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That "light-weight" equipment question again?

Posted: Mon Apr 29, 2019 3:03 am
by Neilyb
I have for many years carried my Canon equipment up hill and down dale. Dragging my 300, 400 or 500mm tele on holidays "just-in-case" some fabulous wildlife pops up. This year I took my 5D4, 100-400, 100 macro, 16-35 and 24-105 and accessories to save weight. But on the longer walks the Costa Rican heat and humidity did mean I felt it. But the chances of needing a macro, a tele and a landscape lens were high and I could not leave anything behind :| 

So I am considering a "travel and hike" camera. I like the look of the Olympus system and the possible reach I can get with the 4/3 sensor. The idea is not to have the ISO6400 capability of my Canon but to capture acceptable images for the family to enjoy. The 300 f4 lens also looks quite useable and carry-able. 

Or would I be better sticking with a Sony body like the A6400, and a 70-300 lens, for the tele end, and having the increased IQ and AF capability and using my old A7r2 for other stuff? 

So many options :) Sorry for the question again but outside of Canon and Sony I have no real clue. The main question here I think is making the tele end lighter. 

Posted: Mon Apr 29, 2019 8:24 am
by Mike in O
My recommendation would be to look at the RXIV...I shoot with FF, APS-c & 1" formats. I tend to carry my RX if I am walking any distance.

Posted: Mon Apr 29, 2019 8:34 am
by mikeojohnson
The way you express your needs, the OLY system would work well. EM1M2 and any of their lenses would be a light to carry kit.

mike

Posted: Mon Apr 29, 2019 12:09 pm
by DChan
Olympus is on sale right now.

Re: That "light-weight" equipment question again?

Posted: Mon Apr 29, 2019 4:39 pm
by ricardo00
Neilyb wrote: The 300 f4 lens also looks quite useable and carry-able.

So many options :) Sorry for the question again but outside of Canon and Sony I have no real clue. The main question here I think is making the tele end lighter. 
   The problem with the Olympus system is that their 300mm f/4 lens is quite heavy.  Every time I have made comparisons, it is lighter to use
the Nikon 300mm f/4PF and one of their DX bodies.  For example, if you used it with the D7200, you could shoot in 1.3 crop mode (so that the 300mm would also be effectively a 600mm 35mm point of view) and it would be much lighter than the Olympus system (though you will lose some megapixels in the 1.3 crop mode).  You should do the math (and a lot will depend on which camera you choose).  But the Nikon 300mm f/4PF is an exceptionally lightweight 300mm lens (and cheaper than the Olympus) such that the amount you save in weight of the Olympus camera is offset by the heavier lens (the Olympus lens is almost twice the weight of the Nikon). 

Posted: Mon Apr 29, 2019 5:59 pm
by DChan
If you plan to carry more than one lenses on your field trips, don't forget to take into consideration of the sizes and weights of other lenses and accessories as well.

Posted: Mon Apr 29, 2019 6:14 pm
by bradmangas
The only thing that really pops in to my mind after reading your dilemma is: How did they ever make meaningful photographs in the film days? Hmmm....

Re: That "light-weight" equipment question again?

Posted: Mon Apr 29, 2019 10:18 pm
by DChan
bradmangas wrote:The only thing that really pops in to my mind after reading your dilemma is: How did they ever make meaningful photographs in the film days? Hmmm....

Like this:

https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6Mr07_JSWfw/T8-WsRGr31I/AAAAAAAAAWA/HyaSE610cQY/s1600/ansel_adams_la_natura_e_il_mio_regno_foto_05.jpg

Posted: Tue Apr 30, 2019 2:32 am
by Neilyb
Thanks for the replies. I am of course doing some maths ;) The Olympus 300 f4 is 300g lighter than even the 100-400. There is a great little 14-40 walkaround pancake lens (which does not have to be stellar, just great for family stuff). There are also Panasonic lenses to consider. Will take time to root out the reviews etc..

The Nikon 300 PF is also an amazing option but added to the weight of a D500 is closer to the E-M1 II and 300 f4 overall.

Re:

Posted: Tue Apr 30, 2019 2:38 am
by Neilyb
bradmangas wrote:The only thing that really pops in to my mind after reading your dilemma is: How did they ever make meaningful photographs in the film days? Hmmm....

This about enjoying a family trip more than taking professional quality photographs. If I am out alone looking for a specific subject then I suffer and take the pain ;) 

Re:

Posted: Tue Apr 30, 2019 6:09 am
by Neilyb
Mike in O wrote:My recommendation would be to look at the RXIV...I shoot with FF, APS-c & 1" formats.  I tend to carry my RX if I am walking any distance.
Mike I have looked at this already but the IQ difference between the 1" and 4/3 is just a bit too big for me. I would still need a body capable of ISO3200 and by that point the 1" sensors do really take a hit. On the other hand it is one hell of a camera.  :)

Re:

Posted: Tue Apr 30, 2019 11:51 am
by ricardo00
Neilyb wrote:Thanks for the replies. I am of course doing some maths ;) The Olympus 300 f4 is 300g lighter than even the 100-400. There is a great little 14-40 walkaround pancake lens (which does not have to be stellar, just great for family stuff). There are also Panasonic lenses to consider. Will take time to root out the reviews etc..

