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Which lens combination for Greek islands?


mercan

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I am planning to go Greek islands for 5 days on a cruise ship.

 

I have 28'cron, 35'lux, noctilux f0.95 and 75'cron. I don't want to carry all these lenses as usual. What can be the ideal lens setup? just to carry one lens like 35'lux or 28'cron plus noctilux or any other combination?

 

I have been using 28'cron and 75'cron for the last two years, I got the other two lenses just in this month so I couldn't decide..

 

Thanks

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I've been on a number of these cruise ship excursions and port calls. I'll take either the M9 with 35mm or the X1 and no gadget bag. Toss a spare battery and SD card in your pocket. Attach a Leica minipod or keep one in another pocket. There's usually no time available for thoughtful lens changes or serious composition efforts. Travel light, concentrate on the scenery, and photograph when your mind tells you that you want to capture something you see.

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I doubt you will need the speed of the Noctilux lens unless you are shooting theatre at night, so I would leave that one. For two lenses I would go with either of the wide angles plus the 75mm.

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I am planning to go Greek islands for 5 days on a cruise ship.

 

I have 28'cron, 35'lux, noctilux f0.95 and 75'cron. I don't want to carry all these lenses as usual. What can be the ideal lens setup? just to carry one lens like 35'lux or 28'cron plus noctilux or any other combination?

 

I have been using 28'cron and 75'cron for the last two years, I got the other two lenses just in this month so I couldn't decide..

 

Thanks

 

No mater what lenses you take insure them fully. Listen to #3 since he's from Greece and is rich.

 

Wide for the vistas and narrow streets plus a tele for the plethora of white buildings and roofs.

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I think you should take the 75 and the 28 because you know those well.

 

Then, if you feel adventurous, bring the 35 and teach yourself the difference in practical usage between the 28 and the 35.

 

However, I would not bring the 50 because I don't think the speed is necessary with the M9, because it is heavy and because of the risk of theft.

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For the record, the Greek islands (I have just come back from one and am about to head off to another) are about as crime-ridden as Sark. Normal precautions apply, but don't be paranoid.

 

If you are cruising you will find (unsurprisingly :rolleyes:) that ports are at sea level but the towns may be up a fairly vertiginous cliff. There are footpaths, donkeys and in some cases funiculars or cable cars but in all cases the same thing holds true - the more you have to carry the less fun it will be. 35 and 75 will cater for 90% of your needs. Your 35 is quite fast enough for the odd interior shot.

 

The islands are very quiet this year, by the way. Prices are not noticeably lower but the level of "freebie" is up - desserts, coffees, sunbeds, liqueurs, etc. Even if you shop for groceries you are liable to come away with a free bottle of water or a big bag of nuts.

 

Above all, enjoy and don't stress it.

 

Regards,

 

Bill

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I am planning to go Greek islands for 5 days on a cruise ship

 

Just out of curiosity which islands will you be visiting? I went there twice a year for 15 years or more, so may have visited the one's you're going to.

 

The main problem you'll have on a cruise is the limited time you're likely to get on shore.

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I am a bit puzzled by these recurrent questions about "which lenses should I carry for a trip to [insert location here]?"

 

I presume that you are photographing regularly at home. So you have developed a combination of lenses that work for most situations, and that you are familiar with. Just continue to use them abroad too. Places abroad are (perish the thought!) much like places at home.

 

If you are not photograhing regularly and have no gear preferences, you will be best served by the camera in your mobile phone.

 

The old man from the Age Before Mobile Phones

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Thank you all for the posts, the cruise as I said will be only for 5 days. It will start from Kusadasi in Turkey then, Patmos, Rodos, Heraklion, Santorini, Pire and the last will be Mykanos before Kusadasi again.

 

I know this kind of questions are being asked very frequently and sorry for that but in the first week of July I bought 35'cron and I was planning to carry only this lens during the cruise but after a few weeks one of the Leica dealer called me for a brand new noctilux with an unbelievable asking price, I couldn't resist and I bought it too. Then I've started thinking for the best lenses for my vacation.

 

After all these comments it looks like to carry only 35'cron looks more reasonable especially for the light weight and security. It will also be so practical since I'll be with my family, my daughters are 8 and 1,5 years old.

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Thank you all for the posts, the cruise as I said will be only for 5 days. It will start from Kusadasi in Turkey then, Patmos, Rodos, Heraklion, Santorini, Pire and the last will be Mykanos before Kusadasi again

 

I've been to Kusadasi, Patmos, Rhodes, Santorini and Mykonos out of that list.

