My rule of thumb at the beach is ONE lens and ONE body when at the blanket. So it's a 10D with either a 17-40 or if the wind is blowin my really cheap 28-80 (go ahead and laugh). When on vacation the idea is to relax and not get stressed. When going anywhere with the camera and family its a fanny pack, a couple of CF cards, spare battery.
Who knows the next time I go on vacation it might be with Hexar RF and the 35F1.4 summilux, digital be dammed.
Nice shot!
I pondered over bag choices every Saturday at stores for a month adn finally got one that should have been obvious, Tamrac Superlight 5. Only holds a body/lens and 2 lenses or a 580EX & a lens. Unfortunately it's too small for 1D bodies but I really feel good about paring down for trekking around. I can take any 3 of my lenses or 2 and the flash and accessories in a nice little shoulder bag that's well padded pretty inconspicuous. (I de-badged it as well )
I carried a 1Dmk2, 24-70, 16-35, 85mm 1.8, 70-200LIS, flash, and an extra battery for a full 8 hours in San Sebastian Spain. There is a very high peak overlooking the city
Here is a shot from near the top http://www.pbase.com/markay/image/39299354.jpg
BTW i got good practice hiking with the 600mm L IS..
...but Pondria,. what would you say to us Wildlife shooters hauling around 13 pounds of camera and lens (one lens) and an 8 pound plus tripod rig,. flash and bracket etc.. all day long up hills and through woods?
Mark,
It is a great shot with much details. I guess your pains were paid off.
CyberDyne,
As I said, I think I would haul the "equipments" for the dedicated photography outings or assignments. But for family vacation, I would think again
Pondria wrote:
Before I got an 1Ds2, I was also wondering if the weight was too much.
I too was very concerned about the weight issue when I got the 1Ds2. The camera and 24-70mm f/2.8 zoom comes to about 6.5 lbs. I could not imagine carrying them with additional lenses in a shoulder bag for hours at a time. My approach was to buy a belt system to carry the supplemental lenses. My usual belt configuration carries the 16-35mm f/2.8, the 70-200mm f/2.8, and a tele-extender. The belt looks a little awkward. It does not qualify as inconspicuous. I have to take it off to sit down. But I have had no problems or discomfort carrying the whole setup for as long as needed.
Strategies for carrying camera equipment are very personal. We all have unique likes and dislikes. What works for me might be a disaster for you. Still, you might want to consider a belt system. There are lots of brands available.
Seriously, I do sometimes get a back ache from carrying around alot of gear. I have a good chiropractor ... I used to use a belt system but truthfully I like a good backpack. If all is adjusted correctly there is good balance between your back and hip. THe only problem is getting to your gear and one time i had an accident when a lens fell out because if forgot to zip the side. I did hike up half way to Vernal falls with a full back pack and a tripod. It was a good work out for sure.
You guys think that's bad... I backpacked with a 50lb pack and over 20 lbs of Pentax 6x7 gear for a few weeks one time. That was in my younger years though... and way before digital. Now a 5D, 580ex, 24-105L IS and a 70-300 IS would do just fine for me. Although I would miss my primes.... See, that's where you start getting into trouble though.
I agree with Mark: I bought my stuff to make pictures with! So most of the time I take it all with me on vacation, especially to places I won't come too often. It costs a lot of enery to carry everything but when I'm back home and see the images I'm always happy I took it all with me.
Only with short city trips or a beach vacation I take a body + one lens.
Sometimes I take two bags: a large back which fits everything and a small bag. Depending on my plans for that day I take either the large bag or leave most stuff at the hotel room and take just the small bag.
I've pretty much limited my vacation gear to just 1D MKII, 50 1.4 (for low light), and Tamron 28-75 f/2.8. Can't deal with more weight than that--I used to lug around 4 lenses--never again. I'll maybe include the Sigma 12-24 if I know there will be nice landscapes or cityscapes to shoot. The 70-200 2/8 IS L never goes on vacations anymore--only to special events (concerts, competitions, parades). I might replace the 50 1.4 with a Sigma 30 1.4 as the vacation low light lens since the 50 is a bit long on the 1D MKII.
DaveEP wrote:
If cost weren't an issue, I may be would go for a 'vacation' combo of a 5D + 24-105 and a 20D + 70-300IS, and leave the other two at home for the more serious stuff.
I often use the 5D+24-105 and the 20D+70-300DO as a walk around combination. I like to keep camera + lens below 4 pounds
Hey, I can't tease you about the D30 now, so I need something else.
Yesterday, I carried the 1D-II + 16-35/2.8 + 24-70/2.8 + 70-200/2.8 IS + Metz Flash + 15mm/2.8 fisheye + 2 extra batteries while walking around the Fort Worth area. Went with OlgaJ and her husband on a train ride down to the stockyards and back.
Never took the darned 16-35/2.8 off the body, though.
lexvo wrote:
I agree with Mark: I bought my stuff to make pictures with! So most of the time I take it all with me on vacation, especially to places I won't come too often. ...
DavidP wrote:
Don't be such a wimp, Pondria.
Hey, I can't tease you about the D30 now, so I need something else.
Oh boy, you are determined
Yesterday, I carried the 1D-II + 16-35/2.8 + 24-70/2.8 + 70-200/2.8 IS + Metz Flash + 15mm/2.8 fisheye + 2 extra batteries while walking around the Fort Worth area. Went with OlgaJ and her husband on a train ride down to the stockyards and back.
What bag did you use ?
Never took the darned 16-35/2.8 off the body, though.
Exactly this is another point. You carry many lenses for just in case. But you end up using mostly one or two lenses. Good and Light zoom has a strong case here.
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