a1II
Tamron 28-200
Sony 28-60
Sony 16/1.8G soon to be replaced by the 16-35 GM II
The Tamron is a great all around lens, super close focus at 28mm and f/2.8, the a7c 28-60 kit is a nice small walk around lens if I don't want the reach of the Tamron, and the 16/1.8 G is a nice small wide angle. Everything fits in a small bag and with crop mode + Clear Image Zoom gets me an effective 450mm on the long end. This also gives you a crazy amount of reach with the 28-60 for such a small lens.
Had the a7cII, but I pretty much always had the grip extension on and I decided to just get a full size body and the better 4-way floppy screen, better EVF and no rolling shutter as the difference in size is minimal.
I also have the 11/1.8, which makes for a cool, super tiny UWA, its about 13/14mm when you crop out the vignette.
I doubt there's a consistent enough "family" or "destination" to come to a consensus best family trip kit.
My "family travel kit," like budget and family has evolved over time. I like the idea of the A7C size but generally prefer the larger A7 or A7R bodies for the feature set. I did have aps-c dslr kit and now the Sony mirrorless, aps-cs with the 18-135 and even A7s can be a nicely smaller approach. I don't have a "one kit, all the trips" solution. We tend to be active, lots of walking, even if "car based" and a "week at the beach," wasn't/isn't our typical approach. A full day walking the Mall in Washington, DC, with museums and monuments, or exploring Florence or Rome, or Yosemite, Yellowstone, etc. is more likley.
These days I would build off the A7riv (expect to supplement it with the A7Rv at some point) with either the 20-70/4 or 28-200, then add as meeded for the locations, with air travel maybe keeping the kit smaller, if car travel, everhting might go?
My family travel kit is the same as my solo travel kit…2 cameras and 3 primes. I carry all the equipment in my backpack.
During family travel I still sneak out early in the mornings for a couple hours of shooting before the rest of our group is activated. I also have no issues carrying a camera when I’m out and about with the family and capturing some street scenes.
Thanks for all the responses so far. We’re in Singapore currently, and ended up traveling with 16-35 f2.8 GM2, 50mm f1.2GM and 85mm f1.4 GM2. 60% of the trip is done and I haven’t used the 16-35 yet, most used has been the 50mm on peak design sling, and used 85mm at the zoo. I do wildlife photography and have my views on zoo’s (do not like animals in captivity etc which my daughter points out is not valid for rescue animals), so I took family photos at the zoo vs photos of animals as such. Next time when visiting a city, will just carry the 50mm on an A1 M2 body and be done unless there is a specific target for photography, and add the 16mm f1.8G prime as lightweight ultrawide option,
Happy rest of 2025 and here’s wishing everyone a great 2026!
Couple of photos to end the year with, both hand-held. Cheers!
sandy27000 wrote:
Thanks for all the responses so far. We’re in Singapore currently, and ended up traveling with 16-35 f2.8 GM2, 50mm f1.2GM and 85mm f1.4 GM2. 60% of the trip is done and I haven’t used the 16-35 yet, most used has been the 50mm on peak design sling, and used 85mm at the zoo. I do wildlife photography and have my views on zoo’s (do not like animals in captivity etc which my daughter points out is not valid for rescue animals), so I took family photos at the zoo vs photos of animals as such. Next time when visiting a city, will just carry the 50mm on an A1 M2 body and be done unless there is a specific target for photography, and add the 16mm f1.8G prime as lightweight ultrawide option,
Happy rest of 2025 and here’s wishing everyone a great 2026! ...Show more →
ILCE-1M2FE 50mm F1.2 GM lens50mmf/1.21/8s200 ISO0.0 EV
This guy is a resident at the zoo but not in their care!
ILCE-1M2FE 85mm F1.4 GM II lens85mmf/1.41/800s250 ISO0.0 EV
After all the hype of the new iPhone 17 or camera I took a few photos of the Giant Panda at the zoo with the 4X lens in raw, and while it was good for a grab shot, I am still hesitant to use iPhone as backup camera unless that’s the only device I have handy
SSO-Images wrote:
Sony A7CR (backup camera: phone)
Sony 20-70
in Peak Design Sling 6L
joychris wrote:
My family travel kit, small, light, versatile:
a1II
Tamron 28-200
Sony 28-60
Sony 16/1.8G soon to be replaced by the 16-35 GM II
The Tamron is a great all around lens, super close focus at 28mm and f/2.8, the a7c 28-60 kit is a nice small walk around lens if I don't want the reach of the Tamron, and the 16/1.8 G is a nice small wide angle. Everything fits in a small bag and with crop mode + Clear Image Zoom gets me an effective 450mm on the long end. This also gives you a crazy amount of reach with the 28-60 for such a small lens.
