Photography, or rather landscape photography, strums my heartstrings like none other. A trip undertaken to indulge in one’s passion in life is often a reason for one’s soul to smile. And then why do I find myself cringing at the idea of such adventures? 

The answer is relatively simple – I’m not too fond of the gear. To be more specific, I hate the weight of the gear. Is it such an unreasonable reaction? Or is it?

Perhaps, I have become accustomed to the idea of my devices — iPhone, iPad, and MacBooks — becoming more powerful and adding features. And at the same time, finding ways to trim their weight.

The sight of a backpack filled with gear – camera bodies, lenses, and other paraphilia fills me with dread. My two camera bodies — my original Leica SL and Leica SL-2s, along with three lenses — the Leica Vario-Elmarit-SL 24-90mm f/2.8-4 ASPH (2.5 lbs), the Leica APO-Vario-Elmarit-SL 90-280mm f/2.8-4 Lens (4 lbs) and the Leica APO-Summicron-SL 50mm f/2 ASPH (1.67 lbs), some filters, four extra batteries, and a charger, plus a few other do-hickeys, add up to just over 20 pounds on my back. And this doesn’t include the weight of the laptop and the bag itself. A landscape photo adventure means carrying at least 30 pounds on your back. And I am not one of those who camp in the wild. Otherwise, the total weight on (Read more...)