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Sistine Chapel to Tuscany, what would be your 2 lens line up?


ssobers

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Traveling to Italy in a few weeks.  Will spend a few days in Rome, Florence and Tuscany.  

 

What will I bring? Packing the X-T1, a handful of batteries, but want to pack light with only two lens.  Currently own the 35MM 1.4, 56MM 1.2, and looking to rent a lens, something wider, to capture the architecture and landscapes.  There are plenty of choices with the Fuji 10-24mm, 14mm, 16mm and Rokinon 12mm.

 

What would be your two lens?  Also, what filters (if any) would you bring to highlight the dramatic sky?

 

 

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why the 14mm over the 16mm?  

Hm... maybe just becuase I own it :) . It's a bit wider and cheaper. But since you are going to rent it anyway, price is not a matter to take into consideration.

 

The big advantage of the 16 is that it's faster and that could be in fact very handy for night shots in the narrow alleys of Italian cities.

 

Decisions. Let me know what you go for, and feel free share some pics here on the Forum.

And speaking of narrow alleys: don't miss to have dinner (and good wine) in Trastevere. The perfect place to chill after a whole day of walk in Rome :)

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For as much as I love my collection of primes, if I were going on a trip where I could only take 2 lenses, it would probably be my 10-24mm and the 18-135mm WR. If you were to only take 1 zoom, it would definitely be the 10-24mm due to the architecture and landscapes on your trip. The image stabilization on both lenses is a big part of my reasoning. Personally, the 10-24mm would be a must have for that trip. As for the 18-135mm, the stabilization is unreal. I took it into Mammoth Cave in Kentucky and was nailing 1/2 second exposures in almost no light. The WR feature is a nice insurance policy against the weather on a trip too. You don't want to arrive and then get timid about a bit of rain. It also has extra reach for detail shots.

 

That being said, it would be so hard for me to go on a trip without my favorite prime. If you can't leave it behind, take your favorite prime and the 10-24mm.

 

If there was a way to sneak the tiny 27mm into my bag as a third lens for street photos, I'd do that too. It weighs nothing, takes no space, and makes the X-T1 look almost like a point and shoot on the streets.

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For as much as I love my collection of primes, if I were going on a trip where I could only take 2 lenses, it would probably be my 10-24mm and the 18-135mm WR...

 

...If there was a way to sneak the tiny 27mm into my bag as a third lens for street photos, I'd do that too. It weighs nothing, takes no space, and makes the X-T1 look almost like a point and shoot on the streets.

 

 

Nero makes a great suggestion regarding the 10-24 zoom.  I was just in Europe and took five lenses: 12mm Samyang f/2, Fuji 35 f/1.4, 18-55 zoom, 55-200 zoom, and 27mm f/2.8. The ones I used most were the 18-55 and the 35mm. Left the 23mm at home as it was a little big and heavy compared to the 35.  I carried them with me, but it took a bit too much time to get them out and fitted while trying to enjoy my trip with my wife.  The 18-55 was used WAY more than I thought I would use it.  If I had the 18-135, that would have been a great choice.  The 27mm was nice for quick walk arounds and I got a few nice images with it.

 

If you are committed to only taking two lenses, then my suggestion is to take your 56mm prime for low light, a little focal compression, and size/weight, and then rent the 10-24 zoom.  That would be a great combination, and shouldn't take much to choose which to use.  If you can swing it, and squeeze in the 35mm, then take both primes and the 10-24 and you should be in great shape.

 

I also brought with me some ND filters, a polarizing filter, and a travel tripod with me.  The best tripod though was a mini Manfrotto 709B that I carried with me everywhere. It is so small it fit in my backpack easily.

 

Have a great time in those wonderful cities as they are a photographers paradise.

