Going for a walk - how much gear do you carry?

I made my mind up a while back that I'll take my Sony Nex 6 on long walks plus a fuji bridge for shorter walks.

If Im going photographing then I will take my proper gear.
 
Sony RX10 24-200@ 2.8 constant.

More dynamic range than the best full frame canon.
Lens is so sharp throughout, sometimes wonder why I don't keep just this and sell everything else!
 
At one time I wouldn't leave the house without 2 bodies, several flash guns, and about 7 lens, but getting older (and wiser) I now carry less.
I realised at one point that the more gear I carried the less pictures I was taking, now If I'm just off for a walk I might take 1 body (without grip to save weight) with a standard zoom, a spare battery and maybe one other lens, that way I can actually enjoy the walk part. If I'm planning some serious shooting I will take more obviously.
Heres a thought, if you have a mate with the same make camera share kit, you take the macro, he takes the 300 mm or whatever that way you both carry less kit but still have the range or gear available.
 
I prefer to travel without a bag where possible. So I'll feel free to go anywhere. Just a belt pack for spare lenses. Which, on my beloved Olympus OM-D, are very compact. Micro43 lenses don't have to cover the corners of a long thin 3:2 sensor making them 25% smaller for the same sensor area.
Also, with lighter gear, the tripod is also light enough to carry all day without noticing.
 
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If I am going out on a more landscape focused session I have a smaller bag and don't carry my longest lens. If wildlife I just haul everything, about 18kg.

Sure, it is heavy, but think about the wonders it does your fitness! :)
 
If it's just for a walk all I tend to take these days is my iPhone. I got fed up carrying masses of gear which I ended up not using as the light wasn't right. If I'm going out specifically to take photos then 17-40, 50mm, 70-200 5D3 and filters. Almost never carry a tripod unless I'm planning to do dusk or long exposure shots.
 
DG Phototraining said:
My standard walk pack is...

1 body, a 11-16mm, 17-55mm, 70-200mm, 10x & 7x ND filter (no other filters, they are pointless), remote trigger, blower, various bits, bin bags, kneeling pads, plasters etc. and the hefty tripod

And on my last 6 hour mooch about in Leeds I used... only the 17-55 all day, which didn't go anywhere near the tripod

Hmmm - maybe I'm overdoing it too :D

Dave
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I am interested to as why you think "other filters are pointless" I am just about to sell a kidney for a complete Lee filter set up. grads, nd's etc and someone else has said the same as you same earlier this week!
 
cmc1 said:
I am interested to as why you think "other filters are pointless" I am just about to sell a kidney for a complete Lee filter set up. grads, nd's etc and someone else has said the same as you same earlier this week!
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Hi bud - if you go back a page to post 36 I answered this very question there :)

NDs yes, Polarisers have a place (but I don't use them) all the rest can be created with far more control & speed (at shooting) by learning a few simple blending techniques in Photoshop or other editing software. If you use Grads on a level seascape, or other flat landscape, then they can work fine; otherwise you have to take two shots and blend to remove the darkening/colouring from places you don't want it, or (worse) dodge it

When someone makes ND Grads the correct shape for whatever hilly landscape I'm shooting them maybe I'll use them lol

Dave
 
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James Wheeler said:
If I am going out on a more landscape focused session I have a smaller bag and don't carry my longest lens. If wildlife I just haul everything, about 18kg.

Sure, it is heavy, but think about the wonders it does your fitness! :)
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Years ago I would have agreed with you. But now as I get older I have an injured knee, two damaged disks and five fused vertebrae as a result of carrying heavy packs up and down mountains when I was younger. Then I was as fit as a butchers dog, now I carry the long term results, as do most of my mates from that part of my life.
Look after your back, it's the only one you'll get. ;)
 
Serious daytime photo trip

Fuji X-E1, Fuji X-E2, Samyang 8mm, XF14mm, XF18-55mm, XC50-230mm, Nikon J1 IR Coverted + 10mm, Filters, Tripod

Serious low-light photo trip

One Fuji plus one lens, Canon 6D, 24mm, 28-70mm, Filters, Tripod

Less serious photo trip

Any combination of the above

Want to take a camera with me

Fuji X100

Just bobbing about

Fuji XF1

Whatever happens if it doesn't fit in this
trp0210_brown_1.jpg
it's not coming (tripods excluded), that way I keep the weight down.
 
When I'm out landscaping, I normally take my 16-35 & 70-200, D610, tripod, remote and a few filters. Doesn't come in much over 6kg or so which is very manageable.

When I want light, D610, 28-75 & 70-300.

When I want super light just the Powershot S110!
 
My 'holiday' landscape setup - Micro 4/3rds Body and Olympus 9-18 ... the lightness is unreal! iPhone for the rest. Completely agree with what everyone says about filters not being necessary - the only ones if you absolutely must are polarisers and a 10 stop ND (limited uses most photos). Grad NDs are so much easier to do with a double exposure in post process and also allow you to change your mind on the type of grad / hard / soft / and level of ND too!
 
