The gear is now back in the Think Tank Airport Essentials backpack. This bag is not something I hike around with but instead is a storage and transport bag. I put what I'm going to carry around either in a smaller bag or on a strap and in pockets.
This setup weighs 13.8 pounds.
[UPDATE: I'm thinking of adding an EOS R10 body to the kit for use with the 100-400mm lens. The camera would stay attached to the lens and take up the space where the 85mm hood currently is.]
Before last week's trip to Maine, I picked up an RF 100-400mm f/5.6-8 IS USM lens at Best Buy. I have until October 24th to return it should I so choose. At this point I think I will hang on to it.
It's a value lens for sure but it does the job when I want something longer than 105mm. Diffraction doesn't start to soften images until past f/11with my 20MP EOS R6 body and it's diffraction limiting aperture of f/10.6. I'm not sure how I would like using the lens with the EOS R7 body and it's diffraction limiting aperture of f/5.2.
Here are some images with the lens from Maine along with the current bag setup in the Think Tank Photo Streetwalker, which weighs about 11 pounds with this gear, and the RF lens lineup.
If you look at the photo of the new backpack in my last post, you'll notice that a central compartment is being taken up by a lens hood which is usually on the 85mm lens. Nature abhors an empty bag compartment.
I was checking prices on a cheap, Canon kit lens, the RF 24-105mm f/4-7.1 IS STM, and ran across an offer to good to be refused. This lens has a NSRP of $399, Canon sells refurbished copies for $320, MPB sells like new copies for $240 and for some reason, Lens Rentals is selling like new former rentals (10 rentals max) for $140.
The lens costs $18 for a 7 day rental along with $25 shipping. It could be that hardly anyone rents a lens they can afford to buy and which costs less to rent than the shipping. I don't know how many they have available but it is still listed after I bought mine.
The lens has some interesting features like close focusing to .4X and 7 stops of image stabilization with my EOS R6. The image quality is also pretty good. Here is a sample at 105mm and f/8 processed with DxO Photolab 6 which you can click to zoom in on beyond 100%.
The empty compartment is now filled.
