Visiting Eastern Eurpe - what lens to being

[M8China]

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I am planning a trip in end march to visit cities in E.Europe - Prague, Vienna, Budapest...I will bring along my M8 and a couple of lenses. I have the following in the inventory - Cron 35/2 ASPH, Cron 35/2 pre-asph (s/n. 3638xxx, which version is it?), Lux 50/1.4 pre-asph, and CV 15/4.5 ASPH.

 

My questions -

1. Which combination of two lenses will best suit these cities? I take people in action, buildings, landscapes, and of course my family.

2. Do I need UV/IR filters on all lenses?

3. Is a flash necessary for the trip? I have a SF24.

4. Are there many situations of nostalgia for b+w pictures?

5. Any general advices, dos and don'ts, for picture taking in these great cities will be much appreciated.

 

Many thanks.

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[bill]

Hi,

 

Let me try to be helpful.

 

If you take city photos at home, the lenses you use to do so will be fine for use on your trip. Use what you are familiar with.

 

I have been to all the cities you mention. Follow the link in my signature to my Flickr account for images. Of the three I liked Budapest most, then Prague, and Vienna least - I found it cold and unwelcoming.

 

For the rest of your questions, I am sure someone else will advise you about filtration - the rest is commonsense.

 

Have a good trip.

 

Regards,

 

Bill

[richam]

Agree with Bill that you should use what you are familiar with. I normally have the 28mm Elmar mounted on M8, and bring along my CV15 for super wide angle, plus the 50mm Lux for available light shots. But that's me. I've used the CV15 reasonably well without a filter; the others have the IR cut filter.

 

Regarding flash, you may find some places -- museums, churches, theaters, etc. -- that allow photography, but no flash. I prefer to take the Leica minipod instead of a flash because of this, plus I don't normally like the look of flash shots, anyway. If I anticipate situations where I will need flash, I'll be sure to bring my D-Lux 4; I normally carry it as a backup anyway.

 

Nostalgia B&W? Not sure just what you are looking for, but you may be able to find some old Soviet era buildings, sites, displays, etc. that you consider in that category.

 

Agree again with Bill that I enjoyed Budapest, Prague, and Vienna in that order. My wife puts Prague at the top of the list, so it's a personal thing. I'd be tempted to put Prague on top just because of the beer; recommend you try it if you get a chance.

 

I don't have any portfolios posted right now, just a few Budapest scenes that I had used mostly as a Photoshop and iMovie playground: Budapest Movie

 

Hope this helps. Have a great time.

[Speenth]

Prague is beautiful, but very touristic. Every inch of it photographed from every imaginable perspective. Budapest is intriguing, with a split personality defined in its name; Buda is very different from Pest - enjoy the big plazas and vibrancy of the main town, but be sure to ride the funicular railway and take a close look at Pest.

 

I understand Bill's impression of Vienna. It is not the most beautiful city of Europe. There's a lot of post-war austerity concrete, but therein lies its secret - this city of diplomacy, business and the arts teetered for so long between the post-war eastern and western cultures. At first it appears somewhat reserved, but this is only skin-deep. Vienna is the most varied and surprising of cities in so many respects. Read up in advance on Otto Wagner and Adolf Loos, Klimt and Scheile, Freud and Wittgenstein etc., etc and you'll be directed to so many photographic subjects, mostly outside the 'Ring' that constrains the tiny tourist heart of Vienna. Apart from the Museums Quartier, and the Albertina, you can avoid the usual tourist attractions and find much more interesting photographic subjects.

 

Maybe take a tram to the Zentralfriedhof - the great (and highly photogenic) cemetery halfway between the city and the airport. It's literally stuffed with the celebrities of every era. While you're there, be sure to go inside the extraordinary art nouveau Lueger Kirche. Or, in central Vienna, take a look inside and out of the Postsparkasse building.

 

Visit Grinzing for good food and then head on up into the Wienerwald immediately behind.

