Travel light

  If you are the kind of person who wants to deplace yourself with a minimum of objects you are not obviously alone in your search to get less stuff to bring and transport with you. That said you can consider that a iPhone or smartphone is the ultimate device for communication, documentation or photographic purposes. However most of these mobile phones have functionalities that are facing certain limitations even though their different manufacturers are racing to produce new generation of products that are better performing than the preceding.

If you are more a photo traditionalist, you prefer to use a device that reflect its specialized purpose especially if you are looking for characteristics like a real viewfinder or for lens interchangeability. These technical considerations still prevent the photographer to adopt the "mobile" way of doing pictures.

Another aspect to consider is the basic discretion now asked in this controversial world. The candid era of photography is long time gone because people are more and more defiant of what photographers are intended to do with their pictures especially if you are perceive as a professional one with a big camera you enter easily in that category. Small cameras are seen far less serious (dixit "amateur") and can be operate more liberately around you in different contexts. This is not really new but the tendency have been accentuated over the years and the decades.

For all these reasons and for sure others non-mentioned here, small size camera gear appears to be the right choice for many photographers who travel or are simply documenting their immediate surrounding. With my modest experience over the years, I have learned to privilege two type of camera-lens combinations. The "street one" like the Panasonic Lumix GX85 w/G Vario 12-32mm or the Olympus Pen-F w/M.Zuiko 17mm, or the "sport/nature alternative" like the Panasonic Lumix G85 w/G Vario 12-60mm or the Olympus OM-D E-M5 III w/M.Zuiko 14-150mm II (Similar examples can be found for Fujifilm APS-C products). All these examples are using a Micro Four Third (M4/3) image sensor. In any case those camera models are smaller in body/lens dimensions than their big brothers equipped with a larger image sensor format.

On the other hand the "one camera/ one (zoom) lens" combination is not a new concept by far. It facilitates the general approach to do photography. It is better for anticipation, for handling, for operation, etc. It prevents cumbersome gear manipulations that are slowing the photographer reactivity. For the subject it is less intimidating and simplify the interaction with the photographer. Some are avoiding part of this by using two cameras already coupled with a different optic (which was very popular with focal fix lenses) but again it represent more gear to bring with you and manage on place. As same having your camera already on hand without its front lens cap make a lot of sense.*

And how about to select a good compact camera model with a fixed optic (no interchangeable lens). That may be an excellent tool for the traveller despite some technical limitations that usually are the lens factor (too slow or not enough focal length versatility) and the viewfinder system (if there is one!). But the idea of a perfect compact companion like some Fujifilm (X100 Series) or from Sony to name just a few is excellent and could be very productive from a creative photographic point of view. With these camera models, you will free to take pictures at will and without constraints. And these compacts w/fix lens will give you a lot better definition on your pictures files to play with when you choose to edit them compare with the ones taken by a mobile phone.

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Travel light is a good step forward to enhance your photographic experience and to ease effectively your journey. All gear combinations can be considered as long they suit you. At the end it simply prolongs the joy to do photography.

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* Using a protecting neutral filter may be the best solution to that.

Photos Daniel M: Olympus OM-D E-M5 III / M.Zuiko ED 14-150mm II ; Panasonic Lumix GX85 / G Vario 12-32mm F3.5-5.6 Mega OIS