Lens selection on a photo-trip. What lenses to carry? When to change?

[ldhrads]

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I've travelled with one body one lens, usually 35/2.0 or 50/2.0 as well as two bodies many lenses and have found that the many lens solution is too much for me.  Last trip was M11-P with APO 35/2.0, travelled a week in Germany without really missing much.  I do have a 90/2.8 TEM thin that is great for travel, but even that rarely gets used.  I'm heading to the desert this long weekend and intend to take my MATE and WATE.  I could probably do without the WATE, but why not?  I've found the MATE to be a great travel lens if I want more than just the 35/2.0!

 

Too many lenses, too many choices, I'm getting to that point!

[RexGig0]

On 10/21/2025 at 6:45 AM, Alexander108 said:

My Options are (the 90mm is too bulky for this trip):

• bring the 15mm, 24mm, and 50mm lenses.
• or bring the 15mm, 24mm, and 35mm lenses.
• or bring the 24mm only.

My question would be: what do others do when doing a walk through a city?

• Do you take a selection of lenses with you?
• If yes: what lenses?
• If you use one lenses only, which one? (That, of course is a matter of personal preference).
• How deliberately do you take pictures? Do you look at a composition and then select the lens that is appropriate?

I am aware that there is no right or wrong. But maybe I can learn from your experiences or get some inspiration from your approaches.

Thank you for contributing to this clear 1st world luxury problem 🤣

On the matter of “My Options,” well, you seem to really like the 24mm Elmarit, and, you want 15mm for specific situations. So, I would think that you might regret bringing “24mm only.” Perhaps, travel with two lenses, keeping the 24mm affixed to the camera, most of the time, while toting the 15mm in a minimal belt pouch?

Do I take a selection of lenses with me, while walking-about a city? Well, it depends. 😉

When “Yes,” well, again, it depends. I do not normally swap lenses, so, will tend to leave a 35mm or 50mm lens affixed. If I/we step inside a cafe or book store, or small museum, 50mm may be too constraining. For monochrome architecture, I like to bring my Zeiss Biogon C 21mm f/4,5 ZM. (This lens will cause color shift, if used on my M10, for color images.) I have liked using a 28mm Elmarit Version III, focused using the Distance and DOF scales, shot from my waist or hip, when mingling and interacting with my young grandsons. 50mm has been my usual choice for deliberate images of one or two people, with a specific 50mm lens being THE major reason I added the Leica M system. My 75mm and 90mm lenses are only rarely carried. Telephoto shooting, with the M system, has to be a very deliberate act, on my part; something I plan in advance. I never seem to accidentally or incidentally a situation in which I wish that I had brought a 75mm or 90mm M lens.

When I bring one lens, to use on an M camera, in a city, it can be 21mm, 28mm, 35mm, or 50mm. Any of these can be my “lens of the day.” Having only a 21mm lens will result in far fewer images, as it can be difficult to get close enough to create interesting images. Having only a 28mm lens may result in my shooting far more images, but, many of the images will be uninteresting. I am relatively introverted, so, 28mm can require me to get closer than is comfortable, for creating interesting images of people, but, then, I am not dedicated to the “art/genre of street photography,” anyway. 35mm is probably the closest to my most-favored focal length, for shooting just about everything, but, I definitely love some specific 50mm lenses, in order to create specific effects.

How deliberately do I take pictures? Well, I like to think that every images is deliberate. Even when I am simply practicing/training, to keep my skills refreshed, it seems wise to keep creativity refreshed, too.

Do I look at a composition, and then select the appropriate lens? Well, only rarely. As stated earlier, a number of lenses can play the role of my only lens for the day, with the result that I tend to keep one lens in place, especially if it is 35mm or 50mm. Is “Len Inertia” a term, in common use? 😉 Plus, I have a phobia about dropping lenses. especially M lenses, which are so compact, while my fingers are so clumsy. When I plan to use two different M lenses, I may well bring two M camera. This is especially true when monochrome architecture is on the agenda, when one camera will be an M Type 246 Monochrom.

I do have the wonderful Elmar-M 24mm ASPH, but seem to prefer it for woodland photography, and may try it for landscapes.

I am not any kind of expert. I was officially trained in evidentiary/forensic/crime scene photography, in 2010 and 2014. I retired from the police department in early 2018, and added the Leica M system as part of an effort to re-learn to love photography.

Edited 16 hours ago by RexGig0

[Alexander108]

vor 3 Minuten schrieb RexGig0:

When I bring one lens, to use on an M camera, in a city, it can be 21mm, 28mm, 35mm, or 50mm. Any of these can be my “lens of the day.”

Love the "lens of the day” approach.

Edited 16 hours ago by Alexander108