bit less about the technical deficiencies in my kit choices 😊



Jan 17, 2024 at 05:19 PM
Hawker man
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p.5 #13 · p.5 #13 · What’s Your Minimalist Kit?


For me, the minimalist kit has to be the one I take when flying somewhere for a holiday - if I’m driving I can take whatever might prove useful. So that’s the R5 with the RF24-240 lens, plus the RF14-35 L. The 24-240 is an ideal travel lens, and with the R5 I can always crop if necessary. The 14-35 is weather sealed - and sometimes that’s essential - as well as being even wider (and better than the 24-240 where they overlap). Add a Hoya +1 close up lens and near macro shots are covered as well.


Jan 18, 2024 at 12:50 AM
tsangc
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p.5 #14 · p.5 #14 · What’s Your Minimalist Kit?


My minimalist kit during the pandemic was an SL1 with a EF17-40mm f4L or a EF50mm f1.8 STM. Sometimes I'll toss in a EF-s 24mm f2.8 or a EF100mm f2.0. Whatever was easiest to wipe down with Lysol wipes (: That was already a good enough setup for travelling with family too.

I learned good enough was a mix of enough control to be interesting, with better picture quality than a phone, that could make files that could be printed later in a photobook.

But lately I find myself shooting more events again, so I'm back to using my usual pair of EF24-70mm f2.8L and EF70-200mm f2.8L IS v2. Your standard wedding/event guy/local news combo.




Jan 18, 2024 at 11:12 AM
thedruid
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p.5 #15 · p.5 #15 · What’s Your Minimalist Kit?


Leica Q


Jan 18, 2024 at 12:16 PM
Sy Sez
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p.5 #16 · p.5 #16 · What’s Your Minimalist Kit?


I don't carry a camera every place I go day or night, but I always take my Android phone, so it must qualify as my minimalist "kit"


Jan 18, 2024 at 01:51 PM
slrl0ver
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p.5 #17 · p.5 #17 · What’s Your Minimalist Kit?


I think the EOS-M series is highly underrated for small but very capable.

Mine minmal kit is an M200 + 22mm EF-M f/2 . Pocketable, steller image quality for size/weight and general purpose travel. For reference I have the Fuji X70 and Ricoh GR2 and have traveled with Panasonic GX7 and the "not so portable" 5D.MK2 and the M200 continues to be my favorite.

I also have an EOS M2 with the EF-M 28mm f/3.5 macro and that combo gets more use than any camera setup I've ever had before. I use the M2+28mm macro for so many "random" things (i.e. documenting car work, pics for online returns etc) can't imagine not having it!

The M6.II is also very good. My only "complaint" about the EOS-M is the camera bodies are not image stablized.



Jan 18, 2024 at 10:33 PM
gipper53
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p.5 #18 · p.5 #18 · What’s Your Minimalist Kit?


For me it's my M43 kit when I want to go light and minimal. Pair of GX85 rangefinder bodies and 3 compact primes: 10/2, 20/1.7 and 42.5/1.7. The two bodies reduces lens switching.

I like shooting this kit with primes only. Offers a different approach that I enjoy. The small cameras with tiny primes provide a fun factor and charm that's hard to replicate on larger formats.




Jan 20, 2024 at 11:54 AM
kakomu
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p.5 #19 · p.5 #19 · What’s Your Minimalist Kit?



gipper53 wrote:
For me it's my M43 kit when I want to go light and minimal. Pair of GX85 rangefinder bodies and 3 compact primes: 10/2, 20/1.7 and 42.5/1.7. The two bodies reduces lens switching.

I like shooting this kit with primes only. Offers a different approach that I enjoy. The small cameras with tiny primes provide a fun factor and charm that's hard to replicate on larger formats.


Elsewhere on the board, I noted that I’ve sold all SLR kit and I got an RP. I’ve been considering the RF 28mm pancake, solely for the tiny form factor. I’m excited to try out a camera that’s really small and gives me the viewfinder I like from an SLR.



Jan 20, 2024 at 09:25 PM
jay w
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p.5 #20 · p.5 #20 · What’s Your Minimalist Kit?


Minimalist to me means small and light. 250g lenses. So there's the 16, 28, and 50, or a 24-50 if you like zooms. I've been using the 40 (2.8) when I want small and light on a 5Div, but the Canon offerings don't excite me. A light telephoto seems absent.

Before the next major trip, I think I'm picking up a small Sony (maybe the V) with some Sigma i lenses. (24, 35 or 45, 90). Maybe a Samyang 24 1.8.



Jan 22, 2024 at 08:09 AM
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