Of course, "no bag rule" is most minimal. But an "only this one small bag" rule allows for camera protection and maybe one extra lens. Keep your bag small and you can have a bit of both words, minimalism and a second lens or flash option. Plus something to hold a water bottle.
William, I appreciate your comment and look forward to upping my 13 Promax to the 16 when it arrives. We are experimenting . with how to get fine art prints that meet our standards from iPhone images. Stay tuned this Fall for a status check.
The iPhone 16 Pro may extend its 48 megapixel raw option beyond the current standard lens only.
If that 48 megapixel raw option becomes available in the wide format, as well as the telephoto format, it will be a true game changer.
Don’t dismiss the iPhone as a fine art camera until you have used the 48 megapixel raw format, combined with the Enhance feature from Photoshop camera raw.
Bob, I remain very skeptical. But am curious to hear what you and Les come up with. I still believe that image quality is mostly a combination of sensor size and lens quality. Call me when apple comes up with a full size sensor for the iPhone 26! Nice newsletter by the way.
I really don't know how Les survived his trip to Spain with only a cell phone. I have asked him and he's not saying. I'm with you, cell phones are good if you want to remember a wine label and just take a picture of it, but for real photography? Really? Not me.
I recently purchased a Canon R8. It's considerably smaller than my R6ll and has the exact same full frame sensor! All for $1300. And I picked up a cute little 28mm f/2.8 for $270. No need for a bag here. And I also like a 50mm. So I can carry Canon's 50mm f/1.8 in a large pocket. Or maybe a small bag. It's all I need for street photography or most anything else. Good article. Thanks.
Hmmm, another person that seems to gravitate to the 28/50 small prime combo.... I kinda know what 50mm I REALLY want for the M but I am SO flip-floppy on the 28mm.
Et tu, Paper Arts? You and almost everybody else ignores micro-four thirds as if it didn't exist! After several excursions into FF and APS-C I've come back to m43. Yes, there are some large cameras and lenses in the system, but there are many small combinations that take great photos and are easy to tote around. My current setup includes the Panasonic G9II with the PL 100-400 (try matching the 200-800 equivalent FL in FF or even APS-C!) for birds and such, the Pany G95 with the Oly 12-100 for landscapes, and the Pany GX85 with the 20mm f1.7 for ultra-light walkaround. Olympus (now OMDS of course), has the various incarnations of the E-M5 and a large stable of small lenses, also, for a nice travel kit.
I used the Oly and Xt3 side by side on a marketing gig. I saw first hand from that project how much richer the color processing is with the fuji. On the other hand, the tracking and auto focus so much better on Oly. But I don't tend to shoot action or birds, so that's not a huge deal. And the manual dials. Yes, I hate them on some days, but on most, I've learned to use them blindly and can quickly change settings on the fly with the Fuji. The Oly menu interface is, well, an unhappy experience. But I continue to own an EM1, several lenses, and a Pen-F that my daughter uses now. Oly will always be in my heart as my first.
I've looked into it many times, perfectly valid but have always fell on the side of 35mm/Full-frame 99% of the time for what I personally optimize for. Obviously it depends on what one wants to optimize. If one needs to cover A LOT of different subjects (do it all) AND needs a compact system M43 is definitely something to consider. For someone like me that can (and does) live with one focal length for much of what I am interested in small cameras and lenses with a bigger sensor tend to win the day for "look" and image quality across a large number of lighting conditions.
This post affirms that my own conundrum of what to carry extends to many. If I carry my R5 it feels like I'm at work. If I shoot only with my 13pro I'm seldom all that happy. A camera bag makes it too easy to carry too much. I feel like one camera and lens, no more, make it a relaxed pleasure. I finally picked up the X100f and liked it for a few years but it never quite felt intuitive. I traded it for the 100V when it came out and it became my go-to walking around camera. For years I took it on my daily morning walk with our two dogs and shot a lot of really nice images the phone would not have captured and it never felt like work. It's such a pleasure to just poke it here and there and see what I get. Love the size and ease. I ordered the new x100 VI as soon as it came out but then cancelled the order realizing my 100v was still all I needed for casual fun. As for the iPhone? It's pretty amazing and we'll see wha the future holds for the next generations. Meanwhile when are some of the major camera makers going to start adopting some of the iPhones abilities?
I am not so sure I want more complexity in the form of "iPhone" capabilities... I kind of like aperture/shutter/focus simplicity and pretty much zero menu interaction. Take into account that 52 different buttons fall into the category of menu interaction in my book.
