Hmmm, Another "What to Bring to WDW" Question

[Daisy14'sDH]

After yesterday having my slingshot 100 on for the day my right shoulder was aching quite a bit, maybe I don't have it set up right, but I think I do.

It was a trial run for our upcoming Disney trip, In it I carried what I want to have as my park travel kit, less one body.

Vivitar 100mm Macro
Pentax DA* 50-135 f2.8
Pentax DA 12-24 f
Pentax FA 50mm f1.4
Tamron 17-50 f2.8
External Flash (I'm not very good with it so I'll probably not bring it)
Extra batteries, lens cleaning kit, memory cards and remote.

Other lenses I'm bringing, but dont plan on carrying arejust a
Pentax M 200mm f4
Tamron 18-250mm f HUGE (in case my DW wants something easy)
Sigma 24mm f2.5 (redundant but it sates my appetite for a prime)


I also want room for another body, this bag isn't going to cover it. I love the convenience of the sling bags and am looking at the Kata bags as another option. I'm bringing my Fastpack 250, but its pretty big, comfy, but I am worried that I will overheat carrying it around.

I am not interested in Messenger style, what are your suggestions? Right now my go to lens has been the 12-24, its not ver good for portraits but it is so much fun to use! Thats why I want to bring the second body so I dont swap lenses all day long. Figured I would keep the 17-50 on it for family pics, and alternate between the other lenses as need be.

So with all this out there, is there a decent system to lug it all around without looking weighed down or having my wife walk 20' away from me lol?

 

[mom2rtk]

I have the Slingshot 202. I thought it would be perfect for Disney. I loved the design that would allow me to slide it forward and get side access. But it killed my back too. I now only use it for short outings like track meets where I want to carry only 1 or 2 extra lenses.

I'm back to square 1 and watching here to see what you come up with.

For now I just have a nice camping backpack and keep each extra lens in a neoprene pouch in one compartment. There's still room in the other compartment for other park stuff (autograph books and such). I might just have to stick with that.

 

[Daisy14'sDH]

I wish I sould of gotten the smaller Fastpak, but I wanted a good travel case for carry on for when I have to fly, something for my gear and laptop. But now I am bact to square one... lol, just like you I guess....

 

[mom2rtk]

I wish I sould of gotten the smaller Fastpak, but I wanted a good travel case for carry on for when I have to fly, something for my gear and laptop. But now I am bact to square one... lol, just like you I guess....

Well, at first I was disappointed to have "wasted" my money on something that didn't meet my needs. But I'm starting to understand it didn't meet my Disney needs, which is what I was looking for, but it DID meet other needs. I'm not thinking I"d like to see into all these other photographer's closets to see how many different camera bags/backpacks they have accumulated!

The main problem for me is that anything that's big enough to carry everything I want to bring is....... too big!

 

[Daisy14'sDH]

I guess there is no magical lens shrinker! LOL!

Does anyone think that a messenger bag can be comfy with this much gear? I've ignored them thinking that they may not fir my needs. But I am thinking about it and the manouverability you have with one would be nice. But how comfortable are they after 12 hours in a park?

 

[cbombard]

I have a FastPack 250... I wished when we were in the the parks in 2009 I had something smaller.. But alas I am bringing it again in October..

We used the top section for the snacks for the kids.. and the laptop section (laptop in safe when at the parks) for our ponchos... So.. DW and I determined that with the camera stuff and the other stuff.. it was the best option.. as she would have had to have a backpack too..

Not sure if this helps at all..

Our gear is the fastpack 250 for me.. camera, external flash.. cleaning kit.. batteries, and 50mm prime. The extra camera sections are used for ziplocks for the camera parts..

The top has baggies of snacks.. and the laptop section has ponchos..

The boss.. err DW has a hiking fanny pack and has mini first aid kit.. some other snacks.. suntan lotion, and few odd and ends.. and two water bottle slots..

 

[mom2rtk]

After yesterday having my slingshot 100 on for the day my right shoulder was aching quite a bit, maybe I don't have it set up right, but I think I do.

It was a trial run for our upcoming Disney trip, In it I carried what I want to have as my park travel kit, less one body.

