[savoche]

Walkaround would be K5 and 35 for me, usually with a 15 in my pocket. For wet weather I'm about to replace the 18-55 with a 18-135.

Of course it would depend on where the walk takes place... Anywhere with wildlife would mean the 55-300 is on the camera.

[Lowell Goudge]

So many options

For travel no wild life
k7D with sigma 10-20
k5D with Tamron 28-75/2.8
Plus 8mm Fisheye, and either 85/1.4 or 135/2.5

For travel with wild life add sigma 70-200/2.8 and 2x sigma TC plus 540FGZ

For casual shooting either K10D and a bag ful of M42 prime lenses starting at 16mm fisheye, or *istD and bagful of K mounts primes starting with 8mm fisheye

For wild life / trecking K5 or K7 and sigma 70-200/2.8 with 2x TC or K300/4 and 1.7x AF adaptor plus Q and 135/2.5 or series 1 70-210/3.5

For serious stay put wild life K7, K5, tamron 200-500/5.6 plus a TC of some form, plus one of the two long lenses above (maybe both) plus the Q

[alamo5000]

Wow! I post up.... go to one family reunion...come back and so many posts! :P NICE!!!

I will have to take a little while and read Thanks for all the replies so far.

[RKKS08]

The OP speaks about a walk around kit, and, without really changing context, later about a travel kit.

For travelling (which I don't do a lot anymore) I most times took a big bag with a lot of lenses with me, together with a small empty one. To walk around, I would leave the big one (in hotel or where ever) and take an as small as possible selection with the small bag.

To walk around, now-a-days I take my Pentax messenger style bag with body and the 18-55 WR kit lens. What I add to these, depends on where I am going, and weather/time.
It may be the A-1.4/50, Tokina 70-210, Panagor Macro adaptor, and a very small pTTL flash for fill. Sometimes I add either the A 2.8/28 or the Pentacon 3.5/30, depending on mood.

If I think I can carry more, I may add the Tokina 2.8/24, and/or replace the Tokina 70-210 by the (big and heavy) SMC-A 4/70-210 for better IQ.

If I expect to take some portrait like shots, I may switch the tele zoom to a Helios 44K-4, and the small flash to the Metz MZ40.

If it's evening, I also may leave the tele zoom at home and switch the small flash with a Metz MZ40 (big and heavy). And add the A 2.8/28.

For mere landscape, I'll skip the flash, the Tokina 70-210, and the macro converter, but add the A 4/35-70 (prime quality and VERY good close distance IQ) and either the Takumar 2.8/135 or the A 4/70-210.
In extreme cases (but I hate to carry too much) the Tokina 8/500 + TC + SMALL/LIGHT tripod.

And additionally I always have an Optio A30 or A40 with me. These P&S, specially the A40, offer many of the controls one would expect only with a high end camera (and has the Pentax SR !). And for quite a big percentage of shots, specially in towns, the IQ is really good enough. Focal length is a bit too much on the long side, and DOF of course is sometimes bigger than I would like it.

But one can adapt to nearly any shortcoming of a camera body.
For the first 15 years of photographing, I used very simple cameras, and made it a kind of competition to deliver better results than friends with very expensive equipment. It's not always fun, but sometimes it really is!

[Just1MoreDave]

Walking around by myself, I will take what fits in the camera backpack. A likely kit is the DA 16-45/4, Sigma 24/2.8, FA 35/2, A50/1.4, Tamron 90/2.5 macro, M120/2.8, and DA 50-200/4-5.6 WR, plus cards, batteries and a flash. Water too.

For travel, I agonize over the DA 16-45/4 or the DA 18-55 WR. Lately the WR lens is winning because I can pair it with the DA 50-200 WR, ready for anything. Then an F50/1.7 for fast, and other primes for a purpose.

