The scenario of on the go, run and gun shooting without a bag changes everything. If I absolutely have to be fast/ lightweight/ ultra compact, with a camera around my neck and lenses in my pockets then I will swap out the heavy Zeiss glass for old-school compact Nikkors like the 20/2.8 AF-D, 35/2 AF-D, 75-150/3.5 Series E. The beautiful thing about those little Nikkors is that they'll fit in the pockets of a photo vest, a jacket, or cargo pants. The AF-S versions are just too big and bulky to qualify for a compact kit, and the Z are bigger still.
My 'I don't want to be encumbered by gear at all but want great photos' kit is: Fujifilm X100VI.
My 'I want great image quality but lightweight lenses' kit is:
Nikon Zf
Voigtlander 21mm f/3.5
Voigtlander 35mm f/2 APO-Lanthar
Voigtlander 65mm f/2 APO-Lanthar
My 'I'm going on a trip to primarily do landscape photography' is:
Z8
14-24mm f/2.8S
24-120mm f/4S
70-180mm f/2.8
But what I'm taking for my upcoming trip to Italy is:
Nikon Zf
14-24mm f/2.8S
24-120mm f/4S
40mm f/2 SE
Fujifilm X100VI (won't bring with the above kit, but will take out when I don't want the sling bag on).
I recently acquired the Nikon 28-400mm Z lens and it will be the basis for an urban travel kit. All I need is my 14-24mm f/2.8 and I am good to go. I would be inclined to bring the 24-120mm f/4 lens as the 28-400mm is a small aperture lens for the most part.
Nikon 28-400mm lens 3.4 x 5.6" 1.6 lb
f/4 at 28mm
f/4.5 at 35mm
f/5.6 at 60mm
f/6.3 at 105mm
f/8 at 200mm and longer
The f/4 of the 24-120mm would be important for night shooting. I have made good use of a fisheye lens for interiors so I bought the 7artisans 10mm f/2.8 lens that weighs 20 oz.
Total weight of 28-400mm, 14-24mm, 24-120mm, and 10mm fisheye is 5.65 lbs. Add in a Z9 body and my kit is under 10 lbs, not counting a speedlight.
Sony RX100VA here. Got it recently to replace my Ricoh GR and Fuji X70. My GR is pretty beat up now and the flash no longer works. My Fuji X70 was a hassle to use--really didn't like shooting with it (sold it).
I usually use a thin wrist strap. Also made a short leather strap with OP/Tech QDs for when I want to wear around my shoulder or neck:
This is all I need for travel. All fits in a tiny case that even has room for a small Godox flash.
This rig replaced a Sony A6000 that did a good job but, I just didn't like the colors and ergonomics.
I get the need for a lightweight, compact setup when you're on the move. I had a similar situation on a recent trip where I was flying business class and needed to travel light. I opted for my old-school Nikkors instead of my bulkier lenses. They were perfect for slipping into pockets and made it so much easier to handle the quick shots I wanted. It’s amazing how those compact lenses can still deliver great results without the extra weight. If you're flying and need to keep things simple, going with lighter gear like those Nikkors can make a big difference.
Just returned from three weeks of travels. My packed kit was bigger than I should have had, although there was only one lens that I barely used. My problem was that I was at a wedding as well as traveling and I didn't want to try the new SE lenses for a wedding. My kit ended up being:
Zf
28mm 2.8 SE & 40mm 2 SE (the only two lenses I carried around for most walk abouts)...this was fantastic to be honest.
14-30mm f4 (only took with me when I needed....but it really was great to have)
24-120mm f4 (I ended up not using this as much as I thought, but useful for the one lens walk about)
50mm f1.8S (absolutely fantastic for the wedding. Sat in the bag for the rest of the trip in favour of the 40mm f2 SE which I wouldn't have liked as much for the wedding).
85mm f1.8S for the wedding....but barely used. Should have left behind.
I was a guest at the wedding, but our extended family expected me to come away with some nice images regardless.
Unless a trip is for a specific purpose with a single type of photography in mind, I don't see myself having a small one or two lens kit. Working through different lenses in different environments is half the fun for me.
chatcher wrote:
Z 100-400 + TC-1.4X (mainly for Glacier Bay from the balcony - I don’t plan to carry it on off-ship excursions)
I say keep an open mind on this one. I took an cruise to Alaska a couple of year backs and regretted not taking a longer lens off the ship at a couple of ports due to wild Eagles being in the trees not far from where we were walking...
For Glacier bay, be prepared for a very wide pano!
For urban travel the Nikon 28-400mm lens is my foundation lens to which I add a 14-24mm f/2.8 and a fisheye lens as well as a SB-800 speedlight. The 28-400mm is compact enough to use for street photography in most situations.
For landscapes I take the 14-24mm and a 85mm tilt shift lens and the 70-200mm f/2.8 and a tripod.
For wildlife photography my kit consists of the 180-600mm or the 100-400mm and the 800mm PF and the 1.4x teleconverter. For macro I am now stuck with the 105mm macro for my Z cameras which is far from ideal when photographing small critter and venomous snakes. The Nikon macro flash kit despite its bulk is something I always take to the tropics.
I have diferent kits that I cary around in my bag (Billingham). Hera are some photos, not great but more fun than text.
Most days its the ZF kit, because Im still in the honeymoon face with it. I bring it to work even, cant part with it and would take it with me for travel. Extra battery not in photo.
When the primary objective is beach and bathing but I still hace hope for some photography I pack a very small bag with the Zfc kit. Extra battery not in photo.
If Im in the mood for Nikon and film it's my old FM2N. Sometimes I switch the Nokton 58mm for the Micro-Nikkor 55mm and the Color-Skopar 20mm for the Nikkor 24/2.0. Last time I was traveling The FM2 and Zfc with two lenses each was in the bag. The Billingham swallows wvwrything
I was hiking in the Eastern Sierra for five days last month, so size/weight was at a premium since I had to carry everything either in my holster strapped to the front of my pack, or in my pack somewhere. For this trip I borrowed a z6ii and left my z8 home. I had the 24-70f4 on the camera and used it almost exclusively. I brought the 14-30 as well, but as usual I hardly used it. I wasn't going to see wildlife so didn't bring anything longer.
I don't have a travel kit as such because it is really put together according to the situation.
I rarely travel with more than two or three lenses for most of my photographic free time.
My minimal kit, i.e. what I almost always have with me, is the Z6 & Voigtlander 35/2 AL-Z.
Not only the outstanding optical performance, but also working with the lens is a great pleasure, but also sufficiently compact and light combined with a body of the Z6/Z7 category to always be with me.
