Just for fun - You Get To Decide What I Take On Vacation!

What do I take on vacation?

  • Nikon D500 and zooms

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Nikon D500 Combo of Primes and Zooms

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    20

gryphon1911

Hall of Famer
Location
Central Ohio, USA
Name
Andrew
Just to have a little fun, I'd like to see what you'd bring if you had my gear.

Fuji XE3/XPRO2
Nikon D500/Z6

Fuji Primes: 12/2, 16/2.8, 23/2, 27/2.8, 35/1.4, 50/2, 90/2
Fuji Zooms: 18-55 and 55-200

Nikon f-mount primes: a bunch of manual focus stuff ranging from 20mm all the way up through 180mm f/2.8, plus the AF-S 50/1.8 and 85/1.8 and the 300/4 PF plus TC-14
Nikon f-mount Zooms: 18-55, 70-300

Nikon Z mount lenses: 24-70/4, 35/1.8 FTZ adapter available

Going to the outer banks in the Carolinas. We do just about everything there, from watching sail boards, whale watching to hiking, museums and landscapes.

I know what I plan on bringing but thought it would be a bit of fun to see what the rest of you would decide to bring if you had access to the kits listed above.
 
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Sorry, too little information ... ;) Firstly, I don't know who "we" is - you and a partner? With kids? What age? Car/no car? Safe/not safe (trunk)? Backpack or bag? What kind of hike (long/short/casual/more of a stroll)?

But let's get to the ground of the gear first: That would be the Nikon AF-P 70-300 for DX or for FX? Or an older FX lens? If it is the AF-P FX lens, there's a real case for the Z6 with 24-70mm and FTZ+70-300mm - very high performance, comparatively compact combo ... Very tempting.

While I do appreciate the merits of the D500 (which would make that 70-300mm sing, too), I'd not take it with me as a walkaround camera - the body's just too bulky. The Z6 with 24-70mm makes a superior single-zoom option in terms of results, too. Plus you get in-camera charging (no idea if the D500 offers that - but I don't think so).

Anyhow, all these aspects aside, to me, your description hints at a family vacation. So, I'd say X-E3 with the two zooms, period - or maybe throw in the 35mm for good measure. The Fuji zooms are optically quite good and pretty compact - they beat the Nikon gear for casual walkaround, by some margin. For comparison: My equivalent travel kit is the Panasonic GX9 with 14-150mm II zoom plus - at least - one fast prime (15mm f/1.7 or 25mm f/1.8 - probably the latter if it's the only one). I often add a super-wide prime as well - because I own the wonderfully compact Laowa 7.5mm f/2 as well as the highly enjoyable Samyang 7.5mm f/3.5 fisheye, both of which don't take up a lot of space.

If it was me (on my own), I'd take the X-Pro2 and the Fuji primes - as many as a suitably small bag would take, but certainly the 23mm and 90mm, closely followed by the 16mm and 35mm - and in spite of all its merits, I'd add the 50mm last because the ability to go super-compact is always welcome, and that would mean the 27mm; the 12mm (that'll be the Samyang, right?) may or may not see a lot of use - if it was me, it might, so if there's still space, I'd take it ... However, this option isn't going to be practical if the "we" is key!

I understand your conundrum. But I don't have enough insight into the situation to decide.

M.
 
Tough call, indeed.

If I'd put big focus on landscape shooting, the Nikon Z6 should be very pleasant. If whaling is a big deal, I'm inclined to go Fuji for the crop factor advantages (and Fuji niceties in other categories give a strong weight). D500, it's got no room in my heart. It's too specialized towards action.
 
Tough call, indeed.

If I'd put big focus on landscape shooting, the Nikon Z6 should be very pleasant. If whaling is a big deal, I'm inclined to go Fuji for the crop factor advantages (and Fuji niceties in other categories give a strong weight). D500, it's got no room in my heart. It's too specialized towards action.
Just one thing: Pending on what 70-300mm Nikkor we're talking about, I'd say it's the better proposition for whaling, even on the Z6 ...

M.
 