 

Here is a shot done with the 18-55 zoom:

 

[[post='17936035170_e828d8ef4a_z.jpg_DSF1653.jpg by Michael Muramoto, on Flickr'][/post]

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I am going to Europe, in September. I'm thinking 3 zooms and the 27mm. 18-55, 55-200 which I just received yesterday and am rapidly falling in love with, and the 10-24 which I am thinking of purchasing soon. The alternative to the 10-24 would be the 14. As much as I love the 56 I'm thinking I will leave it home. Thoughts?

 

Rod

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I don't know what your lens collection looks like, but I'd at least give some thought to the 35mm instead of the 18-55 and then leave the 56 at home. It gives you a bit more versatility in a fast prime than the 56 and you can zoom with your feet to work around the gaps in focal length from excluding the 18-55. 

 

As I stated above, the 10-24mm is a must have for a trip like that. I wouldn't consider the 14mm if the 10-24 is within your budget.

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Visited Florence and Rome last year. What a joy. Most used lenses were the 10-24 and the 18-55. I did take the 27mm using it one day just for the fun of it. I brought the 55-200 but it stayed in the hotel most of the time. You can talk about the niceties of prime lenses all day but remember you will be traveling during "high season" with tens of thousands of others. You might not be able to position yourself exactly where you want because throngs of others will be trying to do the same thing. I now have the 18-135 and would have taken that in place of the 18-55 and probably would have left the 55-200 at home. Most museums allow photography but no flash. The 35mm f/1.4 could be useful if the crowds allow you to get close enough. Many will be using their phones and tablets which don't zoom very much if at all. Remember that the Uffizi and Accademia are closed on Monday so plan accordingly. In Florence try to visit the Bargello. I found it very interesting and not nearly as crowded as the other museums. It's open on Monday if that becomes a problem. Now repeat after me "gelato is a very important source of protein and has to be consumed daily". Have a great time!!!

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I was in Tuscany + Rome last summer. I had the 18-55, 55-200 and 35 (I never travel with more than 3 lenses)

 

Zooms are indeed very hand for travels. The trinity I took covered pretty much everything, but I missed the 14 for some dramatic extra wide landscape shots.

 

My ideal travel combo would be the 10-24, 18-135 and 23mm. But sadly I don't own the two zooms.

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...You can talk about the niceties of prime lenses all day but remember you will be traveling during "high season" with tens of thousands of others. You might not be able to position yourself exactly where you want because throngs of others will be trying to do the same thing...

 

Now repeat after me "gelato is a very important source of protein and has to be consumed daily". Have a great time!!!

 

Two excellent suggestions by WINN here. It is tough to have space and time to use all of those awesome primes while traveling, so I used the zoom much more than I thought. And yes, gelato is a great source of protein! ;-)

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gelato is a great source of protein! ;-)

 

Agree.

 

And also Gnocchi alla Romana, Bistecca alla Fiorentina, Spaghetti allo scoglio, Melanzane alla Parmigiana, Tortellini alla Ricotta, Branzino alla griglia, risotto ai frutti di mare... damn, food in Italy is just great ! ;)

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I am in NYC today and stopped into B&H to check out the 10-24mm, 14mm and 16mm prior to renting.  

 

10-24mm: I thought the 10-24mm f/4 would be a bit slow for low light handheld photo's, but the OIS on the 10-24 works quite well- not sure how many extra stops the OIS provides, but it felt like 2 + having 10mm is nice for shooting indoors.  Probably don't need a tripod for this one- which is good- as WINN pointed out, it is high season in Italy and it will be a zoo!

 

14mm: Nice- small and easy to work with.  I can see why people really like this lens.

 

16mm: While you lose field of view, you do gain a few f-stops which is nice.  

 

Filters- thanks for the input on these, will bring an ND and polaris(z)ing

 

Much to ponder....

