Hello from Freiburg, Germany. I've been on the road for just a week but this trip is already very different in many ways when it comes to camera gear.

You might remember I was struggling with gear and decided to leave behind most of it. The result is this: I've gone compact, I've been shooting photos with my old Sony RX100ii and videos with the RX100VA.

Why

Because I don't like to switch lenses all the time. Because I want a light and small camera that I can bring everywhere with me. Because I don't like clutter. Because I love the way these small sensors render the images. Because I'm a better photographer when gear isn't in the way.

The good things

The smaller footprint has already made a difference: I brought my camera bag with me, but instead of filling it with lenses and other accessories, I have water.

Since I don't have the option to switch lenses, I've been focusing on making the image. No more distractions.

The bad things

I'm more limited when it comes to focal length: the RX100ii can "only" reach up to 100mm, which falls short of the 310mm I used to reach with my a6000. I will definitely miss some shots because of this.

Related to this, the lower resolution files don't leave me much room to crop: I'm used to working with 4000x4000px squares (16MP), but I'm down to 3648x3648px now (13.3MP).

The video part has been more frustrating, though: as amazing as the RX100VA is for video, the lack of a microphone input is almost a deal breaker.

While I use a lav mic plugged into my phone to record my own voice, the issue comes when I try to record ambient sound: the wind, the cars passing by, the silence, my footsteps, a nearby stream... I can't pick those sounds up with a lavalier mic. I brought an external recorder with me (Zoom H1) and a shotgun mic, but it's been a bit of a pain to use and synchronize in post.

Long-term game

After some initial tests in Spain (the video Outubro was made in its entirety with these two cameras) and a week on the road, I feel like I need more time to know for sure if this setup is going to work for me long-term.

While I care about the size and weight of my camera gear, I value simplicity of use the most. I did get that on the photography side, but my video workflow has gotten more complex.

I will keep you updated about my experiences as I spend more time with these two tiny, but amazing cameras.