Which Primes To Bring for Travel?

[TWiTCHY]

I'll be traveling all over Thailand and parts of Cambodia in a few weeks and plan on bringing my Canon 6D with me everywhere. I'm a prime lens user so I'd like to limit the number of lenses I bring to 2 for weight reasons and to limit the number of times I need to change lenses. Changing lenses is never fun...

This will be the first time I fly with my camera gear, albeit the first time I fly overseas in almost 15 years. I want to make sure I capture this moment through lenses I will find applicable to most situations, but also capture rare shots at unique focal lengths to differentiate my shots from the regular traveler with a $1000 camera phone.

Ranked from most frequent scenes I will photograph to less frequent are: street, food, portraits, landscapes (skylines and beaches), architecture (temples!), nature.

My current lens inventory is:

35mm f/2 IS
40mm f/2.8 STM
50mm f/1.8 STM
85mm f/1.8
135mm f/2

I've seen the 35mm do the first 3 really well, but it is mediocre at landscapes and poor for architecture. For those times I want to take a fancier portrait without losing the setting/background entirely, I'm thinking the 85mm would serve well.

Any experiences or opinions you have to share will be greatly appreciated

[E90joee]

Originally Posted by TWiTCHY

I'll be traveling all over Thailand and parts of Cambodia in a few weeks and plan on bringing my Canon 6D with me everywhere. I'm a prime lens user so I'd like to limit the number of lenses I bring to 2 for weight reasons and to limit the number of times I need to change lenses. Changing lenses is never fun...

This will be the first time I fly with my camera gear, albeit the first time I fly overseas in almost 15 years. I want to make sure I capture this moment through lenses I will find applicable to most situations, but also capture rare shots at unique focal lengths to differentiate my shots from the regular traveler with a $1000 camera phone.

Ranked from most frequent scenes I will photograph to less frequent are: street, food, portraits, landscapes (skylines and beaches), architecture (temples!), nature.

My current lens inventory is:

35mm f/2 IS
40mm f/2.8 STM
50mm f/1.8 STM
85mm f/1.8
135mm f/2

I've seen the 35mm do the first 3 really well, but it is mediocre at landscapes and poor for architecture. For those times I want to take a fancier portrait without losing the setting/background entirely, I'm thinking the 85mm would serve well.

Any experiences or opinions you have to share will be greatly appreciated

Ill be going to thailand next month, id love to see the pictures and any advice you can give

[shadowfax]

Since nature is at the bottom of your list it sounds like 35 and 85 would be the ones to take.

I usually get around on my own when traveling, but I did hire a driver/guide in Chiang Rai and Siem Reap and like both of them. Chhen Kol in Siem Reap and Jermsak in Chiang Rai. They both get great reviews on sites like trip advisor so tend to require reservations in advance.

[tcphoto]

I recently bought a used 24LII and I love the perspective. If you're going to pick from your list, I'd carry the 35 and 85.

[TWiTCHY]

Originally Posted by tcphoto

I recently bought a used 24LII and I love the perspective. If you're going to pick from your list, I'd carry the 35 and 85.

24mm would be ideal for landscapes and architecture. If I were bringing 3 lenses, I would look into buying one to accompany my 35mm and 85mm, but those two lenses alone are already pretty heavy. Can't imagine bringing any L primes with me since they all weigh so much!

[Hammer Werke]

Hi. I'm a photog and travel quite a bit. I would take the 35, 50. and 135mm if i was you. Or if you want to keep it light, the 40mm, 85/135. That 40 pancake is so nice and small.

Lately I have been traveling with a 645 50mm, 150mm. Then also a ricoh gr2 which is sharp 28mm. The ricoh is great to take out at night/drinking/dancing etc when I leave the big gear in the hotel safe.

[GoHokiesGo]

I'd probably recommend similar to everyone else - the 35 and 85, and I'd probably have the 35 on my camera most of the time since it serves as a good all-around focal length.

Honestly, I'd really think that you would want something wider too, even though you mention landscape being a bit further down your list; however, there are some pretty incredible landscapes and scenes in throughout the temples and beaches in both countries. The clouds during golden hours in Thailand are breath-taking.

Where are you going in both countries? More beaches and temples, or BKK city and street life?

