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Do I need an SLR for Scotland?


colorflow

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Will be going to Edingburgh, Inverness, and taking a cruise on the Lockes and the coast of the Highlands. I plan to take my M9, a late 35Lux pre-Asph (Germany), 24 Elmarit, and 50 Lux Asph. Do you think I'll need a telephoto. I have a Sony A900 with a 70-300 that I can also take. But hate to lug around the weight. Perhaps I should just add a Tele-Elmarit 90 for the M9 and forget about the SLR?

 

Thanks for your input,

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Take the 24 and the 50, and leave the rest (apart from the M9!) at home. You certainly won't feel the need for another system, and I'm betting you'll prefer the freedom of minimal kit over even the 35. You'll want the 24 for sure. The scenery up there is stunning, and BIG!

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Alan, unless you're birding or on safari, leave all the heavy stuff home!

I enjoy my Elmarit 90 wherever I go. You might consider it for detail shots in town, or to prevent a lot of cropping from distant scenes. Bring a flash!

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Will be going to Edingburgh, Inverness, and taking a cruise on the Lockes and the coast of the Highlands. I plan to take my M9, a late 35Lux pre-Asph (Germany), 24 Elmarit, and 50 Lux Asph. Do you think I'll need a telephoto...

I would not do a trip like this w/o a telephoto for sure. 90 or 135, matter of tastes. If you need a fast lens, the Summicron 90/2 asph or pre-asph is a must have imho. If you want to do sharp close-ups and/or macro in a small package, the Macro-Elmar 90/4 is the way to go.

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:D

 

Yeah, but if you do get a shot of Nessie it's bound to be blurred, just like Bigfoot and the Aliens. Either that or the battery will run out just as you're about to press the shutter.

 

Tuck in the 90 Elmarit, why not. It's not that big or heavy and may come in useful.

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You should be fine with those 3 lenses. When I toured Scotland by tandem bicycle in the early 80s I just took my Leica CL with 40 Summicron-C. When forced to travel light you realize how much you don't really need. You stop worrying about what you don't have very quickly.

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I have done quite a bit of backpacking in the Scandinavian mountains above the tree line (same Caledonian folding – basically Scottish Highlands with reindeer instead of sheep ... ) and even when I did carry other focal lengths, I never felt the need for any other length than 50mm (or corresponding, with MF). 50mm is perfect for open landscapes.

 

The old man in the Lundhags boots

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I'd strongly recommend taking a longer lens (my favourite for walking is the A-T 135 f3.4). I walk a lot in the Lake District - some similarities with Scotland. My preferred walking kit is the M9 + 28, 50, 135. (The English Lake District - June 2010). If I'm really wanting to strip things down it's 28 + 135 (The English Seaside - Suffolk - without this I wouldn't have got this one: The English Seaside - Suffolk). Really stripped down? M9 + 35 summicron asph.

 

Enjoy Scotland! Hope you get some sunny days!

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Scotland's no different from anywhere else where equipment is concerned. The gear you need depends on the kind(s) of photography you want to do.

 

Last time I went to Scotland I took a DSLR with 17-35, 60 macro, 85/1.4 and 85-200 - and used them all, including the extremes of the range. With a Leica and two or three lenses I'd have had a much lighter bag but would have come back with a different set of images.

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Thank you all for your excellent suggestions. I was leaning towards the 24,35,90, but based on Lars' comment maybe it should be the 24,50,90. I don't have a 135 so the 90 will have to do. I would like to keep it at three lenses. The 24 Elm, 35 Lux pre-A, and the fat TE 90 would make a really light compact kit. However it would probably be a game time decision between the 35 and 50.

 

Incidentally I just recently acquired the 35 Lux pre-A which is a late German version. I have been really pleasantly surprised by its sharpness from f1.7 on. Its flare characteristics seem to have also improved over a previous older Canadian version I owned.

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