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Nero makes a great suggestion regarding the 10-24 zoom. I was just in Europe and took five lenses: 12mm Samyang f/2, Fuji 35 f/1.4, 18-55 zoom, 55-200 zoom, and 27mm f/2.8. The ones I used most were the 18-55 and the 35mm. Left the 23mm at home as it was a little big and heavy compared to the 35. I carried them with me, but it took a bit too much time to get them out and fitted while trying to enjoy my trip with my wife. The 18-55 was used WAY more than I thought I would use it. If I had the 18-135, that would have been a great choice. The 27mm was nice for quick walk arounds and I got a few nice images with it.

 

If you are committed to only taking two lenses, then my suggestion is to take your 56mm prime for low light, a little focal compression, and size/weight, and then rent the 10-24 zoom. That would be a great combination, and shouldn't take much to choose which to use. If you can swing it, and squeeze in the 35mm, then take both primes and the 10-24 and you should be in great shape.

 

I also brought with me some ND filters, a polarizing filter, and a travel tripod with me. The best tripod though was a mini Manfrotto 709B that I carried with me everywhere. It is so small it fit in my backpack easily.

 

Have a great time in those wonderful cities as they are a photographers paradise.

 

Here is a shot done with the 18-55 zoom:

 

[[post=17936035170_e828d8ef4a_z.jpg_DSF1653.jpg by Michael Muramoto, on Flickr][/post]

I'm going to Spain in September and I was thinking of taking a similar setup. Maybe not the 27mm because of the 35mm which is also small and light and 1.4. But then again, the 27 is so tiny.

 

You did not use the 12mm at all? Was 18mm wide enough then? Also, did you find the need to ever use the 55-200?

 

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I'm going to Spain in September and I was thinking of taking a similar setup. Maybe not the 27mm because of the 35mm which is also small and light and 1.4. But then again, the 27 is so tiny.

 

You did not use the 12mm at all? Was 18mm wide enough then? Also, did you find the need to ever use the 55-200?

 

Sent from my SM-N910C using Tapatalk

 

Hi marcelo_valente, thanks for your note. Yes, I did use the 12mm, but not for what I wanted to photograph.  I was hoping to use it to get some dramatic photographs of the Eiffel Tower against the wonderful skies in Paris, but unfortunately, the tower had a LARGE "Roland Garros" tennis ball hanging in the middle of the tower.  Really unhappy about that.  You can kind of see it hanging above the first section of the tower.  So I ended up using the 18-55mm for most of my photographs, and I'm pretty happy with what I got from it.

 

I did use the 12mm f/2.0 for a few shots in London:

 

[post='17501104854_3acbbbc460_z.jpg_DSF1417.jpg by Michael Muramoto, on Flickr'][/post]

 

 

I really like the lens, the conditions on my trip made it tough to use how I intended.  Well worth the money though!

 

In regard to the 55-200mm, yes, I did use it, but I'm not sure if it is worth bringing. As another poster mentioned, if I had the 18-135mm, that would have been a great one-lens to carry around, and I would have left the 55-200 at home.  Enjoy your trip!!

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Hi marcelo_valente, thanks for your note. Yes, I did use the 12mm, but not for what I wanted to photograph. I was hoping to use it to get some dramatic photographs of the Eiffel Tower against the wonderful skies in Paris, but unfortunately, the tower had a LARGE "Roland Garros" tennis ball hanging in the middle of the tower. Really unhappy about that. You can kind of see it hanging above the first section of the tower. So I ended up using the 18-55mm for most of my photographs, and I'm pretty happy with what I got from it.

 

I did use the 12mm f/2.0 for a few shots in London:

 

[post=17501104854_3acbbbc460_z.jpg_DSF1417.jpg by Michael Muramoto, on Flickr][/post]

 

 

I really like the lens, the conditions on my trip made it tough to use how I intended. Well worth the money though!

 

In regard to the 55-200mm, yes, I did use it, but I'm not sure if it is worth bringing. As another poster mentioned, if I had the 18-135mm, that would have been a great one-lens to carry around, and I would have left the 55-200 at home. Enjoy your trip!!