I'm traveling now and I brought the F28/2.8, because my wife said she wanted shots of the two of us. [I was going to just rely on the 12 second timer but lots of volunteers would spontaneously offer to take the shot. Volunteers do not understand the 28mm prime choice.]

BTW, I had the ultimate Pentax travel experience just today, hiking in Rocky Mountain National Park. I brought a Hoya ND400 filter and was using it to shoot Alberta Falls. I had no tripod so I would put the camera on a flat rock and brace it for long exposures. There was a good rock for that right in the middle of the water flow, and I could step to it, so I took a few shots, with some water splashing on the rock. Then I stepped back out of the stream. A woman holding a large Canon had been watching me. She said "Was it a good enough shot to risk your camera out there?" I said "Yes, and it's weather-sealed, so it's built to take it." The falls shot looks good but oh, the look on her face, what a photo that would have been! Pretty sure her camera was not WR.

[ramseybuckeye]

To me walking around means light. As others have said, walking where there is wildlife means the DA55-300 on my K-30. Walking in town will be the K-30 with either the 18-135, Tamron 10-24, or DA 35/2.4 if it's darker out. The Tamron is fun to shoot buildings and storefronts. Sometimes I may carry one of the three as an extra in a lens case on my belt. I carry a spare battery, wireless remote, and lenspen or cloth in my pocket.

Going a little heaver I may carry a tripod or super clamp. And I have a Q with 02 zoom that doesn't add much weight or bulk that compliments the 55-300 or 10-24, I just need to find something besides the standard strap to carry it with. I use a Black Rapid for my K-30.

[Prairie Dog]

My idea of a "kit". I take a K5 with 43mm lens with a Crumpler Noose wrist strap; carry it in a Kata DC433 tiny bag. In the bag with it, lens wipes, micro fiber cloth, extra SD cards, and an extra battery. Doesn't draw attention because the bag is so tiny, and I can have the camera out ready to use quickly and I can put back in the bag quickly plus I'm not burdened with a bunch of stuff and the distraction of lens changing, etc.

[joe_c]

In November on a trip to Myanmar with my K20D I used a 50mm for 70%, a 85mm for 20% and a 10-20mm for 10% of the pictures, all of them Sigma EX models.

[Aristophanes]

Basically, in response to OP's "might run into"...my shooting never evolves like that.

Foul weather:

K-30 + 18-135. Nothing else needed. I take this to work and take the camera out for a walk often.

Kid's birthday or similar indoor event:

K-x + Tamron 17-50 + flash. Covers all eventualities. Sometimes I add the DA 35/2.4 when I want light weight and no need of flash. I've taken my 90mm macro as a long portrait for these as well.

Photo walk (photography as a creative hobby that relaxes my mind until PP):

K-30 or K-x + DA Ltd primes. 15, 35, 70. When I get the 21 I will cycle that in. My alternative is one of the fast 50's and/or my 90mm macro. Took the FE a few times.

If I was Jay Maisel I'd just use the 55-300 :-)

Sports (usually kid stuff):

K-30 + 55-300. Unless the weather is foul., then it will be the 18-135.

Travel:

K-30 + 18-135 + 55-300 + FE + 2-3 primes (one a fast 50) + flash.

This is the 'big bag' that stays in the car or the room. Going to a museum is different than going down the boardwalk. The former may be 2 primes but the latter always gets the FE and 55-300 (unless the weather is foul).

I am thinking about getting a Ricoh GR. In fact, I have one ordered but no firm delivery date. I am now hesitating because of the poor video on the thing (for the price).

[narual]

I must have a much different concept of a "walking around kit" than you guys do. Before I switched to Pentax, mine was my Nikon D5100, mounted with the Nikon 18-200, and a 35mm 1.8 prime in my pocket. If I knew I'd be taking a huge number of pictures I'd throw the grip on it for the second battery, and if I knew I'd need flash I'd take my lightweight Sb400 if I could get away with it, otherwise the much heavier Sb600. If it was bright out, I'd have an ND fader in my pocket. if it was daytime, I'd have the CPL on the lens. No bag, just my blackrapid shoulder strap, and if my wife wasn't around to hold the 18-200 if I switched to teh 35mm, I'd tuck it under an arm. The 10-20mm I'd only bring along if I suspected I'd need it - it usually stayed in the camera bag in the car.