Having a "no bag camera" is something I took action on last December based on discussions within this newsletter and a few other spots I frequent. I'm not sure if it was you or Les that talked about having a second camera completely different than your primary. I opted for an M11 with a Voigtlander 35, a big change from the Sony A7R5 and accompanying lenses.
I'm still working out if I like the focal range of a 35 versus a 50. While I see the appeal of the Leica 50 lux 1.4, I'm leaning toward the 2.0. My goal with this camera is for it to be small and light, and I rarely shoot at that aperture.
I've been working out this option for years with various cameras as described... right now I have the two options I described one Fuji and one M. Let me know how your M11 ends up and with what lens... Ps. Which summicron option are you gravitating towards?
After visiting the Leica store and having to have the Leica Q3 physically removed from my hands (my wife refused to sell her car), I compromised and now carry the new Sony 24 f2.8 G on my A7Rii 90% of the time. EZ PZ to post process crop to 50mm or more. Second lens is 85mm f1.8 that fits into my cargo pants pocket. With the 42mp camera and these sharp primes, cropping gives me a range of 24-170. For compression (yes, there is always a compromise), I travel with a 100-400mm Tamron variable aperture lens, but usually only bring it out after the initial scouting walk with my virtual Leica Q. Also, the A7rii has a silent mode, perfect for street shooting with the 24mm. And my long suffering wife got to keep her car.
Nikon Z7II with their 40mm F2. Small with unbelievable picture quality and the 40mm is the sleeper of the Z lineup. Old time optics and character with modern sharpness.
I love my M4 and kind of consider that the perfect camera... I would not even consider a digital M UNTIL the M10 came out with the same dimensions and more importantly a viewfinder that was easy to focus fast lenses extremely reliably like the film M cameras, I always thought the lower magnification of the digital M cameras was counter productive for "old eyes" with fast 50mm lenses. I know a lot of people that attach VF magnification eye pieces to their M cameras for fast 50mm lenses and it's a game changer, you may want to try one.
Great article! I struggled with this just last month when planning a trip to Paris. I opted for a “new small camera bag that doesn’t look too much like a camera bag” ( because the thousand camera bags I already own didn’t fit the bill). I borrowed a sony A7r with 24-70mm lens (with wrist stap) because my canon5d mark 2 weighs a ton. I needed the bag to protect camera when on trains and crowded elevators and also to carry STUFF (mine & husbands!)… eyeglass cases, hearing aid
case and that dang giant cell phone! I don’t know where you guys are putting your stuff… cargo pants perhaps 😂 or your wife’s handbag!? Ps: Im old school too and prefer a viewfinder and 50mm lens (on a FF) when out & about in my home town nyc
All of us from the evidence I've accumulated have a dozen or more "camera bags". Hence my "no camera bag" minimalism on certain outings/trips. For those I've gone from Leica M6 in the film days to X100 of multiple variants, Richoh GR, X-Pro with 35mm 1.4 (all varieties), back to an X-Pro2 (w/ 50 equiv) and am waffling back and forth between that and an M10 w/ 50mm... I can't even begin to discuss variations on packing various sized camera bags. That is why I love the "no camera bag" option ;-) simplifies things for me.
Here's where we depart, the gear I take is specific to the circumstance. While carrying a single body and lens might be ok for a night on the town or for the city, it would be ridiculous if one were shooting astro, wildlife, sports, etc. Bring the gear that you need to accomplish the job.
No disagreement at all. That would be my "camera bag" circumstance. You may be the exception but there are many, many trips I take, places I go, where I have no specific intent but when deciding not to take a camera, I would have loved to have one (even if limited in specialized capability) with me. I solve that issue with my "no camera bag" camera.
Understand completely, and I think that's where the cellphone will be soon obviating the ILC in many respects. Without delving on the impact of cellphones on the sales of cameras, I frequently employ a cellphone both for the purpose that you describe . More importantly, I use it as a "scout" camera (like the old polaroids?) to find locations (GPS recorded on every image) I might want to later revisit, as well as serving as a preliminary compositional aid.
These days I keep myself to my Nikon Z7 and an absolute maximum of three lenses for my photo trips — although lately I have been taking only two (105mm macro and 28-400 zoom) and I’ve been very happy with that. I can fit that kit into a carry-on bag with cushioned wraps, and I take a lightweight day pack for daily explorations and hiking. A few times lately I’ve left my laptop at home and didn’t bother downloading images until I returned home (just took plenty of memory cards), which also saves some space and weight for travel.
