[reivax]

Some friends of mine have decided that they're going to be hikers and I guess that means I'm going to be a hiker too (probably only until their new year's resolutions wear off). Trouble is, I've only been hiking once (Climbed a mountain - 2,300 feet - Not sure if that's a lot) so I have an idea of how not to die, but not a lot of experience with anything else. I took my Sony A6000 with me that time because I figured it'd be best to take something lightweight and with great autofocus. This time around, I think I'd rather take my Pentax gear. My choices are:

1) Pentax K-3 with Sigma 17-50 & Sigma 10-20
2) Pentax K-1 with Pentax 24-70 (I figure that's the only lens I need. It's my widest on full frame besides a Fisheye lens)

I guess I could also take the A6000 again, but I only have primes for that camera and I figure a wider zoom would suit me better (widest I have for it is Sigma 19), The K-3 seems more attractive because of the weight and more variety of lenses (that I own). The K-1's advantage is that everything is WR and better IQ and autofocus. I know there are a lot more advantages/disadvantages to each, but I'm really curious what everyone else would take, and why?

I'm also not sure what other photography gear is really necessary (monopod, tripod, or anything else?). These would all be one day trips and it's pretty doubtful we'd be climbing Mt. Everest or anything like that. Just places near Southern California (San Diego & Palm Springs areas). If anyone has any recommendations for places to go near those areas, that would be really appreciated too.

[bertwert]

A couple things...

It depends on what you want to mainly shoot, below info I'm assuming you want to take landscape photos from the nice views you will see.
K1 and 24-70 - as you say you will have better IQ and but with a weight disadvantage. With the K-3 and Sigma 10-20 you will have wider than with the K-1 as well. If I were you I'd take just the K-3 and Sigma 10-20 leaving the 17-50 at home. Next hike if you find you missed the 20-50m range then bring the 17-50 next time. You'll probably end up shooting landscapes from the nice views you will get.

Other things to bring:

• Tripod - good for self portraits of your group and landscape photos.
• ND or polarizer filters - again if you are doing landscape photos you may want this.
• Spare batteries - just bring em.
• Spare SD card - not so important if you have two cards in camera.

One more important thing - don't annoy your group by stopping every five minutes to take a photo with tripod set up and all that.

Have fun!

*EDIT*

Actually one more thing...
From your post I presume you don't do much hiking at all so here are the non photography things you should bring as well.

• Water! I often bring around 3 liters in a camel back or 2 liters in nalgene water bottles.
• Snacks - bring lunch, granola bars, fruit, etc...
• Softshell - warm and waterproof if it starts raining or getting cold
• Some way of communication - cell phone (with full battery), radio, spot device, etc..
• Map of the route you are travelling.
• Learn how to use a compass with a map.
• Whistle - 3 blasts in the international symbol for help.
• First aid kit - make sure you have at least one in your group and that some people in the grop have knowledge.
• Small pocket knife useful for many many things!

Again just have fun!

[Imp]

Day trips as in there and back again in one day?

Here's how I would tackle that scenario, maybe some of it can apply to you:

I would take my K-30 with Tamron 17-50 2.8, HD DA 55-300, and my lightweight carbon fiber tripod. I have a sling bag camera bag, which is like a backpack with a single strap, but since I'd be carrying supplies for the day, I'd take a holster bag for the 55-300 with camera, and pack the tamron in my hiking backpack.
That way, I can grab the camera with the longer lens if there is a bird or anything (I shoot wildlife as well), and then if there is a nice vista I could take some time and switch lenses.
The holster bag doesn't swing and get in the way because i buckle it to a belt loop or something near my waist.

I suppose I'd just go K-3 and 17-50 for you?

---------- Post added 01-02-17 at 12:21 PM ----------

A couple things...

One more important thing - don't annoy your group by stopping every five minutes to take a photo with tripod set up and all that.

Ooh, that's so me! Whenever I go hiking with my parents, we usually double the estimated time on the trail guide because we stop so much!

[JensE]

I would go with option 2 and potentially bring the fisheye - depending on what lens it is. With the single lens, weight may be similar to option 1 and packing is easier. I agree to your listed advantages, and I like the built-in GPS a lot for hikes, to name/locate things later. It's also the better combo for high-contrast scenes in terms of dynamic range and maybe also flare. Just try it on a short hike and you'll see if you miss Sigma 10-20mm - which you could still bring along and use for (partial) crops on the K-1. My 8-16mm almost covers the full frame on the K-1 at the long end - my widest full frame rectilinear option at the moment.

