Decisions Decisions!!

Before I hit the road for a long travel I usually spread out all of my camera gear and take stock of what I have and what I need for that particular trip.

This is almost always a simple task and more a formality really. But this time is different. We were going to be on the road for close to a year and weight becomes a huge issue. You are not just jumping on a plane, then into a car and driving everywhere you go. You are on busses, rickshaws, trains and any other mode of transportation you can think of and you have to carry everything you need for a year on your back.

So as I sat there looking at my Canon SLR Camera kit, lenses, accessories, tripod etc. suddenly it became obvious to me that I needed to do some serious re-evaluating.

How do I scale down my Camera without sacrificing quality?

Well the simple answer is you don’t. You have to sacrifice something. Now came the moment of truth where I had to decide to either go with a whole other camera system or scale down my massive existing kit. I had to weigh the options.  Taylor Davidson had a good review of the Micro 4/3 camera system vs the dslr.

Gh1 vs 7D

After much thought, as you can see from my previous post, I decided to go with a new system. I chose the Panasonic GH1 micro 4/3 system because it allows me to capture relatively the same quality in a smaller package. No heavy body, battery packs, or massive lenses. I now have the closest thing to an DSLR Camera without the bulkiness and it shoots full HD video as well! This is all a bonus for the travel photographer.

The choice to leave the dslr at home was a hard one at first.

But after seeing some of the results of the Panasonic GH1 I can breathe a little sigh of relief. Just knowing that I don’t have to stand out in the middle of a crowded street in Mumbai with thousands of dollars of camera gear changing lenses also gives me a sense of relief.

Walking around with an expensive looking camera system does sort of put a target on your back. Where as pulling out my much smaller Panasonic GH1 is less attention grabbing so it allows me to feel a little more comfortable getting it out in more situations.

Now I am not saying that it can forever replace my  Canon 5d Mark II. But I am going to put the micro 4/3 system through it’s paces with a year on the road and see how it fares.

I can tell you this much: As I sling on my pack I am relieved not to have that extra 15lbs of gear dragging me down!

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