When I’m traveling with my husband or friends, I take even less, and end up using my iPhone more than anything else!
I cannot deal with just the phone myself... but when I go with no camera bag I don't take a laptop either. All of the phone apps are good enough to grab a pic strait of the camera and share it if I want to.
My recent experience addressed this same question. On a two week trip to England I decided the 14 iphone would work for London but not the Lake District so I only took Fujifilm GFX 50S and the 63 mm lens. It was easy to sling the camera on my shoulder and such amazingly great landscape even low light castle and the memories that were captured. I would have cried had I not had the camera. Iphone photos were nice but no replacement. I used Fuji's 35 mm option which offered a fantastic alternate viewpoint, esp inside Beatrix Potter's Hillside. I shoot raw so I cropped a few distant scenes.
I'm still stuck in the small(ish) FF school with a single lens, an extra battery and some lens clothes. I used to use my Z6 and Z 24-120 zoom. It was a good combination and didn't require a bag if I was traveling by car. I now do that with the Z8 that replaced the Z6 with somewhat less satisfaction due to the increased weight.
I've had my eye on the Fuji X-T series for a while but haven't pulled the trigger. Largely because I haven't wanted to invest in yet another camera system.
But I'm curious: why the older X Pro rather than the newer X-T4/5?
I've been there which is why my "no bag" camera even though technically a "system" will NEVER grow to more than two very small primes. I am NOT interested at all in "perfect" autofocus primes that are the same size as a 28-70... I am super interested in the tiny 50 1.4 Summilux though ;-)
Of course, "no bag rule" is most minimal. But an "only this one small bag" rule allows for camera protection and maybe one extra lens. Keep your bag small and you can have a bit of both words, minimalism and a second lens or flash option. Plus something to hold a water bottle.
Using an iPhone 15 Pro in the 48 megapixel raw format mode and then using the Enhance feature in Photoshop camera raw yields exceptional results.
Since I discovered this combination, I have not used my other cameras of which I have many.
The exceptional results and simplicity of execution has been a game changer for me.
William, I appreciate your comment and look forward to upping my 13 Promax to the 16 when it arrives. We are experimenting . with how to get fine art prints that meet our standards from iPhone images. Stay tuned this Fall for a status check.
The iPhone 16 Pro may extend its 48 megapixel raw option beyond the current standard lens only.
If that 48 megapixel raw option becomes available in the wide format, as well as the telephoto format, it will be a true game changer.
Don’t dismiss the iPhone as a fine art camera until you have used the 48 megapixel raw format, combined with the Enhance feature from Photoshop camera raw.
I was amazed and delighted.
Bob, I remain very skeptical. But am curious to hear what you and Les come up with. I still believe that image quality is mostly a combination of sensor size and lens quality. Call me when apple comes up with a full size sensor for the iPhone 26! Nice newsletter by the way.
I really don't know how Les survived his trip to Spain with only a cell phone. I have asked him and he's not saying. I'm with you, cell phones are good if you want to remember a wine label and just take a picture of it, but for real photography? Really? Not me.
I recently purchased a Canon R8. It's considerably smaller than my R6ll and has the exact same full frame sensor! All for $1300. And I picked up a cute little 28mm f/2.8 for $270. No need for a bag here. And I also like a 50mm. So I can carry Canon's 50mm f/1.8 in a large pocket. Or maybe a small bag. It's all I need for street photography or most anything else. Good article. Thanks.
Hmmm, another person that seems to gravitate to the 28/50 small prime combo.... I kinda know what 50mm I REALLY want for the M but I am SO flip-floppy on the 28mm.
Et tu, Paper Arts? You and almost everybody else ignores micro-four thirds as if it didn't exist! After several excursions into FF and APS-C I've come back to m43. Yes, there are some large cameras and lenses in the system, but there are many small combinations that take great photos and are easy to tote around. My current setup includes the Panasonic G9II with the PL 100-400 (try matching the 200-800 equivalent FL in FF or even APS-C!) for birds and such, the Pany G95 with the Oly 12-100 for landscapes, and the Pany GX85 with the 20mm f1.7 for ultra-light walkaround. Olympus (now OMDS of course), has the various incarnations of the E-M5 and a large stable of small lenses, also, for a nice travel kit.
Dick
Oly is one of the best travel options. My em1 mark ii has been to hell and back and it keeps on giving. Though now I'm mostly a fuji x nerd.
Any reason on Fuji X vs Only??
Ps. I still find just a camera and lens vs a bag full of gear extremely liberating in many cases, especially mentally.
