TRAVEL CAMERA GEAR = calculated compromises between image quality verses size and weight.



CAMERAS - 4K60P: DJI Avata (12MP), DJI Osmo Pocket (12MP), Apple iPhone 14 Pro (12 & 48MP), DJI Action 5 Pro (40MP), GoPro Hero 7 Black (12MP)
LENSES: Sony 11mm F1.8, Sigma 16mm F1.4, Tamron 17-70mm F2.8 VC, Sigma 30mm F1.4, Sony 70-350mm F4.5-6.3 OSS
CAMERAS - MILC: Sony NEX-6 (16MP), A6000 (24MP), A6700 (26MP) 4K120P
SOFTWARE: Apple Final Cut Pro, Adobe Camera RAW, Photoshop, Topaz DeNoise AI

CAMERA LENS PAIRINGS NEX-6 (345g) A6000 (344g) A6700 (493g) SLING BAG WEIGHT
MOST VERSATILE 11mm F1.8 (181g) 17-70mm F2.8 (525g) 70-350mm F4.5-6.3 (625g) BAG (726g) 3,239g, 7.1lbs (3 CAMERAS + 3 LENSES + BAG)
LOW LIGHT 11mm F1.8 (181g) 16mm F1.4 (405g) 30mm F1.4 (265g) BAG (726g) 2,759g, 6.0lbs (3 CAMERAS + 3 LENSES + BAG)
WILDLIFE 70-350mm F4.5-6.3 (625g)   1,118g, 2.5lbs (1 CAMERA + 1 LENS)
ONE LENS SOLUTION 17-70mm F2.8 (525g)   1,018g, 2.2lbs (1 CAMERA + 1 LENS)

FIELD OF VIEW



Carefully chosen, this lightweight kit covers from fisheye to 350mm (525mm FF equivalent) telephoto with focal ranges evenly spaced. FYI: Lens Correction off, Sony 11mm actually covers 10mm FOV with strong Barrel Distortion. Ultra-wide rectilinear lenses greatly stretch the outer image circle, the actual mm differences are far less when FOVs are accurately plotted.



Shooting RAW under good lighting, DJI Action 5 Pro and GoPro Hero 7 Black produce excellent ultra-wide results. Their lenses are substantially wider than Sony 10-18mm and 11mm.



Under extreme low-light conditions, our APS-C cameras produce photos indistinguishable from Full-Frame with the help of F1.4, F1.8 primes, Adobe Camera Raw, and Topaz DeNoise AI.



We always bring a telephoto zoom on our trips to capture precious wildlife encounters like this rare wild Tarsier. Sony 70-350mm is the most compact, lightweight, and affordable way to obtain 105-525mm Full-Frame equivalent focal range for the E-mount APS-C cameras.



For wildlife photography, using an APS-C sensor = using a 1.5X teleconverter without losing any stop. 26MP APS-C sensor = 61.5MP FF sensor in Crop Mode.

