Trip to UK

[JoeTwelvePack]

Happy New Year to all you POTN denizens!

Hope 2006 is full of great photographs!

Anyway, for our 35th anniversary, my wife and I are going to do a UK tour. We will probably spend 9 or 10 days in jolly ole and most of that in London. We have a 3 day escourted tour to various places (Stonehenge, Blenheim, etc).

My question in the lens forum is two fold:

1) I don't want to carryy 500 pounds of lenses around. I'm thinking that I should take the 24-70. What other lens(es) would you recommend? If I don't have it , I have permission to get it!

2) For you UK guys, is there anyplace that you would consider a "must-see" where great pictures are just waiting for the camera? I know that's open-ended, but you can read all the guidebooks in the world and still miss great picture places. I figure that you guys would probably have some good insights.

Thanks, in advance, for your input!

Ole Joe

[condyk]

I'd want a wider angle too. For the time you've got, including the 3 day tour, then you should do a really good London focused trip. There is so much to do there ;-) If you don't have one then you buy it in the US and then, having arranged it in advance, sell it to a UK shooter and get your money back - win/win ;-)

[buze]

Or visit Oxford maybe, or Cambridge or Windsor or Bath etc. All in a couple hours train from London, and radicaly different...

Buze, who doesn't like London....

[Tribug]

Bring a wide angle, you will be glad you did. :) I live in the South, about 45 minutes from Salisbury, near where Stonehenge is. You should try to visit Avebury as well, you can wander around the stone circle there. Also, if you are able to, visit Salisbury, the town center is very old, and the shops are terrific :) Your wife will love them. Definately visit Bath, I love going shopping there too. When you go to Bath, be sure to go on the Bizarre Bath tour. I took my teenage daughters on it when there were over here visiting this past summer, and they are still talking about it, lol.

In London, there is so much to see. Most of the museums are free, and you will be spoilt for choice. Be sure to visit the British Museum and the Natural Science Museums tho. If you like art, the National Gallery, and the Victoria and Albert museums are very nice too. Take your wife to Covenant Garden for a nice lunch, and shopping. Then if you can, go to Portobello road for some fun street stall shopping. Harrod's, gotta do Harrod's, it is so easy to get lost in there. The Egyption section is mind blowing, as is the food court.

PM me and I will give you my email address, and more ideas on things that are out of the way to see and do. :)

Dress warmly, sturdy warm shoes, and water resistant jackets,,lol. Oh, and bring an umbrella.

You guys will have so much fun :)

[SuzyView]

I would bring a shower cap for the rainy times. And a sharp wide-angle lens is always good. I hate to see a whole landscape and not get it all. My husband flew to Portsmouth every month for 3 years and never took a single picture. I would have gone crazy taking pictures. There are more old castles than you can possibly photograph, but all worth a try. Have fun!

SuzyView

[Balliolman]

As for locations tell us more about your interests and the suggestions can be made to suit.

[condyk]

My husband flew to Portsmouth every month for 3 years and never took a single picture.

:lol: :lol: :lol: Wise man ;-)

I'll second Bath as a place to visit. I lived there for three years and never got tired of wandering around. Always something to snap and good for shopping. The Cheese Cafe is a laugh for lunch ... if you like cheese anyway!! Coffee is generally abismale all over Bath. Sorry :( Cadburys Chocolate Cafe is about the best bet and quite comfy to sit.

Train from Paddington to Bath Spa is about an hour forty minutes and if you buy in advance and off peak tickets can be quite cheap. A nice long day will be enough, returning to London on a late train. You can plan what to do on the way and sleep on the way back. The station is only a few minutes easy walk from the city centre and it's pretty flat on the whole.

[puttick]

Lighting may be dim. Bring a monopod!

[cspratt]

On the same theme, I'm off to England then Cyprus in May. I have a 100-400L IS for the birding I wish to do. I also have a 28-135 IS and a 50 F/1.8. I was contemplating leaving those two at home and getting an 85 F/1.8. As I will be staying with relatives (cousins) I expect I will be taking a few (lots!) of family pictures, so thought the 85 would be the best for this. I don't want to take too many lenses (the 100-400 is a must!). Is buying the 85 F/1.8 for this trip a good idea?

No matter what, I love London!!!!

[condyk]

Is buying the 85 F/1.8 for this trip a good idea?



50mm 1.4, or even wider, would be better unless you're shooting them down a long tunnel :lol: :lol: Alternatively, 50mm 1.8 and 85mm 1.8, or a flash and your 28-135 might be a more practical idea, even tho' I'm not a big fan of the IS lens.

[JoeTwelvePack]

Lots of good ideas so far!

Thanks, all.

Bath is included in our guided tour. Not sure about Avenbury. it was mentioned in one tour, but we've looked at so many different tours for such a long time, and we are old and very forgetful at this point.

Condyk: you mentioned Lincoln. Would that be sites (castles, towns, etc) or landscapes? To show you how ignorant we are, where is Lincoln and how close is it to London? Could we get there by train in a couple of hours and spend a day seeing stuff?

Tribug: Thanks for your help and input! Looking forward to museum visits. We originally were going to do a 7 day literature tour, but decided there was so much else we wanted to see on our first time that it would have been to confining. We want it all. Of course, we will have to come back and see stuff we missed the first time!

I'm thinking, after y'alls input, about the 16-35. Do you think that's a good choice? Should I take my 100-400? Again, I'm thinking of only two lenses, but I could take 3? Of course, I'll need a new bag, tripod/monopod, CF cards.... oh, the possibilities are endless!

Thanks again, all

Ole Joe

[condyk]

Condyk: you mentioned Lincoln. Would that be sites (castles, towns, etc) or landscapes? To show you how ignorant we are, where is Lincoln and how close is it to London? Could we get there by train in a couple of hours and spend a day seeing stuff?


Nah, never mentioned Lincoln. I think you've got me mixed up with your Lonely Planet guide book ;-) IMO it's too far to travel for the time you have. It's Ok if you're passing but not really worth a long trip.

[buze]

Consider an Epson P2000 (or equivalent?) it's great for emptying cards when on a trip!

For the 100-400 I don't see any use for it for tourist visits, unless you go birding. I think one of these 2x-7x f2.8 medium zooms (canon, tamron, sigma) would work great tho if you can't pack many lenses. That and a fast 50 for the evening/portraits and you're set :D

If you want castles, come to Windsor, it's <1h train from Paddington.

http://galleries.oomz.net/pub/051119/S/20051119102203.jpg

Buze, who proves one can do landscaping with a 200mm f2.8 L :D

[ghocking]

Go north were the people are friendly, best places, York, the English Lake District and Scotland, great views and not big crowds.

[yellow_belly]

Hi, I live 20 miles from Lincoln and wouldnt advise going there if its not already on your journey, its probably about 2 hours from London on the train. There is the Cathederal (where some of the filming of The Da Vinci Code with Tom hanks took place) and the Castle, quite interesting but there are other places with a lot more :)

Terry

[adam*]

Agree with ghocking, the north has alot to offer that people don't realise there is more than London. As for me I hate London due to how busy (and how rude people can be, especially on the tube) but I can see why as a tourist you would go there and it is a nice city if it's your first time to England.