[Banana Hammock]

I just got back from a trip to Japan and I brought my Sigma 35mm f/1.4 Art and Canon 24-105mm f/4 L with me. Ended up shooting the entire trip with just the 35 and left the 24-105 at my Airbnb. There were some cases where I wish I had the reach or a bit of a wider lens but overall, I really enjoyed shooting with the 35. I think everyone else nailed it on their recommendation of bringing the 35 and 85.

I'm still editing pics but here are some shots: https://www.flickr.com/photos/kontra...57690136615002

[TWiTCHY]

Originally Posted by pasghetti

I just got back from a trip to Japan and I brought my Sigma 35mm f/1.4 Art and Canon 24-105mm f/4 L with me. Ended up shooting the entire trip with just the 35 and left the 24-105 at my Airbnb. There were some cases where I wish I had the reach or a bit of a wider lens but overall, I really enjoyed shooting with the 35.

I'm still editing pics but here are some shots: https://www.flickr.com/photos/kontra...57690136615002

That's awesome to hear! I did contemplate bringing only the 35mm, but I think there would be times I wish I had a better portrait lens. Thanks for sharing.

[TWiTCHY]

Originally Posted by GoHokiesGo

I'd probably recommend similar to everyone else - the 35 and 85, and I'd probably have the 35 on my camera most of the time since it serves as a good all-around focal length.

Honestly, I'd really think that you would want something wider too, even though you mention landscape being a bit further down your list; however, there are some pretty incredible landscapes and scenes in throughout the temples and beaches in both countries. The clouds during golden hours in Thailand are breath-taking.

Where are you going in both countries? More beaches and temples, or BKK city and street life?

Yeah, a wider focal length would be great but I'm not sure I want to spend more money on lenses - the 35mm, 40mm, and 85mm were all purchased in the past month in preparation for this trip!

First stop is actually in Taipei for ~19 hours, then Bangkok for 3 days, then Chiang Mai for 4 days, then Krabi for 1 day, Railay Beach for 1 day, and Koh Phi Phi or Koh Lanta for 1 day, then flying back to Bangkok to make it to the DMK airport for a flight to Siem Reap. In total it will be 10 flights and a few ferry/boat rides. We plan to do a mix of street, temples, and some wilderness out in Bangkok and Chiang Mai. We're hoping to find an elephant sanctuary that isn't booked yet but no luck so far

[tcphoto]

If you're so worried about weight buy a used Canon G Series. I have a G15 that I travel with and just enjoy my vacations.

[joooiiiiii]

I was in Cambodia in 2016 and if I were to bring only 2 lenses it would definitely be a wide angle and the 85. You will definitely want to capture outside of the city and even inside the cities with the wide angle. Angkor Wat is massive.

[tdott]

Recently we've been making do with my iPhoneX and wife's S8+, shorter trips, places we've been to before/etc.

I used to carry my 5Dmk3 around with a 35mm f2is, 50mm 1.4 & 24-105. Some trips I only take two lenses, but that is my goto travel setup if I plan to do alot of photography on the trip.

[TWiTCHY]

I figure I can take panoramas with the 35mm but trying to visualize a photo I will have to stitch later will be difficult. I will try to find a used Canon 20mm or 24mm before the trip. Thanks for all your input!

I was also speaking with a friend about traveling with a DSLR. He is an avid 5D user but decided to pick up an SL1 for his trip to Korea and Japan. Shortly into his trip he wished he had the 5D as the SL1 was cumbersome to use and he just missed the full frame quality. I told him at that point if you are going to compromise on bringing a full frame DSLR by bringing something inferior, you might as well just not bring anything and use your phone these days the best smartphones match the image quality of budget-line DSLRs.

[jlo0109]

My suggestion would be the 35 and 50. Thailand, like most Asian countries, is very congested. I recommend the 50 instead of the 85 like many did for this reason. Have fun and be safe!

[GoHokiesGo]

Originally Posted by TWiTCHY

Yeah, a wider focal length would be great but I'm not sure I want to spend more money on lenses - the 35mm, 40mm, and 85mm were all purchased in the past month in preparation for this trip!

