I only occasionally carry this very far and as I get older (weaker) I tend
to take something things out and put them back when I get back. My
problem is what to leave out. Once when I was trying to lighten my load
while at Sea World I decided that I could leave the 50 and the 100 in the
car. I did not have the 300 at that time. I was sitting in the stands for
the Orcas and was framing the shots of them jumping prior to it happening.
The 75mm end of the zoom cropped to much out and the 35mm got to much in. I
asked my wife for her camera and checked out the framing in her 35-200 lens
and when I had it right I saw that 50 mm would have been the perfect lens
for the shot I had in mind. I could not move closer because of the crowds
that where there when we got there and moving back was not possible either.
Another time I was backpacking in the mountains near my home and left all
equipment home and borrowed a friends XA. I was sitting down on a stump
resting and a Coyote walked by stopped and stared at me for a few minutes I
took a photo but in it he is a small spot. The 300 would have been nice.
The worst was when I first got interested in photography I was back packing
with a friend and his father and we had to camp in a small clearing next to
a stream as the camp we where supposed to have permits for was full of
scouts. We where sitting around drinking hot chocolate when we heard a
sound coming down the side of the hill above us. A herd of big horned sheep
came down drank in the stream and walked up the next hill. They could not
have been more than 30 feet away from us. Where was my camera at home. I
decided that I would cut the weight of my pack and left it. I seems like
when ever I leave something out I find it was the item I needed and when I
have no camera at all some once in a life time event happens.
I used to be a wedding photographer and that taught me the value of back up
equipment. I have been thinking about how to lighten my load and what to
take on trips with the family. I think that eventually I will purchase a
35-70 or 35-105 and replace the Vivitar 75-205 with a 65-200 and wind up
with taking those and a 24 and the 300 on most of my trips.
John Gettis
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