Sony camera and lens for backpacking.

[Viper-694]

Hello everyone. I was lucky enough to get a permit to go backpacking in Glacier National Park later this year and I was thinking about finally getting into a real camera instead of just the phone camera. What I'd like to do is make time-lapses and videos like this guy's channel https://youtube.com/c/milosh9k. I'm debating between the Sony a 7riii and a 7riv. Both cameras I think are more than good enough and the high mega pixels would allow me to fake a panning time-lapse without having to carry any extra gear. I also like the tracking auto focus of the 7riv but I'm not sure budget will allow the extra $700. The lens that I'm thinking about is sony's 24-105mm. That seems to be a good jack of all trades lens and since I'm backpacking I don't have the space for  or want the extra weight of multiple lenses. I'm curious to hear other people's thoughts. Would this be a good setup or would a different lens serve my purpose better? Thanks.

[D13H4RD]

Get the a7Riii and use the money saved on accessories.

 

I used both the a7Riii and a7Riv and whilst the a7Riv has the better AF and a much better, more ergonomic body design, image quality is more of a sidegrade.

[GDRRiley]

as someone who carried a canon SL2 + an 24-70 F2.8 and 70-200 F2.8 (first versions) + a few other lenses which was a 1lbs body with 8-10lbs worth of glass backpacking I love the 24-105 F4.
get a wide strap/ shoulder system or maybe with a shoulder pad clip system. I like Peak Design SL-BK-3, its almost 2 in wide vs the normal 1-1.4 of most cameras straps
I'd consider grabbing a telephoto like the 100-400 from sigma

 

[YellowJersey]

If you're looking for a lens, I recommend:
Sony 24-105mm f4 G (most expensive, but most versatile)
Tamron or Sigma 28-70/75mm 2.8 (maybe pair with a Tamron 17-28mm 2.8) (a good option if you need faster glass)

As for bodies, maybe go with the A7rIII instead of the A7III due to the A7III shutter issue. I rock an A7rIII and use it for hiking and landscapes. I really like it. I personally think the A7rIV is a bit overkill, but the real-time tracking would be useful if you're trying to shoot wildlife, which you're probably not doing a lot of if you're trying to keep size/weight down for hiking.

[Viper-694]

Thanks everyone for the input. You've convinced me to go with the a7riii and the 24-105mm lens. I am extremely excited for this trip. 

[YellowJersey]

On 4/19/2021 at 12:16 PM, Viper-694 said:

Thanks everyone for the input. You've convinced me to go with the a7riii and the 24-105mm lens. I am extremely excited for this trip. 

Sounds like a good choice. I shot for years with a 24-105mm as my only lens. There were very few times I realistically needed wider or longer.

[YellowJersey]

On 4/19/2021 at 12:16 PM, Viper-694 said:

Thanks everyone for the input. You've convinced me to go with the a7riii and the 24-105mm lens. I am extremely excited for this trip. 

When you say "Glacier National Park," do you mean the one in Canada or the one in the US?

[Viper-694]

On 4/24/2021 at 12:27 AM, YellowJersey said:

When you say "Glacier National Park," do you mean the one in Canada or the one in the US?

The one in the US. I got a permit for a 5 day 63.5 mile loop. It's pretty hard to reserve a permit in advance for a trip like this because there are a ton of applications. So I'm really excited. 

[YellowJersey]

1 hour ago, Viper-694 said:

The one in the US. I got a permit for a 5 day 63.5 mile loop. It's pretty hard to reserve a permit in advance for a trip like this because there are a ton of applications. So I'm really excited. 

Nice. I was at Waterton Lakes NP last summer; it borders on your Glacier NP. Lovely area. I'm hopefully doing a 5 day trek to Mt. Assiniboine in June. I'll be bringing my A7rIII, Sony 24-105mm f4, and Tamron 17-28 2.8 for that one. Here's hoping we both get good weather!

[Viper-694]

21 minutes ago, YellowJersey said:

Nice. I was at Waterton Lakes NP last summer; it borders on your Glacier NP. Lovely area. I'm hopefully doing a 5 day trek to Mt. Assiniboine in June. I'll be bringing my A7rIII, Sony 24-105mm f4, and Tamron 17-28 2.8 for that one. Here's hoping we both get good weather!

We're going in late September. From what I've read we shouldn't have any snow but it could be cold at night. Our trail is in the northern part of the park so we'll actually be really close to Waterton but the border crossing in the park is closed this year.