rafikiphoto Posted January 30, 2016 Share #1 Posted January 30, 2016 Advertisement (gone after registration) I would really appreciate some help with this please. I am going on a photo tour of Namibia in a couple of months time and I am unsure which lenses to take with me. The emphasis of the workshop for me will be on landscapes but there will be several game drive days. I have the telephoto for game photography covered with a Fuji X-T1 camera and XF 100-400mm lens. With the X-T1 that is a 150-600mm equivalent. It is the Leica M glass to accompany my SL that I am unsure about as I'm going there principally to learn about landscape photography. I am fortunate in being spoilt for choice I suppose so I'd be grateful for some experienced landscape shooters' advice on what is essential and what could be left at home. I have the following M lenses: 15mm Voigt Heliar III 21mm Elmarit 28mm Summicron 35mm Summicron 50mm Summicron 90mm APO Summicron 135mm Telyt 3.4 I'd appreciate your input. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted January 30, 2016 Posted January 30, 2016 Hi rafikiphoto, Take a look here Another 'what should I take' post..... I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
rafikiphoto Posted January 30, 2016 Author Share #2 Posted January 30, 2016 Bump.. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DMJ Posted January 30, 2016 Share #3 Posted January 30, 2016 You have got the whole range there except for the 75mm APO. Looking at your collection I would take the 135, 50 & 35 or 28. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rafikiphoto Posted January 30, 2016 Author Share #4 Posted January 30, 2016 ... and not one of the wides? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stealth3kpl Posted January 30, 2016 Share #5 Posted January 30, 2016 21/35/50 but I'm not interested in long lenses. Pete Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Kilmister Posted January 30, 2016 Share #6 Posted January 30, 2016 Rafiki, Never having been to Namibia, I can't advise on specifics. Some people for whatever reason seem almost obsessed with wide angle lenses, the wider the better for some. Rather than having my nose 1 meter away from a lion's mouth I think I'd prefer a telephoto lens. When the usual critics have all slagged me off for putting my view point, then please consider taking a 90mm lens. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Herr Barnack Posted January 31, 2016 Share #7 Posted January 31, 2016 Advertisement (gone after registration) I have never been to Nambia but if I were going, I would take the 21, 28, 50 and 90. These four lenses will cover all the bases in terms of landscape photography, while saving you some weight and bulk. Some will consider not taking the 35 as questionable, but between the 28 and the 35, my preference is for the 28. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
spydrxx Posted January 31, 2016 Share #8 Posted January 31, 2016 Which lenses do you usually use in your current landscape photography? If you are already familiar with their nuances, why not ensure they are in your luggage for this trip. I can't imagine driving myself nuts worrying all the time which lens is best to get a particular shot, and spending more time changing lenses than on composition and positioning myself to capture the image in my mind's eye. I used to haul a lot with me, but found that often I only used 2 lenses over the course of a week or so...so learned my lesson and these days keep it light and portable. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rafikiphoto Posted January 31, 2016 Author Share #9 Posted January 31, 2016 @spydrxx Thanks. I've not done much landscape in the past. This trip is a workshop for those wanting to learn. There has been some advice from the organiser but it is very SLR/zoom oriented. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rafikiphoto Posted January 31, 2016 Author Share #10 Posted January 31, 2016 I am grateful for all the advice so far. Please keep it coming. I am surprised no one above has included the Voigt 15mm Heliar III. Is that because nobody rates the lens or because 15mm is too wide? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyalf Posted January 31, 2016 Share #11 Posted January 31, 2016 For travel I recommend to bring max 2 lenses, one of them a 35. Wides are for a perspective where you want to highlight foreground. If thats you aim bring the 15mm. If you want to make panoramas you can do that post with merge. I would have taken a 35 + WATE, but I aint going :-) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rafikiphoto Posted January 31, 2016 Author Share #12 Posted January 31, 2016 @flyalf. Thanks. There will be occasions to photograph high dunes from relatively close so I think the 15 or the 21 will be useful. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lucerne Posted January 31, 2016 Share #13 Posted January 31, 2016 Rafik. it seems like you know in your own mind what you will be doing and with what lens. Forum advice has covered everything and with every lens, but if you omit one of your lenses and fail in your objectives, will it then be our fault. The 15mm is tiny, so not difficult to include. Depth of field is huge. However, correcting distortion and possible unwanted colour anomalies is one of its associated problems. Personally I gave up the 15 and bought the 21SEM. It's a great lens. 15mm for landscapes results in tiny objects, huge foreground and sky. I can't imagine using anything more than 75 which might be very useful for local portraits in villages. Your 90 is heavy and you could find it too long in confined spaces. So, I would take: 21, 35 or 50, and 75. Your 50mm summicron would produce superb effects, but the light will be very bright so better take an ND filter to fit your standard lens and allow you to use that lens wide open. Otherwise, you won't be using f2. Don't forget comprehensive insurance. Not much more advice that anyone can give! You have to visualise the scenarios. enjoy. