Japan is looming again.

Normally settled feelings lately have started to become less settled as the date draws closer. Normal, but real none the less.

Gear?

What gear do I take?

This is a second period (era?) of travel to Japan for us, after cramming seven trips into five years, we have had COVID, two dogs leave us and two new ones arrive and an over three year travel break that put a definite full stop on that last period, allowing us to re-invent this next stage. Personally I have gone from part time photographer to full time, so my methods and processes have also evolved, hopefully not replaced old ones though.

Reflexedly I would reach for my two EM10 mk2’s with the 12-60/40-150 kit and 17/45 primes. Nothing could go wrong with this as they work and always have, without any real weight, bulk or financial risk involved.

The Pen F and Pen mini is the other way to go. The little red Pen mini is a great cross-body strap camera, amateurish and inoffensive.

The big question though is video.

Do I want to shoot video, would I use it, how good do I need it to be and what shape of end product am I aiming for? Would it just make things more complicated or could it be a new beginning, a possible creative re-birth? Could I in fact make the trip a video and audio exploration, with fresh eyes and ears?

I am on holiday and to be honest video is not yet a holiday. If I just shoot stills in a true street sense, I get the break from my day job that I really need. Staged shots and video are the work thing.

Street video?

Might be a thing.

The OSMO would add video when needed, a G9 would add more (same lenses as the EM10’s), the S5 could conceivably be the whole kit with its standard zoom lens and fast 50, maybe with an EM10 or G9 for stills work and the OSMO for movement? I have plenty of storage, so no issue there, about 100gb a day at 1080, with some left over for stills.

A G9 with the travel kit looks likely, maybe with an EM10 as backup. Even if I do not shoot video, the G9 has become my favourite fast and close camera.

When I choose the bag to take (also an issue), it may look like this;

G9 with 17mm, or 12-60 in good light.

EM10 with 45, or 40-150 in good light.

or maybe no to video considerations and;

Pen F and 25 or 45mm.

Pen mini and 17.

Could I actually even function with just the G9 and 12-60 Leica (maybe a fast prime like the 17 for night)? Arguably the best all-round combo I have, perfectly matched and relatively compact.

Still need a backup just in case, maybe the EM10 with either lens would do if disaster strikes?

This means the G9 and 12-60 for most, maybe the EM10 and 25 as an option.

If video is the main thing, the S5, two lenses (20-60 and 50) and a G9 with two lenses (12-60 and ?). The G9 for stills/video, the S5 for video and low light and maybe the OSMO for Gimbal work. The trick would be mixing the two slightly different Pana cameras seamlessly. Maybe two G9’s, but then the primary video beast is left behind.

The bag is likely going to be the Tokyo Porter green satchel, not a camera bag by design, but capable none the less with an insert. This is big enough to take bought items, a spare coat, other bits, even a computer. The Pro Tactic would be the getting-there bag or possibly the bigger Neewer for all the pottery we tend to accumulate.

There is no real fear I will get this wrong, because as I have said recently, almost anything would work, but plenty of curiosity about what the future holds.

Just want to get going really.