Before setting off on my current travels, I had three criteria for my gear selection: critter glass that prioritized quality over reach; lighter weight than my previous journey; and a bag that met size requirements for all my planned conveyances and venues.

Sony made it easy to satisfy the first part. The second was accomplished by ditching a couple of L-mount bodies for the most compact FF E-mount bodies. The third was, as it has turned out, a major misthink.

First of all, it never crossed my mind that the weight of the bag, compared to the A&A backpack I carried last time, adds back all the camera weight I shed and then some. As a transport bag, it works okay, just a bit on the heavy side. For security in dodgy areas, it’s so good that even I have trouble getting what I need out of it. And that’s where the trouble starts: it sucks eggs backwards as a shooting bag.

A bigger mistake was leaving behind some spectacular R glass in favor of lighter E-mount glass. So many of my landscape shots make me cringe when I realize how much better they could have been captured.

I don’t know if R on Sony would have given me the exact look I like, but it surely would have been better than the E glass I have with me.

Just over the halfway point, I’m already plotting what changes I’ll make before any future travels commence. Live, learn, and think a bit more thoroughly next time . . .

a7cII/70-200mm f2.8 GM II/2X . . .