Mark Toal Takes a One Lens Vacation

Intro by Skip Cohen

It's time for another guest post by my good buddy Mark Toal. Mark is a regular contributor to Mirrorless Photo Tips along with some other great friends, Joe and Mary Farace. To Mark's point with today's guest post, mirrorless cameras, especially Panasonic's family of LUMIX cameras allow us all to have better lighter gear with us when traveling.

I'll be the first to admit traveling on vacation with all the gear I used to drag along was no fun. Today, most of my travel is with an FZ1000 or GH3 around my neck or when just wanting a point and shoot with me, a DMC-ZS30 in my pocket. The two images above were both shot with this remarkable little camera, and while this model is no longer in production, you can count on whatever replaced it being just as good! I also refer to it as the first camera on the market to not be susceptible to waitresses cutting off heads! LOL

Interested in seeing more of Mark's work and enjoying his "how-to" support, check out Mirrorless Photo Tips. Also check out the LUMIX Lounge where you'll often find Mark and Panasonic's Luminary team sharing images and terrific content every day!

by Mark Toal
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Last year I spent some time in Florida visiting family and taking along only a Lumix GH2 and Lumix 14mm lens and the (now seemingly unavailable as new) Lumix wide-angle adapter. This was a family visit and not a real vacation but I never regretted it for a moment. I photographed everything from flowers to dinosaurs to the Airstream Ranch. I had to spend a little more time finding the right spot and moving back and forth. The only time I wished I had a second lens was for a few family portraits. The 24mm equivalent (I like to use use the Lumix wide adapter on the 14mm) was a little too wide for that.

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Another thing I found about carrying a mirrorless camera was that people tended to ignore me and let me shoot anything I wanted. When someone questioned me for getting too close to the Airstream’s or Dinosaur’s I pretended to be a tourist looking for a snapshot and they left me alone. When I was warned to watch out for the Alligator in the pond by the Airstream’s that’s when I did decide to leave.

It’s become a cliché but is nonetheless true—the best camera really is the one that you have with you and the small size of mirrorless cameras makes that possible.

Images copyright Mark Toal. All rights reserved.