The heaviest thing I have taken on a long walk is a Mamiya RB67. It weighs about as much as two anvils welded together.

I hate camera bags as I usually end up carrying the camera and an empty bag.


Steve.
 
As a few have said, depends on the type of walk

Alone / off out to take pictures (which is rare) Then my D7100, selection of lenses, filters, wired release etc. (in my AW 400 flipside) and my full size / weight Red Snapper tripod

Off out with friends / family where there is the likelihood of some good snaps and the time to take them then the D7100, 1 or 2 lenses, maybe a filter or 2, wired release and the Redged carbon fiber travel tripod all in my Passport Sling

General family walk / trip out the LX100, phone app and that's it as I'm usually loaded up like a mule anyway which comes along with the Mrs and 2 daughters ...............
 
4wd said:
What are you actually going to do with any shots you take?
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Well that is a bit of an "existential" question, I don't do much with any of my photos so perhaps I shouldn't bother at all? I have a Lumix MFT and a Olympus TG3 tough and they produce good results but the 6D gives me more options, I have a better range of lenses, better bokeh, better low-light, etc. And also filters, I get what @Cheng is saying but it's easier to use a grad than carry around and set up a tripod
 
Travel photography I've just bought a Manfrottor Befree tripod, strong enough to cope with a 5D mk3 with 70-200 lens yet packs down really small. I'll have a lowpro backpack, 5d mk3 with 24-105, 14mm samyung, then 70-200 f2.8is and 2x tc if required. Spare battery, cf cards and a couple of filters, polarising and 10 stop and a remote trigger.. Cleaning cloth, microfibre cloth, I'll generally keep it fairly light.

Main lowepro computrekker bag has all the above with 1.4tc, 100-400 lens, 50mm f1.4 lens, 580 flashgun, spare AA batteries, had, pen, notepad, cloths, other odds and sods makes it about 12kg in all less any tripod. Generally I'll swap to the redsnapper tripod with the manfrotto pistol grip head for that lot.
 
Clearly, whatever you like to photograph dictates what gear you take with you.

In my case I ONLY take wildlife photos and also only go on walks which are picture seeking. So, no shoulder bag or back pack, but a Canon 100-400mm L II (+ 1.4x Extender) on 7D Mark II (gripped), BlackRapid strap and Gitzo carbon monopod and a pair of secateurs. In the Dragonfly season I also carry my Canon 100mm F/2.8 L IS Macro in the 100-400's lens case.

The monopod can also be very useful for testing ground or depth of water etc. It just has a Acratech Arca-Swiss quick release flat clamp on it, no ballhead or similar.

According to where I am going I will also take my Gitzo tripod, otherwise it will be in my car. The most I walk on a photoshoot is about 8 miles and it will take all day due to searching carefully.

 
I carry the minimum gear I can so for a walk on the off chance I might shoot something I take a shoulder bag with Fuji X-Pro1 and a couple of lenses (maybe IR converted body as well if weather is good).

For a landscape shoot that requires a lot of walking I carry FF body with 16-35mm, 24-105mm and 100-400mm plus tripod and filters in a small backpack.
 
You can never have too many bags, but for a walk in the country I would take

D800
24-70F2.8
range of grads
tripod
cable release.
spare battery.
spare memory cards, if you've ever had one go, you'd understand.

I might take the 70-210F4 and either a Zeiss 21mm or 24mm PCE or lose the long lens as my rucksack has room for body/lens plus two other lens plus spare battery, filters.

A bigger bag can be taken, but its really cubmersome. A smallish rucksack can take an amazing amount of gear.
 
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Generally I take the A7, CV40/1.4 & Leitz 90/2.8 - That's car shows, out with the kids, beach, general walkabout etc

If I'm going to be doing land/seascape then I add the ML28, some filters & the tripod.
 
sirch said:
Well that is a bit of an "existential" question, I don't do much with any of my photos so perhaps I shouldn't bother at all? I have a Lumix MFT and a Olympus TG3 tough and they produce good results but the 6D gives me more options, I have a better range of lenses, better bokeh, better low-light, etc. And also filters, I get what @Cheng is saying but it's easier to use a grad than carry around and set up a tripod
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No tripod needed (unless you're doing it in conditions which would require tripods anyway) - just use bracketting with +2 stops (or how many stops you want to use for the grad). Most cameras have seriously quick FPS these days on high mode that the .1-.2 second lapse is negligble.!
 
Doesn't this come down to those that like pp, bracket, and those that don't, use a grad?
Yes some will use both, but they won't have an issue.
 
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FX body with 28-300mmVR a 77mm polariser and if I'm up to it I bag my 16-35 VR CF tripod & remote.

or a DX body 18-200mm VR & 10-17mm plus the other bits
 
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ianp5a said:
Doesn't this come down to those that like pp, bracket, and those that don't, use a grad?
Yes some will use both, but they won't have an issue.
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....What's a "grad" please?
 
Sorry. A graduated filter. In this case a graduated neutral density filter which reduces the exposure of one half of the frame. Usually a bright sky.
 
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