Kit advices for cycling holidays at Lake Garda

[Bohns]

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Hi all,

I will spend 10 days in summer touring with a bicycle in the South of Lake Garda.

Note that each night will be spent in the same location; each day will consist in a different closed loop of 50 km max, coming back to the same place. It means as well that some time will remain each day to either enjoy bathing in the lake, or going to other places like Verona or other villages which will not be visited during the cycling tour.

I would need some advices regarding my photo gear.

I intend to bring my CL with the 11-23, and the MATE (with the L-M adapter). This would allow covering fields of views from 17 to 75. This would be most probably the cycling kit.

I intend as well to bring my M-P 240, with Lux 28 and Lux 50 for evenings and car touring / walking.

I hesitate to bring also my SEM 21 for my M-P, as a wide back-up replica of the 11-23.

I hesitate as well to bring a « long » telephoto in M mount : either my Elmarit 90 or my 1966 « old fellow » Tele-Elmar 135, to allow distance compression for lanscape. But not fully sure I will really need them.

To help your advices, I own as well SL, but will definitely not bring it this time. I own also the Elmarit TL 18, Cron M 75 AA, Summaron M 28, Elmarit R 60 macro, APO Telyt R 180, Cron R 90. I will not buy new gear for this travel.

Thank you for your advices.

Regards,

Stef. 

Edited May 12, 2019 by Bohns

[Le Chef]

I hate carrying more than I need. In my case I would take the CL, 11-23, 28, 50 and the adaptor. You’ve covered pretty much everything from 17 - 75 on a FF equivalent without added weight but you have flexibility of focal length and low light coverage in 3 lenses.

Edited May 12, 2019 by Le Chef

[NigelG]

On my recent hiking tour of Utah/Arizona I took the tl2 + 11-23 and an M240-P with 28 cron / 50 lux and 90T-E + adapter. For the first week when hiking I just took the tl2 and zoom + the 50lux and adapter and didn’t miss a thing IMHO. Took the 90 a couple of times but never used it.

But I then had a disaster with the zoom (there’s a thread) which left me with no L lens, no wide beyond 28 and my 21SEM was back in London. I thus started hiking with the M save for a couple of very long days when I wimped out and took my “emergency” GR. So I would definitely take the 21 SEM!

On non hiking days (only a couple) and evenings I used the M. 

For me I concur with Le Chef - CL, 11-23 and 50 but personally I wouldn’t take the MATE or 28 when cycling - keep the adapter on the 50lux and you have effectively 17-35 for landscape etc and a 75 for distance/isolation/low light with just 1 lens change to think about. For me the change from the 23 on the zoom to 28 on a lens wasn’t worth it and I doubt 35 would again be worth the trouble if you’re on the move and with non-photographers.....

Also a pocket P+S backup is now going on my “always” list. 

[ramarren]

CL and the MATE. Nothing else. 

[jaapv]

I am a bit surprised that nobody has asked what the subjects will be - There are mountains, nature parks, little towns with narrow streets, lakeside beaches, beautiful churches, interesting old villas, etc. Surely the gear choice depends on the photographic interest of the user and not on the geographic location?

[ramarren]

35 minutes ago, jaapv said:

I am a bit surprised that nobody has asked what the subjects will be - There are mountains, nature parks, little towns with narrow streets, lakeside beaches, beautiful churches, interesting old villas, etc. Surely the gear choice depends on the photographic interest of the user and not on the geographic location?

I almost never take along specialty gear for travel unless I know specifically what I want to use it for. In fact, I've done very well on many trips carrying just a normal or medium wide lens (in FF terms, a 35 and/or a 50) and nothing else. It's amazing how many bases a normal lens can cover if you use your head and eye.

• On my trip to Cork and the Isle of Man for the holidays in 2017, I carried the M with 35 and 50; only ten photos made with the 35. A 90 would have been nice for three or four photos.
• On my six week trip to England, New York, and across the USA by train, I carried the CL with 28 (43 eqFOV) and 50 (75 eqFOV) lenses. I used the lenses approximately equally. An ultra-wide might have been nice in two situations, but I didn't find myself missing it.

and so forth...

I begin to think that the notion one must cover every potential FoV and situation is fallacious. It seems to be better to have a small amount of equipment that you know well and just work your way around whatever photographic opportunities present themselves with it. Obviously, some photos you cannot make ... but out of the infinite number of potential photographic opportunities that any walk around the block presents, you just pick something else and move on. 

 

 

Edited May 13, 2019 by ramarren

[Bohns]

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2 hours ago, jaapv said:

I am a bit surprised that nobody has asked what the subjects will be - There are mountains, nature parks, little towns with narrow streets, lakeside beaches, beautiful churches, interesting old villas, etc. Surely the gear choice depends on the photographic interest of the user and not on the geographic location?

Thank you all, and thank you Jaapv. You’re right I should have precised the targets.

To quote you, it will be more « little towns with narrow streets, lakeside beaches, beautiful churches, interesting old villas » than « nature parks or mountains ». That is why I know I will need some wide angle view. TL 11-23 seems a must.

It will be as well portraits of my family in vaccations. 

It will be also landscapes. This is the reason why I hesitate to add some long reach (90 or 135 M mount) for more compression than with the angle of view of a 75 mm.

[Bohns]

20 hours ago, Le Chef said:

I hate carrying more than I need. In my case I would take the CL, 11-23, 28, 50 and the adaptor. You’ve covered pretty much everything from 17 - 75 on a FF equivalent without added weight but you have flexibility of focal length and low light coverage in 3 lenses.

Agreed Le Chef that it would be probably enough and polyvalent.

But since a travel were I fell my only camera body at the very begining of the stay, I always bring a second body. Which doesn’t mean I would carry both bodies and all lenses every time.

[IkarusJohn]

Were I in your shoes -

• TL2 with 11-23 as my standard lens (I don’t have a CL, but I cycle with my TL2 a lot),  
• TL2 with 28 Summaron-M makes a very compact camera I can put in my cycling shirt or jacket pocket,
• TL2 with 35 Summilix-TL for low light, portraits etc

I would then take the M camera with  a 75 Summilux for use when taking an M (with the 28-75 combination) was warranted - eg, walk about, etc.  The core combination of 16-35 zoom and fast 50 has become my standard with the SL too.

Sounds like a great trip - have fun.

 

Edited May 13, 2019 by IkarusJohn

[tom0511]

I have travelled several times to  lake garda and also like going on bike tours.

I would probably choose the same equipment as you did. Cl+11-23 for bike tours.

I might also bring the 18mm if you have evenings (or bike tours) where you want really light equipment.

And then the M +2-3 lenses when you have some time and mood to take more time for photography. Since there are nice flowers/ vingards/olives I might additionally bring the 60 macro (if you have an EVF for the M).

 

[tom0511]

vor einer Stunde schrieb Bohns:

Additionally to my last answer I might rather bring the 21+28+50 and not the 60 macro.

 

 

[Le Chef]

2 hours ago, Bohns said:

Agreed Le Chef that it would be probably enough and polyvalent.

But since a travel were I fell my only camera body at the very begining of the stay, I always bring a second body. Which doesn’t mean I would carry both bodies and all lenses every time.

The alternative is to have a compact backup camera which can go into your pocket. I have a DL-109 as my backup. That makes me less worried about catastrophe and being left with nothing, but also not having to lug another heavy camera around with me. My rule is to follow the Colin Chapman of Lotus cars fame motto - "Just add lightness"