Which Lenses to Take When Travelling?

[Jason Dunn]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://digital-photography-school.com/blog/travel-photography-which-lenses-to-take/' target='_blank'>http://digital-photography-school.com/blog/travel-photography-which-lenses-to-take/</a><br /><br /></div><i>"This is actually a question I’ve thought long and hard about having gone on several overseas and interstate trips over the past few years. The answers that I’ve come up with have varied from trip to trip considerably and have depended upon a number of factors including the length of the trip, the nature of the trip, my current ‘favorite’ lens and my current phase of photography (I tend to go through phases where my style in photography changes a bit). A lens can make or break you in terms of image quality. I constantly advise people to get the best one that they can afford as an upgrade in lens will usually lead to much greater improvements in image quality than an upgrade in camera body. The main considerations that you’ll probably want to consider when buying a lens for travel include..."</i><br /><br />A solid article that covers off some of the things you'll want to keep in mind when selecting which lenses you'll take/buy for photography while traveling. It's Canon-centric, but the basic principals are the same regardless of which lens system you're locked into.

[Bob12]

I usually take all my lenses with me when I travel since all the traveling I do is ground based in my own vehicle. They range from the 24-105 IS up to a 100-400 IS. I did keep my 35-350 just in case I do have to limit myself for some reason or another.

[Neil Enns]

I now only take my full compliment of lenses with me when I'm going somewhere truly different. All the lenses plus camera bodies just makes for far too much weight to be lugging around to standard destinations.

On my last trip I went light: tripod, body, 17-40L and 70-300DO IS. I left my 24-70 at home. It actually worked out really well, and I was happy with the shots I got.

Michael over at Luminous Landscape (www.luminous-landscape.com) always reports on what worked and what didn't when he gets back from a major trip. It's fascinating to see that even a pro with a ton of gear winds up using a single camera/body combination for the vast majority of shots on a trip.

Neil

[marlof]

For me it's pretty simple: I use one lens for 80% of my shots (the 14-54 (28-108 FOV)), so that goes with me. I also have one telezoom (50-200 (100-400 FOV), and that goes with me too. I also have a low lightish f2 50 (100 FOV) macro lens, and that goes too. That concludes my lens collection, so it all goes. It (and some accessories like cards, batteries, flash, teleextender, etc.) all fits in a small Lowepro Slingshot 100 AW, and that fits in any regular backpack that I can carry on a plane. If I travel by car I also take a tripod, but I tend to leave that at home when I have to travel by plane. Then a beanbag takes its place.