forest hiking

Are you backpacking (like, multiple days) or day-hiking? This will quite likely make a difference in how you load up. I spent 10 days hiking in New Mexico last year, and I had to choose the gear I carried pretty carefully. As it is, I probably carried a little more than I should have, but not more than I used. :D

The tripod idea is paramount. If you're backpacking, you might have to compromise a bit, but there's no question you'll want *something* to stabilize your rig. I had a Trekpod -- one of those hiking sticks w/ legs that fold out on the bottom to make a quasi-tripod. This basically winds up being a device that isn't a great tripod *or* a great trekking pole, but it's better than nothing on both fronts. If you can swing a real tripod, though, it'll make your photography much easier and the results will show.

The shot you posted in #6 isn't really the sort that needs super-fast glass, provided you've got a really good tripod. Remember, you can expose up to 30 seconds or so without any special equipment, and if there's even a little bit of ambient light, you'll be fine. The fast glass winds up being helpful for stars, among other things, because you'll start to see star trails on your long exposures.

Give some thought to whether this is primarily a hiking trip or a photography trip -- the two aren't always compatible. My NM trip was a hiking trip, so I had to fit the photography in where I was able. This often meant shooting at entirely the wrong time of day, shooting without properly supporting the camera, and so on. For me, it was also paramount to have fast access to my camera without dropping my whole load, so I hung a TLZ case (with weather cover) on my chest and kept my camera there. I liked this arrangement a lot, and I do this even with day packs now. Whatever you decide to carry, do some prep hikes with the gear you plan to carry so you can (1) get used to it and (2) see what doesn't work. I've tried carrying my tripod about a dozen different ways to find a position I can reach it quickly and not have it bang my knees every time I take a step.
 
I'd say don't worry much about the fast glass. You're going to be taking photos of things that are standing still, and you're probably going to have plenty of time to do it, AND you're going to want to be using smallish apertures to get the scene focused. Tripods are therefore the order of the day here, and if you're using a tripod and want large DOF, fast glass is pointless.

Worry much more about:
1) Having a good sturdy tripod that you like using
2) Having a good quality ND filter (maybe a 3 stop one and a 10 stop one, or a NICE QUALITY variable one). Almost all landscapes tend to look good with somewhat long exposures. Water blurs into a silky, attractive glassy sheet; clouds blur a little bit at 30ish seconds+ which has a very cool and calm effect. Mist will look dreamier, etc. You may also want to take normal, shorter exposure images, but the long ones are the ones that require the equipment you need to worry about more so. In other words, short exposures are either going to be handheld during the day mostly, and won't require much fancy equipment. OR they will be an afterthought once you've already set up the tripod for a long exposure shot. Just change settings and remove the ND and snap a shorter photo before taking down the setup and moving on. Neither short exposure situation requires any particularly special equipment. It's not like sports. (I'm assuming you don't also want bid photos, in which case that would change things significantly)
3) Make sure to always turn off image stabilization on a tripod.


For the ND filter there is a nice app that I found called Long Exposure Calculator, which gives you a list of shutter speeds and ND filters (anywhere from a 1stop: ND2 to a 20 stop ND1000000). Select your shutter speed that you would use without the filter and then select the kind of ND filter you are using, and then it will give you the correct shutter speed to use with the filter.

It is a very useful app, I don't think it's free but it's no more than 2 dollars I think.
 

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