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaelwj Posted January 31, 2016 Share #14 Posted January 31, 2016 If you're there to learn about landscape photography, and it is SLR/zoom oriented, my advice would be to pick up the wide angle zoom for your XT1, and possibly a 35/50 equivalent. You then have it all covered with one body and 3 lenses. My reasoning is that you are there to learn about landscape photography, not fiddle with lens choices. You can experiment with lens choice once you're back home, but for the sake of learning, keep it simple. It will be less weight, one battery type, etc., overall easier for you learn about the non camera aspects. Of course that not as exciting as taking the Leica kit, but probably more practical. Cheers, Michael Edit: I'd probably take a 21 and 35 on a film M, and a tele zoom on an slr type body for wildlife, despite my above advice to keep it simple. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rafikiphoto Posted January 31, 2016 Author Share #15 Posted January 31, 2016 Thanks Michael. That makes a lot of sense. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
otho Posted January 31, 2016 Share #16 Posted January 31, 2016 I will personally choose max 3 lenses from your collection: 15 / 35 / 90 - 1st option or 21 / 50 / 90 - 2nd alternative. If only 2 lenses: 28 & 90. All best regards Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bocaburger Posted February 1, 2016 Share #17 Posted February 1, 2016 I agree with Michael, I learned from experience not to bring 2 different systems. However I would definitely want a backup body. You could probably pick up another Fuji model used for not too much cash. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Albertson Posted February 3, 2016 Share #18 Posted February 3, 2016 Just take the 35. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bencoyote Posted February 4, 2016 Share #19 Posted February 4, 2016 I am grateful for all the advice so far. Please keep it coming. I am surprised no one above has included the Voigt 15mm Heliar III. Is that because nobody rates the lens or because 15mm is too wide? Isn't it a question about how much gear you can bring? I'm not as experienced as some of the other people here but I've had great success with the M backpacking on two trips. On the first trip I brought my only two M lenses at the time a 28mm and a 50mm. I shot most of the trip with the 28. Tons of landscape and the 50 probably could have stayed home. I now have a 90 and around home I've been playing and seeing what I shoot when and I think for my next backpacking trip, it is going to be the 28 and the 90. The 28 looks good for most landscapes wide but not too wide and distorted. The 90 for details and telephoto shots. That is a pretty minimal kit but for backpacking it works. https://goo.gl/photos/eDbUtoxrWznB8ctb9 I'm going to say that the 35 probably has an advantage over the 28 for normal general travel where you may be in an urban or be taking more pictures of people but I think that for landscapes mostly and people occasionally I'd say that the 28 is has an edge. The difference is, with a 28 you sort of have to think person in context, not person. While on landscapes the whole experience is in essence context. As for the 21, I find the wider you go the more details you have to control in your composition. If you're a landscape beginner -- how much gear do you want to take? It hasn't been my favorite focal length but I don't have a ton of experience with it and I know a lot of people like it for landscapes but wider than 24 looks odd to me and it I don't personally like that hyperreal feeling - some do. The CV15 is on my list to get someday. I expect it would be good for Architecture Interiors and star shots. However with the limits on the M's long exposures, it would require some photoshop merging to make the fantastic star shots. As for landscape, I don't find that UW lenses appeal to me aesthetically. However, isn't it tiny? So the question is, how much gear do you want to bring? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AB007 Posted February 5, 2016 Share #20 Posted February 5, 2016 Hi Rafiki, I was in Namibia last November. It was a great - amazing landscapes - vast and beautiful. Unfortunately, I couldn't carry any Leica gear due to the weight limit - my Nikon gear was quite heavy. For landscapes, I really wanted to take my S2 with the 35/2.5 (28mm equivalent in 35mm format) but I couldn't. Generally speaking, your 150-600mm equivalent would be good for game, bird and some landscape. I carried the 24-70mm, 70-200mm and 200-500mm. I didn't feel the need for a wider lens. My least used lens was the 70-200mm. Personally, I love 28mm focal length for landscapes. From your M lineup, I would recommend the 28/2 and 90/2APO and please do not forget a rocket blower. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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