It weighs
How much ?
Many of my outings are similar to the one pictured above -- 6 to12 mile hikes with a 3,000-5,000 ft elevation change. Weight & space are at a premium and carrying multiple bodies and/or lenses is simply not practical. Most of the camera bodies I've owned have either been from Canon or Minolta/Sony. In pre-digital times I carried the Minolta Maxxum 5 more often than the Canon Elan II, mostly because of the former's lighter weight.
When I finally went digital, I started with a Sony A100 but quickly moved up to the Sony A700, adding weight but also image quality. (I've since acquired a Canon 40D as well.) It drives all my Canon-shooting friends nuts but honestly I prefer the Sony. My current default set up is the Sony A700 with a Tamron 17-55 f2.8 and a Sony 70-200 f2.8 G (more weight). I also have a Sigma 300 f2.8 - but at nearly 5 pounds, it's just not an everyday lens. I do use a tripod more often than not and have had good success with the Boegen 055XB and 322RC2 head.
I hope to add a full frame body this year, likely the Sony A900 + the Zeiss 24-70 f2.8 - a move that would finally jettison any pretense of weight restrictions. Stay tuned!
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