The mention of the word holiday will always brighten ones
face. The journey, nice accommodation, food, shopping and
of course the experience of visiting a new country.
Prior to that, the headache of packing is something many
family man could relate to. Your children’s clothing especially
if your are visiting during colder months. Ensure their
favorite snacks are pack in the luggages. And not forgetting
their one and only favorite stuff toys who happened to be
the team leader of the holiday expedition.
As for my wife, she hated packing even for holidays. As I get
older I am actually in the same camp as her. If we could just
add wheels and a TSA lock to our wardrobe; we might just
bring the whole wardrobe along. If only…….
When the dust have settled after all the packing; the next
headache is packing my camera gear. To those who have
been following me for a while. I can’t pack light. I blame
on my job as a commercial photographer. I always have
to over pack for the “just in case’ situation that I may need
an extra piece of gear.
After a week of thinking. Yes, its been a week! Here are
my gears for the coming holiday. Its actually made up
of 3 system. I try to be as trim as I can. And I think this
is the best I could do. Of course there are time that I will
bring the entire set-up and other time maybe just a X100F.
Basically here are the 3 in 1 system :
1. GFX + GF23mm, GF63mm and GF110mm (3.48KG)
2. X100F + WCL and TCL ( 0.8KG)
3. iPhone 6s + Oowa 15mm and 75mm lens plus a
Osmo mobile gimbal for some family video. (0.53KG)
Why this gears? GFX option is basically very clear. I wanted
the very best IQ I could get when the scene present itself.
The 3 GF lenses basically cover all that I could need. I
guess the most used camera will be the X100F with the two
convertor lenses.
I needed to do some holiday video and wanted something
simple and easy. The DJI Osmo Mobile is the best gimbal at the
moment for smart phones. Paired with Oowa lenses, its the
best lens for iPhone photography. These 2 lenses, 15mm and
75mm basically got me cover for all my video needs. I am not
a video person but was told to shot wide, mid and zoom in.
The 15mm lens is also perfect for family welfie too.
I wanted to add a tele zoom lens to my set-up. Wanted more
reach. The most practical option will be XF55-200mm. Which
means I have to use a X-Pro2 plus maybe a XF16mm F1.4
and XF23mm F1.4 or XF35mm F1.4. All this will add a bit more
weight to my set-up. Which I decided not to.
My total weight for this set-up is 4.81KG. Is this crazy? This is
like carry slightly more than two and half 15’ MacBook pro.If
I were to carry a DSLR, EG : Canon 1Dx + EF24-70,
EF70-200mm and EF 85mm F1.2. And that total weight will be
4.85KG. Its heavy indeed but not that crazy coming from
my perspective of a commercial photography world. I just
have to ensure that I bring my OLAF along. For those who
don’t know what this is; do check out this blog post.
Now that my gear set-up is finalize; I definitely will develop a bit
more muscles after this holiday. Wish me luck.
Lastly do follow me on Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/ivanjoshualoh/
What do you think about xf 27, worth it? Im using xm1 and just for daily use and street
I can’t comment as its one of the 2 lenses that i don’t own. the other is XF60mm.
XF 27 is definitely worth it, if you’re comfortable to shoot with the 40mm perspective~ i find it perfect for streets and gathering
My total weight for this set-up is 4.81KG. Is this crazy? Simple answer – YES, if this is a family holiday – which mention of your wife and kids seems to suggest it is. X100F only I think would be more sensible…both for your back and for the priorities of a family trip. On a family holiday to Berlin last year I carried just XE2 + 14mm + 18-55 which worked great for me. Might be tempted to take my 35F2 instead of the zoom in future – as you say, decisions, decisions….
Thanks for sharing your stories. Every family have a different story. Have a good day ahead.