Now that I've switched to Pentax... I'm not sure yet. The battery grip is much more important with the K5 because my hand hurts like hell carrying it around for an hour without being able to use my pinky finger for extra support (I guess I have thick fingers). The 50-135 is heavy and less versatile than my 18-200. But the 24-50 can fit in my pocket reasonably well, so I could carry just those two lenses and be OK for most things.

[Talisker]

Current Walk Around Kits

Ricoh GXR and EVF with Voigtlander 15mm, 24mm, 35mm, 75mm and 135mm TeleElmar (mid 70s vintage) with a Metz 34 CS-2 flash all in a LowePro Stealth Reporter 100AW. Basically my old 35mm rangefinder kit with a GXR in place of the old Bessa R2.

Or K5 with grip removed, 21mm, 35mm and 70mm ltd and either 14mm f2.8 of 55mm f1.4 depending on the ‘walk’. All in a LowePro Passport Sling.

Anything more serious is a bespoke kit in an appropriate bag/backpack.

[Docrwm]

Current Walk Around Kits

Ricoh GXR and EVF with Voigtlander 15mm, 24mm, 35mm, 75mm and 135mm TeleElmar (mid 70s vintage) with a Metz 34 CS-2 flash all in a LowePro Stealth Reporter 100AW. Basically my old 35mm rangefinder kit with a GXR in place of the old Bessa R2.

Or K5 with grip removed, 21mm, 35mm and 70mm ltd and either 14mm f2.8 of 55mm f1.4 depending on the ‘walk’. All in a LowePro Passport Sling.

Anything more serious is a bespoke kit in an appropriate bag/backpack.

Interesting and creative way to revive your M lenses from your rangefinder days. That GSR + M mount adapter looks like it works well. I liked your blog post about it:
Leica rangefinder, but different… | oldbyreskye

[dtmateojr]

K5IIs, Sigma 17-70/2.8-4.5 and a polarizer.

[redrockcoulee]

If I am just going out for a walk from home usually my k-r with whichever lens is on it. I have a LowePro case that is meant for a compact camera, bought it for a trip where I borrowed a Fuji X100 which barrely fits into it. Instead of a camera I can put any of the following two lenses in (17-28F FE, 28M 2.8, 35DA 2.4, 50F 1.7 and as of this week 70DA Ltd 2.4). the case slips onto a belt and is quite small. Eventually would like to replace the Fisheye with a 15DA. So I got a very compact kit with nothing in my pockets and just a small case on my belt. The case also has room for lenscaps, battery and cards. I have also used the Sigma 10-20 or the Sigma 70-200 2.8 as the only lens that I am walking about with. Guess it really depends on my mood, what I think I will see and what is handy at the moment.

For many years I used a D200 with a 18-200 all purpose and I actually like the 3 primes better most of the time.

[Trudger1272]

I started digital in May, so I'm still doing my research & planning.

Right now I have a K-30, DA 18-55 WR, DA 55-200 WR in my courtesy bag from Cameta.

Just bought a Lowepro Fastpack 250 (on the way) & a FA 50 f/1.4 (pending purchase).

I plan to buy a DA 14 or DA 15 in September & second K-30 (black) by November.

I will also get a 35mm, but ultra wide is more important to me right now.

If everything goes as planned, that will be my kit by December. Well maybe a DA 18-135 WR replacing the 18-55 WR & the 55-200 WR,
(I don't like jumping from zoom to zoom) granted it's a loss of focal length, but I'd prefer WR over DA 18-270 length any day. Still undecided though.