This article discusses the camera equipment that we included in our travel kit for our recent photography tour to New Zealand, as well as our decision rationale.
My wife and I ended up taking a total of five lenses, two camera bodies, six batteries, and two battery chargers. All of the gear had to fit in my Tenba laptop backpack. Along with a portable hard drive, a 13″ laptop with charger, and about a dozen 64 GB UHS-II SD memory cards. We were able to stay within a 7 Kg weight limit… but just barely.
NOTE: Click on images to enlarge.
Camera bodies
As would be expected, I took one of my E-M1X bodies and my wife took her E-M1 Mark III. I had a fleeting thought to also include my TG-5… but decided this would be overkill.
Battery commonality between the E-M1X and the E-M1 Mark III was one of our deciding factors when we were considering the E-M5 and the E-M1 Mark III.
Only having to take one type of battery and charger on our New Zealand trip made things much easier than when we used to travel with Nikon 1 gear. In those days we needed to pack completely different sets of batteries and chargers for each camera model. Sometimes as many as 12 batteries and 4 chargers.
Both of our Olympus M4/3 cameras performed extremely well, handling a wide range of weather conditions, subject matter, and shooting situations. Some of the computational photography technologies like Live ND, Pro Capture, and Handheld Hi Res came in very handy.
As always, the outstanding IBIS performance and excellent weather sealing of our Olympus bodies expanded our photographic potential and eliminated any potential weather related stress.
Lenses
Before making my final decision on the lenses for my travel kit I took some time to review a good cross section of my images captured during previous trips to New Zealand. I focused my attention on the equivalent field-of-views used in the majority of my previous images.
This led me to confirm that the M.Zuiko PRO 12-100 f/4 IS combined with the M.Zuiko 75-150 mm f/4.8-6.7 II would be the best pairing for my needs on this specific trip.
I had been considering the M.Zuiko PRO 12-40 mm f/2.8 combined with the M.Zuiko PRO 40-150 mm f/2.8 and MC-20 teleconverter.
Based on my analysis of previous New Zealand photographs, the focal length range of the M.Zuiko PRO 12-40 mm f/2.8 zoom would have resulted in quite a few in-field lens swaps which would not have been a practical solution for me.
Back in my Nikon 1 days, I used to travel with 3 Nikon 1 bodies (two J5s and a V3) each fitted with a different lens (6.7-13 mm, 10-100 mm, and 70-300 mm).
This approach completely eliminated the need for me to ever swap out lenses when travelling, and was one of the significant benefits of using Nikon 1 gear for this genre of photography.
I had already ruled out taking my M.Zuiko 100-400 mm f/5-6.3 IS zoom as it was too big and heavy for this particular trip. This was especially true since we were not expecting very many opportunities to photograph birds and wildlife on this visit to New Zealand. This proved to be the case.
The thought of including the M.Zuiko PRO 7-14 mm f/2.8 in my New Zealand travel kit had been in my mind. As we finalized the contents of my Tenba laptop backpack, it became apparent that I could include the PRO 7-14 f/2.8 lens in my travel kit without going over our 7 Kg weight limit.
The M.Zuiko PRO 7-14 mm f/2.8 zoom did come in very handy on a few occasions when shooting at 12 mm with the PRO 12-100 f/4 IS would not have been wide enough to capture some images.
My wife had a two lens travel kit… the M.Zuiko 14-150 f/4-5.6 II and the M.Zuiko 60 mm f/2.8 macro. Neither one of us used the macro lens even once during our month away… so that lens could have stayed at home.
The M.Zuiko 14-150 II proved to be an excellent travel kit lens. The focal length range provided a wealth of flexibility, and its weatherproofing allowed her to shoot in all conditions without any concerns. Since we were shooting under good light most of the time, the variable aperture of f/4-5.6 was not an issue.
In retrospect, we probably could have travelled with one M.Zuiko zoom lens each (i.e. PRO 12-100 mm f/4 IS, 14-150 mm f/4-5.6 II) for our entire trip… as long as I didn’t mind giving up the occasional bird/nature photograph.
We did some extensive walking in the downtown area of Christchurch and decided to only bring one camera and lens with us. Our choice that day was the E-M1 Mark III with the M.Zuiko 14-150 mm f/4-5.6 II. It proved to be an ideal choice. Having the additional reach was more important than having a bit more wide angle capability which we would have had with the PRO 12-100 f/4 IS.
