Hi everyone,

Recently I’ve been experimenting with different lens selections for my next trip as it gets increasingly closer. My E-M5 II camera remains my travel camera of choice but I’ve been giving a lot of thought to my lens requirements. I’m going to take two lenses, for widespread daytime usage my M.Zuiko 14-150mm II (28-300mm equivalent). There have been a few occasions where I’ve wished for a longer lens, one comes to mind where I visited a zoo in Portugal. It’s not overly heavy and it’s compact and weather-sealed with a fantastically useful focal length range.

M.Zuiko 14-150mm II – Lido di Ostia, Italy.

The second lens might come as a bit of a surprise, it’s one of my tiny Lumix 12-32mm (24-64mm equivalent) lenses. My reasoning for taking this lens over a faster fixed focal length prime lens are several-fold. Firstly, apart from my Olympus Body Cap lenses, it’s just about the smallest, lightest lens that I have. After I’ve been out all day, I ache and I’m tired, I want a very small, (at about an inch long), lightweight lens to take with me in the evenings when I’m strolling around and chilling with a meal and a beer (or two) whilst watching the sun setting. 🙂 Secondly it’s wider at the wide angle end so it’ll compliment my 14-150mm and it’s a very useful walkabout focal length range. Lastly it’s a backup lens in case something should happen to my bigger zoom. From my experience both of these lenses are capable of producing very good images. When mounted on the camera this lens fits inside my small Wandrd Tech Pouch along with a spare battery, a couple of lens wipe sachets and my very small adapted table top tripod, all I need. I have in the past happily shot all day with this lens and never felt in any way disadvantaged.

Lumix 12-32mm – Carshalton Ponds, UK.

When I mentioned that I’m taking two lenses, I’m actually taking three. I’m also taking my Olympus 9mm (18mm equivalent) fixed f/8 aperture body cap fisheye lens as it’s such a fun lens to play with, takes up next to no space in my bag and is extremely lightweight. I hardly think of this as a lens as it’s not very much larger than a body cap. but it is capable of producing nice results. I usually select the hyperfocal distance focus setting on this lens for most shots and use focus peeking to check focus when required. Like the 12-32mm it’s also a highly inconspicuous lens.

Olympus 9mm body cap fisheye – Worthing, UK.

I’m not really into interior photography although, when travelling, I’ve visited many beautiful churches and taken interior shots most of which have never subsequently seen the light of day. I guess that I find myself largely at odds and uncomfortable with the contrast between their often ostentatious opulence compared to the relative wealth of the populace. “Buying a stairway to heaven” comes to mind. I am certainly not anti-religious, everyone has a right to peacefully believe whatever they choose but what are far more of personal photographic interest are often unexpected finds, more telling, intimate-scale, humble places of worship, small churches, shrines etc..

Kind regards

Leigh