Lightweight photo kit

[bill_green2]

What do all of you take equipmentwise when photography is not your

primary objective, but you know that you will be unhappy when the

perfect picture presents itself and all your gear is at home.

 

I used to happily grab my Nikon FM, 28-70 Sigma zoom, small flash,

handfull of film and stuff it all in my coat pocket. Since then my

Nikon died and I moved toward Canon L glass for sharpness and medium

format for big images. While my Canon and Fuji are superior to my old

Nikon gear in every way, I have come to realize that I have a gaping

hole in my photo gear and that is a lightweight, grab and run kit. A

Canonet I bought from Bob Atkins is the closest thing I have. (Maybe

time to beg that F3 from my grandfather).

 

I can hear the chants now, take the motor drive of the EOS 3 and buy

some lightweight primes, but that is not really the point (taking the

drive off takes 10 min).

 

What do all of you use, or is photography always your primary

objective?

[art_haykin]

When photo is NOT my objective, I always carry my Retina IIc.

[bruce_rubenstein___nyc]

I often take the "baby brother" approach: consumer grade body, of the same make, and a 28-105 zoom. It's small, light and you can shoot a number of things quite well. An older MF body is a strong second. The drawback is that it tends to be heavier unless you stick to a single prime lens.

[markci]

I take off the motordrive and use lightweight primes. Why does it take 10 minutes to remove the motor drive? Are you doing it with your teeth?

[robert_potts1]

I take an elderly 645 Fujica rangefinder.

[atlatling]

For general photography, I usually switch to digital on these occasions, however if film is necessary, I'll take an olympus OM2 with a small zoom. I also switch from a tripod to a monopod. If I also think I'll need slides, I take the Olympus XA in addition. Sometimes the XA is the only camera I take. If serious Black and white is on my mind, I take my Mamiya 645 with just one lens--the 55 mm. I have several options but it takes me a few minutes to get it set up and collected from which ever bag or cabinet shelf it sits on. I should work on that aspect a bit. The digital is always ready in its own bag.

[david_goldfarb]

Hate to say it, but if I'm bringing the 35mm kit and need to be lightweight, I bring a body without drive and I use primes anyway. If I think there might be wildlife involved, but I'm not planning to bring a big lens, I cut weight by carrying a 200/2.8, 1.4x and 2x extenders.

 

For really lightweight, I have a folding Voigtlander Vitessa-L rangefinder with a 50/2.0 lens and an even lighter 6x6cm Voigtlander Perkeo II with a 75/3.5 lens (scale focusing).

 

For travel snapshots that I might want to share quickly on the web, I go digital.

[lee_shively]

This is an easy question for me since I put together such a kit a few months ago. I also use Canon EOS equipment and use some L-series glass for serious nature work but I had no intention of carrying three pound lenses around all day when I had other things I had to do. I wanted an outfit I could take with me to work everyday which would be capable but easy to carry.

 

My lightweight kit consists of a Rebel 2000 and Canon 24mm, 35mm, 50mm and 100-300mm lenses. This fits in a Lowepro Nova 2 shoulder bag with several filters and rolls of film as well as spare batteries and the instruction book for the Rebel (which I have never finished reading). With a belt attached to the bag, this makes a great little kit for lightweight hiking. It is surprising how small a package this is. If I want to go even more lightweight, I will use the Rebel with a 28-105. As a "walking around" outfit, with a couple of extra rolls of film and a polarizer in the pocket, this is hard to beat.

 

Since you are an EOS user, I would certainly recommend the Rebel as a lightweight body. It also works well with L-series lenses and the photos are just as good as those from any other EOS body.

[bob stewart jacksonville]

Canon G1 (now the G2). You can stick it in a pocket, and it does a remarkably good job. If you want to shoot film, since you already have Canon equipment, a rebel and a 28-135IS makes a pretty light rig that still covers a wide range, and works well without a tripod.

[bobatkins]

My lightweight camera is an EOS Elan (original version). It's also one of the quietest EOS bodies. The 28-105 is my choice for a lightweight lens, 50/1.8 if I expect low light. I'll throw in a 75-300 IS if I'm semi-serious and think I might see wildlife

 

My really lightweight camera is a 3MP "consumer" digital and my superlightweight is an Olympus Stylus Epic!

 

The Canonet QL17 is great, but it weighs more the the EOS SLR!

[tda]

If you want quality MF performance, in a light weight package then Id highly recommend the Fuji GA645 or similar, it is automated enough to alow grab shots, but has enough manual over ride to allow control, being a rangefinder it is reasonably quite, just the motor wind really and the results are stunning, I have been carrying one during a trip through Morroco in place of Bronica kit and the results are very rewarding.

 

In 35mm format, a Nikon FM2 with a 50 prime would be my choice, despite a heavy investment in EOS and Primes, being able to operate without battery power means its never going to fail you, and its robustness is just one of its strong points.

[jeff_nelson3]

Bill, It seems to me that your answer is in your question. You said you were happy with a 28-80 and that you have a gaping hole in equipment, might as well fill it. A back-up for the EOS 3 is a smart idea.

Most often these days I reach for the digital as one of my lightweitht options (Canon G2)It's a great tool to explore with even if I have a backpack full of gear on. I'll dial in on the composition freehand and when I find a "Keeper" I grab the tripod and the EOS 3.

[paulo bizarro]

Eos 30 + 24 1.4 + 50 1.4 + 100 2.0 prime lenses (sometimes I ditch the 50) with slide film. GRv1 for b&w.

[de_isaacs]

My lightweight camera is an EOS Elan II along with a Sigma 28-80 Macro Mini-zoom. I'll throw in a 28-105 or a 90mm Macro if I'm semi-serious and think I might see wildlife/flowers/etc.

 

My really spartan camera is a Yashica GL Electro35 Rangefinder - it is great, but it weighs more than my EOS SLR!

[alex_lofquist]

I use a Leica IIIf: It easily fits in my pocket with the lens collapsed. I still have to guess at the settings, but I have been doing that for over 50 years.

 

Best wishes, Alex

[Brian]

<P>When photography is my primary objective, it's easy because I am going out with an aim in mind and I take what I need. This may not be very much.</P><P> When I'm going on an excursion for some other reason, and photography <B>may</B> feature, it's more difficult. A number of possibilities have to be considered and I may try to cover all bases by taking a lot of gear. I have been known to take 2 SLR bodies, a wide angle, a midrange zoom, a 300mm tele and a tripod, on outings where I don't really intend taking photos. There again space and weight may be at a premium. My fall-back, minimalist position is to take the Canon Sureshot 38-76mm.</P>

[lex_jenkins]

An Olympus XA3 loaded with Fuji Superia X-tra 800 is always in the truck. Sometimes I'll tote either the Canonet G-III QL17 (very quiet and discrete) or Canon AF35M (sharp lens, noisy AF and winder).

 

I keep pondering whether to grab an '80s model compact Pentax body, like an ME or something that size, and one of their 40mm pancake lenses. But it wouldn't really fit in a pocket and if I'm going to carry a bag I might as well just take what I've got. My lightest gear is the OM-1, usually with just the 50mm f/3.5 macro, sometimes with a 28mm. No flash, no other accessories, just a roll of Superia X-tra 800.

 

My digital camera - an Olympus C3040Z - is starting to accompany me more often but that may be because the honeymoon isn't over yet.