Jump to content

First trip with just my Q2


Recommended Posts

I suspect you'll find it liberating rather than regretful, if you approach what you're doing photographically with a new perspective. 

Think of it this way: There are an infinite number of photo opportunities out there. You cannot capture them all. Pick and choose what you shoot out of what you see that might make a good photograph such that you get the most with the equipment you have, rather than worry about what you cannot get with the equipment you left at home. There will still be far more photo opportunities—an infinite number, in fact—than you can possibly capture! 

:)

  • Like 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, PaulJS said:

Tomorrow I’m heading out to London and Edinburgh for 12 days. I plan on just taking my Q2. It will be the first time not having to lug around a camera bag, DSLR, two or three lenses and a flash. Think I’ll love having just the Q2 or will I regret it?

It is very liberating. I did a month long trip to Europe in April. I took the Q plus my Canon 5D3, 11-24 and 70-200 lenses. I took 80% of the photos with the Q. The one place I definitely liked the Canon was using the 5D3 and 11-24 inside cathedrals. In that case the super wide zoom was indispensable. Otherwise, I loved using the Q. Have fun. 

  • Like 2
Link to post
Share on other sites

I live in Edinburgh. The population seems to double during the month of August for the various Festivals. I hope you booked accommodation, as there will be none to find now, unless you are very lucky.

As for photography, it's like shooting fish in a barrel. The place was made for photography. I look forward to seeing what you capture! I have a Q arriving today, so we can compare images 🙂

 

  • Like 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

Advertisement (gone after registration)

6 hours ago, ramarren said:

I suspect you'll find it liberating rather than regretful, if you approach what you're doing photographically with a new perspective. 

Think of it this way: There are an infinite number of photo opportunities out there. You cannot capture them all. Pick and choose what you shoot out of what you see that might make a good photograph such that you get the most with the equipment you have, rather than worry about what you cannot get with the equipment you left at home. There will still be far more photo opportunities—an infinite number, in fact—than you can possibly capture! 

:)

Very wise statement.  For several years now after getting my Q, I've traveled with nothing more. With the 28, I saw London and Edinburgh in a new way. I'll never travel with all that stuff again. And I can't even imagine how much better I'll feel if i should  get caught in a UK shower with my new Q2.......if it ever gets here!

  • Like 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

I just returned from a two week trip to Paris, the Loire Valley and the Bordeaux area with just my Q. I took some 1,500 pictures and never missed my Nikon system or my Lumix M4/3 system.   Third time I have this too.

Edited by falcon468
  • Like 2
Link to post
Share on other sites

Last month I did five weeks driving across Canada from Pacific to Atlantic (and back!).
I had another camera kit with me but it never left the trunk.

1200 ish images, all with the Q2, never worried I didn't have the right camera.

  • Like 5
Link to post
Share on other sites

Normally I'd drag a 5D, a 24-105/4, a 35/2 (if not a 1.4), a 16-35/2.8, and a 70-200/2.8 - probably - along with flash, tripod, etc.

On our vacation to Las Vegas and LA last year, I only took the Q, flash, and tripod.  I was worrying about it and of course I pined for a zoom a few times, but mostly it was great and I got some brilliant shots.

Similarly, we did a little "staycation" in Atlanta (still with the Q) and a short trip to Key West with the Q2.  The nice thing about the Q2, while it is certainly not a zoom, is that you can frame for cropping, frame for tilt-shift in post, and both work well.

We're headed for Belgium later this year and that's going to be a Q2 trip as well for me.  I can get memorable shots and enjoy myself more.  And it feels less like work and more like a vacation.

I think you'll be more than fine.  It's one of those "less is more" sort of things.

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

  • Like 11
Link to post
Share on other sites

Just finishing up a three week trip on Martha’s Vineyard and taking the kids to pick out colleges in the Northeast.  Brought the Q2, a good travel tripod, a strobe, and an off camera trigger for the strobe.  Should have skipped the strobe.  Occasionally wished I had a moderate telephoto, and once wished for a birding lens.  Ultimately, just bringing the Q was the right choice.  

I’m a big fan of only bringing a single or perhaps two focal lengths on any given photography trip or outing.  That way you look for compositions that will work well with the focal length you have.  You start “seeing” in terms of the available framing, and you walk or drive accordingly.  The pictures, or at least my pictures, end up more interesting explicitly because you take the effort to compose well.  

When I have a zoom or a bag full of lenses I have a tendency to see something I want to photograph, stop where I am, frame and compose, and take a shot.  When I am limited to a single photograph I see something, think about what interests me in what I’m seeing, figure out whether the focal length I have will capture it, figure out whether there is somewhere I can move to that will capture it even better with the available focal length, move there, figure out how to frame my subject (preferably by simplifying the composition/removing extraneous elements), then take the picture.  Even moving a few feet can completely change an image, and I just don’t have the same discipline or habits when I’ve got too many options.  Working with a single focal length let’s you develop your internal “eye” for a scene and creates a consistency that will carry through your images.  I am a better photographer when I don’t have a zoom.

I can’t think of a better travel camera than the Q, and there are enough megapixels (in either version) to handle cropping to 50mm for environmental portraiture, street shooting, etc.  You won’t regret the choice and your back will thank you.  I bet you will end up walking more places, staying out longer, and capturing more subjects with the lighter camera.

  • Like 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

Got lucky three weeks ago and received my Q2 the day I left for Edinburgh. Has been a joy to shoot. Will be in Inverness next week and looking forward to shooting some great landscapes. Thank goodness I did not have to bring my 5dsr and all the gear.

  • Like 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

In March we travelled Cornwall and I had a Nikon Df with a bunch of Zeiss lenses  with me.  I guess I took less than 10 shots with the Nikon and about 500 with the Q2

 Just go for it and enjoy the lightweight .

 

  • Like 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, DII3G said:

In March we travelled Cornwall and I had a Nikon Df with a bunch of Zeiss lenses  with me.  I guess I took less than 10 shots with the Nikon and about 500 with the Q2. 

 Just go for it and enjoy the lightweight .

 

You know the DF was one of my favorite cameras.  It took great pics and was simple to use. I almost purchase a used one before the Q2.

 

 

  • Like 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...