 

Kusadasi is a tourist town, not much to see, but a good place to stock up on cheap T shirts or leather jackets. If your in Kusadasi you must take a trip out to Ephesus, which is about 30 minutes away. If you don't go on an organised trip - I never did - take a minibus or dolmus. The driver will indicate if they're going there. Look for buses going to Selçuk. Ephesus is off the right hand side of the road leading into Selçuk, about a mile, or a mile and a half, before the centre of town. The entrance is about 15 minutes walk from the main road, but you can't miss it. It will be hot, though the last time I was there you could at least buy drinks inside the site. A place to take a lot of photographs.

 

If you go to Ephesus take a bus or a taxi into Selçuk itself. There are a lot of cafes and places to eat in Selçuk. Also, there is a really good small museum. One of the best small museums I've ever been to with lots of artefacts that were found on the main site at Ephesus.

 

Patmos is my favourite Greek island if you're on a cruise they'll probably taking you by bus up to the monastery at the top of the hill. You'll probably also be taken to see the Cave of the Apocalypse which is about half way down from the top of the hill. This is where St John is meant to have written the book of revelations.

 

The port itself in Patmos is lively and bustling and I have to say that it's is my favourite amongst the Greek islands that I've visited. If you do spend any time in the main town - know as Skala - have a drink our something to eat in the cafe Arion which is by the waterfront again this is one of my favourite places on my favourite island.

 

Rhodes is a a large town, but almost everything worth seeing can be found in the old town. Rhodes has a long history of being at a pivotal part of the Med and that is reflected in the architecture of the old town, first crusader and then Venetian.

 

Every Greek calendar seems to have a picture of Santorini in it. The houses rolling down the cliff side on the western side of the island are very pretty and you'll have no problem finding similar shots, especially towards sunset.

 

Mykanos is another small town - though when I was last there it was expensive (it even beat Santorini in that regard).

 

I've done all of these using only a 35mm and 25mm lens on a film M. I'd be happy to go back with just a 35mm, though you might like something wider for Santorini.

 

A few snaps from over a decade ago here...

 

Greece_2001

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If you are not photograhing regularly and have no gear preferences, you will be best served by the camera in your mobile phone.

 

What is with the snide comment Lars? Why don't YOU use a cell phone? I've seen nothing you have posted on this forum that couldn't be done with a cell phone. Give the guy a break, he is new here and just wants to know what the rest of us have taken to Greece. It isn't like it never crosses our minds when we are packing our bag. A few years ago I would have even been tempted to PM Bill and ask what lenses he used for the shots of Greece on his Flickr site as I think we both have similar attitudes about travel and photography, philosophically speaking.

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In a way asking a forum 'what lens should I take' is a bit like asking a stranger 'should I marry this women?' In both cases the answer should start with the words 'It depends...'

 

Sure that's true. I always read it as asking "what lens would YOU take" because that way I can post an answer :). In this case I would take the 28 (because it can be cropped to a 35 FoV with no noticeable loss) and the 75. For me, a 35 is too long as my widest lens, so I would want a 21 also. I don't own a Noctilux, but if I did it would not make it into my travel bag for the same reason my 90 Summicron doesn't...too big and heavy. If weight and bulk weren't a travel issue, I would use my 5D + 2-3 zooms and not even own a Leica.

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In a way asking a forum 'what lens should I take' is a bit like asking a stranger 'should I marry this women?' In both cases the answer should start with the words 'It depends...'

 

It's not like asking that at all, although I totally get your point. It is more like asking expert race car drivers what tires they use at Le Mons. You guys are the ones that read into it that the poster is ignorant and can't figure out what lenses to use. Then, he gets snide posts that he should use a cell phone because, obviously he isn't up to your level of internet photographic expertise. Read his first post. He has been using the camera and a couple lenses for 2 years and now has 2 new lenses he isn't familiar with. Even if he had no experience with his new gear it still doesn't justify telling him to use his cell phone. That was just plain rude and I would think that an apology would be in order from Lars' and I sure would not have put my thanks on that post of Lars' and if I did I would recognize my error and be big enough to "un-thank" Lars. Lord knows I've made enough errors here.

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Ummm... Lars said:

I assume you are photographing regularly at home
and started off the cellphone remark with the word " if". He has been pulled out of context here. Reading the complete post does not produce a snide remark at all.
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