Lighter Equipment Options?

russellsnr

russellsnr

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Russell
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Hi, Just come back from a week down south England, used the A7R IV and 200-600 lens and my arms, especially the left one have never ached so much, now I am not a young man reaching 70 very soon so I am looking for a lighter option (yes I no a tripod is an option but walking around with one is also not so easy).
I like the Sony equipment after crossing across from Canon but would take on any other option that would give me the mm that the 200-600 gives or close to it.
Need it for wildlife especially birds so any suggestions please? Thank You, Russ.
 
At this stage is it worth investigating alternative carry / support systems chest harness, monopod before you look at changing systems.
 
Micro Four Thirds is the obvious choice and Olympus rather than Panasonic as the later ones have much better focussing. The 2x crop factor means the 100-400mm will be what you need. Have a look in the Olympus thread to see the bird shots @the black fox and others are producing.

Of course, for a really light one-stop shop the Sony RX10 IV with its 24-600mm (equivalent) lens is another option.
 
troutfisher said:
At this stage is it worth investigating alternative carry / support systems chest harness, monopod before you look at changing systems.
Click to expand...
Actually wish now I had taken my mono pod instead of the tri pod.
 
The issue you will always have is full frame lenses will generally be larger and heavier than cropped or MFT equivalent lenses.

A good website for comparing different camera and lens sizes is https://camerasize.com/compare/. It’s useful to compare against yours against other options.

Options wise whoever you go with will someone else will always bring out something you perceive as better. A potential Sony option would be a Sony 100-400 and crop the photos to get ‘closer’. You should have enough MP with the A7Riv. You could add the 1.4TC but you’d be at f8 so will lose a bit of light.

changing systems isn’t cheap and always costs more than you think. I recently (in the last year) changed from Sony to canon. I wasn’t getting on with handling on Sony and wanted smaller and lighter landscape setup, whilst also wanting a faster 300mm f2.8 lens. In the end i got the canon 100-500 as the larger size and heavy weight soon became apparent that it would be an issue as I’ve never liked carrying heavy kit about. It’s nearly the same size/weight as the Sony 100-400 but the extra 400mm to 500mm range is like having a built in teleconverter which I quite like.
 
I found my FF Canon too heavy especially the lenses and bought a Sony A6600 which has served me well for 12 months or so. I have a 70-350mm which gives me more reach than I had on my Canon. The image Quality is still good and focusing on the Sony's is impressive. It is still worth considering a harness to spread the weight when carrying. Also a monopod can be helpful and is much lighter than a tripod.

Dave
 
Having just returned from the Peak District I am in a similar situation as Russ, equipment is getting to heavy, to much to keep hauling about. But have been considering the suggestion of Mav above. Possibly a Sony 6400.
 
Rocket said:
Having just returned from the Peak District I am in a similar situation as Russ, equipment is getting to heavy, to much to keep hauling about. But have been considering the suggestion of Mav above. Possibly a Sony 6400.
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If im out doing landscapes I much prefer an Osprey stratos bag with camera insert. Hiking bags are so much better than camera bags when carrying weight. That’s now my go to back for landscapes.

Depending what lenses you have there are generally some lighter options where landscapes are concerned.
 
I made a change for almost the same reasons ans circumstances at the end of last year.
My main camera is nor a Panasonic G9 and the long lens a 100-400 (200-800eq).
I virtually never use a tripod, with the dual stabilisation you can use the lens at the longest length handheld in surprising conditions.

I also have a G80 on which I often use a 100-300 (200-600eq) lens, the pair is incredibly light and easy to use if the extra length and resolution is not required.

It goes without saying that Olympus owners will say Olympus is preferable and Panasonic owners will say Panasonic is preferable, and each come up with many reasons why, but if you decide to consider one of them, the important thing to do is to try them both and see which suits you better, in terms of feel, handling, features, menu etc.
And look at reviews / videos etc. not with the aim of trusting their opinions totally, but they give you an idea of what each can do and what features you may need or enjoy, simply because they are quite alike in many ways.

I enjoy the G9 more than any camera I have ever owned, and the G80 is not far behind.
 
Hi, after giving it some thought due to the cost and hassle of changing from the 200-600 I await arrival of a new monopod with feet (a lot cheaper than new system) however then up comes the question what head to use on the monopod for BIF and perched birds remembering this is to see how I get on with it. I have been looking and found the Lensmaster Monopod Head RH-M2 .
Anyone used this head please or can recommend a lightweight option ?
I have the Lensmaster RH2 but that is quite a lot heavier and really meant for a tripod.
Thanks again,
Russ.

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I think this depends or help on the monopod you are going to purchase, which you haven't mentioned named.
 
Rocket said:
I think this depends or help on the monopod you are going to purchase, which you haven't mentioned named.
Click to expand...

Moman C65L.​

Was on special offer Amazon, not the top of the range but enough to give it a try.
Russ.
 
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