I think this will be interesting... consider you will be travelling (backpacking or hiking so you have to take everything with you at all times) what lenses would you choose? Of course it depends on the places you go (landscape, street) but let's just say "for your style".
I'm on a 5DII, but it would be interesting to see what other systems you come up with (NEX, m43, M9...). The 5D is 0.8kg, so if you take a lighter body feel free to use the weight savings towards lenses!
Oh, I'll play also. Important to balance IQ with weight, and for travel and landscape it does not get any better than CZ, IMNSHO. And FF/tripod is great for any potential killer images with high enlargement potential or cropping, for the kind of shot that simply cannot be re-shot later on. I'm using a Sony A900 but with virtually the same setup, great minds eh?
21/2.8 Contax (580 grams)
35-70/3.4 (500 grams)
Minolta 200/2.8 APO HS (790 grams)
Minolta 1.4 TC APO (170 grams) for 280/4 eq.
All these lenses are good enough to force me to shoot no matter how much AMS or fatigue I am suffering!
If Leitax can help, the 100-300mm Contax is to replace the 200mm Minolta/TC, as much for flexibility in focal length as for the Zeiss look and killer short end performance. The 100/3.5 will then stay behind for light backcountry work to help get the weight penalty down.
500g category, good for the NEX:
Voigtlander Heliar 15mm/4.5 105g
Zeiss ZM Biogon 35mm/2.0 240g
Voigtlander APO-Lanthar 90mm/3.5 260g
Total 605g
If we replace the Biogon with the Skopar at 135g we get a 500g combination
Under 1kg combination for FF :
Zeiss Distagon 28mm/2.8 280g
Zeiss Planar 50mm/1.7 195g
Zeiss Sonnar 85mm 2.8 260g
Total 735g
1,5kg top combo for FF :
Zeiss Distagon 28mm/2.0 530g
Zeiss Planar 50mm/1.4 290g
Zeiss Planar 100m/2.0 670g
Total 1490g
Hm, seems like I am a Zeiss fan . Actually, I had combo 3 and now I am running around with combo 1 on a NEX.
500 gram-ish category (which I've done on a 4 day trip to Philadelphia)
474g - Minolta 58/1.2
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474g - Total
1,000 gram-ish category (which I've done on a 7 day trip to New York City)
490g - Minolta 35/1.4
315g - Minolta 50/2.8 Macro
560g - Minolta 85/1.4
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1,365g - Total
This kit was mostly experimental, I didn't really use the 85, and the 50 Macro could have been totally replaced by the 35. In the future I would do this:
285g - Minolta 20/2.8
490g - Minolta 35/1.4
290g - Leica 50/2
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1,065g - Total
1,500 gram-ish category (which I've done on a 21 day trip to China)
285g - Minolta 20/2.8
474g - Minolta 58/1.2
790g - Minolta 200/2.8
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1,549g - Total
I see your choices are rather "heavy" on the Zeiss
I agree it doesn't seem to be in the spirit of alternative gear (which, imo, is to choose the "best" from all options, for a certain purpose and budget), but I do think it gives the best IQ per weight performance. If more flexibility is required then the Zuiko 18 or 21 (to save weight on the Zeiss 21) and Canon 70-200 F4 IS (to save weight over the 100-300 and reduce need for a tripod), would be my next choice.
philip_pj, what tripod and head do you use?
Steve Spencer wrote:
For backpacking the kit I am looking to put together is
Panny GH2 - 392g
Olympus M Zuiko 9-18mm f/3.5-5.6 - 155g
Panny 20mm f/1.7 - 100g
Contax G 45mm f/2 - 190g
Contax G 90mm f/2.8 240 g
adapter 25g
Total - 1077g or a little over 200g lighter than your 5D2 and 35-70 kit and you have the equivalent of pretty good coverage from 18 to 180.
That is very impressive! Could add a Contax G and a few rolls of film for even more flexibility in terms of look and as backup, at 6-700g weight penalty.
