Grab and Go Kit Explained

Grab and Go Kit

In my last post I wrote about a "Grab and Go" kit that I put together as a way of having gear all in one place that will cover 90% of what I may encounter as I head out of the door.  This kit is not the kit I pick up when I purposefully go out to photograph, but the one I grab anytime I leave the house.  However, I believe this kit could also serve well when traveling and space is not available to carry my regular kit with several lenses.  I would feel comfortable traveling with only this kit.

In this post, I wanted to go into a bit more detail as to why you see what you see and the decision making process behind what is included in this kit.  My goal is to be able to cover the vast majority of situations I may encounter in a very high quality, but small and lightweight camera kit.  


Camera—Olympus E-M1 Mark II.  Extremely versatile camera which literally can be set up on 10's of thousands of ways.  This is the most versatile and complex camera I've ever owned.  The sensor is the latest m4/3 20mp sensor and is excellent in resolution, sharpness, dynamic range, highlight and shadow recovery as well as color reproduction. This camera has extraordinary features such as a frame rate as high as 60fps, Pro Capture which can continually record up to 14 frames with a half press of the shutter as you anticipate peak action then save the last 14 as you press the shutter all the way (I'll have a post coming soon where I demonstrate that), a 50mp file in Hi-Res mode, automatic focus stacking, amazing in-body image stabilization, in-camera HDR, etc.  I could go on and on but it would take the rest of this post to write about all of the features this camera possesses. In short, this is an amazing camera to carry around that can do about everything but cook dinner for you. If you don't get good results from this camera it is probably you and not the camera.

Lenses—I chose two lenses that will cover almost all circumstances in which I may want to photograph.  The excellent and versatile Olympus 12-100mm f/4 lens gives me the 35mm equivalent of 24-200mm.  This lens is sharp wide open at all focal lengths.  If I need a shorter focal length on occasion, I can make multiple exposures and later merge them horizontally as well as vertically.  If I need a bit more reach, I can crop the image or use Olympus' excellent in-camera tele-converter which, in effect, digitally crops the original file.  However, Olympus does more than just give you a cropped file with the resultant smaller file size. After cropping the center out of the image file, the software in the camera rebuilds it to the original file size—back up to 20mp.  This little trick works very well.  In fact, in my previous tests with the E-M1 I used to own, I could do no better in Lightroom, Photoshop as well as using Alien Skin's Blow Up 3 software.  However, if I don't like what the camera has produced, I can always just crop the RAW file.  As a bonus, this lens focuses very close and can serve my normal macro needs.  This is an excellent all around lens to take when you only want to take one.

To supplement the 12-100mm f/4 lens, I include the tiny Olympus 25mm f/1.7 lens.  This lens is fast for indoors/low light photography and replicates the standard focal length on a 35mm camera.  I am now more comfortable with a 50mm focal length than 35mm. Used to prefer the 35mm focal length but things change over time.  Just me.  It gives me 2 1/3 stop more light than the 12-100mm, which can come in handy when the light is low or I want a shallower depth of field.  This lens is a good performer and could easily fit in your pocket if you so chose.

Bag—I've said in the past and I'll say it again now, the Ape Case Enjoy Messenger bag is one of my all time favorites.  I really don't mind the blue color as blue is unusual for a bag holding photo gear, which is the point.  It is small (9" x 6" x 11") made of nylon and extremely lightweight.  It weighs less than 13 oz. (368g) and, as a bonus, it has a yellow interior which makes finding small black items very easy.  Best of all it is very inexpensive.  I've had this bag for several years and it has shown no wear as of yet.

Straps—I normally carry my camera with a wrist strap.  My normal way of working is to have my bag over my shoulder and my camera in my right hand with a wrist strap around my wrist.  When I'm not using the camera, it easily slips into the bag.  My cameras are normally equipped with a Peak Design Leash wrist strap.  This are well made and have quick release connectors, which are very secure but which make the strap easily removable.  When I don't carry a bag, camera and lens only, I use a neck strap.  I have used small Upstrap neck straps for many years.  In fact, the two I have (one for each camera) I bought to use with my Leica rangefinders back in the mid-1990s.  I have equipped the Upstrap with the same Peak Design quick release connectors making it interchangeable with the wrist strap. Upstrap's claim to fame is that they don't slip off your shoulder.  In all the years I've owned them, they never have.  They really work well.  

