Conventional wisdom might lead one to think that it’s necessary to pare down gear weight as one ages. But while it might be a favorable notion, recent experiences taught me that it’s not always necessary.

For six weeks of hiking during which I averaged well over 20 kilometers per day, it was necessary for me to not only carry my photography gear every day, but also some other items that couldn’t be transported by the luggage forwarder. Much as has been said about the weight of the SL series camera bodies, I carried two of them every day during my long hike, plus lenses

What I learned was that lightening the load is not yet a necessity. For me, it meant R and L glass started getting new looks, resulting in a couple of gear changes. So far the only effect of the added weight is good: additional inertia.

One I had to stop and think about, though, was the Summilux-SL 50mm. I’d had a copy a few years back and after some initial use, it sat in the dry cabinet day after day. This time around? Well, I carried it much of the day today with no issues.

Sure, the day’ll come when I’ll want to lighten the load, assuming I’m around for a good while longer. But not today!

SL2/80mm Summilux-R . . .