Okay, now it's easier :)

I voted Nikon Z6 with zooms - but honestly, I'd just pick whatever body suits you best with two zooms, so Fuji with zooms is of course okay as well. I *love* what the Z6 brings to the table, it's probably my overall best camera at the moment, and the 24-70mm is really impressive for a "kit" lens. The 70-300mm is great for what it is; neither is the FTZ. In fact, I had/have to fight some serious GAS to prevent myself from buying the 70-300 AF-P FX myself (even though I have that kind of focal length well covered in other systems) - it's just such a nice proposition, and reasonably compact, too. That said, my 70-200mm f/4G is a stunning performer - so I do own what I need for my FF workhorses (the Z6 is fast becoming a real contender for walkaround purposes, too). Given the great low-light performance of the Z6, I doubt you'll miss the primes.

Still, if your better half (as I assume, sorry if I'm wrong) is understanding and/or shares your enthusiasm for photography, I personally would gravitate to the X-Pro2 and primes setup - but that's just me, and quite probably not adequate. Even so, I've really, really enjoyed my travels with the M10 and only a couple (three) primes - so much so that I only used my much more convenient backup system (GX85 with 14-150mm II and some other goodies; the GX85 has since been superceded by the GX9) once and then I put it away for the rest of the trip; it became essentially dead weight from then on (maybe one third in). That said, I did bring the Canon G1X III as well - and that camera covered for wide-angle and zoom use and did so well that I had no reservations whatsoever of freely mixing the results on presentation. So a compact zoom *can* in fact come in handy - and you own the 18-55mm, so it's super easy to provide for that. However, using the primes was/is so much more rewarding ... It just takes more time and dedication - and as such can take away from the experiences shared ...

M.
 
My wife understand my passion and fully support it. I'm an aware of not letting my photography get in the way of moments and fun while in vacation.

I was actually going to bring the Z6 and the 2 zooms. I wanted capable, but simple.

I really appreciate the information and others points of view. It is fun to be able to get into the mind of someone else and see how they go through their decision making process.
 
I would take both Fuji bodies, 16 2.8, 35 1.4, and 55-200. I've had a camera failure on vacation due to an incident with a wave. Having a backup is very nice. Also the ability to go from small to smaller is a great option.
 
Last vacation trip abroad I took (Barcelona) I brought a Nikon Df, with 24-85mm and 70-200mm lenses. The 70-200mm did not leave the hotel room once. Given your choices, I would take the Z6 and 24-70mm and be unburdened by unneeded camera equipment.

Cheers,

Antonio
 
I've decided for most my trips to bring only 2 or 3 lenses max. My last major international trip, I only used two lenses which were the 16-35mm and 50mm. I never once pulled out my 70-200mm! Though I was mostly in urban and scenic areas. I used the 50mm when I wanted to take nice portraits of my wife and kids, the 16-35mm was used for most general scenic shots.

Looking at your kit, I'd say you should invest in a nice wide angle lens, maybe get the 18-35mm G so you can get both a standard lens for DX and an ultra wide angle for FX. You can then bring the Z6, 18-35mm G, 35mm S and 70-300mm or 300mm PF. ;)

Also I'd probably go with your FX kit, because you might as well bring the best on vacation, deal with the weight and come away with the most picture perfect memories possible! In fact my wife commented how perfect our last vacation shots looked, without conveying how jet-lagged, sweaty and tired we were from all the traveling!
 
Well, I was leaving toward the Z6, but my crew just for a project and they might need the Z6 and lenses for that while I'm out. So it might be the D500 or Fuji. I'll know for sure tomorrow.

If the Z is out of the running, I'd for sure bring the Fuji. Might as well bring the smaller of the two APS-C cameras unless you plan on shooting some fast action.
 
And...I'm silly...

I decided to go back and look through the archive of all my Outer Banks images and see what the ratio of focal lengths were from previous trips.

802 images from 3 previous trips (all cameras and all lenses) with focal lengths going from 8mm through 200mm

The bulk of the images taken were 90mm of wider in focal length.

84 between 91mm and 199mm
175
at 200mm
543
from 8mm to 89mm

The dominant focal lengths in the lower range were 18mm, 35mm, and 50mm.

So, I could use that as an indication of what I could/should bring as well.

Just another tool and something that I could indicate another set of options. I could bring the Z6 and 24-70/4 and the f-mount 85mm /1.8G or the Fuji 18-55/2.8-4 and either the 50mm or 90mm and be right in the sweet spot of what I'm most likely to shoot anyway!
 
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