Tips to lighten my bag have now made it just a bit heavier!

[james_de_h]

<p>Back in July I posted a question on suggestions on how I could lighten my kit bag load. Outline, a Mk1 EOS 5D with 16-35mm and EOS 7D MkI with 24-105. Add spare batteries etc. and that little lot is quite a weight for what I need to do with it. So I asked for suggested alternatives and got a great deal of help and suggestions. I tired a Sony A7 combo - no real weight saving. I then looked at replacing my kit with Fuji gear - too expensive and would lead to my treasured 16-35 and 5D combo having to be sold for far less than they are worth to me. Anyway I decided to go left field and give micro 4/3 a try. Selling off a never used lens funded an Olympus OM-D M10 MkII with kit pancake 12-42 and 40-150 lenses to give 35mm equivalent 24 to 300mm range. In a package that weights about as much as my flash. Because I work in less than ideal conditions, I am aware the kit I have purchased is not the ideal. But I did not want to invest in weather sealed pro quality without really giving the system a go. Very long story short, the little Olympus and kit lenses - mainly the dinky 12-42 - has really exceeded what I expected. I readily accept my Canon bodies are a long way from the cream of DSLR models now on offer but they both capture all I want. And the OM-D 10 MkII is so close I am staggered. To add a little cream, my version of LR and PS will not handle the camera's RAW files, although Olympus Viewer 3 will convert as necessary. This lead to me switching to JPEGs. With my Canon bodies, I just do not trust / like the JPEGs. With the Old they are pretty much bang on. <br>

So, despite wanting to reduce my kit haul, I now have little Olly sitting in my bag as well. He does not cover all the bases but I find he is the go to bit of kit for much of what I do. So I have decided to hang on to my Canon bodies even if they get left in the car boot increasingly and use little Olly more and more. He may be a relatively cheap buy and the 40-150 lens looks as if it has the strength of a paper bag but I do not care. This Olly combo takes great images. Totally unrelated, my first SLR was an Olympus OM10 back in 1979. That little camera served me well, my poor manual focus skills seeing me chop it in for an Canon EOS10 and next a 10D etc. But I missed the OM10 and now feel his grandson is back with me and I love him to bits.I still have all my Canon kit too. Now must get back to doing my back exercises and stuff some body building into a crowded day....</p>

[mark_pierlot]

<p>That seems to be the way it goes for many. DSLR's depreciate in value so quickly and massively that it's hard to justify selling them, particularly since they still take images as well as the day they were purchased. I know that's the case with my 5DII.</p>

[JDMvW]

<p>Yeah, despite the siren allure of smaller, lighter gear, it is also my own experience that it tends to get added to the load, rather than replacing it.<br>

Nowadays, my 'carry with' camera tends to be my smart phone though. It really is almost always with me.</p><div></div>

[brett_w.]

<p>I've also "lightened my load" with a mirrorless camera and I still have all my Canon gear - out of the boot ........ sweet <br /> <strong><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mmirrorless">www.flickr.com/photos/mmirrorless</a></strong></p>

[Mark Keefer]

<p>A few years ago, I got a big back pack bag where I could load a couple DSLR bodies, several lenses, speedlights, batteries, this beast weighs around 85 Lbs packed, well feels like anyway. It is ok on car trips but not practical to carry around. I also purchased a collapsible cart and with a large bag for lightstands, a 3 step folding ladder stand I could get most of my gear on it all for doing a shooting gig like a wedding of Bar Mitzvah.</p>

<p>I use the big back pack bag to stow my gear safely, but most of the time for wild life, photo missions and travel, walking around I decided less gear was better for my back. All I really need most of the time is two lenses, one body, a couple batteries and I am good for several hours most of the time.</p>

<p>I picked up a Think Tank Holster Bag that can handle one body with long lens like a 100-400 L or a 70-200. I usually wear the camera around my neck and keep the other lens in the holster bag. The bag also has room for a couple batteries, lens filters and memory cards. If I pack the 24-70mm and the 70-200, I can get almost anything shooting, or I can switch with a 100-400. depends what I want to shoot. Just have to plan for what i want to accomplish. Sure they may be times I see something I wish I brought another lens for, but if I plan right and stay focused on what I wanted to accomplish, it isn't a big deal. I could always take the 100-400 L case, I bought a strap for that and put a third lens in case, but I don't do that too often. I have come to realize I can't take the whole camera store with me everywhere I go. My back agrees and thanks me.</p>

<p>I know, I lighten my bag in a different way. Not planning on giving up the new 5D MK IV any time soon. ;-)</p>

[Lou_Meluso]

<p>Sounds like you can't make up your mind about what to bring. Try what I do. Don't sell stuff, just leave it home. You'd be surprised how well you will get along without your treasured whatever combo. Take it when you are sure you will use it otherwise leave it. Your back will thank you and your viewership will never notice the difference. It's hard to be creative when you are uncomfortable. Tip: Buy a smaller bag. It forces you to use smaller gear and make definitive decisions about what lenses and accessories to bring.</p>

[jaydann_walker]

<p>Good advice overall here. Buy a small bag. Put only what you need in it. Resist the urge to carry two bags.</p>

<p>A well-meaning but basically thoughtless friend insised she HAD to have all her lenses, batteries, filters etc etc etc with her at all time, and went everywhere with a huge backpack loaded with everything she had in gear. We weighed this sack once - 27 kilograms. Earlier this year while on a trek, she turned too quickly, the bag shifted, she fell down an incline and broke her leg. Two weeks in hospital and fairly major surgery fixed her up, at a hideous cost. She still limps, but will eventually recover to 80%-85% walking capacity.</p>

<p>All due to that damn bag. </p>

<p>Don't let this happen to you!</p>

<p>JDW</p>

[wgpinc]

<p>You need to take a look at John Isaac and his photography. He's an ex United Nations photographer who now uses only Olympus 4/3 cameras, currently the OMD E1. Just google John Isaac.</p>

[dcstep]

<p>Get a 5D MkIV and scuttle everything else. Your DSLR kit is about 5-generations behind. The 5D4 will blow you away in every regard vs. your current Canon kit.</p>

[james_de_h]

<p>Carrying kit in a bag that is then dumped in the car is not the same as carrying all of it 'on site'. If I find Olly wanting I at least have all the Canon kit within walking distance. I am experimenting and will see how I get on in the next few months. If I find Olly is not up to the job I have only an old Canon lens as a casualty of my my investment. Conversely, my Canon kit has enough retained value to let me step up to more pro oriented Olly gear should I commit to the micro four-thirds system. As to getting a new full frame Canon body it is the 6D that would attract me, the 5D IV being well beyond what I need. I just think we are really lucky to have so much choice.</p>

[ralf_h]

<p>Several years ago I did the same as Mark Keefer, with only minor differences. I assembled my main kit (2 pro bodies, lenses, batteries, tripod, remotes, laptop, kitchen sink, yadda yadda) in a Think Tank Streetwalker Harddrive. I called it Command Central. I also took along my Think Tank Holster bag along with my Pro Speed Belt. This gave me the option to leave the big bag in the car, hotel, etc. and take the holster only, either slung over my shoulder, or attached to the Speed Belt, with the option of my 70-200 lens bag attached to the belt as well. Gives me a wide range of options, from lugging the whole kit a'la Marines Boot Camp, or just one body with lens slung over my shoulder in the Holster Bag. Works well for me. And I never once had the occasion to lament "man, if I only brought my..." :)</p>