Had the a7cII, but I pretty much always had the grip extension on and I decided to just get a full size body and the better 4-way floppy screen, better EVF and no rolling shutter as the difference in size is minimal.
I also have the 11/1.8, which makes for a cool, super tiny UWA, its about 13/14mm when you crop out the vignette.
I have the 28-60 also, but I think with the 25-200 in the bag, I would rather travel with a small/fast prime like the CV40 instead. The Sigma 20-200 is still on the list of options. Hikes this summer with the Tamron 17-28 + Sony 28-60 + Tamron 70-180 left me lens swapping a lot. I like the Tamron 17-28 a lot, but I mostly use it at the wide end, so I might be better served with the 16/1.8.
grahamgibson wrote:
I'm planning on a similar setup:
Sony 16/1.8
Tamron 25-200
Voigtlander 40/1.2
I have the 28-60 also, but I think with the 25-200 in the bag, I would rather travel with a small/fast prime like the CV40 instead. The Sigma 20-200 is still on the list of options. Hikes this summer with the Tamron 17-28 + Sony 28-60 + Tamron 70-180 left me lens swapping a lot. I like the Tamron 17-28 a lot, but I mostly use it at the wide end, so I might be better served with the 16/1.8.
I've thought about the 20-200, gonna rent one to see how I like it compared to the 28-200. I'll likely pick up the a6700 to pair with my 11-1.8 or something like the Sigma 10-18 for a small/light UWA option that doesn't eat too much space and minimizes lens swaps. I carry everything in my carry-on camera bag backpack, right now that's a Lowepro 450 AW bag, soon to be a Shimoda 35L backpack. My daughter is 4, so extra pack space for snacks, water and other stuff is mandatory haha.
One thing I left out, I always carry a drone and the Mini 5 Pro with the RC2 is my small drone of choice. My daughter loves to watch the drone take off and screams "bye-bye drone" every time I launch. She even has an old digicam to take her own photos. If we are more car based the Mavic 4 Pro comes with me haha. Right now we're kind of weathered out of a roadtrip around the southwest US states, but since we have a minivan, I brought both drones and a few extra lenses !
Edit, two things I left out ... I also carry the iPhone 17 pro.
A topic that never dies. I no longer have Sony bodies, but I do have lenses and an A7Rvi on order. I’m thinking of traveling with the 24GM, or 24-50mm G lens. Both lenses are identical size and weight. The camera in APSc mode provides greater reach. I must admit that the 24GM has been my favorite lens since it was my primary travel lens for the 2019 Women’s World Cup..btw..a great excuse for a trip to France..
I mean... my phone is my backup. If I were in a rather developed country, I suppose I could purchase a camera if the camera I had on me broke, but obviously that would not feel good. Better than lugging all the gear around just in case though.
As for me, I travel with:
A7V
20-70 f4
70-200 f4
35 f1.4
1.4x TC
Some interesting points. A simple one lens, one body would be my travel kit. I might bring a second body and lens combo if I am traveling far from home. But that is it. One with a 35mm and a 50mm on the other.
I’d only ever carry one camera at a time. And both easily fit in my backpack. I’m comfortable with that. I enjoy what I get from it. I tend to get better results when I’m using a FL I can see without needing the lens to my eyes.
Obviously this doesn’t work for every type of photography. It just works for my kind of photography.
For family travel, I keep the kit simple. Sometimes one body and standard prime: Z6 with 50 Air, or A7ii with 45C are examples. Still small is my three lens combo:
CZ P50/1.4, wide open, SF Chinatown in available darkness. I find all FF zooms too bulky, although kit APS-C zooms are okay (e.g. AF-S 18-55 DX). I recently acquired an A1 but the A7ii remains cheap-and-cheerful for use in casual or dodgy settings, or if I might drop it in a river or something.
!
