24mm f/1.4 or 35mm f/1.4 for travel?

I love both of these lenses, after checking out the lens photos section. And now looking for a travel lens for night-time photography. I am planning a trip to France/Italy, and wanted to find out which of these 2 lenses would fit those countries the most. I am not much of the landscape shooter, and I like to have people, environment in my photographs.
I've had lots of gear, but these two lenses have always been a dream of mine....until now when it's possible for me to buy one of them.

In addition, I am tampering with taking 24-105 zoom or a 17-40mm zoom with me.

Thanks in advance for suggestions!

Are you on crop or FF? That certainly will make a difference to which lens you want for what type of range you're looking to shoot at.

Either lens is great and I recommend either one.

Forgot to mention I'm on 5DII FF.

I just spent a month in Europe. I only had the 24-70 with me. I take alot of street photography and the 35mm range was typical. Although when I wanted to go wide in the streets, I wanted to be wider than 24mm. Having your 17-40 would be ideal during the day.

To really enjoy the cities, you have to enjoy the streets. Using much of a zoom would deprive you of getting the up-close and personal experience.

Have fun!

Note: After my trip, I am seriously looking into getting the 35mmL and possibly a 17-40mm or 16-35mm to add to my arsenal.

In the past, while shooting portraits, my go-to lens was always my beloved 85LII. But now, I have been playing with an idea of buying the wider lens, as everyone is raving about their 24L's and 35L's.

Well, then it comes down to how wide do you want to be at? When you say night photos, are you talking about stars?

If you want skies without stars trailing, then you'll probably want the wider lens. Otherwise, it just comes down to how much distortion and focal range you want to shoot at.

35mm focal length is great for all-purpose walk around, and the f/1.4 will be great for night strolls. In Italy, for capturing all the amazing architecture during the day, I'd stick with your 17-40.

I did Italy with my 24L and 50L, and always wanted a little wider, but not too often was I needing more reach.

Ok, I think I'm going to give a 35L a shot and see if I like it. I think my 17-40 would be good enough to cover the wide angle.

I used to own the 35L and I absolutely loved it. Being that I want to get into astrophotography, I recently sold it in favor of the 24L. You win going with either lens, but going to Europe with the 17-40 and 35L will have you will be covered for the majority of the shots you want.

I spent a lot of time travelling in Europe and other places in my work. I carried a 5Dc, 24-105, 17-40 and 35L. I was pretty much covered for all I needed. 35 focal length is very comfortable for me.

35 for ff, 24 for crop.

Unless you want all your shots to be slightly distorted, 35 on ff is the way to go imo.

Both are great just a personal preference thing really. 35 is certainly more practical and pairing it with 17-40 should work well. I have thought about switching my 24 for a 35 but there's something really unique about the 24.

On a 5D, the 24-105L should do just about anything you want. IS will let you get shots of interiors of cathedrals - don't miss St. Chapelle in Paris.
If you think that you may want a wider lens, then take the 17-40 as well.
When I was in Rome, I carried a Canon powershot in my pocket at night. I didn't want to drag my SLR around to dinner. If you want a fast prime for the 5D, you should already know the answer. For me, I'd want the 35f1.4 on full frame. I'd find the 24 a bit too wide for a prime, but not on a crop.
It is all a matter of personal preference here, and what you want to photograph.
You have gone through more lenses than most people even think about. You should really know what you would like by now.
I'd be sure to travel with a backup zoom, in case of an unexpected failure. If you take the 24-105, bring the 17-40 along as well. I don't get to Europe every year, and the unexpected always happens.

kin2son wrote in post #14617955
35 for ff, 24 for crop.

Unless you want all your shots to be slightly distorted, 35 on ff is the way to go imo.

That's the kind of info I'm looking for (I've got a separate thread where I discuss my cognitive dissonance between 28mm f/1.8 and 24mm 1.4). I figured the FF guys seem to like 35mm as a Focal Length, and for my cropper, the 1.6 takes you to about 22mm. Since there is no 22mm f/1.4...that kinda leads to the 24L.

This hobby is almost as expensive as my guitar hobby, maybe more expensive...

shinksma

I don't really see how someone can suggest a focal lenghth. Everyone has their own style. If your asking which is better they are very close.

Primes are hard to choose and in time you will probably realize you need a set of them. That is assuming you like to shoot with primes. A general rule is 24/50/100 or 35/85/135.