First stop is actually in Taipei for ~19 hours, then Bangkok for 3 days, then Chiang Mai for 4 days, then Krabi for 1 day, Railay Beach for 1 day, and Koh Phi Phi or Koh Lanta for 1 day, then flying back to Bangkok to make it to the DMK airport for a flight to Siem Reap. In total it will be 10 flights and a few ferry/boat rides. We plan to do a mix of street, temples, and some wilderness out in Bangkok and Chiang Mai. We're hoping to find an elephant sanctuary that isn't booked yet but no luck so far

Taipei has some awesome food - definitely check out Raohe Night market if you're there during evening hours; cheap food, but lots of good interesting things to try (and several to avoid, haha)!

We visited an Elephant sanctuary from Koh Lanta, but we just booked a day trip through our hotel while we were there; you should be able to book something like that during arrival.

You mentioned being a prime only guy, but I've really loved my 16-35/4L for traveling with a wide angle; it's really sharp for a zoom, lightweight, and the IS is pretty awesome. I generally go for versatility when traveling light over pure prime sharpness, as there's less chance of missing a shot if you can't adjust your perspective without moving.

[TWiTCHY]

Originally Posted by GoHokiesGo

Taipei has some awesome food - definitely check out Raohe Night market if you're there during evening hours; cheap food, but lots of good interesting things to try (and several to avoid, haha)!

We visited an Elephant sanctuary from Koh Lanta, but we just booked a day trip through our hotel while we were there; you should be able to book something like that during arrival.

You mentioned being a prime only guy, but I've really loved my 16-35/4L for traveling with a wide angle; it's really sharp for a zoom, lightweight, and the IS is pretty awesome. I generally go for versatility when traveling light over pure prime sharpness, as there's less chance of missing a shot if you can't adjust your perspective without moving.

Hey thanks for the tips! I will definitely try to check out that night market. And I didn't know Koh Lanta had an elephant sanctuary - we were trying to decide between Koh Phi Phi and Koh Lanta, but you might have just decided for us

I did consider zooms to cover my wide-angle and telephoto focal lengths. Sometimes going all primes is impractical when you want to cover a large variety of scenes. I used to have a 17-40mm f/4 that I used exclusively for automotive and landscape photography, but unfortunately sold that off when I thought I was going to leave DSLRs for good. I may look into it for the future but funds are low.

Thanks to all your guys' advice, I decided to pick up a 3rd lens for my trip: the Canon 24mm f/2.8 EF. It's an older lens and only cost me $120 on eBay, so if I decide it's not for me after the trip it should be relatively easy to resell. I hope this focal length will satisfy any landscape and architecture needs. I could have gone wider but I generally don't like the stretched wide-angle look when you go < 20mm.

[GoHokiesGo]

Originally Posted by TWiTCHY

Hey thanks for the tips! I will definitely try to check out that night market. And I didn't know Koh Lanta had an elephant sanctuary - we were trying to decide between Koh Phi Phi and Koh Lanta, but you might have just decided for us

I may have misspoke calling it a "sanctuary", we just did elephant trekking there. We visited phi phi and koh lanta, both were beautiful in their own right. Hard to make a wrong choice with those options.

Enjoy your trip and I'll quit hogging your thread!

[Hammer Werke]

Oh, one more thing. In Thailand, go to Pai. Few hours north of Chiang Mai. Amazing area.

[TWiTCHY]

Originally Posted by Hammer Werke

Oh, one more thing. In Thailand, go to Pai. Few hours north of Chiang Mai. Amazing area.

Wish I could, I just looked it up and it's beautiful. I've already booked an AirBnb in the heart of ChiangMai unfortunately

[lowside67]

Glad you bought something wider than a 35. My 17-40 is my most used lens while traveling and when I had the 24-105 I hated not having 17mm but seldom used 105mm.

I now travel with a Fuji setup for my "casual" photography trips which is a 14mm F2.8 and 35mm F1.4. Awesome tiny setup (mind that this camera is a 1.5x crop).

-Mark

Here is what I usually travel with haha:

[Rikx1M]

Originally Posted by lowside67

Here is what I usually travel with haha:

Mark, I'm a Nikon guy but this is an awesome kit...what do you normally shoot? Paid or just for fun?