The non-perfect travel lens combination

[Shu_downunder]

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I'm traveling with family for 4 days, which includes my parents and kids. This means it's not a photography-only trip.

In case my family wants to see some colored photos, I'll leave that task to my iPhone - I'll only bring my M246.

However, I'm stuck when it comes to choosing lenses.

After giving up on color, I decided to give up speed as well. My initial plan was to use a 24mm F3.8 and a 50mm F2.4 lens.

But then, I remembered the struggle I had many times when I had the 24mm on the camera and wished for the 50mm, and vice versa.

So now, I'm considering leaving the 50mm lens at home.

This leads to an exciting but scary M246 and 24mm F3.8 combo.

That basically means I'm giving up 90% of the themes that a more universal set can handle, not to mention my ability is far from confident enough to tackle the remaining 10%.

I'm tempted to take it to the extreme, but I'm hesitating. What's your opinion?

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[spydrxx]

Don't fret. Get the best out of whichever lens you ultimately choose. You can zoom in with your feet and the 24 for  portraits, or zoom out with your feet and the 50 for group shots. The choice is yours. Enjoy the trip!

[lct]

If 28mm is wide enough for you, i would consider a Leica "MATE" (Tri-Elmar 28-35-50/4).

[KFo]

I love traveling with a single lens setup!  I've done single lens trips with all the focal lengths I have.  Never had any regrets.  Right now I'm out for a couple weeks with a Canon 28 f/2.8 LTM only.

If you aren't used to the lens you will be by the end of your trip!

[Ko.Fe.]

Every time I step outdoors, it is one camera, one lens. It never limited me in decades, tens of thousands photos and family been around.

I won't take 50, except it is Vermont State.

Wide is good. I like 21, more natural than 24, to me, don't need eVF for it.

[Shu_downunder]

27 minutes ago, lct said:

If 28mm is wide enough for you, i would consider a Leica "MATE" (Tri-Elmar 28-35-50/4).

Thanks for the suggestion.

I realised my problem: I do need 24 very often, as I do lots of architecture. But it is less as universal when doing 'snap shot' for a family trip as 28 or 35.

I guess I will stick on 24, and just walk close to zoom in...

[Shu_downunder]

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1 hour ago, spydrxx said:

Don't fret. Get the best out of whichever lens you ultimately choose. You can zoom in with your feet and the 24 for  portraits, or zoom out with your feet and the 50 for group shots. The choice is yours. Enjoy the trip!

Got it. Doesn't matter which lens to bring. Bring one and only one.

[Shu_downunder]

2 minutes ago, Ko.Fe. said:

Every time I step outdoors, it is one camera, one lens. It never limited me in decades, tens of thousands photos and family been around.

I won't take 50, except it is Vermont State.

Wide is good. I like 21, more natural than 24, to me, don't need eVF for it.

Thanks. Why 21 is more natural than 24?

[FrozenInTime]

@Shu_downunder the 50/2.4 is one of the smallest Leica lenses, so no real reason not to bring it along - unless its use is not resonating with how you see yourself taking photos on this trip. 

If you want casual indoor photos, nothing hits the mark quite hits the mark like a fast 35mm. The new Voigtlander 35/1.5 is quite small, modern rendering and won't break the bank. Ideally pair it with your architectural 24/3.8. Maybe see if stitching a couple of 35mm frames covers some of those wider views.

[brahms_4]

+1 for Voigtlaender 35/1.5

[Robert Blanko]

I would choose the 50/2.4, as the 24/3.8 IMHO does not add too much over an IPhone.

[Chris W]

I would definitely not have a 24mm as an only lens. I wouldn't own the lens in the first place.

When I first bought my M6 in the late 80's the only lens I had for a couple of years was an M 35mm f2. I took a lot of my best shots with that lens and looking through them now there are portraits and wider scenes and you would never think it was just one 35mm lens.

I'm going on a cycling holiday in 10 days time and the only lens I'm taking is the Voigtlander 40mm f2.8.

I think a lot of people typically choose between 28, 35 and 50mm for a single lens project. Personally I find out of those three the 28mm is the least flexible - why I sold my Q.

[jaapv]

My 24 mm is a ""dead cold hands" lens. It is about the last lens I would leave at home when traveling. It is the ideal moderate wideangle lens which covers the situations from 21 to 35 mm. Just like a 35 is the ideal compromise between 28 and 50. 