Thanks for the reply! I'll be traveling with my wife, but for three days in Valencia she'll be participating in a course all day and I'll be free, so taking time changing between the lenses won't be an issue. So I'll definitely take the 12 and use the 35 to do done street shots these days. I have the XC 55-230, so it's lighter then the 50-200, so maybe I'll bring it along. And buying the 18-135 won't be an option.

 

At the beginning I was planning on taking just primes but changed my mind after reading about others experiences.

 

Now my travel setup would be the 18-55, 35, 12, 50-230. Should I squeeze in the 27? Maybe. There is a long way until September comes.

 

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I would definitely go for the 10-24 zoom if you don't mind the weight.  It is one of the best quality zoom lenses made by Fuji.  And it adds tremendous flexibility under various circumstances.  It is not as fast as a prime, but I have had no problems given the broad ISO capability of the X sensor.  I would also go for (already have gone for) the 18-135 zoom.  The fact is that I have never had a problem taking pictures (hand held)  at night with the zooms.  It is great to walk around taking night scenes after dinner.

 

It all depends what you like to photograph.  But, if you want to cover the range from close up architecture (try and get a building in from the other side of a narrow street) to some distant church towers on the horizon, you need the tele as well as the wide.  That is currently impossible with just primes.

 

As I live in Europe, I am faced with all these problems quite regularly.  It is all so close!

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Thanks for the reply! I'll be traveling with my wife, but for three days in Valencia she'll be participating in a course all day and I'll be free, so taking time changing between the lenses won't be an issue. So I'll definitely take the 12 and use the 35 to do done street shots these days. I have the XC 55-230, so it's lighter then the 50-200, so maybe I'll bring it along. And buying the 18-135 won't be an option.

 

At the beginning I was planning on taking just primes but changed my mind after reading about others experiences.

 

Now my travel setup would be the 18-55, 35, 12, 50-230. Should I squeeze in the 27? Maybe. There is a long way until September comes.

 

Sent from my SM-N910C using Tapatalk

Well, marcelo, sounds like you'll have the time to take advantage of the various lenses.  The 12mm shot I show above has been corrected for perspective, so keep that in mind when you use it as you will lose quite a bit if you correct it.  The 27mm is a great little lens, but I didn't take advantage of it, and used the 18-55 and the 35 so much more.  I used the Lowepro Hatchback 22L as the bag, and it all fit in there, so if you can fit it, it won't take much room.  In any case, it sounds like you are doing exactly what I wanted to do - a fun photo trip.  Have a great time.  :)

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Well, marcelo, sounds like you'll have the time to take advantage of the various lenses. The 12mm shot I show above has been corrected for perspective, so keep that in mind when you use it as you will lose quite a bit if you correct it. The 27mm is a great little lens, but I didn't take advantage of it, and used the 18-55 and the 35 so much more. I used the Lowepro Hatchback 22L as the bag, and it all fit in there, so if you can fit it, it won't take much room. In any case, it sounds like you are doing exactly what I wanted to do - a fun photo trip. Have a great time. :)

Thank you!I I think I'll get a larger Lowepro Event Messenger. I have the 100, and might get the 150.

 

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I agree with Patrick FR. The 35 and 14 are the way to go.

 

I don't have the 35 - yet. It's fast for low light and it's a good all around lens.

I do have the 14 and it surprised me. It's a fantastic lens to take for broader views you want to capture. It's fast too. Did I mention it's sharp.

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You guys talked me into the 10-24, just ordered it new from Cameraland on Ebay for $719. Renting one from lensrentalonline was going to be $186 for 21 days. If I decide I don't want to keep it I can probably resell it for less loss than that. If I don't keep it, I probably would replace it with the 16mm Fuji and 12mm Samyang. Using the zoom should give me a better idea of exactly what focus lengths I prefer in wide or ultrawide primes. They have 3 more at that price.

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