I owe myself a book, a big juicy coffee table book called “Japan 7”, referring to the seven trips my wife and I took before COVID and the life span of my passport at the time.
Coming, don’t rush me.
Geez!
Soon we are making our tenth trip there. A bit surreal that, a place I was intrigued by as a child, was pushed to the back seat for most of my adult years, then rediscovered through an aborted trip with a friend (earthquakes, what you gunna do?), which led to a re-purposed ticket used with my reluctant wife, who is now a Japan tragic.
Gear, the eternal question.
I want to do either something like I once did, to capture the earliest feelings we had (OM5 Mk1’s, 17, 45, 75-300 etc) or something completely new (video?).
This is our first trip alone since 2018, the last trip before COVID was shared, the two since were the same, which is great, except it is different. Meg and I tend to just wander, to lose ourselves in the little things, we are not “big ticket” people and tend to avoid the tourist traps, which even when showing others our Japan, tend to be assumed.
We fully intend to spend more time travelling with all our various travelling groups (friends and family), but for now, we just want us in Tokyo, doing us.
This one is owed to my wife in particular, reserved for her 50th in 2020, planned but shelved during the pandemic.
Option 1, traditional.
Panasonic G9 Mk1, EM10.2 (or EM1.2), 12-60 kit, 17, 45 and 40-150 kit.
The G9 in hand with the 17 could do the bulk of the street, switching to the zoom for scenic day trips, the little EM10 (or EM1.2) as a light weight option for a longer lens in my bag, used about 20% of the time. This is basically my working day kit now, with an EM1.2 on the shoulder.
I could do the whole thing with the G9/17 and might, maybe packing just the tiny 45 as an alternate.
The G9 mk1 is chosen because of my older cams, it has the best performance for close in grabs (face/body detect) and turning low and poor/hard light pretty. Japan in spring can be fickle, so Pana’s bright and light colours blended with the more organic Oly glass is well suited.
The EM10.2’s are the closest I have to my original EM5’s, are light weight and work well with fine AF point tele work to the eye. I can also use it’s more controlled bright light performance for street grabs. My wife may also be taking a Pen Mini, which shares the same batteries.
Pen Mini and 17mm in bright morning Melbourne light. Still one of my favourite trips.
The little kit 12-60 and 40-150 lenses have nothing to prove. I have no qualms using these “plastic fantastic” lenses even for precious work.
Easily good enough for a 12x16” fine art print.
Option 2, radical departure.
The G9II and 24mm Sirui anamorphic with IRIX ND and shoot the whole trip in clips.
Yeah right, pretty out there. Hard to share, harder possibly to actually do with any real point to it, but what if?
I guess the loose plan is to take a dozen little clips of each location, but like a stills or cinematic shooter, keeping it simple, no “cutesy” sh*t just solid docco level footage, 5-10 second locked down clips, blended into a set of quiet little contemplative travel-meditation things (in V-Log or Flat, because I think the SSD would drive me mad). A video diary if you will.
This could be (1) a genuine look into us and how/where we travel, a window into Japanese day to day life and a break through for me, or (2) a big waste of time.
I would need clear vision and organised application.
Option 3, both, but specialised.
G9.2, 24 Sirui, G9.1 with 9, 17, 45, 40-150 kit.
G9II for video, G9.I with 17 and 45 (to keep weight down) for stills. The anamorphic weighs more than almost anything else, so a heavy option for maybe a big risk, but also maybe a big reward. They share batteries, feel similar and have dual card slots, I can even use them as supports for the other and at a pinch I could leave the G9.I behind on the day and use the G9.2 as a hybrid.
Option 4, both but simpler and lighter (or analysis paralysis wins)
G9II, 8-18, filters, G9.I 17, 45, 40-150 kit.
I could just use the G9II and any of the stills lenses, basically using it as a backup stills/hybrid and apply letterboxing later. This could mean using the 8-18 on the G9.2 as an all-rounder (with filter options), switching to the 9mm for walking, the 45 for something different and low light etc.
Straying from the cinematic look of anamorphic may defeat the purpose.
Option 3 is appealing most at this point.
Leaving soon-ish, so probably need to get on with this.