In my case it is also the only fast lens that I take (Summilux M)

[jimmielx]

Travelling with parents and kids… a great time to have your camera with you. But not to be messing around changing lenses! I’d fully endorse taking only one lens on such a trip. I would go with whichever lens felt most suited to the trip and then not give that choice a second thought while travelling. I have done several trips with just one lens - for me that has usually been a 35mm, occasionally a 50mm. I don’t have any experience with a 24mm so can’t speak to it, but as others have said I find 35mm very versatile. On the other hand if the 24mm feels right to you then go with it. With family I can imagine situation where you are close and wanting to frame groups, so I think 50mm might be too restricting. Good luck!

[Ouroboros]

24mm is a focal length I dislike, most of the time it is either not wide enough or too wide and has obvious exaggerated wide angle distortion.  I don't really understand why the OP would restrict himself to this lens only when he has a perfectly good 50mm f2.4 to take for a more useful pair.  

Far from being 'exciting and scary', I would find the idea of taking only a single 24mm frustrating and ill-considered, if I could take only one lens, it would be a 35mm.

We're all different, I suppose.

[Lelmer]

8 hours ago, Shu_downunder said:

I'm traveling with family for 4 days, which includes my parents and kids. This means it's not a photography-only trip.

In case my family wants to see some colored photos, I'll leave that task to my iPhone - I'll only bring my M246.

However, I'm stuck when it comes to choosing lenses.

After giving up on color, I decided to give up speed as well. My initial plan was to use a 24mm F3.8 and a 50mm F2.4 lens.

But then, I remembered the struggle I had many times when I had the 24mm on the camera and wished for the 50mm, and vice versa.

So now, I'm considering leaving the 50mm lens at home.

This leads to an exciting but scary M246 and 24mm F3.8 combo.

That basically means I'm giving up 90% of the themes that a more universal set can handle, not to mention my ability is far from confident enough to tackle the remaining 10%.

I'm tempted to take it to the extreme, but I'm hesitating. What's your opinion?

If I were in a similar situation, I'd bring the 50mm for sure. Good complement to iPhone.

[Bikie John]

How about a compromise? Take both the 50 and 24 and put one of them (I would suggest the 50 but of course it's a matter of taste) on the body with the expectation that you will only use that one. Then if you come across something that you really want and can only shoot with the 24, swap lenses to take the shot and then put the 50 back on and carry on. That way you will pretty much have the "one lens" experience but you won't be left feeling "if only I had brought the other one....".

John

[JoshuaR]

I would have no problem using a 24mm lens for an extended period. Back when I used Fuji X-mount, one of my favorite lenses was the 16mm f/1.4, which is 24mm equivalent. It's a great focal length for groups, as long as you keep people away from the edges and try to keep the perspective square-on. (Bend your knees!)

24/50 is a really nice combination. But I'd be fine with just 24mm, too. And the photos you produce from the trip will have a cohesive look, which is always a plus.

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[RexGig0]

I am still learning to like using a Leica Elmar-M 24mm f/3.8 for images of people, but, can certainly support the idea of using it as an only lens, for a four-day family trip. When shooting solo, I am going to want a “faster” lens, for low light, but a family trip may not involve much low-light shooting, and, the ability of a 246 Monochrom to shoot well at high ISO settings should be able to overcome the limitation of the f/3.8 maximum aperture.

I find the 24mm angle-of-view to be quite different from the 26mm to 28mm of a typical mobile phone lens, so, 24mm is not duplicating the iPhone’s angle-of-view, as I see it. If one’s iPhone has the integral multi-lens set-up, as does my iPhone 11 Pro, the longest lens is 50mm equivalent.

Have a safe, enjoyable trip!

[Shu_downunder]

Thanks everyone for the advice! Really enjoyable reading these thoughts and experiences.

To me iPhone is only a coloured snap shop addition to the M246 sets. It also takes videos and provides GPS info when I need the photo locations. But that is all. It will not produce photos that spent me hours to look at and edit.

I can use the 50mm effortlessly, I think I'm a 50mm person. But I will miss some wide angles that's very important to me. Those beautiful portraits will have to be replaced with environment portrait, which is even more interesting, although not easy to take at all.

I think I've made my mind to take the 24.

Thanks again!