Being a landscape/cityscape photographer that typically will be either climbing up a mountain or fell, walking miles around a city, or along long hiking trails, my photographic equipment is a constant balance between image quality and weight. For this reason I have two camera systems that complement each other perfectly. In 2024 I became a Lumix shooter having enjoyed a very impressive trial period with Panasonic Lumix equipment , so I now have both a full frame set up with Lumix and also a lighter weight micro four thirds kit .

My full frame sensor Panasonic Lumix S5II is a very compact camera for full frame, and when paired with either the amazing 28-200mm lens (the smallest 28-200mm lens ever made for a full frame camera) that produces stunning and crisp images despite its size and range, or the very sharp 18-40mm lens for wider angles, this kit is extremely lightweight. Yet this versatile set up still produces amazing and detailed images from the 24.2 megapixel back side illuminated sensor. With the S5II I also have access to high resolution mode that can capture extraordinary clarity and resolution with a stunning 96 megapixel raw file (even handheld), that can give me medium format type levels of image quality when I need it.

As a back up to my full frame kit I have the micro four thirds Panasonic Lumix G9, a camera that is much loved by many photographers. The G9 is also a professional grade camera and has a fantastic 20 megapixel sensor that is great for stills photography. I use this camera with the very light weight Lumix G Vario 12-60mm and 45-150mm lenses. This gives me a two lens kit that is just over a 1kg in weight yet covers a full frame equivalent focal length of 24-300mm. Perfect for mountain hiking or when I want to travel light to city streets. The G9 also has a high resolution mode that can capture 80 megapixel raw files when needed for that extra detail.

I have also just picked up for an everyday carry camera the ultra small micro four thirds Panasonic Lumix GF6 along with the Lumix pancake 12-32mm zoom lens. This combo weighs only 400 grams and makes a great “Point & Shoot” camera.

Below I have included the weights of my cameras and lenses so you can see how I strive to maintain a lightweight pack but still achieve the maximum in image quality.

Full Frame : Panasonic Lumix S5II (740 grams including battery & SD cards)

Micro Four Thirds: Panasonic Lumix G9 (658 grams including battery & SD cards)

Panasonic Lumix GF6 (323 grams including battery & SD cards)

Full Frame: Panasonic Lumix S 18-40mm F4.5-6.3 (155 grams), Panasonic Lumix S 20-60mm F3.5-5.6 (350 grams), Panasonic Lumix S 28-200mm F4-7.1 (413 grams).

Micro Four Thirds: Panasonic Lumix G Vario 12-60mm F3.5-5.6 (210 grams), Panasonic Lumix G Vario 45-150mm F4-5.6 (200 grams), Panasonic Lumix 12-32mm F3.5-5.6 (77 grams)

K&F Concept Magnetic Filters - CPL & 3, 6 and 10 stop ND Filters, Smallrigg AP-10 Carbon Fibre Tripod , Wandrd Prvke 41L and Wandrd Prvke Lite Camera Bags

Lightroom Classic, Photoshop, DXO Photolab 7 Elite, Luminar Neo and Topaz Gigapixel

Canon imagePROGRAF Pro-300 A3+ Printer, which uses ten Canon OEM LUCIA PRO pigment inks for a wide colour gamut, and Fotospeed Fine Art Papers.