I used the Oly and Xt3 side by side on a marketing gig. I saw first hand from that project how much richer the color processing is with the fuji. On the other hand, the tracking and auto focus so much better on Oly. But I don't tend to shoot action or birds, so that's not a huge deal. And the manual dials. Yes, I hate them on some days, but on most, I've learned to use them blindly and can quickly change settings on the fly with the Fuji. The Oly menu interface is, well, an unhappy experience. But I continue to own an EM1, several lenses, and a Pen-F that my daughter uses now. Oly will always be in my heart as my first.
I've looked into it many times, perfectly valid but have always fell on the side of 35mm/Full-frame 99% of the time for what I personally optimize for. Obviously it depends on what one wants to optimize. If one needs to cover A LOT of different subjects (do it all) AND needs a compact system M43 is definitely something to consider. For someone like me that can (and does) live with one focal length for much of what I am interested in small cameras and lenses with a bigger sensor tend to win the day for "look" and image quality across a large number of lighting conditions.
Oh, and the Leica CL they discontinued but I have with me 🤓
This post affirms that my own conundrum of what to carry extends to many. If I carry my R5 it feels like I'm at work. If I shoot only with my 13pro I'm seldom all that happy. A camera bag makes it too easy to carry too much. I feel like one camera and lens, no more, make it a relaxed pleasure. I finally picked up the X100f and liked it for a few years but it never quite felt intuitive. I traded it for the 100V when it came out and it became my go-to walking around camera. For years I took it on my daily morning walk with our two dogs and shot a lot of really nice images the phone would not have captured and it never felt like work. It's such a pleasure to just poke it here and there and see what I get. Love the size and ease. I ordered the new x100 VI as soon as it came out but then cancelled the order realizing my 100v was still all I needed for casual fun. As for the iPhone? It's pretty amazing and we'll see wha the future holds for the next generations. Meanwhile when are some of the major camera makers going to start adopting some of the iPhones abilities?
I am not so sure I want more complexity in the form of "iPhone" capabilities... I kind of like aperture/shutter/focus simplicity and pretty much zero menu interaction. Take into account that 52 different buttons fall into the category of menu interaction in my book.
Having a "no bag camera" is something I took action on last December based on discussions within this newsletter and a few other spots I frequent. I'm not sure if it was you or Les that talked about having a second camera completely different than your primary. I opted for an M11 with a Voigtlander 35, a big change from the Sony A7R5 and accompanying lenses.
I'm still working out if I like the focal range of a 35 versus a 50. While I see the appeal of the Leica 50 lux 1.4, I'm leaning toward the 2.0. My goal with this camera is for it to be small and light, and I rarely shoot at that aperture.
I've been working out this option for years with various cameras as described... right now I have the two options I described one Fuji and one M. Let me know how your M11 ends up and with what lens... Ps. Which summicron option are you gravitating towards?
Not the APO for > $9k, but the standard Summicron f2 black. I will be bringing my current combo in July to the workshop.
After visiting the Leica store and having to have the Leica Q3 physically removed from my hands (my wife refused to sell her car), I compromised and now carry the new Sony 24 f2.8 G on my A7Rii 90% of the time. EZ PZ to post process crop to 50mm or more. Second lens is 85mm f1.8 that fits into my cargo pants pocket. With the 42mp camera and these sharp primes, cropping gives me a range of 24-170. For compression (yes, there is always a compromise), I travel with a 100-400mm Tamron variable aperture lens, but usually only bring it out after the initial scouting walk with my virtual Leica Q. Also, the A7rii has a silent mode, perfect for street shooting with the 24mm. And my long suffering wife got to keep her car.
Yes... wives can be like that... ;-)
Nikon Z7II with their 40mm F2. Small with unbelievable picture quality and the 40mm is the sleeper of the Z lineup. Old time optics and character with modern sharpness.
The no-bag lens I am grappling with right now for my end-game small no-bag camera/lens combo...
https://leica-camera.com/en-US/photography/lenses/m/leica-summilux-m-50-f14-asph-silver
It's a beauty. I have the Summicron 50 for my MP as my old eyes can't focus a rangefinder at 1.4 :)
I love my M4 and kind of consider that the perfect camera... I would not even consider a digital M UNTIL the M10 came out with the same dimensions and more importantly a viewfinder that was easy to focus fast lenses extremely reliably like the film M cameras, I always thought the lower magnification of the digital M cameras was counter productive for "old eyes" with fast 50mm lenses. I know a lot of people that attach VF magnification eye pieces to their M cameras for fast 50mm lenses and it's a game changer, you may want to try one.
