need a lens for europe - 24-105 or 70-200

i'm covered for my ultra wide angle (tokina @ 16mm), my fast prime (35L don't want to bring the 50) but i want a versatile zoom. i love the idea of the 24-105 because it's light and good for different film shots (not to mention cheap in comparison). i definitely want to get footage while abroad. at the same time, i just came into a chuck of cash and could shell out for a 70-200 (preferably 2.8). but is that much of a zoom necessary for walking around europe? i was there when i was younger but it seemed like i'd normally be going for wider shots all the time. if i go 70-200, i want to get the 2.8 II as it's a lens i plan on having for 5-10 years. will the weight be ridiculous to carry around all the time? should i go for f/4? i really don't know if i'll ever need it for indoor low light events.

i should mention, i'm going to stay mostly in england/london, with the hopes of taking trains to france, germany, and italy. help me decide!

I wouldn't find much use for a telelphoto on a trip to europe. wide angle would be far more useful. The 24-105 would be a great lens on your 5dii for that.

or the 24-70mm. I live here in Europe and travel alot, if you plan on being on foot the whole time and you can cary the weight go for it but if not, you be dead beat by the time you get back to your hotel. most of the museums does not allow flash photography just to give you some tip.

Last time I went to Europe, I used my 11-16 and 17-55 99,9% of the time.
Considering that would be 17mm to 88mm equivalent on FF, I'd say take the 24-105 and it will probably cover you for most of the situations!

Sirrith wrote in post #12409283
I wouldn't find much use for a telelphoto on a trip to europe. wide angle would be far more useful. The 24-105 would be a great lens on your 5dii for that.

Is that because everything is smaller and closer together in the whole of Europe than in the US/Asia etc.?

depending where you going, the 70-200mm is good to have. there's a lot of castles and scenery here and sometimes hard to get to and its nice to have get some shots from a different vantage point where it easier to get to.

I think the 24-105mm would fit your need, but If you can, i say bring both

I never really understood those kind of questions in threads. What does it mean for a trip to EU?
Even if you want to look at this from this point of view, EU has so many different countries that it doesn't make any sense..
What do you want to shoot? What do you shoot most? People,architecture,la​ndscape or all of those together?
If you want to have only one lens with you, it would make sense to take something that would cover the vast majority of your photos. In this case 24-105 will serve you better as a trip lens on FF..
And yes. 70-200 2.8 IS II is a heavy lens for trips. But then again. I carry all my lenses with me when I'm going on holidays..

UPDATED:

I think the 16mm is really wide (with your 5d2). Would not see using that a lot on a trip. Why not drop the primes and go with the two zooms.

Good luck.

NinetyEight wrote in post #12409423


Is that because everything is smaller and closer together in the whole of Europe than in the US/Asia etc.?

I'm not quite sure what you're trying to say, because I don't see how a wide angle lens would help with smaller things, but please don't assume that because I have Hong Kong as my location means I've never been to Europe and am only going by what I hear others say. I'm French. I've lived in France, and I've been to pretty much everywhere in western Europe at least a couple of times. I normally spend over half the year in Europe, and I'm currently living in the UK.

I wouldn't find much use for a telephoto in Europe because the architecture often requires a wide angle lens to fit it all in, precisely because everything is often built so big and because the scenery and landscapes are so conducive to wide angle lenses. If you want to shoot something in London for example, you're going to have a much easier job getting closer to things than backing away. The same goes for Paris, Rome, Geneva, Florence, Milan, Barcelona, and any number of other European cities.

I have never found myself wanting a long lens while traveling around Europe, other than for wildlife, but I have often found myself wanting something wider.

AbPho wrote in post #12409498
UPDATED:

I think the 16mm is really wide (with your 5d2). Would not see using that a lot on a trip. Why not drop the primes and go with the two zooms.

Good luck.

the 16mm is great for filming and i already use it a lot for architecture, i'll definitely be using it this trip. and the 35L is insane, i just got it. no way i could justify letting it go. i went and saw the 70-200 f/4 which was really nice and compact, but i think i'm still going to go with a 24-105. don't think i need the extra reach

Sirrith wrote in post #12409585
I'm not quite sure what you're trying to say, because I don't see how a wide angle lens would help with smaller things, but please don't assume that because I have Hong Kong as my location means I've never been to Europe and am only going by what I hear others say. I'm French. I've lived in France, and I've been to pretty much everywhere in western Europe at least a couple of times. I normally spend over half the year in Europe, and I'm currently living in the UK.

I wouldn't find much use for a telephoto in Europe because the architecture often requires a wide angle lens to fit it all in, precisely because everything is often built so big and because the scenery and landscapes are so conducive to wide angle lenses. If you want to shoot something in London for example, you're going to have a much easier job getting closer to things than backing away. The same goes for Paris, Rome, Geneva, Florence, Milan, Barcelona, and any number of other European cities.

I have never found myself wanting a long lens while traveling around Europe, other than for wildlife, but I have often found myself wanting something wider.

I was being slightly sarcastic, nothing personal, but I am often amused that for general holiday shooting, a lens 'for Europe' would be any different to a lens for the US for example.
It's almost inferred that everything in the 'US of A' is so much bigger and further away and all towns and cities are so different to anything 'in Europe'...
It was just the way you sad "I wouldn't find much use for a telelphoto on a trip to europe"
I was in New York a few years ago and a telephoto wasn't much use there either.

I personally would not take a long telephoto on holiday anyway, I'd rather travel light(ish) with a 24-105 and a 10-22.

NinetyEight wrote in post #12412118
I was being slightly sarcastic, nothing personal, but I am often amused that for general holiday shooting, a lens 'for Europe' would be any different to a lens for the US for example.
It's almost inferred that everything in the 'US of A' is so much bigger and further away and all towns and cities are so different to anything 'in Europe'...
It was just the way you sad "I wouldn't find much use for a telelphoto on a trip to europe"
I was in New York a few years ago and a telephoto wasn't much use there either.

I personally would not take a long telephoto on holiday anyway, I'd rather travel light(ish) with a 24-105 and a 10-22.

I see where you're coming from
I just added the in Europe part because thats where the OP is planning to go, so it was of relevance to the discussion. If he'd said he was going on a safari for example, I'd have said that I would find a telephoto VERY useful for a safari, not just that I'd find a telephoto very useful. Just putting the statement in context if you will.

Sirrith wrote in post #12412138
I see where you're coming from
I just added the in Europe part because thats where the OP is planning to go, so it was of relevance to the discussion. If he'd said he was going on a safari for example, I'd have said that I would find a telephoto VERY useful for a safari, not just that I'd find a telephoto very useful. Just putting the statement in context if you will.

I know where you were coming from As I said, I was being sarcastic towards all the similar posts I see regarding this.

I'm off to Spain next month - What lens should I take

NinetyEight wrote in post #12412155
I'm off to Spain next month - What lens should I take

Sigmonster