Vivitar 100mm Macro
Pentax DA* 50-135 f2.8
Pentax DA 12-24 f
Pentax FA 50mm f1.4
Tamron 17-50 f2.8
External Flash (I'm not very good with it so I'll probably not bring it)
Extra batteries, lens cleaning kit, memory cards and remote.

Other lenses I'm bringing, but dont plan on carrying arejust a
Pentax M 200mm f4
Tamron 18-250mm f HUGE (in case my DW wants something easy)
Sigma 24mm f2.5 (redundant but it sates my appetite for a prime)


I also want room for another body, this bag isn't going to cover it. I love the convenience of the sling bags and am looking at the Kata bags as another option. I'm bringing my Fastpack 250, but its pretty big, comfy, but I am worried that I will overheat carrying it around.

I am not interested in Messenger style, what are your suggestions? Right now my go to lens has been the 12-24, its not ver good for portraits but it is so much fun to use! Thats why I want to bring the second body so I dont swap lenses all day long. Figured I would keep the 17-50 on it for family pics, and alternate between the other lenses as need be.

So with all this out there, is there a decent system to lug it all around without looking weighed down or having my wife walk 20' away from me lol?

So how many of those lenses do you plan to bring every day into the park? I have a similar selection of Canon lenses and just hate to leave any of them behind. The 2.8 zoom is the most likely to leave behind, but now I've decided I want to shoot more parades and shows with the zoom. I COULD ditch it all and go with the Tamron 18-270...... but I'm spoiled by all that 2.8 coverage and how sharp those lenses are.

Oh the choices in life........

 

[Daisy14'sDH]

I know its hard, but I plan on bringing the kit... lol, pareades I want the 50-135 on one body and yup, you guessed it the 12-24 on the other for any improptu character in your face shots...

 

[mom2rtk]

So maybe you ditch the bag, carry 2 bodies with those 2 lenses, and put 2 plastic bags in your pocket for emergencies?

What do you think of the 50-135 focal range? I went with the Sigma 50-150 for my zoom and constantly second-guess myself. Ultimately though, I think it's best for me. I think that 50mm end is more usable to me than the 70mm on the 70-200 2.8 zooms.

 

[Daisy14'sDH]

sometimes I yearn for more reach, but the lens is so sharp I can crop heavily and still be happy with the results...

 

[Marlton Mom]

Hi guys!

I am a big Lowe Pro fan but I only have experience with the backpack style. I find that with the back pack style I can still use it on one shoulder like the kind that you both have or swing it up and use both straps to balance the weight.
I put a Nikon D90, and 18 - 105 lens, a super heavy Tokina 11-16, a nifty fifty lens, a 50-200mm kit lens and a flash plus all the other 'coochie cha-cha's like my filters, manuals, and assorted Mom crap.

I can carry this pack all day with all that in it and, even better, I can get my guys to carry it for me, even when it's hot. It's got great padding against my back and it distributes the weight nicely. I don't think twice about the weight when I'm rocking this baby!

My current walk around Lowe Pro is over 6 years old and after heavy use it's still in fabulous condition, but if I had to replace it I'd go with a Lowepro Vertex AW. This one comes in 3 sizes, from small to big time. Watch the video to see a size comparison of the models at the end. http://www.video.bhphotovideo.com/index.jsp?skin=oneclip&autoplay=true&fr_story=850dc6ae55eeeb47db8797c6cbbbe9c6782e0e82

Since I have developed EAS (equipment acquisition syndrome) I purchased a HUGE! Lowepro Pro Runner 450 AW backpack to store and transport all of my equipment in one spot. Last June I used my walk around Lowe Pro as a purse while I was traveling on the plane to Disney and every single piece of camera equipment I owned was in the 450. This was over 32 pounds of equipment! I had no problem wearing that weight on my back comfortably as we schlepped hither and yon for the travel part of trip.

So I'm thinking that if you switched from 1 shoulder to a 2 shoulder carrying system you might eliminate your carrying problems.

Good luck finding something that works for you!

Marlton Mom

 

[mom2rtk]

'coochie cha-cha's like my filters, manuals, and assorted Mom crap.

LOL! You kill me!