LENS SHARPNESS



TEST IMAGE LINKS NORMAL VIEWING PHOTOS ON 27" IMAC
5K (5120 X 2880 = 14.7MP)		 PIXEL PEEPING @ 100%
Sony 11mm F1.8
(16.5mm F2.7)
11mm		 @ F1.8-F8: very sharp center, sharp corners
Lens Correction off, FOV covers 10mm with strong Barrel Distortion
Lens Correction on, FOV narrows to 11mm
BRIGHTEST & SHARPEST ULTRA-WIDE APS-C LENS		 @ F1.8: sharp center, a little corner softness
@ F4: very sharp center, sharp corners
Sigma 16mm F1.4
(24mm F2.1)
16mm		 @ F1.4-F2: razor sharp center, tiny corner softness
@ F2.8: sharp corners
RAZOR SHARP F1.4 WIDE-ANGLE LENS		 @ F1.4: sharp center, a little corner softness
@ F4: very sharp center, sharp corners
Tamron 17-70mm F2.8 VC
(25.5-105mm F4.2)
17mm, 24mm, 35mm, 50mm, 70mm
One Lens Solution		 17-50mm F2.8-F8: prime sharpness center & corners
70mm F2.8: sharp center, good corners
70mm F4-F5.6: very sharp center, good corners
70mm F8: sharp corners
RAZOR SHARP F2.8 STANDARD ZOOM WITH IMAGE STABILIZER		 17mm F2.8-F8: as sharp as Sigma 16mm F2.8-F8
35mm F2.8-F8: as sharp as Sigma 30mm F2.8-F8
50mm F2.8: sharp center good corners, F4: very sharp
70mm F2.8: good center, soft corners
70mm F4-F5.6: sharp center, soft corners
70mm F8: very sharp center & sharp corners
Sigma 30mm F1.4
(45mm F2.1)
30mm		 @ F1.4-F2: razor sharp center, tiny corner softness
@ F2.8: sharp corners
RAZOR SHARP F1.4 STANDARD / PORTRAIT LENS		 @ F1.4 sharp center, a little corner softness
@ F2.8: very sharp center, sharp corners
Sony 70-350mm F4.5-6.3 OSS
(105-525mm F6.8-9.5)
70mm, 100mm, 135mm, 200mm, 350mm		 70-350mm wide open: very sharp center & corners
VERY SHARP TELEPHOTO ZOOM WITH IMAGE STABILIZER		 70-350mm wide open: sharp center, good corners
70-350mm: stop down for minor improvements in the center
70-350mm: stop down corners soften a little
Multiple tests, same results, maybe just this copy
Click on the focal-length links in the left column above to see the center and corner sharpness at different f-stops.

CAMERA BAG



TENBA SOLSTICE V2 12L SLING BAG: This attractive bag can carry 3 APS-C lenses mounted on 3 crop cameras and spare batteries, fitting my needs perfectly! I prefer a sling bag over a backpack because I can get to my gear much quicker.

APS-C VS FF

FULL FRAME = 150% COST, 214% WEIGHT, 216% SIZE FOR A 500MM-EQUIVALENT SETUP WITH AI AUTOFOCUS
APS-C $2,396 1,118g, 2lbs 7oz Sony A6700 AI AF $1,398 (493g) Sony 70-350mm F4.5-6.3 OSS (105-525mm equivalent) $998 (625g) (ø77mm L142mm)
FULL FRAME $3,597 2,394g, 5lbs 4oz Sony A7C2 AI AF $2,198 (514g) Tamron 150-500mm F5-6.7 VC $1,399 (1,880g) (ø93mm L210mm)
IMAGE QUALITY differences are not noticeable as the latest AI softwares can easily eliminate the 1-stop IQ gap between FF and APS-C.
SIZE & WEIGHT differences are very noticeable, carrying more than TWICE THE SIZE & WEIGHT!

UNDERWATER



We have always brought along at least one waterproof camera on our trips for kayaking, snorkeling, scuba diving, and white-water rafting.



DJI ACTION 5 PRO with AOI WIDE LENS deliver improved ultra-wide field of view and corner sharpness.
GOPRO HERO 7 BLACK with BACKSCATTER +15 MACROMATE MINI LENS deliver good macro image quality in the center ⅔ of the frame.
DOUBLE TRAY UNDERWATER RIG: Measuring 270 X 187mm (10.6 X 7.4 inch) this sturdy and inexpensive double-tray underwater rig is perfect for my needs.

4K 60P UHD



We only record in 4K 60p because these video frames are also sharp 8MP photos. Similar to this whale-shark experience, we are not always able to capture photos and videos at the same time during many once-in-a-lifetime moments.

4K60P 8MP VIDEO FRAMES



60P VS. 30P VS. 24P



60p is noticeably smoother and sharper than 24p and 30p due to the lack of motion blur, especially when viewing panning shots of fast-moving subjects like children running around the playground.

Shooting 24p or 30p, 1/60sec and slower shutter speeds must be used to introduce motion blur to lessen, not eliminate, the choppy appearance. Shooting with slow shutter speeds under bright sunlight, ND filters are required to control depth of field and to prevent sensor dusts from showing up prominently from F8 on up.

Since 60fps videos will turn out smooth even with shutter set above 1/120sec, Aperture Priority can be used to control depth of field under bright sunlight without an absolute need for ND filters.
 
 

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