Hey guys so I have the Nikon d500 for wildlife and I love it. I like to hike with it and I photograph any animal really and then I also do landscapes. My issue is that my backpack is so heavy after I add a ton of water, snacks, and other basic stuff. And I am very experienced with hiking so I’m not taking useless stuff with me.
Here is a weight breakdown of my gear
D500: 2 lbs
Nikkor 200-500mm (wildlife): 5 lbs
Nikkor 24-70mm (scenery): 2 lbs
Nikkor 70-300: 1 lb
So without anything else in my bag I have 10 pounds of camera gear. I like all of those lenses because they basically give the full range of 24-500mm.
So to those who hike or travel a lot and do not use tripods, what do you do with heavy gear? Like do you only go out to shoot one type of thing at once so you don’t carry too much? Or does the bag make a huge difference? I previously had a lowepro but after getting the 200-500, I obviously needed a bigger bag if I even wanted to carry water. Is this just something I will have to deal with?
Sorry if this is not the best question, my back is killing me and I hate to miss the opportunity of a good picture if I don’t have a specific lens on me. I only have one body which is also a pain to switch often.
Oh and does anyone have any ultra lightweight bag recs that are not a bazillion pounds but can hold 3-4L of water?
Thanks
A bag is only going to get you so far. Some will have better padding (which will make the back actually heavier). If you really want to help look for some will have some belts or clasps that pull the straps together to help distribute the weight better but that makes it more difficult to put on and take off. Tamrac makes some nice backpacks that do this. I have an older Tamrac Expedition that does the "Professional:Anvil" series is basically the updated version of them, but if you're carrying 16-18lbs you're carrying that weight. If I absolutely have to carry nearly 20lbs, I'd take a 1lbs heavier backpack with a sternum strap and a hip belt to help distribute the weight.
My best recommendation is if you're having trouble with the weight either deal with it and enjoy the workout, try to plan ahead as far as what you need and except the limitations of not having a full range.
If you're going out for birds, then don't bother with the 24-70mm. If you're going out for scenery don't bother with the 200-500mm. If you're going out birding and really want to have some wide options get a 28mm, 35mm, 50mm f/1.8 (or even a 24 or 28mm f/2.8) prime that will let you go wide without carrying a 24-70mm. If you want to go a little wider than what you have, you can always stitch a panorama and if you need to go slightly tighter you can always crop.
You can also look at other lenses Sigma makes 100-400 or 150-600mm f/6.3 lenses that are lighter than the 200-500mm. You lose a little in aperture but you save a pound or two in weight and you might not need the 70-300mm (do you really need to cover 70-100mm?).