Photographic equipment - What do I use when hiking?
I work as an instructor and am used to answering strange questions (Will we survive?). But when a person planning a hike in some exotic country (Nepal, for example) asks, “Is it worth taking a camera?” I'm honestly speechless. For me, travel and photography are unimaginable without each other. Therefore, despite my great interest in lightweight equipment and ease of movement, I continue to carry kilograms of photographic equipment on hikes... and wait until point-and-shoot cameras finally catch up with DSLRs))
Below are my main photography toys. Of course I don't carry them all at the same time. Before every trip, you need to make difficult choices and decide what to leave at home this time.
2016
By this time, I had been shooting with a DSLR for 6 years and still had not lost the enthusiasm that allowed me to carry 2-3 kg of photographic equipment to the mountains.
Canon 600D camera
Advantages: inexpensive, folding screen, lightweight
Disadvantages: crop matrix, long switch to video mode
In 2011, I bought an entry-level DSLR - a Canon 600D. I very quickly got used to this camera and began to take it on all trips, even the most uncomfortable ones. The camera repeatedly got wet, became covered in ice, bathed in dust, and fell from a height. Nevertheless, he is still in service. Over the course of 6 years, he and I managed to take more than 200,000 photographs. This is a lot, so it is not surprising that I have already completely replaced the bolt mechanism twice. This is much cheaper than buying a new camera, which I, of course, have been thinking about for a long time. I want more sensitivity (ISO), a full-frame matrix, more accurate autofocus.
Universal lens Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
Pros: Wide range of focal lengths, very convenient for travel. The image stabilizer is very helpful when shooting handheld videos. Low price - after all, this is a “whale” lens. Light weight.
Disadvantages: poor color rendering (visibly yellowish)
Like the “carcass,” this lens has already been overhauled (the gear has fallen apart) and cleaned (the “trunk” is pulling dust). Lately, I take it on hikes much less often, preferring less convenient, but higher quality, highly specialized glass.
Canon EF 50 mm f/1.4 USM portrait lens
Advantages: inexpensive, small, high quality
Disadvantages: sometimes the focus jams after a fall.
My first "fix". I was simply fascinated by the ability to take pictures with a truly shallow depth of field (this is impossible on the whale). It is also sometimes useful to be able to shoot at dusk or in a dimly lit room without using a flash. Several times I took fifty dollars on a hike as my only lens.
Wide-angle lens Tokina AT-X 116 PRO DX II AF 11-16 mm f/2.8
Advantages: durable, inexpensive, you can screw on a filter
Disadvantages: the focus switch sticks, there could be more sharpness.
Although Tokina’s image quality cannot be called 100% ideal (not enough sharpness), overall the lens is very good. I take it on all my hikes and, in addition to landscapes, I often use it for indoor photography (for example, in a tent).
Canon EF 70-200mm f/4.0 L USM telephoto lens
Advantages: durable, inexpensive, relatively lightweight
Disadvantages: no stabilizer
I bought this lens second hand less than a year ago. Of course, it’s inconvenient to carry it on hikes, but since I’m interested in trying a new product in different conditions, I carry it. It’s almost impossible to shoot video handheld without a stabilizer, but I wasn’t ready to pay twice as much for it either.
Flash Yongnuo Speedlite YN568EX
Advantages: cheap, durable
Disadvantages: no built-in radio synchronizer
Buying two flashes (as well as softboxes, umbrellas and other modifiers) greatly inspired me at the time. I discovered a huge field for experimentation. Including taking an external flash on hikes several times. Of course, this is a controversial decision, because usually there is simply not enough time during the day to use it. But sometimes, with the help of a flash, you can get such unusual shots that it justifies the extra 600 grams of weight in your backpack.
Photo bag Vanguard OUTLAWZ 16Z
Advantages: opens quickly, reliably protects
Disadvantages: heavy (960 grams)
When hiking (and not only) I wear this bag on my chest, suspended from the shoulder straps of my backpack. This allows you to quickly grab your camera and shoot on the go. Several times she saved the camera from falls from heights of up to 2 meters. To protect from rain, in addition to the standard cover, I also use a homemade raincover made of silicone.
2019
It’s been almost a year now that I’ve been going to the mountains and traveling with “extended soap boxes.” This is a class of compact cameras with non-replaceable optics and high-quality “inch” matrices. The quality of the images is of course worse than that of a DSLR, but the weight of the system is 6 times lower.
Sony RX100 IV camera
Pros:Bright colors, advanced time-lapse (paid), good Slow-Mo
Disadvantages: fragile, slippery (not grippy), no touchscreen
I really liked the pictures I took with this camera, but it was unstable in difficult hiking conditions. As a result, I sold Sony and bought a completely similar device from Canon
Camera Canon G7x Mark II
Advantages: non-slip, inexpensive, with touchscreen
Disadvantages: automatic white balance is often wrong, it is impossible to shoot and charge the camera from USB at the same time
The photo quality is slightly worse than that of the Sony RX100, but the device is more stable.
Kirill Yasko, October 8, 2019