 

A street photography nirvana is the Naschmarkt early any morning except Sunday, but Saturday is best.

 

Have a coffee in Cafe Korb (and be sure to visit the loo - it will surprise you). Not your typical Vienna cafe, Korb is great for people watching - similarly Pruckel's. If you go to Pruckel's be sure to visit the amazing MAK right across the road - a wonderful museum and gallery of the applied arts.

 

Visit Copa Cagrana beside the Reichbrucke over the mighty Danube (not the kanal that so many tourists mistake for the Danube) for some uniquely entertaining waterside people watching. Right behind is the extraordinary 1970's UNO City - unusually impressive for buildings of that era and headquarters to much of the UN including the IAEA.

 

From the Copa hire a pushbike and head east on the Danube bike path to one of Europe's largest and most naturally lovely nature parks, the Donau Auen, right on the city's northeast edge. I think the Viennese keep it as a secret for themselves.

 

... and don't forget the essential pilgrimage to the Leica Shop and the Westlicht gallery in Westbahngasse.

 

As Bill says, just take your favourite lenses. But these cities go in for big buildings and grand vistas - you'll need a wideangle or two!

[August_West]

No help with the Europe trip, but your 35mm 'Cron pre-asph is what is known as Type IV, mfg in 1993 according to my references.

[EdLam]

Sounds like a great trip. I didn't hav emy M8 yet when I went last year, but I didn't have my LX3. I found that the wide lens was perfectly suited to capture the beautiful street-scapes. Only rarely did I wish I could have gotten in tighter. Nonetheless, have a great time.

 

Oh, and Prague was my favorite with Budapest close behind.

[dcoombs]

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Great cities, all, though the weather in late March could be a little iffy. Take a jacket!

 

You will use all your focal lengths, for sure. Don't know if you need both 35's, though. Also, the flash will probably not see much use, but if your not weight or space constrained why not take it along.

 

Enjoy your adventure!

 

Doug

[grduprey]

I am planning a trip in end march to visit cities in E.Europe - Prague, Vienna, Budapest...I will bring along my M8 and a couple of lenses. I have the following in the inventory - Cron 35/2 ASPH, Cron 35/2 pre-asph (s/n. 3638xxx, which version is it?), Lux 50/1.4 pre-asph, and CV 15/4.5 ASPH.

 

My questions -

1. Which combination of two lenses will best suit these cities? I take people in action, buildings, landscapes, and of course my family.

2. Do I need UV/IR filters on all lenses?

3. Is a flash necessary for the trip? I have a SF24.

4. Are there many situations of nostalgia for b+w pictures?

5. Any general advices, dos and don'ts, for picture taking in these great cities will be much appreciated.

 

Many thanks.

 

Take as wide a lens as you have, I used my 21 Elmarit Asph 90% of the time on my last trip.

 

UV/IR is best, but not a must have.

 

Flash is always nice to have when needed. But can be skipped for 70% of the time, depends on how much indoor shooting you do, and how well you can hold the camera at slow shutter speeds. If you can hit 1/8th most of the time then flash will not be needed except for Very Dark conditions, or as fill.

 

B&W is always nice for shooting over there.

 

Take lots of SD cards and at least 3 extra batteries. A small laptop for downloading is a real must, or some other storage device. I took my 13 inch Macbook and it was perfect for me. Depending on how long you are going to be there, a portable HD would be nice. I was there for 3 months and the Macbook ran out of HD space so the external drive was a must.

 

Gene

[Guest WPalank]

 

My questions -

 

4. Are there many situations of nostalgia for b+w pictures?

5. Any general advices, dos and don'ts..........

 

DON'T shoot B&W in camera. DO shoot DNG and convert to B&W later in the post-processing program of your choice.

 

Have a great trip. I love those cities!

[MPJMP]

I have also travelled the three cities you mention, but it was 15 years ago with a Leica R5 SLR and 50mm Summicron lens. I got some beautiful shots that hung on my walls for many years.

