The perfect travel kit...

[MikeA]

Originally Posted by JohnLund

Jim,

You are going to like it as it has a waistbelt that takes the weight off your shoulder. It is a fairly large bag that will hold more than I wanted to carry so it is a tad bulky out the back. But other than that it is the usual Lowepro quality stuff.

I did have a 200AW but found it dug into my shoulder and was a tight fit for the above mentioned gear.

The waistbelt is the deciding factor on the 300 and no trouble at all.

Cheers,
John

Good information, thanks. I have the smaller slingshot 100 and have stopped using it because of the weight it applies to one shoulder.

For short hikes, I use a Kinesis belt system and a couple of pouches, but I don't carry as much gear as you, just the 5D, 24-105, a couple of primes and some extra clothing, water. Where I go there is no risk of being mistaken for anything as I rarely see any other people...

Is the 300AW still easily 'slingable' ?

Mike

[JohnLund]

Hi Mike,

Is the 300AW slingable?...If you fill it full of gear it can be heavy. To sling it over your shoulder and head at the same time is a bit of trick but once on if the waistbelt is properly adjusted it rides nicely for street walking. If you hike in rough terrain I would suggest sticking with a traditional backpack like the MiniTrekker etc.

On the street though the 300AW serves nicely. When you see a potential shot coming up, you undo the waistbelt buckle, swing the bag under your left arm and undo the top panel which is right in front of you. If the bag is stuffed full of gear then it can be tough to open the panel and grab your gear quickly. I try to keep at least one open slot for doing quick lens changes.

So far it is working well but as I always seem to do, I keep adding gear until it gets to heavy and slow. I seem to do my best work with minimal gear...at least that is what I keep reminding myself.

Cheers,
John

[Julian_Love]

John, your request for a camera seems quite similar to the Sony R-1:
10MP, built in Zeiss 24-120mm f/2.8 lens with image stabilisation.
Not exactly a compact camera, but a lot smaller and lighter than the equivalent DSLR setup.

Julian

[JohnLund]

Yes Julian, I had hopes for the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-R1 but there are a number of niggles that have me waiting patiently for the next iteration.

The 24-120mm f2.8-4.8 lens alone is worth the $1000 price of admission but I will wait for the 12mb resolution and faster write speeds I bet come with the next Sony.

Thanks for the comment.

John

[JohnLund]

Howdy gang,

I am back from an extended trip to Italy and Holland. I can now say that I have entered an age category where packing a full DSLR and three lenses all day is beyond me...read aging jock enters old age.

Of the thousands of photos I took during our trip, by far the most were taken on my wife's Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX1 while the 5D etc. stayed in the apartment. This is not altogether a bad thing...just different.

I am now on full alert for a travel camera that will do a professional level job. I will design said camera in another post and ask Canon to come up with it.

In the meantime, that little LX1 makes pretty fine photos. I like the different formats, the 28mm wide, and naturally its small size. As long as you shoot it no greater than 100 ISO, it works great.

Let the search begin.

BTW, it is also great to be back home. I love to travel but our Vancouver Island is the place to be for July, August and September.

And it is great to catch up on what is going on here.

Cheers,

John

[Dennis_Vied]

I just got back from a trip to Scotland. My travel kit is a 5D, 24-105L, 24mm T/S L, 15mm fisheye, 50mm 1.4, 580EX, all in a LowePro Mini Trekker. (I left the 70-200 2.8 IS at home). Never took the 50 1.4 out of the bag.

I assume you know about the Features Search facility on DPReview.com. That would be the place I'd search for my P&S.

[Tony_Gamble]

"a travel camera that will do a professional level job."

I'm looking into putting some travel shots into a picture library. The proprietor would not consider taking my images unless they were off a full frame DSLR such as the 1ds or 5d.

I showed him quite a lot of shots I had already taken. Some he would have taken - until he learnt they were from a 350d.

So, on that basis I read 'professional level' as meaning full frame sensor!

Tony
London UK

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