I only take a tripod on hikes when I expect that I don't significantly slow down anybody, or for specific planned photos. I often use rocks or similar as support for longer exposures, where again the K-1 screen is handy. A polarizer can sometimes be useful to deal with haze, and an ND filter for blurring out water. An piece of equipment for me is a backpack with very quick access (sling-style) and enough space for food/clothing/first aid. I don't like to carry my camera on a strap.

---

Last edited by JensE; 01-02-2017 at 10:34 AM.

[joelsh5]

Well, there is hiking and then there is mountain climbing. I'm guessing that you're going to be doing hiking ... which doesn't usually involve pulling yourself up the side of a rock face using your hands. As such, your hands should be fairly free to shoot most of the time, but you won't want your camera dangling from your neck on those moments you DO need to bend over a bit and grab a rock for balance.

You'll want to keep your weight down, so one lens is a good idea... or perhaps one zoom and one wider-angle fast prime. I usually go with my Kit zoom plus an older 28mm f2.8 manual focus lens.... which is surely going to be used for landscapes and autofocus isn't that much of an advantage.

During my hikes in the Arizona desert, I carry my camera out in the open, but slung diagonally. And on my back, I carry:
3 liters of water
Fruit and food appropriate for the length of time
Monopod -- Since there are lots of slopes to contend with, sometimes the best angle requires support from a rock that is a couple of feet lower than the ground I'm standing on...
Rotating polarizer filter
Bulb brush
Spare charged battery for my pentax
One highly reflective car windshield sun blocker (In case I get stuck WITHOUT shade OR in case I need to add some reflective light to something that is deeply shadowed.
Sunscreen
pocket knife
two 52 inch shoe laces (in case you need to McGyver a tourniquet)
and... depending on WHERE I hike... anti-venom

Have fun, and make sure your friends DON'T give up on their resolution!

[photoptimist]

The biggest issue with photography + hiking with other people is how your friends will react to your stopping to take photos. If you can hike faster than your friends, then you can hopscotch on the trail -- pausing to take a picture while they hike on and then catching up to them. If you can hike fast, you can also hike ahead of your friends and get great pictures of them coming up the trail. But if your friends are fast hikers, then it's a matter of coordinating photo taking with snack/water/bathroom breaks. In any case, the best gear is the gear that enables you to quickly get the picture.

I find tripods to be pretty useless on a group hike unless there's a definite plan to stop for a long snack or lunch at some scenic location (mountain peak, lake, etc.). Then, while your friends eat lunch, you can take the time to set up the tripod and take careful panoramas, etc.

For your first hike, you might take the lighter-weight gear (K-3 + 17-50) until you get a sense of your speed versus your friends speed and get sense of how much you can carry on a hike. Over time, you'll get stronger and be able to carry more camera gear at a faster pace.


Have fun!!!!

[Sluggo]

What matters to me for hiking - (1) not packing more than I carry comfortably, (2) covering the wide-angle end well enough, (3) having some kind of small tripod or bean bag or something to hold the camera for timed group photos as well as long exposures or really careful landscape shots. Might be good to have a longer lens to shoot the wildlife you see, but I don't care as much about that.

It's easy to bring too much weight and bulk. But if you have the right sort of equipment backpack it might not matter much. Hope you're in for some fun times!

[dave2k]

Your dilemma is one that I frequently face. In my mind, it's balancing the IQ of the photos you'll take versus the burden of carrying heavier and larger equipment. The burden also depends on the type of bag / backpack you'll use. I used to travel light with my K-5 and Tamron 18-250. But as time goes by my focus (pun intended) has shifted to IQ. I have two very nice backpacks that will allow me to carry my K-1, 15-30, 24-70 and 60-250 relatively comfortably and safely. I've only had the 15-30 a couple of days so I can't comment on the extra weight burden. On most hikes I strive to get an enlargement worthy shot and that is why I manage the weight / size burden. However, two days ago I was confident that I was not going to get any great shots on my hike so I took my K-3, Sigma 17-50, Sigma 8-16 and my DA* 300. My best shots were of a red-tailed hawk so the K-3 and 300 lens were perfect. Had I just gone with the wider lenses I would have totally missed the best photos of the day. I would not take a tripod unless I expected to shoot low-light shots, which for me are primarily sunrises / sunsets. I might take a Gorilla Pod, but more lately I've just been taking a couple of pieces of lightweight foam so I can set the camera down on virtually any surface for selfies or long exposures. This has proved to be a nice compromise, especially since I can use the K-1 flip up screen for ground shots. In the end, I tweak what I do based upon my satisfaction with my prior decisions. That has led me to go the heavy route on most hikes. At minimum I suggest you have focal length flexibility of at least the 17-50 range to avoid excessive cropping when the view of interest is not very wide. Good luck!

