My trick was to buy a Sony a6300 shortly before a trip to Europe where most of the scenery would be urban and luggage space was at a premium. For two weeks I had no option but the use the new, lighter camera with the kit lens plus one other (16-70). Now, it's easy to grab the Sony if the primary purpose of my outing is not photography. Of course for our next trip to the Grand Canyon, the big camera bag and L-lenses are coming out in full force!
I guess everyone has had this problem. I've looked at wrenches etc. many times but in the end I find the same as sippyjug - relax, don't squeeze too hard and keep trying. I've always found that after several attempts, the filer suddenly comes off easily which leads me to agree with some comments that slight distortions we cause when we squeeze the filer are what causes them to jam.
Lovely set. It's so tempting to shoot flowers that catch our attention, but I only sometimes get images that really work. I like #5 because it has a clear focal point but also the context provided by the greenery looks natural, with lovely background blur. Number 6 has some of the same qualities, but the bloom occupies less of the frame. Just trying to work through the question "what makes a great flower shot" so I can learn from these.
Regarding the power bank - great idea - but be aware that certain (i.e. high) capacities are not allowed on airlines. So if you go the power bank route, just check to be sure yours is OK to take on the plane trip.
We were in China at the end of March and had no problems with cameras. My tips would be 1) we were advised against taking photos of military personnel, police etc. 2) Li batteries need to be in your carry-on luggage for domestic flights, though this is the same as in the west and 3) there is a limit to the capacity of battery packs/rechargers that you can carry onto a plane.
My answer to this was to get the Sony Vario Tessar 16-70 to go with my a6300. The idea was to get a high quality lens for walk-around and I can use the CIZ in a pinch when I need the reach. My idea was like yours - it has to be light and compact. With maximum zoom using CIZ (70mm * 1.5 (crop) * 2 (CIZ))it's 210 mm (full frame) equivalent, so I can get a bird in a park if desired. But my thinking was that this camera would be for trips not dedicated to landscape or wildlife photography, so more of a travel camera where 16-70 is about right. Just returned from 2 weeks in Europe and this worked well for me. I was happy with the 5-shot bracketing that is easy to use and I used the CIZ whenever I wanted something close-up. With the kit lens, I can fit this in a fanny pack and take it out for dinner with minimal baggage.
I had a good experience at a BB recently when a young man was pretty knowledgeable about the Sony a6xxx series of cameras when I just started looking and wanted to hold one to get a sense of size. He was enthusiastic and was correct on almost all of his technical points. Tough business to do retail in electronics these days. No way a bricks & mortar can carry the selection of (higher end) equipment most enthusiasts are interested in. But of course, like the rest of you, almost all my big purchases are done online. The bait and switch on a beat up lens is pretty shoddy too. I used to look at ads and try to pick up the occasional amazing deal like that, but I avoid the hassle and risk these days.
Agree with the 24-70 consensus. Wide for landscapes and maybe 35-70 for urban shooting and snapshots of people. Having a minimum of 70 really limits landscape and architecture shots.
I have not tested the 24-70 but I also find the 24-105 that came with my Canon 6D to be perfect for most situations, including landscapes and urban shots on vacations of all types. It's gotten to the point that if I don't have an expectation of coming across wildlife, I often leave the 70-200 f/4 at home.
I agree this is a personal decision. I took a moon-illuminated photo on the Amalfi coast with a long exposure and I think a tripod is a must if you want to capture that kind of a shot. I also have our entire travel party standing on the edge of the grand canyon and again - tripod was handy. So there is no "right" answer, but it is a minor pain to be carrying the extra gear. I'll think about the monopod suggestion which would solve some of the issues of traveling with extra bulk, but may not address my "5 second exposure" and "whole family poses" shots.
I look forward to it. With their contralto trill, I am always attentive when I hear them in the area.
I've been putting a MeFoto tripod in my LowePro AW300 pack as a carry on and that has been working well. I can fit a DSLR with standard zoom (24-105) and an additional lens (70-200 for me) in the padded camera case, then accessories and some clothes in the top of the pack. This fits into the overhead even on regional jets, so very low hassle carrying this size of pack. But I am re-visiting this thinking and taking a mirrorless APS-C camera and a 16-70 lens (and nothing else!) for my next trip to Florence/Amsterdam. So I'm going to see whether I enjoy traveling light. Where I expect to end up is - go light on gear for more urban destinations, but haul more gear for Grand Canyon, Banff-Jasper and places where photography will be the major focus of the trip. I am enjoying hearing your perspectives since I always debate these things before trips - do I take the 400 mm lens? Do I take the tripod? etc.
Agreed - very nice to get the eyes so well defined. These are pretty big birds too among our backyard feeders. We get lots of Red Bellies in Michigan also. How about getting a similar series, but with a male as your next project?
Thanks Gessman and good question - is jpg OK if you have your act together when you shoot. Maybe it is. For me, the main thing that RAW gives me with my Canon is that photos tend to be too yellow with indoor light, so I can adjust the color temperature with perfection in RAW. But most outdoor photos have color temperature that I find good. So maybe, Fine JPG would be OK for general shooting, then get Raw if you think you have the epic landscape or are working indoors for portraits etc. I'll have to learn what the Sony gives me. But I like your point - CIZ may get you precious zoom in a variety of circumstances. Important to me where the idea is to go mirrorless for travel so the package is light and extra lenses are not on the menu.