Three or four lenses on a long trip?

[M11 for me]

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[Reini]

I say the longer the trip, the less weight. For me my preferred combination for all situations = 28mm and 75mm.

[vhfreund]

Take only the 35mm !! This for sure the easiest way to travel, plus you will not have the choice anymore which will be a relief. I am serious man! Get used to just one lens and stay with it for a long time. 

Cheers Theodor

 

[Tailwagger]

A friend of mine who introduced me to golf once described its novice phase as  a personal competition against the club, ball and course. But eventually, with experience, the contest morphs into one of the player, clubs and ball against the course. Photography isn't all that different. The better you know your tools, the more likely you are to capture the desired result. I'd therefore suggest, that if you've been doing a lot of shooting with the two lenses you mentioned, forget about what any of us might bring, those optics are your friends and one is far more likely to have a good time when traveling with old friends than new acquaintances.  If you're uncomfortable traveling without a tele, the same guidelines apply. Add the one you've reached for more often in the past.  

[stephengv]

I unly use the 28 Elmarit ASPH II, 35 Summicron ASPH, 50mm Summicron. I use one lens per day. 

[semi-ambivalent]

I was climbing in Peru in the 1970s so things might have changed but remember always people "there" have a tremendous sense of dignity and self respect. Even our arrieros carried themselves with much pride. So if you're out shooting street ask to take portraits. Just pointing with your hand and tapping the camera translates very well and they'll be clear if it's 'no'. Say thanks. Enjoy your trip. It's beautiful country with wonderful people. I've heard there's a hotel in Bolivia with a tennis court at 16,000 feet. It would be fun to play a set there.

About lenses, the fewer you have the fewer you can lose track of. I'd start with 50mm. 21 on short end but I'd be fine with a 28. To the other end, whatever, 90 is a classic for good reason. Check out William Albert Allard's work. From him I learned how a wide angle could do more than 'show a lot of stuff'.

[Harpomatic]

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13 hours ago, adan said:

My old Leitz M4-P brochure has some hints in the back for desirable lens combinations. Including what Leitz called "the long bridge across focal lengths": - 21/50/135

That more or less comports with my own experience, which is, that I don't like carrying focal lengths that compete for my attention (too similar in view). Choosing between a 28 and a 21 or 24 or a 35 gets in the way of good pictures. (Having to choose between 16-18-21>28-35-50, all f/4, strikes me as madness )

On my last overseas excursion (London/Paris) I took 21/35/90/135. And found that I ended up cropping most of the 90 shots to nearly 135 anyway (either inability to change location fast enough, or the looseness of the M9's 90mm viewfinder lines (got more than I saw)). So I now stick with a "modified long bridge" - 21/35/135. There is nothing those lenses can't handle between them. But I won't argue with you (or Leitz) if you prefer "50" in the middle instead.

21/35/135 makes a nice "Josef Albers" spacing pattern, as well.

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Adan, thank you for a most useful visual reference and advice. This diagram alone puts differences in focal length in a better perspective! I had a good idea of the difference but this helps rationalizing the choice a lot...I still like my 50 though! 😉

11 hours ago, TomB_tx said:

Instead of looking for the lens FL to fit a shot, I look for the shot to fit the FL I have

I wholeheartedly agree with this - it's something I have always been doing: I've been shooting for 8 years now and almost never had a zoom lens, rarely more than 3-4 lenses in total. Most often I put a lens on and never change it during the day - but on a trip like this I might want to capture different perspectives and not necessarily I will have a chance to change my position so effectively. Having said that, I certainly won't be changing lenses all the time. That's not how I shoot.

[Harpomatic]

12 hours ago, OR120 said:

I've had a working/photo shoot - trip to Bolivia. Flew into La Paz on a C5 Galaxy -pilots brought me up front for the overview and landing. I ended up in Trinidad. You are in for some fun times. Be careful with the Mate De Coca. Many women in this country do not like to be photographed. I know you said your a 50 guy -- but I would take 21, 35 and 75 or 90 (up to you). Travel light you don't want to be carrying around a lot of gear. If this were a working shoot that might be different but for pleasure I would travel light - stay with your most comfortable lens - don't miss moments. Have a great time!! You are in for a real adventure. Wild times.

 

6 hours ago, semi-ambivalent said:

I was climbing in Peru in the 1970s so things might have changed but remember always people "there" have a tremendous sense of dignity and self respect. Even our arrieros carried themselves with much pride. So if you're out shooting street ask to take portraits. Just pointing with your hand and tapping the camera translates very well and they'll be clear if it's 'no'. Say thanks. Enjoy your trip. It's beautiful country with wonderful people. I've heard there's a hotel in Bolivia with a tennis court at 16,000 feet. It would be fun to play a set there.

About lenses, the fewer you have the fewer you can lose track of. I'd start with 50mm. 21 on short end but I'd be fine with a 28. To the other end, whatever, 90 is a classic for good reason. Check out William Albert Allard's work. From him I learned how a wide angle could do more than 'show a lot of stuff'.

Thanks a lot for the practical advice!! That is something I find very valuable. Especially about those differences from our culture that can make the experience...bumpy!

I am checking William Albert Allard's work now: thanks for the pointer, beautiful work, and I see what you mean.

[Harpomatic]

10 hours ago, vhfreund said:

Take only the 35mm !! This for sure the easiest way to travel, plus you will not have the choice anymore which will be a relief. I am serious man! Get used to just one lens and stay with it for a long time. 

Cheers Theodor

 

I have been with a single lens for most of my photographic journey: first a 50mm for 18 months, then a 35mm for 3 years...always craved my 50mm! Even when I had more choice I did a 1 year 1 lens challenge for myself, and the choice was easy: 50mm. I always miss it when I have a different lens on. But at times you need a different perspective, it adds a bit of variety to the visuals and composition.

