Best Travel Kit? A7r, Nex-7, Leica, or D800E

Thank you, Thank you!

With all of the really great advice I have made a tentative choice:

A7r with 15, 40, and 90 M-lenses Plus LA-EA4 and Minolta 24-105mm lens

Here's why:

1. I should carry only one body to avoid needing a bunch of chargers. The A7r shares the charger with my cell phone.

2. Grandchildren pictures are very important, so I will have the LA-EA4 which focuses just as fast as the D800.

3. With the LA-EA4 I might as well use the legendary Minolta Maxxum 24-105mm f3.5-4.5 lens which is similar in performance to the Nikon 24-120 f4 that someone recommended. Since I have this adapter, I might as well bring along the famous "Beer Can" Minolta 70-210mm f4 in case I need some sharp telephoto shots.

4. I haven't decided on which flash to bring-- I always use flash with people pictures at least to put catchlights in the eyes. I have a very small Metz TTL flash and an even smaller Sunpak auto flash. I generally prefer auto flash to TTL flash because I have more control over exposure. Neither of these has HSS, so I'm thinking I might also bring along a bigger HVL-F58AM or HVL-F43AM flash for this. The good news is the A7r flash syncs at 1/200 for all my non-HSS flashes, not 1/160 as shown on the specs. HSS can lighten up shadows on the face in sunlight up to about 10' or so. Its not always possible to find shade in Hawaii! The ISO50 setting on the A7r helps a lot in keeping the shutter speed low, and if necessary I can also add a neutral density filter or polarizer as well.

5. I saw the comment from uhoh7 about the possible color-cast advantage of A7 over A7r for some wide lenses. The only lens I will bring with this issue is the Voigtlander Heliar 15mm f4.5, and I will be using the Adobe flat field plug-in for that.

6. Someone mentioned tripod, and of course I will need one for waterfalls and stars. There are also weight compromises to be made there. But its great that I can use my cell phone to control the camera, and even live-view. That will be very handy after dark.

So overall I will have a relatively small kit with a total weight in the 5 pound range (not counting the tripod), but with 36 mp and an optical range of 15-210mm. For walking around with the 40 mm lens, the weight on my neck will be only 1 pound 4 oz.

I updated my set on Flickr to include two shots with the LA-EA4 adapter, one with the Minolta 20mm lens and one with the Minolta 24-105mm lens here.

==Doug
 
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been many times to hawaii, the past two after being into photography.

last time there I shot with a Fuji X100, a Bessa-L with Heliar 15mm and an M4 with a 50/0.95 stopped down to 5.6 due to a focusing issue. a 15-35-50 that went quite alright.

the previous time I took my R-D1 with 15/4.5 and 12/5.6 (so 18mm fov on the R-D1), 35/1.4 Nokton and 50/1.5 Nokton along with my M6. Basically it was a 21-35-50 setup which worked quite well.

I think if you take an ultrawide you could skip the 35mm fov and take a long one, so maybe 15/21-50-90/135... something like that.

now, regarding cameras... i guess thats up to personal preference, really. though i'd take a body that would be weatherproof.
 
Have fun with the grand kids. Take the CLE and 28 with fast B&W for intimate "be part of the fun" photos and a leica M loaded with E6 for the rest.
 
I'd take either a Leica M and NEX-7 or A7R and NEX-7, together with a small selection of Leica lenses and a travel tripod. That way your Leica lenses can be used at two focal lengths. The Sony HVL-F20AM is a great little flash and can be used on both digital bodies.
 
peter_n said:
I'd take either a Leica M and NEX-7 or A7R and NEX-7, together with a small selection of Leica lenses and a travel tripod. That way your Leica lenses can be used at two focal lengths. The Sony HVL-F20AM is a great little flash and can be used on both digital bodies.
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Actually not an bad idea to throw the Nex-7 in the bag. It adds only 8oz ahd shares the same battery and takes negligible space. With the Nex-7 I would get 1.5X more telephoto reach that could be necessary as I understand the surf is up the last few days and I might be able to get some Pipeline shots.

I looked at the F20AM and F20M flashes, they are expensive at $150, weigh 4oz and have a guide number of only 20m. I have a shoe box full of small flashes accumulated over the years that are a bit brighter and and also small and light. Of course the F20AM/M don't have HSS as my other small flashes. I don't think I would use the commander mode of the F20AM/M so that is not an advantage to me. I prefer radio triggers. Also the F20AM/M does not have an Auto mode.

==Doug
 
First I'd decide whether your hobby is photography or equipment collecting? Why would you buy expensive cameras and not know what you wanted to use?
 
What's the point in "traveling light" if you're loading up a mish-mash of small gear?

If I had to choose between 2 small cameras and 5 small lenses or one D800 and one do-it-all lens I'd go with the D800.

Juggling a bunch of gear and trying to figure out what lens combinations to fit with what camera for every activity sounds like a drag to me. The D800 is a bigger system, but much less complicated in the long run.
 
In an upcoming trip, I will use M8 with 50/1.5 plus M9 with 28/3.5. That's it. No need for changing lenses. Same batteries, same charger, same lens mount. Same camera insurance.
 
rivercityrocker said:
What's the point in "traveling light" if you're loading up a mish-mash of small gear?

If I had to choose between 2 small cameras and 5 small lenses or one D800 and one do-it-all lens I'd go with the D800.

Juggling a bunch of gear and trying to figure out what lens combinations to fit with what camera for every activity sounds like a drag to me. The D800 is a bigger system, but much less complicated in the long run.
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Actually, I agree. I used to carry the D800E with Nikon 28-300mm lens mounted and Rokinson 14mm lens in my pocket. The D800 built-in flash is usually enough. But the weight around my neck is 4 pounds, which becomes a drag on hikes. This goes down to the 1 pound range with the Nex-7 or 1.25 with A7r.

