Calling all Photogs - Your Ideal Travel lenses and Settings

If you are only bringing 2 lenses I would go with a fast wide lens and an all purpose zoom. I like a 35mm equivalent of a 35mm (or wider) for a wide lens F/2 or 2.8 if possible, then a 24-70 or 24-105 or 18-200. Depends on what you like. I am going to Italy in 10 days (yeah!) for a photography workshop. I am bringing a good amount of gear in a rolling bag but will only carry a small amount each day and will lock the rest in my hotel room. I like to shoot wide and with prime lenses, 14mm, 21mm and 35mm on full frame DSLR plus a 70-200 for details, abstracts long tuscan landscapes. I am also bringing a travel tripod and table top tripod plus some other gear including smaller stealthy cameras (GF1 or EPL2 and 20 F/1.7). Flash in museums is almost always not advised and usually not allowed. Photography is not allowed in some museums and churches. I plan to be out very early before the crowds, my workshop is in Venice but after I will travel to Tuscany, Cinque Terre and Rome. Where and when are you going to Italy?

I take an 18-200 lens which I use the majority of the time & then also a wide angle lens (10-22) for tight shots in small areas (down little alleys or in small piazzas, etc.). Even though you didn't ask about filters, I suggest taking a circular polarizer & a graduated neutral density filter as well. Flashes are a no-no inside churches, etc. but I use the Image Stabilization feature on my lenses & I try to steady myself against a wall or something & then I take a deep breath & shoot! I took many pictures inside dark churches that I didn't think would turn out & then I was surprised when I got home and looked them; many actually did turn out fine. Have a great trip & take WAY more SD/CF cards than you think you'll need!!! (especially if doing HDR).

I'll second Lisa's recomendations. We'll be in Rome and Siena for a week each in the fall and I'll take a full-frame DSLR with a prime 35mm f/2 autofocus for interiors and a modest zoom (28-105mm f/3.5-4.5), plus the extra battery, Rocket blower CF cards, etc. Unlike our Madrid/Barcelona/London trip a couple of years ago when I carried a DX camera and used the zoom mostly and the 35mm only at the Reine Sofia museum, I think this year I'm going to shed a bit of total camera body and zoom lens size and weight and try to use the 35 mostly. I suspect that the 35, stopped down to its optimum range, is likely to be a sharper lens overall than the zoom, but I'll try to do some local tests before I go. If I'd known last winter that I'd be traveling to Italy this year, I'd have purchased the much smaller Panasonic Lumix GF1 and 20mm f/1.7 prime lens while it was on sale and before it was discontinued, and left my DSLR at home.

David, For the type of photography you mentioned, I find that I use two Lenses the majority of the time - a 24-105 medium range zoom and a 10-22 wide angle. I also have a 70-300 zoom if needed, but don't use it too often (it's very compact and easy to travel with, so not a problem to take it along). As you noted, Flashes are usually prohibited in Museums, Galleries, etc. but can be used in some situations. Tripods are usually forbidden also. It's difficult to offer suggestions on specific settings even for "interior shots" as there are many variables. The available settings will depend to some extent on the Camera you're using, but I'm assuming it's a dSLR? Generally speaking, for interior shots I tend to boost the ISO (but not too much or you'll increase "noise") and use the max. aperture. With a Tripod, using long exposures for low light shots is more of an option. Happy travels!

You should know this as long as your a photographer, but by max aperture, Ken means the lowest number setting. f/1.8, etc, because that will bring in the most light and you can have a faster shutter speed. These are good suggestions. I would definitely bring a f/1.8 or f/2 if you have one (or buy one of the cheaper ones for $100 if you don't) because they help with night shots for which you don't have or want to use a tripod. I could have never captured some of mine without it. And then a zoom one for a medium range distance is helpful as well.

I agree with the previous posters. If you are only going to take 2 lenses, then take a general zoom lens and a wide angle lens. I generally take a 17-85mm and a 10-22mm lens. I will usually also take a 70-300mm lens, but it doesn't get used nearly as often as the other two. If you only wanted to take one lens, then an all-purpose zoom like an 18-200mm would be an ideal choice. Enjoy your travels!

I use a 18-270 lens. One is all I have, but I'd like a wide angle as well. (next year) One suggestion would be to bring a small back up camera...I use my G11 for quick shots. Or on days when lugging a larger camera isn't in my plan... The G11 is the back up camera of lots of professional photographers. Don't forget a tripod!

I have an array of high-end glass, but I bring a limited amount of gear with me. I have a Nikon full-frame D700, and this year will be bringing a 27-300 f3.5-5.6 (equiv to the 18-200 on an APS sized sensor) and a 20mm 2.8. That provides a very substantial range. A maximum aperture of f2.8 is becoming less and less important as noise at higher ISO speeds becomes less and less. Increasing ISO is a cheaper and lighter alternative to increasing glass size. Most newer DSLRs can shoot at an ISO of 800 or even 1600 with excellent results. bert

@ Stuart, Sounds like you travel with about the same photography kit that I do. I've found that the two Lenses cover about 99% for my needs (but it's still nice to have the 70-300 if the situation requires it). @ Bert, You've brought up some good points regarding the need for "fast Lenses". Noise isn't as much of a concern as it used to be, however it varies somewhat between Cameras. Without knowing which Camera the OP is using, it's difficult to offer very specific advice. As you're using a fairly "high end" Camera, that will be less of a concern for you. Image-Stabilized Lenses will also provide some help for low light shots. Cheers!

One of the issues with most kit lenses and some zooms is that they are variable aperture. They may be F3.5 or F4 on the wide end but by the time you zoom you are at F/5.6. That makes it hard to shoot indoors and even outdoors unless in bright sunlight or bumping up the ISO. Different cameras have different acceptable high ISO limits. In general smaller sensors and older cameras have the worst problems at high ISO which are generally considered anything over ISO 800. David please tell us more about your camera system, DSLR, full frame or crop sensor? What lenses do you have or are you thinking of?

"One of the issues with most kit lenses and some zooms is that they are variable aperture." Good point and one that I forgot to mention. That's certainly the case with my 10-22 (f3.5-4.5) and 70-300 (f4.5-5.6) but fortunately my 24-105L is f4 across the entire range. Even with variable aperture Lenses, it's still possible to get good shots most of the time.

The Canon 24-105 F/4 L is an IS lens (Image Stabilized) Nikon calls their system VR. It will usually give you the ability to steady a lens at 1 or 2 slower shutter speeds. This lens and all Canon L lenses are constant F Stops throughout the zoom range.

Hi, everyone. Thanks for the feedback. To answer some of your questions, I currently have a 28-135mm, a 35-85mm, and a 70-300mm lens. I'm thinking of getting a 20mm f/2.8 wide angle lens too. I shoot with a Canon 7D. Thoughts? Thanks!

My idea of travel and photography is to keep it as simple as possible... I use an 18-125 for almost everything. I do have a backup camera in the hotel room, but when I go out for the day I take one camera. Gone are the days of a few Hasselblads, lenses, tripods, 35mm camera for infrared..... etc. Now, my challenge is to create images I love with the simplest equipment I can. It is almost always around my neck, so I can wander and be ready to photograph at any given moment. For me, the less equipment I have to worry about the more I can concentrate on my subject matter...the camera is second nature and I do not have to think about it. I did however just pick up a little vintage panoramic camera that I will play with on trips this summer.
Have a great time!