I, and many others, have been living on this long problematic journey through the so-called golden years which are part of the irreversible flow of life from birth to death, but as we approach the end, we are still left with the residue of the unresolved.

In my case, one of those many, so far, unresolved issues is how to minimize my photography gear so that I can still do photography.  I guess I should be thankful that this issue is the one most pressing on my mind.

This issue has been complicated by lack of ideas for what to photograph, bigger changes in my physical abilities to handle the cameras and get around, and some changes in the technologies incorporated in the cameras.

Thanks to technology I am now trying to do more of my photography with smaller gear like the small Canon G5X Mark II.  Those who haven’t followed the evolution of the Canon cameras should take note, and notice that the “Mark II” designation is quite important for this camera since the Mark II version is a lot different from the original camera.  As a minimum, I will carry the G5X II as a backup to one of the Fujifilm cameras and whatever lenses I’m using to photograph Homewood events.  That saves me from needing to carry a larger heavier Fujifilm backup camera in a larger bag.

As another step towards living life with more minimal gear, at least when it comes to my photography, I still would like to minimize my gear further; but, doing that too quickly might be labeled heresy and a little premature or early in my journey. 

As an interim step I’m going to try a micro 4/3 system again and try the Olympus E-M5 III since it is WR and more rugged and is a little larger in size, controls, grip, etc. than the G5X II; i.e., between the G5X II and the Fuji cameras I have.  Another reason for going down that path again is the excellent Olympus image stabilization (IS).  I have found real value in having the IS with the G5X II, at least for non moving subjects.  If I can make the micro 4/3 system work well enough for my indoor Homewood photography, I will then start selling off the Fuji gear, probably starting with the heaviest and largest camera and lenses.