The Nikon 300 PF is also an amazing option but added to the weight of a D500 is closer to the E-M1 II and 300 f4 overall.
  The 14-42mm Olympus lens is tiny!  And the E-M1 II has some interesting features (though it is about the weight of a Nikon D7500). I just wish the Olympus 300mm f/4 wasn't so heavy. It is actually slightly heavier than the Nikon 500mm f/5.6 pf lens!  Let us know how it works out, I am also interested in decreasing the weight of the gear I carry with my bad knee and back.

 
 

Posted: Mon May 06, 2019 5:50 pm
by Karl Egressy
I used Canon system for about 31-33 years. After long consideration which included contemplating about the Olympus (I actually had a camera and a few lenses of the Olympus M43) I switched .to Nikon system to save weight.
The 300 f 4.0 PF ED VR is a super capable lens and it is very light. My wife who is slightly disabled by now, had
done the same switching. She now has the D500, 300 f 4.0 PF and the 70-300 Nikon zoom the very latest version I guess.
You might even consider to use one of the mirrorless Nikon cameras (Z6 or Z7) to save some more weight.

Posted: Mon May 06, 2019 7:21 pm
by Mike in O
Your wife is hardly a bit disabled if she can wield that brick 500...good for her.

Posted: Tue May 07, 2019 3:12 am
by Neilyb
This will probably take a while, but I have time. The Nikon mirrorless options are no good to me, just like the Canon EOS R's, as my travel backup strategy involves a large SD card and lots of smaller cards used in two slots, RAWs to both cards. So I am down to a crop DSLR, a Sony A6500 or the Oly EM-1 mkII (or whatever comes along in the meantime).

I am impressed with the Nikon PF lens offerings and as I work with Nikon's (for non-photography related stuff) I am getting used to their menus and feel).

Thanks guys, too much food for thought. We spoiled with options and great equipment these days.

Posted: Thu Jun 27, 2019 1:42 am
by Neilyb
In the end I have gone with Olympus and found an ex-demo model cheaper or the OMD EM-1 MK2 and also ordered the 40-150 f2.8 PRO lens (this saves me half of the wieght of 5D4 and 100-400). I look forward to the learning curve and a straighter spine :)

Re:

Posted: Sat Jun 29, 2019 9:47 am
by Mark Boranyak
Neilyb wrote:In the end I have gone with Olympus and found an ex-demo model cheaper or the OMD EM-1 MK2 and also ordered the 40-150 f2.8 PRO lens (this saves me half of the wieght of 5D4 and 100-400). I look forward to the learning curve and a straighter spine :)
Let's us know what you think of your Oly gear after you've had a chance to use it.

Thanks.

Re:

Posted: Sat Jun 29, 2019 1:29 pm
by ricardo00
Neilyb wrote:In the end I have gone with Olympus and found an ex-demo model cheaper or the OMD EM-1 MK2 and also ordered the 40-150 f2.8 PRO lens (this saves me half of the wieght of 5D4 and 100-400). I look forward to the learning curve and a straighter spine :)
  I would be very curious to hear how you like the "Pro Capture Mode" which allows one to retrieve photos before one even starts to shoot as well as the "High Res Shot Mode" which combines multiple JPG to get a 50 megapixel photo.

Posted: Sun Jun 30, 2019 11:51 am
by Neilyb
Well I have used it over the weekend to record my daughter and friends camping and (mostly) swimming in the lake. Coupled with the 40-150 it is a complete dream to use. The AF is pretty much instant although I only use single point so will not comment on the plethora of other options. Despite having a great success rate focus wise, I wonder how much if it is down to the great DoF from the 4/3 sensor?
Shooting silent with as many FPS as I will never need is great fun too, although I will need a new SD card if I intentd to ever use it on the fastest settings.

If I ever use it for wildlife the Pro Capture mode may come in handy, but the high res shot mode might be handy but not for much. ;)

The weight was also a very welcome relief as was the flipping screen when shooting close to the water level!

Posted: Sun Jun 30, 2019 3:22 pm
by rb_stern
I have had good results with Panasonic gear - I currently have a G-85, and I use a Panasonic 14-140 ( 28-280 equivalent) and a Panasonisc 100-300 mk. 2 (200-600 equivalent) , which is lighter than my D500 and 300 f4-pf-vr. Super for people, landscapes, flora etc. Definitely not as good for distant birds that need big crops, or BIF. But worth considering for what you're describing.

Richard