From time to time I've posted threads over on DPreview.com asking what people pack in their M kits when they go out shooting. I find it interesting, and seeing what others pack helps me think about what to pack myself and how to use and carry my equipment. The best equipment for your shots is always the equipment you have with you...
My own kit has evolved quite a bit in recent months. I almost always shoot from bicycle rides, so keeping the kit small and light while still meeting my shooting needs is very important. The M system is fantastic for this. I shoot mostly 4k railroad videos now, and often find myself shooting after dark, so it's quite important to have a set of very low-light night lenses with me in addition to sharp zooms for daytime 4k video.
I don't have time to change lenses while shooting trains in rapid sequence, so I shoot with 2 M6ii cameras, often alternating sequences between them for close-ups of the railroad workers or parts of the train.
Here's my kit:
I'm currently using an old Tamrac model 603 bag (no longer available) as it's light and just the right size to hold everything I normally take, fitting two M6ii cameras with microphones and lenses mounted holster-style in the bag. Unclipping just a single clip, I can yank either camera out the bag and start shooting within a few seconds. Sometimes I yank a camera out of the bag with one hand while coming to a stop on the bike, ready to shoot instantly when I jump off!
I have six other bags of various sizes and styles, and this one seems to work the best for this set of equipment. I've added extra padding sections from other camera bags for better protection of the bodies and lenses. No equipment can bump or scratch other equipment in the bag, it's all separated.
Of all the zooms, I've found the EF-M 18-55mm IS STM to be the most versatile wide-angle zoom lens for 4k video. It's more solidly built that the plastickly EF-M zooms, is not retractable (too fiddly), and is crisper with the best contrast and color for 4k video. It's slightly faster at the long end (f5.6) than the f6.3 zooms. It has by far the smoothest zooming action --- the EF-M 15-45 kit and 18-150 have jerky zooms that are poor for video. Depending on how wide I want to go --- the EF-M 11-22mm lens is also a great lens for video, but for me doesn't go 'long enough' when I'm using the 55-250 with the 1.5x TC.
The EF-S 55-250 IS STM (with mount modded to work with EF teleconverters) plus the Kenko 5-element 1.5x SHQ teleconverter gives me a small and light but sharp telephoto for 4k video with a great range that has excellent image stabilization, even at 375mm (with the TC).
For night shooting, I use the Sigma 16mm f1.4 lens because no other lens can do what it can in low light with the wide-angle field of view. The EF-M 22mm f2 has too much flare and is a stop darker, even though I'd probably prefer the 22mm focal length. Sometimes I do substitute the Rokinon 12mm f2 lens, but again it's a stop darker and is a little 'too' wide for general shooting, so I live with the extra size and weight of the Siggy 16 as the compromise.
Interestingly, I've found the smallest and lightest telephoto combo to be a vintage 1970's Kamero 135mm f2.8 M42 screw-mount lens I found at a thrift store for $6, coupled with the Viltrox 0.71x speed booster! The combo gives me 100mm at f2, and is sharp enough for decent 4k video, and the lens doesn't have as much flare as some other telephotos I've tried --- plus it's small and light with only a 55mm filter thread. I have to manual focus the lens --- that's the compromise --- but t turns out to be not really a problem. I have the Rokinon 135mm f2 lens which is even better for low light, however it is VERY heavy and big compared to the Kamero/VIltrox combo, and is just too heavy to carry around as a normal piece of kit along with everything else.
I've tried shooting with a gimbal -- it works great but is very fiddly and time-consuming to set up. It added way too much weight to the setup, could only be used with one camera, and cost me too much time and missed shots to be worth it. I use only optical stabilization, no digital IS, and often stabilize clips using Adobe Premier Pro in post which gives really smooth panning and even smooths out the zooming beautifully as well. In post you have flexibility about how much you want to smoothe the video --- if you don't zoom, and kept the image stable with a steady hand using the EVF, you can choose a no-motion stabilization which gives you rock-solid stationary shots that look like they were shot from a fixed tripod.
The camera bag fully loaded with all the equipment shown is just under 8.5 pounds, and I find that easy to carry even for a ride of 3-4 hours. I have the bag's strap extended all the way and have the camera resting against my lower back, so the bag's weight is not all on my right shoulder. Adding just one more half-pound lens like the Laowa 9mm f2.8 lens is a little too much, the extra weight becomes noticeable and uncomfortable after a while.
Here's a video I made from the bicycle last night, shooting with that kit.
