Stepping up to full-frame in a UL(ish) way
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There's nothing wrong with Sony RX100's and similar "very good" compact cameras, or your phone camera for that matter. But when you start messing around with non-midday light, depth-of-field, stars, larger prints, etc., then you kind of need a full-frame camera to do it well. And a tripod.
I'm preparing for JMT in August. Here is my photography gear including power:
Sony a7r with FE 35mm F2.8 ZA (21.3 oz.)
REI Trail 2 Waistpack (4.8 oz.)
Sirui T-025x Tripod w/ ball head (30.2 oz.)
Suntactics sCharger-5 (8.6 oz.)
USB (2!) charger cable (0.8 oz.)
extra 64Gb SD card (negligible)
extra battery (1.6 oz.)
Rokinon 24mm F1.4, packed away for night shooting (23.1 oz.)So that's 5.7 lbs., although it would be 4.2 if I dumped the large Rokinon lens. The sCharger-5 will do some non-photography charging too but photography is probably 95% of its job. It's not a terrible amount when added to an otherwise 10 lb base weight, considering it gets me into the image quality range of a National Geographic photographer. Well, that is the potential anyway when some skill is added too. (Note: that is, for all but wildlife photography; for that a gigantic lens is needed and then the a7 size/weight advantage sort of gets swallowed up.)
I posted some photos using this setup at my brand new domain (yay!): http://www.charliewhitfield.photography. These are all 35mm shots from a test run I made up to the north and east side of Lake Superior last month. I didn't shoot any "stunning landscapes" there (as I hope to on JMT) but there were plenty of interesting small things to photograph.
I'm bringing the Rokinon mainly to try some astrophotography (Perseids peak during my JMT hike). I know folks really like those stretched out super-wide landscapes with the rock-or-flower-under-your-feet look, but I generally prefer the realism and intimacy I get with 35mm. That FE 35mm is a fine lens, and the lack of f2 is a reasonable trade-off for very small size and weight (and realistically, not a trade-off at all for landscape). And it has the best hood design ever. Seriously, it keeps your fingers, dirt, and even (to a remarkable extent) water mist off the lens. I've heard it compared to a foreskin and that's more or less what it looks like.
Other than the Sony RX1 (which was a fixed-lens prototype for the a7), the a7, a7r and a7s are the smallest lightest full-frame cameras in existence. The a7II is a tad bigger and heavier (a few ounces I think) and that extra goes to image stabilization. Sony has an interesting strategy here: the series isn't progressing from sub-pro to pro to super-duper-pro. Instead, each one excels in a different way. The r has highest resolution (for landscapes), the s has crazy high light sensitivity (for video or the best astrophotography), and the II has image stabilization (great for hand-held without OS lens). This is brilliant strategy because if you are a pro you end up buying one of each. For the rest of us, pick the one that does what you need and don't get hung up on what you don't need (or go with a7 because it is cheaper by a wide margin and still darn good).
The camera is super comfy with its 35mm lens in the little REI waistpack I found for it (it's snug with no camera strap). I'll probably get a custom cuben fiber replacement for that eventually but it's too late in the season now. I did quite a bit of night hiking on some difficult trails for sunset/sunrise/twilight shots. The tripod carries well by tucking a leg over the waistpack strap. I haven't had this out on an actual backpack trip yet, but I found that the waistpack works fine with my backpack (strapped around waist under backpack, then drape the camera compartment over the backpack straps). It's small enough that it doesn't block my view of the ground. The tripod is going to live on front of shoulder strap using a couple loops of some sort.
On charging batteries in-camera with USB: the Sony "box packing department" really screwed the pooch on this. For god knows what reason they included a 0.5 amp USB wall charger unit in the box which takes 5 or 6 hours to charge the battery in-camera. Regardless of what box packing department thinks, the engineers built it to charge at >1 amp. A more typical USB charger (what you probably have plugged in your wall or car right now) will charge an a7 battery in-camera in 2 hours. With good direct sunlight my sCharger-5 charges it in 3 hours. Now you might trust box-packing-department more than the engineers that built the camera, but that is your own decision to make (seriously, all Li-ion battery devices that are not total crap have electronics to control charge and discharge). I think the cable is also a likely problem point here, so I pulled one out of my cable pile that said USB2.0 on the sheath (I may bring a spare for JMT).
I've only tested solar charging in my back yard so far. I'll experiment with the on-backpack approach sometime soon. If this can work anywhere in the world the JMT is probably going to be fine. And in any case I like long naps in the afternoon, which I need when photographing before dawn and after dusk. I forget exact shots/charge stats from reviews (300+ I think) but the number doesn't mean much when doing long-exposures. It's significantly less than any large DSLR. So I'm bringing an extra 1.6 oz battery and don't plan on taking 1000 poorly thought-out and useless shots.
Yeah, the tripod alone is as heavy as my backpack. I've experimented with lighter possibilities and it is just a necessary evil. However, as a concession to UL philosophy I'm going to use my tripod as my single tent pole (I've been using hiking poles all winter, and I like them some, but I think they will get in my way more than they benefit me).
I know some photographers need to view the scene through optics rather than electronics, so will need to stay with larger DSLRs (the good news for you is that Sony is putting price pressure on these). And I know those "beasts" have some other advantages that the Sony mirrorless don't match. But mirrorless have a few advantages of their own besides size/weight. At least for landscapes, focus peeking, clipping zebra, and seeing what the camera sees is an advantage (I wouldn't say that's the case for fast action shots). Most of all, it has almost the same weight and dimensions as the Canon AE-1 that my dad got me back in the 80s, and that gives me a great deal of pleasure.
Prices: Aghh… this hobby makes UL backpacking look cheap by comparison. The a7 body is now under $1000 new, probably you could find one for $600 used. The a7r still goes for $1800 or so new and I got mine used for $1300. The a7s and a7II bodies are going for $2500 and $1600 new (respectively). You can find the "international" version of the FE 35mm F2.8 ZA for about $600 (some say overpriced for no f2, but it is super IQ in reviews and excellent from a UL perspective). The tripod was $250 and about the best a ULer could find at any price. If I remember right the Rokinon was $550 or so new (it was recommended on several astrophotography blogs). The waistpack was $25 and I nabbed a "factory blemished" sCharger-5 on eBay for $50.
On zoom lenses: I only partly buy into the hype about primes having so much better image quality. The problem for me is that the "normal" focal length zooms are big and heavy, and they won't get me "good" wildlife shots anyway. (My Rokinon is heavy too but that is due to f1.4 for astrophotography; that big of an aperture is pointless weight for any other landscape photography.) I'm at the stage now where I'd like to start getting a few great shots rather than many mediocre ones. If you are somewhat new but serious about photography, prime lenses help focus you on composition leading to better shots.
One more link to my new site because it's fun to do it (http://www.charliewhitfield.photography) and some thumbnails below. These blow up to 13×19" prints quite well, which is really the only point of having the a7r over the a7. I think I have maybe 5 or 6 more good shots that I will add over the next couple weeks.
I'm way overdue for a post-trip report with pictures. I'll get something up eventually. Here's a shot of Banner Peak during blue hour, maybe half-hour before sunrise:
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