New York Travel Kit

[robsonj]

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While I am sure the correct answer will be... only you can decide, I figured I'd ask anyway 😀.  

Gonna be heading to New York for spring break with the family, its our first time in New York, so we'll be doing plenty of the touristy things - Time Square, 911 memorial, Brooklyn Bridge, Statue of Liberty, Oculous etc, but I'll also get chance to do some street photography, architectural etc. So I'm trying to decide what kit to bring. I have in various brands, Leica included, the following focal lengths... 15, 21, 25, 28, 35, 40, 50, 75, 90. I also have a M11 and M11m.

I'm leaning towards taking...

- M11 &  M11m

- 25, 28, 35, 50

I suspect most of my photography will revolve around the 28 and 35mm range, with one of those focal lengths on each, likely the 28 on the M11m for more street and the 35 on the M11 for more general purpose, with the option of switching to either wider with the 25 or longer with the 50 in both cases, thus I thought the above 2 body, 4 lens combo would provide flexibility with out being too much to carry.

Thoughts from those who have done the New York thing before?

Cheers

Jonathan

Edited January 10 by robsonj

[Indeepthought]

30 minutes ago, robsonj said:

While I am sure the correct answer will be... only you can decide, I figured I'd ask anyway 😀.  

Gonna be heading to New York for spring break with the family, its our first time in New York, so we'll be doing plenty of the touristy things - Time Square, 911 memorial, Brooklyn Bridge, Statue of Liberty, Oculous etc, but I'll also get chance to do some street photography, architectural etc. So I'm trying to decide what kit to bring. I have in various brands, Leica included, the following focal lengths... 15, 21, 25, 28, 35, 40, 50, 75, 90. I also have a M11 and M11m.

I'm leaning towards taking...

- M11 &  M11m

- 25, 28, 35, 50

I suspect most of my photography will revolve around the 28 and 35mm range, with one of those focal lengths on each, likely the 28 on the M11m for more street and the 35 on the M11 for more general purpose, with the option of switching to either wider with the 25 or longer with the 50 in both cases, thus I thought the above 2 body, 4 lens combo would provide flexibility with out being too much to carry.

Thoughts from those who have done the New York thing before?

Cheers

Jonathan

Just open your own Leica store- when I did NY I used M6/28mm. 😎

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[robsonj]

1 minute ago, Indeepthought said:

Just open your own Leica store- when I did NY I used M6/28mm. 😎

Yea, I know I’m over thinking this, you’re likely right

[Photoworks]

I am based in Manhattan, and most of the time I will use the 28 Lux, and 50 Lux. Sometimes the 90mm comes in handy I use the light summarit.

and for some shots a 21.

I would suggest less is more, and walk everywhere.

 

 

 

https://www.instagram.com/kroke/

[BruceRH]

With an M11, you can do a lot of cropping. 28 is my favorite focal length for a city such as NY but 21 is also right up there. A 50 might be nice to have in the bag just in case. 

[fotografr]

I'd go with just the 28. 

Edited January 10 by fotografr

[dscdsc]

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M11 with a 28 and a 50

[MT0227]

I work in NYC, I carry my 35 and 50 with my 11-P every day.   I use my iPhone for anything wider.

[hepcat]

3 hours ago, robsonj said:

Yea, I know I’m over thinking this, you’re likely right

Yes, you're over-thinking this.  I'm always amazed at those who only carry a 21 or 28.   They're great for wide shots inside buildings without room, but really difficult to make any one thing the subject of a photo.  I subscribe to the old saw: "if you're photo ain't good enough, you ain't close enough."  

I travel with a 1952 Canon Serenar 35 f/2.8,  a 1956 Canon Serenar 50mm f/1.5, and a 1955 Canon 85mm f/1.9 on my M10-P.   The 50mm f/1.5 lives on the M10-P most of the time.  Unfortunately the f/1.5 is in the shop for a clean and lube, so I'm currently using my 1960 DR Summicron or my 1973 Summicron v3.   I've traveled abroad with just a 35mm and 90mm, but I prefer the 50mm for most work.  If I need "wide" I can always stitch a two or three shot pano together.    

Enjoy your trip!

[Jeff S]

Statistics suggest 30.42mm. 
 

Jeff

[dugby]

Words cannot describe how much daily walking you’ll do between subway stations & cabs, unless you have a driver.

After “lost-count” visits to NYC, each next trip becomes a checklist- have I got the

lightest comfortable shoes

lightest convenient single lens on my M.

 

There are too many iconic photos taken by others that I chose not to replicate, but shoot an alternative perspective with just a single 50APO which yields more interesting moments

[howard_cummer]

I don't think you will walk about comfortably with a Leica or two and a big camera bag out of which you will take Leica lenses to change while standing on some busy street.