L-plate—All of my tripods have Arca-Swiss style connectors on their ballheads.  I keep the generic L-plate in my bag and attach it if I plan to use the tripods that are always in my vehicles.  I carry the hex (Allen) wrench to attach the plate to the bottom of the camera (the 1/4" x 20 bolt is also slotted so a coin works as well), but I'm going to switch to 1/4" x 20 tripod bolts that have a D-ring on them so no tools are needed.  I have one L-plate that has a D-ring and I have found it secure and convenient.  Try to keep a spare hex wrench in my pocket, just in case.

Batteries and Battery Charger—Of course one battery is in the camera and I carry an Olympus spare battery.  These batteries are significantly better than the batteries that the original E-M5 and E-M1 used.  Also, I've tried some of the off-brand replacement batteries, but I prefer the manufacturers' batteries just as an extra measure of assurance that all will function as designed.  (I seem to remember a couple of camera manufacturers offering firmware updates that, among other things, resulted in aftermarket batteries no longer working.  Was it Panasonic and Nikon?  Not sure.)

I always keep spare batteries in some sort of cases to prevent shorts.  In the mid-1970s, when I was a police CSI detective, a fellow detective always carried a spare flash unit battery in his front pocket.  One time he forgot he also had a pocket full of change in there as well. You can imagine the heat, fire and pain!  I never forgot the lesson HE learned!  Not funny then, humorous now.

I carry the Olympus battery charger right in my small bag.  However, I leave the bulky and long cord at home and I purchased several of these small "Duck's Head" push-in plugs to cut down on bulk and weight.  I use them on any battery charger that doesn't plug directly into a socket.  They are inexpensive and work well.

Lens Cleaning Supplies—I carry the Giottos small Rocket Blower.  I try to never wipe a lens without first blowing off any debris that may be on the glass.  Nothing like grinding debris into the front element when wiping it off!  I also use it to blow off the inside of my camera (always holding the camera with lens opening facing downward, of course).  I carry at least two lens cloths and sometimes more.  Never have enough.

Filters—I don't use filters often since digital photography has dominated my work, but there are three that I consistently find myself using.  I buy only high quality filters that are nano or multi coated.  The filter I use most is a circular polarizer. Then, I also find 6 stop and 10 stop neutral density filters help in a variety of circumstances.  I don't use the ND filters often, but when I need them, I need them.  I don't mind including them as they are not large and heavy.  These filters are nano coated B+W.

Notice that I put tape on the filter cases identifying the contents as well as which side opens.  At some point I tired of having to open each case to see what was inside as well as having to determine which side opens.  Easy hack.

Flash—I almost never use flash.  Normally, I will only use them for fill flash when I need a little pop of light for a little help with harsh shadows.  I have an Olympus FL 600R. Excellent flash but too big for this kit.  In this little kit, I include the little Olympus flash that came with the camera body.  I can bounce it or otherwise manipulate its light output to serve as a little fill light.

Memory Cards—In both of the camera's memory card slots, I have 64gb SDXC cards.  In slot 1, I have a UHS II card for speed.  In slot 2, I have a fast card, but only UHS I as the slot cannot utilize the new, faster standard.  I also carry two spare cards, one UHS II and the other UHS I.  I have the camera set up to write to both cards simultaneously (RAW + JPEG) so the second card acts as a backup.  If I am traveling and don't have my computer with me, I'll also carry a 128gb card. I can remove the card from slot 2 and insert this card to which I can copy all my images from the card in slot 1, take it out and reinsert the original card, utilizing the 128gb as a second backup.

Remote Release—I carry this but have not yet used it.  I find that if I have the camera on a tripod, I utilize the LCD for its "touch to focus and expose" feature.  That way I can touch the exact spot on which I want the camera to focus and, employing the 2-second shutter delay, expose the image.  Only if I need a precise timing of when I need to press the shutter release, will I normally use the remote release.  An example would be making an exposure at the peak of action and a 2-second delay just wouldn't work in that circumstance.

So there you have it!  My "Grab and Go" kit as well as my travel kit when space is extremely limited or I am limited in what I can carry.  If I forgotten something you believe is essential or you have any other suggestions or different thoughts, please share them with all of us.  I don't have a lock on all of the knowledge and experience that is out there and your thoughts could be beneficial to all of us.  I'll be glad to answer any questions you may have as well.

In the near future, I'll write a post letting everyone know what is in my primary kit, which is Fuji gear.

Thanks for looking. Enjoy! 

Dennis A. Mook 

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