[Reini]

By the way, the oftent change lenses is not good for the sensor. Dust...

[Stealth3kpl]

On 12/10/2018 at 11:21 PM, Harpomatic said:

Hi, this is my first post. I would appreciate some advice: I'm about to leave for almost a month, going to Bolivia for a leisure trip. I won't be alone, so it's not a trip focusing on photography, but I will definitely use my camera as much as possible.

I have a passion for street and documentary style, a little portrait, environmental and not, but I definitely don't disdain landscape!

I use a M240: first of all, I'm a 50mm man - that will be the main lens for me. I'm still trying to decide which between the Nokton 50mm 1.2 or the Planar ZM 50mm f2 - lightness or speed? I might go for speed, that Nokton is not that big at all! And a pleasure to use. The other lens I already decided about is the Biogon 21mm f2 ZM, great wide angle; that will definitely be in my bag.

Two doubts: 90mm Tele-Elmarit thin or 135mm Tele-Elmar? if I go light, will I miss the reach? I really enjoy shooting both, and both don't see use too often. But I don't mind a little more weight if necessary.

Second doubt: should I take my 35mm? I have a wonderful Biogon 35mm f2 ZM but I fear it would see almost no use...although I think i interiors it might be more useful than the 50mm when shooting people!

What are your thoughts?

 

Thanks in advance!!

Go light. 50/2 and 21

Pete

[a.noctilux]

36 minutes ago, Stealth3kpl said:

Go light. 50/2 and 21

Pete

Or just only 50mm as a challenge 😇

More thought ...

as in my experience, in most case my photo gears work fine, but...

when I expected less, some kind of malfunctions occured 😩

since long, we have kind of back-up gear for emergency.

Here, why not an M more with 28mm on it (plus M+50mm) ?

 

 

[cp995]

I prefer the choice of...

21, 35, 75mm

or:
15, 28, 50mm

For a long trip I'll take them all with me, as the are small and I decide every morning, which one comes in my camera bag

[Reini]

vor 8 Minuten schrieb cp995:

I prefer the choice of...

21, 35, 75mm

or:
15, 28, 50mm

For a long trip I'll take them all with me, as the are small and I decide every morning, which one comes in my camera bag

Should not the lens be adapted to the current situation? Probably not to the constitution in the morning ...🤪

[sml_photo]

17 hours ago, vhfreund said:

Take only the 35mm !! This for sure the easiest way to travel, plus you will not have the choice anymore which will be a relief. I am serious man! Get used to just one lens and stay with it for a long time. 

Cheers Theodor

 

I absolutely agree.  My entire Cuba trip was with the 35mm.  What a pleasure--no lens changing, walked around with JUST a camera (no bag) most of the time, no apparent sensor dust  issues, lightweight, etc.  And I was extremely happy with the resulting photos.  I just ended up looking for ways to "see" scenes to photograph using the 35mm perspective. 
Not sure if my satisfaction was due to the "one lens" concept or because it was a 35mm lens.  Maybe both factors!?
My suggestion is to bring two lenses...ANY two.  Leave one on the camera and one in the bag as much as possible and see what happens.
Enjoy!  Good luck.

If you're interested, here's a link to one of my blog posts with photos from that Cuba trip:
http://blog.sml-photos.com/more-people-of-cuba/

Edited December 12, 2018 by sml_photo

[cp995]

vor einer Stunde schrieb Reini:

Should not the lens be adapted to the current situation? Probably not to the constitution in the morning ...🤪

In the morning I do my plan for each day and this has impact on my choose of lenses.

But of course, equiped only with some primes, you may not cover the "unplanned" eagle, crossing yout way in 500ft height ...

Edited December 12, 2018 by cp995

[Reini]

I understand what you mean.

It was a joke. 
It also depends on the tour you are planning.

[autograph]

35mm Distagon is my workhorse for trips. 21mm Biogon and 75 cron are in my bag.

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Look here: Leica M

[Ko.Fe.]

23 hours ago, TomB_tx said:

For decades my travel kit was 35 f2, 50 f2, and 90 T.E.(v1). On film most shots were 50. On digital 35 is most used, so I often simply take it - but now a Summarit 2.5, or for low light a Nokton 1.4.  Instead of looking for the lens FL to fit a shot, I look for the shot to fit the FL I have.

For a full travel kit now I added a 21 f4 VC Skopar - inexpensive and small to tuck away for when needed.

However, on a study tour (historical geography) of Israel a few years back I had to backpack light and didn't want the hassle of changing lenses, so took a superzoom small sensor Panasonic.  Others were constantly changing lenses, while I just shot. The simplicity was perfect, and I've used the pictures for lectures ever since. It was the right tool for the occasion.

 

 

Basically you replaced four great lenses with one zoom and it was not in same quality setup as Leica with primes. 

I'm currently in the process of repeating your other step. I have 35 2.5 and going to add same 35 1.4.

My regular travel is done with one and only backpack for everything. I simply don't have space for extra lenses. 35 1.4 Nokton seems to have best price-size-aperture performance. I was looking at MSO 28 f2 pancake, but it was reported as dust sucker. No go for my M-E.

[bocaburger]

21-35-90.  (My 21 is the CV f/4 in M-mount, 35 is a V.4 Cron, and the 90 is a thin T-E).  On M9/M240/M10 a 21 crops well to 28, 35 crops well to 50, 90 crops well to 135.  I own 28, 50 and 135 lenses but when it comes time to travel, weight and bag size are the overriding considerations.  I carry everything in a Rick Steves convertible bag/backpack including my camera bag (Domke J5XB).   Occasionally I'll sneak in the V.1 CV 15mm as it's tiny and almost weightless, but only if I'm going somewhere I truly know I'll use it.