It's a good point I should try a magnifier.
Great article! I struggled with this just last month when planning a trip to Paris. I opted for a “new small camera bag that doesn’t look too much like a camera bag” ( because the thousand camera bags I already own didn’t fit the bill). I borrowed a sony A7r with 24-70mm lens (with wrist stap) because my canon5d mark 2 weighs a ton. I needed the bag to protect camera when on trains and crowded elevators and also to carry STUFF (mine & husbands!)… eyeglass cases, hearing aid
case and that dang giant cell phone! I don’t know where you guys are putting your stuff… cargo pants perhaps 😂 or your wife’s handbag!? Ps: Im old school too and prefer a viewfinder and 50mm lens (on a FF) when out & about in my home town nyc
All of us from the evidence I've accumulated have a dozen or more "camera bags". Hence my "no camera bag" minimalism on certain outings/trips. For those I've gone from Leica M6 in the film days to X100 of multiple variants, Richoh GR, X-Pro with 35mm 1.4 (all varieties), back to an X-Pro2 (w/ 50 equiv) and am waffling back and forth between that and an M10 w/ 50mm... I can't even begin to discuss variations on packing various sized camera bags. That is why I love the "no camera bag" option ;-) simplifies things for me.
Here's where we depart, the gear I take is specific to the circumstance. While carrying a single body and lens might be ok for a night on the town or for the city, it would be ridiculous if one were shooting astro, wildlife, sports, etc. Bring the gear that you need to accomplish the job.
No disagreement at all. That would be my "camera bag" circumstance. You may be the exception but there are many, many trips I take, places I go, where I have no specific intent but when deciding not to take a camera, I would have loved to have one (even if limited in specialized capability) with me. I solve that issue with my "no camera bag" camera.
Understand completely, and I think that's where the cellphone will be soon obviating the ILC in many respects. Without delving on the impact of cellphones on the sales of cameras, I frequently employ a cellphone both for the purpose that you describe . More importantly, I use it as a "scout" camera (like the old polaroids?) to find locations (GPS recorded on every image) I might want to later revisit, as well as serving as a preliminary compositional aid.
I use my iPhone as a light meter for my Leica M4 ;-)
These days I keep myself to my Nikon Z7 and an absolute maximum of three lenses for my photo trips — although lately I have been taking only two (105mm macro and 28-400 zoom) and I’ve been very happy with that. I can fit that kit into a carry-on bag with cushioned wraps, and I take a lightweight day pack for daily explorations and hiking. A few times lately I’ve left my laptop at home and didn’t bother downloading images until I returned home (just took plenty of memory cards), which also saves some space and weight for travel.
When I’m traveling with my husband or friends, I take even less, and end up using my iPhone more than anything else!
I cannot deal with just the phone myself... but when I go with no camera bag I don't take a laptop either. All of the phone apps are good enough to grab a pic strait of the camera and share it if I want to.
My recent experience addressed this same question. On a two week trip to England I decided the 14 iphone would work for London but not the Lake District so I only took Fujifilm GFX 50S and the 63 mm lens. It was easy to sling the camera on my shoulder and such amazingly great landscape even low light castle and the memories that were captured. I would have cried had I not had the camera. Iphone photos were nice but no replacement. I used Fuji's 35 mm option which offered a fantastic alternate viewpoint, esp inside Beatrix Potter's Hillside. I shoot raw so I cropped a few distant scenes.
I'm still stuck in the small(ish) FF school with a single lens, an extra battery and some lens clothes. I used to use my Z6 and Z 24-120 zoom. It was a good combination and didn't require a bag if I was traveling by car. I now do that with the Z8 that replaced the Z6 with somewhat less satisfaction due to the increased weight.
I've had my eye on the Fuji X-T series for a while but haven't pulled the trigger. Largely because I haven't wanted to invest in yet another camera system.
But I'm curious: why the older X Pro rather than the newer X-T4/5?
I've been there which is why my "no bag" camera even though technically a "system" will NEVER grow to more than two very small primes. I am NOT interested at all in "perfect" autofocus primes that are the same size as a 28-70... I am super interested in the tiny 50 1.4 Summilux though ;-)
Why not just use a zoom? Too big?
I have decided one fast prime and "normal zoom" when taking a small bag but in my use that falls into the "take a bag" option.
fast apertures, smaller (in most cases), and size when mounted on camera.