Traveling with just one lens and one camera

We recently took a long weekend to visit my daughter in Queensland, which meant flying. Here in Australia (as in possibly every other country), having staff shortages at airports is a real problem.

Getting luggage at the other end of your trip has also been an issue. So we opted to take carry-on. One small bag for clothes and one camera bag. As there were two of us, that actually meant one camera each. And due to carry-on weight restrictions, that meant one lens each!

What to take?

One small bag of clothes for two people for five days was enough of a challenge. But two photographers (my hubby loves to shoot too), two different lots of camera gear (Nikon and Sony) plus all the options for lenses? Such a challenge. Thankfully for us, this was more of a social trip, but we did get in some photo opportunities too.

I have two Sony a7R III cameras, so the choice was easy. My hubby opted for his Nikon Z6 as it is small and light (compared to his D750). Lenses? Well we both opted for our general all-purpose workhorse 28-75mm (or 24-70mm). Both are relatively small and compact. Both can perform well at f/2.8 or f/16. For most situations, the wide-angle focal length worked well.

The pitfalls

We visited a butterfly house and nature park, and both wished we had a 300mm with us. But the 70mm was adequate and we could afford to crop in a bit. A 300mm would have been very helpful. Likewise, a macro lens would have been great to have with us too. I could have thrown the extension rings in, but I honestly forgot.

The benefits

As this was NOT a photographic holiday, it was pleasant to not have to carry all the gear. One camera and one lens meant things were quick, easy and simple. We took no filters, no tripods, and no fancy gear whatsoever. We even headed out some days WITHOUT the camera.

Get creative

Having just one lens does make you get a little more creative. Move your feet. I used to shoot all the time with a 50mm prime lens. I guess I have gotten lazy!