Lens Choices for Greece/Paris Trip ?

Iota

I have a trip coming up that is going to take me to Greece for 2.5 weeks and Paris for 5 Days. Having been to neither and not knowing what to expect, I'm looking for suggestions as to glass to take. In Greece, we'll be hitting some rural areas in Santorini as well as urban spots inAthens and of course, the usual tourist spots in both Greece and Paris.

I'm a Canon XTi user (1.6 Crop) and currently own: 24-70/2.8L, 50/1.6, and 70-200/2.8L.

My concerns are as follows:
* Is 38mm-112mm (my 24 equiv) wide & long enough for walking around ?
* Weight of the 70-200L; I'm not sure I want to walk around with this due to the weight. If the 112mm isn't long enough, what other options?

I think its safe to say that most of the shots will *not* be in low-light or high motion.

I really don't want to take more than 2 lenses for space and weight, and I'm open to renting glass and possibly purchasing (non-L) if reasonable.


Thanks for your advice,

Iota

dsloan

while it would be nice to have something a bit wider angled for city scene shots, i think the 24-70 will be ok. it is certainly long enough. definitely leave the 70-200 at home unless you want to shoot people on the streets from far away. if you are traveling with a partner you could take the 50 for some portrait shots, but you could just use the 24-70. i suppose i'd rather have the 17-55 with me instead of the 24-70, but there's no reason to buy/trade lenses just for one trip.

hope that helps a bit.

colourbox

24mm (35mm) isn't very wide on a Rebel crop sensor. If you don't shoot many wide landscapes or confined spaces, maybe this is fine, but I find it useful to have something with a 17mm wide end. If I was to take just one lens it would be the 17-55, but you don't have that one and it's as expensive as an L.

If you aren't concerned about wide angle, your 24-70 should be a great walkaround lens and you should just stop there and take that one on the trip. (I would throw in the 50mm too if possible, since it's small.) If I were you I'd take the 24-70 around your town and see how the 24mm feels, including inside confined areas that might approximate museums and other indoor spaces where you expect to use the lens.

On the cliffs of Santorini at Fira, the 180+degree panorama is so stunning you might wish you had a wider lens. But even a wider lens might not take in everything you want in the frame. Instead of worrying about a wider lens, I would suggest preparing to shoot multi-frame panoramas and stitching them together when you get home.

Art Scott

I would rent a wide to medium tele zoom.....17-70/80 or get a good 18-200/250/270 and a tripod for those pano shots you will want.....Paris has Notre Dame.....and other fantastic architecture and Greece is well Greece....home of the Gods and all of their temples and fantastic landscape/city scapes a nd vistas.......and an 18-200/250/270 refers to canon/Sigma/Tamron .....on a tripod you can even shoot in low light.....you can sniper shot people in the cities........check borrowlenses to see if you can rent one rather than buy....get it a week early to get used to it....and insure it incase.....just incase.....................

I am very different than most people....since I shoot for a living I do not mind carrying my pro lenses around on my cameras, as I know I will get the best possible contrast and color....others worry about them being stolen.....but I do not let that enter into my mind as I find when I do it affects my shooting........also every trip is a tax deduction as long as I am shooting....so I shoot every day...at least one photo even if I know I will never process it............

Moogle Pepper

I would rent a 24-105 and bring your 50mm. Saves weight and space. the 24-70 is pretty heavy, as you probably know. You will never know if you need low light, like in pubs or something, that is where the 50 would reign.

ziggy53

My favorite 2 - lens travel kit for Canon crop 1.6x cameras is:

Canon EF-S 17-55mm, f/2.8 IS USM
Canon EF 70-200mm, f/4L IS USM

I think you can rent both pretty easily.

Neither is very good for close focus so I also take a Canon 500D close focus diopter to put on the 70-200mm.

Art Scott

I would also make my decision on whether or not this is a once in a lifetime trip or if you know you'll be going back......if once in a lifetime trip....I was say screw it an take the best glass and body i can.....I would toss a 3rd lens in for macros or close ups.....unlike Ziggy I never liked diopter lenses........

divamum

Having just lugged a full gear bag on a once-in-a-lifetime cross-country trip, I would say this: TRAVEL LIGHT!! Seriously - I'd consider getting an S90 or a G11 or Lumix or whatever instead of another lens, and just travel with your dslr+24-70, 50 for low light, and the pns for everything else.

I don't think I will ever be persuaded to travel with that much camera gear again unless I"m being paid to do so.

Take note, too, of the misery which is flying these days. My personal favorite (?!) was the SAME BAG being accepted as a carry-on in one leg of the flight no problem, and then in another leg - on EXACTLY the same model/size plane - having to argue over carrying it on. Triple - quadruple - check the dimensions your flight allows for carry-on. You won't be sorry.

ChatKat

Cameras and travel
I have extensively travelled the world with gear - both heavy and light.

Even when you think you won't need low light capability, I can tell you that in the Louvre and the Musee de Orsay in Paris you can shoot but you won't want flash so you'll want that 50. In Oia and Fira - there is enough white on the walls for bouncing light. Both places are a virtual candy store for photographers.

I have taken my 70-200 and 24-70 or 24-105 and found that gear definitely weighs on you when you are walking up those hills or strolling the streets. Add a tripod - not allowed in many of those spots and will need to be checked - delaying your visits and if they think you are a pro, you can be asked to put your camera away. In Greece it's fairly safe but Paris is a big city with a fair amount of crime especially in the Metro. There were muggings every day on the trains when we were on them last year.

I travel with the 24-105 most often on my crop and my husband uses a 50d with the 24-70 last. We got tired of the gear schlepping so we bought the Tamron 28-300 vr (one for each of us) and it gives us everything in one camera. I take a 50 1.2 with me but your 50 would suit fine for the inside dark places. And I'd leave the tripod behind.

Don't forget to put the camera down and take in the sights. They're stunning. Experience the places you visit. If you spend the whole time shooting you will miss so much.