Heretic or Evangelist?

The weekend has been spent finalising packing lists and getting last minute items for a fantastic trip starting next Saturday on a photographic tour of western U.S. national parks from Yellowstone to the Grand Canyon.

Choosing the camera equipment has been a particular challenge. Of course on the ultimate photographic trip you should use the ultimate camera. In my case, the Nikon D810. Add on lenses covering the range from 16-200 mm, accessories, filter and tripod and you are looking at 10 kgs of kit bag. But I also use the Olympus OM-D system and I have previously mentioned that a comparative kit bag would be less than half the weight of the full frame system. The Olympus system is also very innovative in its functions, including allowing long exposure images to build up as you watch on the rear screen.

I'm still considering my options. I don't want to give up on the ultimate quality and dynamic range of the Nikon, but so appreciate the flexibility and small size of the Olympus. A hybrid kit bag might be a possibility, but weight and size could again be compromised.

Some people will wonder at my indecision, but I have learnt that modern cameras, whether they be full frame, cropped, m4/3 and others, are all capable of producing great images. Only when you start to stretch the output requirements (e.g. size, dynamic range) will the differences show up. Time will tell but I'd be pleased to here your thoughts as well.