I did use the M.Zuiko 75-300 mm f/4.8-6.7 II periodically throughout the trip and found the maximum focal length to be adequate. Would the M.Zuiko 100-400 mm f/5-6.3 II have been better from a reach standpoint? Yes… but not at the expense of increased size and weight for this particular trip.
Adding the M.Zuiko PRO 7-14 mm f/2.8 was helpful in some situations. Although none of them were ‘make or break’ photographic opportunities.
Our Olympus M4/3 gear certainly proved its value during our recent trip to New Zealand. Having reliable, flexible camera gear on a photography tour allows one to enjoy the journey stress free.
Technical Note
Photographs were captured handheld using camera equipment noted in the EXIF data. All images were created from RAW files using my standard process in post. This is the 1,432 article published on this website since its original inception in 2015.
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I can shoot about 90% or more of my travel photos with the 12-100 lens. Being a bit older, when I take planes I take only my OM1 body and the 12-100 lens. Rarely have I been lacking another lens when traveling through cities.
Natural photos will of course be better served with a longer focal length.
Weight is the bane of my photographic existence.
Hi Lewsh,
Thanks for sharing your travel photography experience with the 12-100.
Tom
Hi, Happy New Year to you & your family. I don’t have the 12-100 or 14-150 lenses. That’s because I’ve been told long ago zoom lenses should have between 2x – 4x zoom factor for the best compromise in quality. And lens makers still continue to tout 24-70, 70-210 as the defacto “pro” zoom lenses to use. That’s why for the longest time I’ve avoided high factor zoom lenses i.e more than 4x.
I might have to re-adjust my thinking for 2025 after reading this article. Of course the 3x zoom lenses are still the best optically, but then those 8x or 11x zuiko lenses have good enough quality and their low weight & size are extra bonus for travel or just walking around. Fear not, Ha.
Hi Eugene,
Happy New Year to you and your family too!
When choosing camera gear, we all need to make the best decision we can based on our shooting style, size and weight, optical performance, and cost. What works for one photographer, may not be the best choice for another. I think it is fair to say that the optical performance of zoom lenses from all manufacturers has improved over time… as has the capability of post processing software. Especially with the application of AI. Whether lenses like the PRO 12-100 IS or 14-150 II will meet your needs or not… is a decision only you can make.
Tom
Hello, I’m enjoying your content. I am wondering if I bought the wrong body. I own the Nikon Z system and am quite spoiled for autofocus reliability. I purchased the EM-1 II and the 75-300 II in hopes I could use it as a travel kit. I have previous experience with the Olympus system but on this kit, the directional pad control of the single focus point slows me down. CF + Tracking is not reliable either. Do you consider the EM-1 III to be a serious AF upgrade even though the EM-1 II did receive firmware updates to enhance many features? Thank you in advance.
Hi JJ,
I’ve never used the E-M1 Mark II or the new OM1 cameras so I can’t comment with any comparisons. The CF + Tracking is not as fast or accurate as simply using CF with the older E-M1 Mark II or Mark III bodies. Most bird photographers that I know who use the E-M1 Mark II or Mark III use CF with a 5 x 5 AF grid. This seems to work well, and better than the CF + Tracking on the E-M1 Mark II or Mark III.
Tom
Good post Thomas I returned the 100-400 to the lens rental service, every time I tried to take it out I was reminded instantly by it’s weight.
As we have discussed the 75-300 is a stellar little lens and really pairs well with the Em1x too. The UK is a bit grey this winter season so far that has helped with photography.
It was very interesting reading your post on kit selection, when I go on Motorsport days with my son he shoots on the EM1III too and battery / lens swap is great for a day like this.
I haven’t tried the EM1X yet at Motorsport photography and I think it would be great for that.
Many thanks
Mark
Hi Mark,
I haven’t tried the Motorsports auto tracking yet either… it is on my ‘to do’ list but never seems to get up to the top of the list… at least so far. I’m not surprised that you returned the 100-400 since it is 2.65 times heavier than the 75-300 II… 423 grams vs 1120 grams.
Since I bought my Olympus kit shortly before COVID 19 lockdowns began, I haven’t travelled with it very often. No doubt I was really spoiled by the Nikon 1 system. I’d have three bodies with different lenses on them, nose down in a medium sized shoulder bag. All I had to do was decide if a particular photo opportunity required a wide angle, mid angle, or telephoto zoom… then just grab the right camera combination from my bag to get my shot. While my M4/3 lenses are smaller and lighter than full frame ones, they are considerably heavier and bulkier than Nikon 1. So, on a comparative basis, they are harder to swap out. 🙂 As we all know… everything photographic comes with some kind of trade-off.
Tom