==Doug
 
I'd carry my usual travel kit unless I have a specifically focused photographic goal in mind. My usual travel kit is a body with wide, normal, portrait tele lenses. Last trip to the UK, that was the M9 plus 35, 50, 90 mm lenses. Next longish trip it will likely be the E-M1 with 14, 25, 45 mm lenses ... might toss in the 75 and the wide converter for the 14 as well. Even with those additions, it will still be a smaller, lighter kit than the M9 was, and the image quality is right up there (there are differences, but it takes work to see them).

G
 
Doug,
I'd say it depends what lens you have for the Nikon. If I'm going somewhere special then I take a D700 with a 24-70 and an F5 film body for back up which I've never needed.
A/F and weatherproof so I can take anywhere. The D700 battery lasts forever so I expect a D800 will do well also.
I used to take an M with a 15, 35 and 50 but found changing lenses a pain. The Nikons may be big but they don't need to be cotton wool wrapped and I've never had a problem with them.
With kids the A/F is a real help. Shoot RAW and forget the camera, just take pictures.
The above is now my standard land trip kit.
I'm off to Thailand for 4 weeks starting first week of jan and will mainly be living on boats diving so my kit is different. I'll take my Canon S100 and underwater housing and backup for my trip will be an F3 with a 28. Light and cheap but quality results.
I used to complicate my trips with different bodies and lenses but now try to take bare minimum with a backup.
If you have a decent zoom for the Nikon it covers everything and saves stress leaving you to enjoy your trip more.
 
douglasboyd said:
Actually, I agree. I used to carry the D800E with Nikon 28-300mm lens mounted and Rokinson 14mm lens in my pocket. The D800 built-in flash is usually enough. But the weight around my neck is 4 pounds, which becomes a drag on hikes. This goes down to the 1 pound range with the Nex-7 or 1.25 with A7r.

==Doug
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You're talking to someone who shoots music festivals. I would carry around two full-size Nikon DSLRs with a 24-70/70-200 f/2.8 and a small bag with a 14-24 and a 50 f/1.4 just in case. That's about 18 pound of gear hanging from me and running from stage to stage to media trailer and back totaling about 15 miles/day for 10-12 hours/day.

Last festival I shot I had it. I was tired of dragging all that stuff around. I used my D700 with EN-EL4 (because I know I can get at least 3000K shots on it so no extras needed) and a 24-120 f/4. I threw on a small shoulder bag with a fisheye and that was it. Still a bit heavy but covered all my needs.

I also discovered the amazing Spider Holster. It's by far the most comfortable carrying system I've ever used. No weight on your neck causing headaches and muscle strain. (http://www.spiderholster.com/). Also if you're hiking with the camera strap around your neck you may want to consider slinging the strap over your shoulder or using a BlackRapid sport or something.

Anyway, is weight your only concern? Because my real point is that even though you're using a smaller system if you're constantly swapping out lenses then you should be using a zoom. It's really a waste of time and effort thinking about what lens you need and swapping them all the time and is likely an annoyance to whoever you travel with. One camera a zoom lens and you can stop thinking about the right combo of camera/lens for different subjects and know that you have it covered. Swing up your camera and shoot. You're ready at all times. To me it's not only about size but convenience and balancing the two.
 
Roger Hicks said:
What kit gives you the best pictures at home? How is travel going to affect this?

Cheers,

R.
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Roger,
After reading the comments here I reviewed 10-15 years or so of my photography. By far the best digital images I have made came from either Phase One or Hasselblad medium format digital backs. They were all made with Prime lenses, usually the Hasselblad 35mm f3.5 HC lens. This is the reason I'm reluctant to be seduced by the convenience of Zoom lenses. A900 an D800e (with "pro" zooms) have not really come up to what I used to get with H3DII-39. In film, my best images are generally from large format-- 9x12 or 6x17, also with Prime lenses. I also have a few good MF film images (again prime lenses), but often miss focus. My best small format images were made with the Summicron lens on RF M-bodies. It comes down to quality vs. convenience.
==Doug
 
bwcolor said:
Of course digital is easier. That is why using film, especially E-6 is really challenging.
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Not sure why digital is so much easier than E-6. I use both the same way to be honest... the only difference is that with film you are stuck at one film speed.
 
Unless the primary focus of the trip is photography, I'd limit myself to a simple setup. This is all very personal, but you've expressed an affinity for E6 and who knows, in a few years there may not be much E6 left in this world. I'd take the M and some E6 for me, and use my iPhone for digital snaps. Since that wasn't one of the options, I'd throw in the smallest AF digicam you have (looks like the NEX) for those times when you need higher ISO or autofocus.

Having traveled a great deal, and always obsessing over this same question, I've found that severely limiting myself in terms of gear has almost always resulted in more enjoyable trips and better photographs. But that's just me.

Relax, and enjoy your vacation.
 
douglasboyd said:
Roger,
After reading the comments here I reviewed 10-15 years or so of my photography. By far the best digital images I have made came from either Phase One or Hasselblad medium format digital backs. They were all made with Prime lenses, usually the Hasselblad 35mm f3.5 HC lens. This is the reason I'm reluctant to be seduced by the convenience of Zoom lenses. A900 an D800e (with "pro" zooms) have not really come up to what I used to get with H3DII-39. In film, my best images are generally from large format-- 9x12 or 6x17, also with Prime lenses. I also have a few good MF film images (again prime lenses), but often miss focus. My best small format images were made with the Summicron lens on RF M-bodies. It comes down to quality vs. convenience.
==Doug
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Dear Doug,

Fair point.

Cheers,

R.
 
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