I am glad I am not a pro

I am glad I am not a professional photographer. I can choose to use m4/3 which has adequate IQ matched with good AF, IS, flexibility, plenty of lenses, and is relatively small and light. Sports professional photographers have different needs and have to carry very big, very heavy gear. Today I was reminded of that.

The Japan professional baseball team, the Chunichi Dragons from Nagoya, are spending a month here on Okinawa. They come here each year for training at a big sports park that has a stadium, several baseball fields, and other facilities and it is right next to the ocean. People can go and watch them and then at the end of the month they play a couple of exhibition games with inexpensive ticket prices. We were here last year at this time too and they were doing the same. I think some other teams come to Okinawa also in the winter and have their practice at some of the other stadiums and sports parks around the island.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chunichi_Dragons

I sometimes go over for awhile and there are always baseball fans around with cameras. Also, there are media people and team employees with professional video and photo gear -- they all have passes hanging from their necks. Today I was walking along and an attractive woman photographer with a pass, maybe late 20s, walked by me carrying pretty much what most of the other professional photographers carry around there:

• Nikon D4 + 600mm f4 + big monopod over her shoulder
• Nikon D4 + 70-200mm f2.8 hanging from strap from one shoulder
• Nikon D4 + 24-70mm f2.8 + flash hanging from strap from other shoulder

I would say she was about 155cm (5'1") and 50kg (110lbs). How much much does all that gear weigh? The Nikon D4 + 600mm f4 with lenshood was almost as big as she was.

Of course, about an equal number of them are using big Nikon and big Canon bodies and lenses. Some have a 600mm f4 and it appears some may have a 400mm f2.8 or 500mm f4.

I didn't get a chance to get a photo of the small, young woman with the big, big gear, but here is a photo from a few days ago of two other, bigger photographers with similar gear.