[Imp]

I find tripods to be pretty useless on a group hike unless there's a definite plan to stop for a long snack or lunch at some scenic location (mountain peak, lake, etc.). Then, while your friends eat lunch, you can take the time to set up the tripod and take careful panoramas, etc.

Best use of a tripod, when I know we're hiking to a waterfall. Indispensable! But otherwise, i agree, not 100% necessary

[mikec100z]

I hike in the Canadian Rockies and have tried a number of combinations. Weight has always been a factor for me so I have landed on the following combination.

Lightest weight kit
K3 (without battery grip) with an L bracket
Pentax 18-135
Pentax HD DA 15 mm prime
2 filters (CPL and ND16) ND 16 is often essential for waterfalls
Small light weight tripod (mine is slik with a gorilla pod head)
remote control

If I know I want the highest possible image quality of if there is going to be a high probability of wildlife I will substitute my 16-50 f2.8 and the 60-250 f4 along with the 1.4 teleconverter. This adds to the weight but gives the most flexibility in shooting and the highest IQ. Don't drop the tripod, have some form of doing long exposures for water even if it is only a tiny tabletop tripod you can balance on a rock. No need for a big heavy tripod (they are nice but very heavy).

Mike

[npc]

Some very good advice already about hiking and photography. As someone who hikes often enough and I've taken on hikes and trips all of the 3 mentioned cameras - if you are comfortable with the size and weight of K-1 for the particular hike - then definately take it. It's the best camera of the 3 so it's a waste if you don't use it. Then, if you are not sure - take one of the lighter options, keep track of how you feel about it, and you'll know if it is OK to "upgrade" for the next one. (although for me personally the weight difference between K-3 and K-1 plus the mentioned set of lenses is not that big to consider). For longer trips I set for myself a general limit on size and weight of what i carry so this might naturally "eliminate" some of the camera/lens options I consider, since the other stuff is not optional.

[reivax]

Based off the info everyone is providing, I really want to take the K-1, but am leaning more towards the K-3 with the Sigma 17-50 with a Pentax F 35-105 (longest lens I have that isn't a 70-200 2.8). Possibly, the 10-20 as well.

My main concern with the K-1 is still the weight. I mostly do portrait work (for fun) and while I love the K-1 and everything it adds, I do miss the weight of the K-3. I could use the K-3 all day and never get tired. The K-1 seems to add weight. After long hikes, I could see myself getting exhausted. Maybe, I'll take a mini hike somewhere and see how that goes.

I have a mefoto tripod, but I'd really like to take as little gear as possible (the first time). Are there any good alternatives to a tripod? I will be taking a backpack with me so I can probably throw something small in there.

[photoptimist]

The other tip is to always have the camera out and ready -- if it's in a bag or backpack, the number of pictures you take will go way down because of the added time and hassle of getting the camera out. I carry my camera in the palm of my hand (with the strap loose around my neck). It's always ready, helps me balance, but can just hang from my neck if I need both hands to get over some rocks or around heavy vegetation.

I carry my other lenses in a belt pack on my front so I can change lenses on the move unless the terrain is too rugged. And if the terrain is really rugged, I fasten the chest-strap of my backpack over the camera neck strap to limit the amount of camera swing.

[John W]

Starting out you should look at a spilt backpack , such as a Mindshift, Lowepro AW , or Tamrac, they come in different sizes. Later on you may find a need for a wider range zoom lens.

[UncleVanya]

I would think the 35-105 could stay at home. At least on the first trek. Also the 24-70 plus the 10-20 on the K-3 is another option.