As others are suggesting take one camera body with one widish lens on it and walk about for one day. Then take the other camera and another lens and use that combo for another day.

Have fun - New York is a wonderful town.

[MarkP]

I would probably only take a 28, 35 and 50.

35 for when I only want to go out with one lens, and 28 & 50 when I want to take two.

However, there’s plenty of sensor real estate for cropping with the M11 so could just go with 28 & 50. 

As you’re travelling with the family, you’ll need to juggle them and the photography  so NYC will not a dedicated photo shoot for you. They won’t be waiting for long if you keep stopping for lens changes, etc.

And maybe just take the M11 and leave the M11M at home unless you want to only record the holiday in B&W.

[dem331]

21-50

or

21-28-50

NY/Chicago is where my 21mm got most use. Have a great time. 

[Lelmer]

2 hours ago, howard_cummer said:

I don't think you will walk about comfortably with a Leica or two and a big camera bag out of which you will take Leica lenses to change while standing on some busy street.

As others are suggesting take one camera body with one widish lens on it and walk about for one day. Then take the other camera and another lens and use that combo for another day.

Have fun - New York is a wonderful town.

Based on my experience in NYC, I entirely agree. After half a day there, I realised that my 35 FLE was the best compromise. 28&50 didn't leave the hotel 🙂 

[SiggiGun]

I have no recent NY experience. However, I think NY can be compared with HK in a certain sens. In this case, I use a 35LUX (mostly) and the 21SEM

[budjames]

9 hours ago, robsonj said:

While I am sure the correct answer will be... only you can decide, I figured I'd ask anyway 😀.  

Gonna be heading to New York for spring break with the family, its our first time in New York, so we'll be doing plenty of the touristy things - Time Square, 911 memorial, Brooklyn Bridge, Statue of Liberty, Oculous etc, but I'll also get chance to do some street photography, architectural etc. So I'm trying to decide what kit to bring. I have in various brands, Leica included, the following focal lengths... 15, 21, 25, 28, 35, 40, 50, 75, 90. I also have a M11 and M11m.

I'm leaning towards taking...

- M11 &  M11m

- 25, 28, 35, 50

I suspect most of my photography will revolve around the 28 and 35mm range, with one of those focal lengths on each, likely the 28 on the M11m for more street and the 35 on the M11 for more general purpose, with the option of switching to either wider with the 25 or longer with the 50 in both cases, thus I thought the above 2 body, 4 lens combo would provide flexibility with out being too much to carry.

Thoughts from those who have done the New York thing before?

Cheers

Jonathan

In my opinion and from personal experiences of many trips to NYC, you are taking way too much of your expensive gear. All you need is the M11 and a 28 or 35 lens for street photography.

35mm is my favorite lens and stays on my M11 about 95% of the time. I used to travel with an 18, 35, and 75mm lenses with a single M body. Since the acquisition of my iPhone 15 Pro Max, I now only travel with the 35mm lens. The occasional longer and ultra wide shots are handled with my iPhone.

Traveling light has made my numerous travels way more enjoyable. 

You can check out my photography at www.budjames.photography.

Happy travels!

Regards,
Bud James

[Almizilero]

The TriElmar MATE has become my constant travel companion. No more lens changing, excellent image quality, F/4 is wide enough for street and travel, especially with modern sensors.

[jaapv]

Maybe the question is not the lens - the Q3 appears to be ideal. 

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Hallo,

Look here: Interesting Leica gear

[Knipsknecht]

This depends highly on one's own photographic preferences, but personally I realized during fotowalks in Tokyo and Osaka in Japan or Lisbon and Porto in Portugal that I rarely use focal lengths above 35mm. Additionally, the selection of lenses depends on what one wants to shoot. Is it more streetlife (people and waht they are doing) and/or scenic shots including landscapes and architecture. 

If I would have to take my Leica M camera with me, I would go for 28mm or 35mm - well knowing that in a city like NY something like 21mm could come very handy (but I don't have a Visoflex and I don't want to have one😅).

In November 2023 I stayed for three weeks in Japan, traveling with a Panasonic S5 and the 20-60mm "Kit"-Lens. Very relaxing and satisfying experience. Yes, of course there are better lenses, but I could go hiking over hills and in forrests as well as roaming the scenic streets of Japans big cities. In general I am not the biggest fan of Zoom-Lenses, but in this case it was great to have this lens with its wide range of focal length.

And just another personal experience: If it's your first time and (!) you're going with your family - keep it as simple as possible😉!