 

A few years later I was living in Switzerland and shooting a Contax G1 rangefinder. With that camera I finally discovered the practical versatility of a wide-angle lens for travel photography. When travelling in Europe I often found myself trying to squeeze in great cathedrals and monuments from cramped distances. That 28mm Zeiss made getting the shots I wanted a lot easier.

 

I would suggest a 28mm equivalent (or wider) for landscape and architecture and a 50mm equivalent (or greater) for people shots.

 

And bring the SF24. Never know when you might need some extra illumination indoors.

[rob_w]

I am living in Prague temporarily and agree with all the comments/advice you have received so far. The one point I would add is that a lot of the architectural beauty of Prague is visible in small details -- ornate doors, architraves, painted fascias of buildings, statues (often high up as building ornamentation) and so on -- for these a longer focal length can be very useful, say a 75 or 90. For streetscapes, views across the river, the passing parade of people, a 35 or 50 is fine.

 

You will have a lot of fun, but let's hope Spring arrives in good order by March. At the moment it is struggling to get above freezing most days and the snow is still lying on the ground from last December.

 

Robert

 

PS a good low-light performer would also be handy for the many indoor shots you will be tempted to take: think cafes, restaurants, pubs, galleries, churches, historical buildings ... all with lots of wonderful details.

[M8China]

Thank you very much for the good advices all of you offered so generously. I decided to bring along the Cron 35/2 ASPH, CV 15/4.5 and the Lux 50/1.4 to cover architectures, people and night scenes. I will have UV/IR filter on both Leica lenses.

 

Based on suggestions I think a small desktop tripod will be in order. No flash as the Lux will take care of low light situations, and will shoot in DNG+JPG, no B+W. I am using an Archos 605 personal media player (160GB and weighs only 400gm) as my storage, so no need for the laptop.

 

I am going end of March so hopefully weather will be quite agreeable by then.

 

Again, I appreciate all the inputs.

[M8China]

Hi Speenth, you mentioned a Leica nirvana in Vienna, where exactly is the spot, I might want to make it a must-visit if it is not too far off. Any other good Leica outfits in these cities? Appreciate your enlightenment. Thanks.

[Speenth]

Hi Speenth, you mentioned a Leica nirvana in Vienna, where exactly is the spot, I might want to make it a must-visit if it is not too far off. Any other good Leica outfits in these cities? Appreciate your enlightenment. Thanks.

 

Hi' M8China,

 

The Vienna Leica Shop and adjoining Westlicht Gallery are both famous and easy to find. Go here for the details: https://www.leicashop.com/index.php?lang=en and here: WestLicht - Schauplatz für Fotografie .

 

Getting there is easy. The 49 tram stops right outside the door, or it's 10 minutes walk from Neubaugasse U-Bahn (metro station) in Mariehilfestrasse (Vienna's 'Oxford Street').

 

Your choice of lenses should do the job just fine and you can always buy some more at the Leica Shop!

 

If you're into architecture, make sure you visit the Kunsthaus Museum KUNST HAUS WIEN. Museum Hundertwasser and the nearby Hundertwasserhaus - not what you'd expect in staid old Vienna!

 

Have a great trip and don't forget to post some pictures.

[Manolo Laguillo]

In Vienna, I would add "Trzesniewski. Die unaussprechlich guten Brötchen" which means: the incredible tasty little sandwiches. It's in the old city, in the pedestrian zone, on a small side street. Ask, it's well known. You will enjoy it, for sure!

Have fun!

[M8China]

Thanks Speenth, I will post some pictures if I find that I have done justice to the Leica name, else nothing if I don't have good pictures. I will find time to visit the sandwich place you mentioned, Manolo, and thanks.

 

I have a WATE (coded), anyone thinks it is worthwhile to bring along despite the FrankenFinder and only F4? I guess E.Europe will still be having quite gloomy weather come end March.