Going to the middle east: Abz Dabi/Dubai

Hi folks, my father is in abudabi next month for work. He will have a lot of time since his company needs him maybe 3 out of 9days.

However. It was rather spontaneous to decide going with him so i have no idea what im going to do. If i get chances i surely wabt to see some old towns or bazars and some dunes.

But i am very undecided what lenses i should bring. We stay in a good hotel so leaving a part of lenses there should not be an issue.

Im shooting street photography and whenever i get the chances i do landscape and architecture (more in cities like hongkong etc)

My thought to take with me are:

50mm 1.2 as general walkaround lens, with or without the 16-35?
Buying a 70-300L
Along with my loved 6D, or maybe the 650D too?

I think i will need the 70-300L and as i anyway ever wanted a njce tele i think it should suit me well for other things too.

Im just a bit undecided about the 50. i love the lens for streets and general phptography it is a superb and amazing lens which i began to love very fast (used it 2 weeks in malaga and took it off only 1 day to use the 16-35mm)

The problem is id be very disappointed if i couldnt take the shots that one day where i used the 16-35 because on that day i shot beautyful images.

What do you guys think?

Ps: sry for all the typos (writing on my phone)

davidfarina wrote in post #16301799
Hi folks, my father is in abudabi next month for work. He will have a lot of time since his company needs him maybe 3 out of 9days.

However. It was rather spontaneous to decide going with him so i have no idea what im going to do. If i get chances i surely wabt to see some old towns or bazars and some dunes.

But i am very undecided what lenses i should bring. We stay in a good hotel so leaving a part of lenses there should not be an issue.

Im shooting street photography and whenever i get the chances i do landscape and architecture (more in cities like hongkong etc)

My thought to take with me are:

50mm 1.2 as general walkaround lens, with or without the 16-35?
Buying a 70-300L
Along with my loved 6D, or maybe the 650D too?

I think i will need the 70-300L and as i anyway ever wanted a njce tele i think it should suit me well for other things too.

Im just a bit undecided about the 50. i love the lens for streets and general phptography it is a superb and amazing lens which i began to love very fast (used it 2 weeks in malaga and took it off only 1 day to use the 16-35mm)

The problem is i were very sad if i couldnt take the shots that one day where i used the 16-35 because on that day i shot beautyful images.

What do you guys think?

Ps: sry for all the typos (writing on my phone)

I would take the 16-35L as well as the extra body.

ed rader wrote in post #16301816
I would take the 16-35L as well as the extra body.

Thank you very much for the input!!

What about buying the 70-300L? Must be a great lens from what i see, and on the 650D i get a very tight framing/FOV
But do you think its nessesairy?

Check out the temperature and humidity levels in Abu Dhabi. Also a lot of fine sand blows from the desert that you don't necessarily see, the ocean breeze also carries salt. I would be careful using non-weather resistant equipment.

davidfarina wrote in post #16301830
Thank you very much for the input!!

What about buying the 70-300L? Must be a great lens from what i see, and on the 650D i get a very tight framing/FOV
But do you think its nessesairy?

I bought the 70-300L for that purpose. before I owned 70-200 and 100-400. I always agonized about bringing the 100-400L on trips that weren't wild-life specific, and a couple of times it cost me.

now even if I don't have 400mm I still have decent reach. the 70-300L is very compact too.

i'm leaving for Yellowstone in a week and i'm flying but i'll still lug an extra body too because i'd be devastated if my 5d3 failed and I didn't have a back-up.

This was my experience in Qatar which is in the same region. You would see clean cars in the morning and they would be covered with dust/sand by late afternoon. Constand light breeze, tough wearing contact lenses.

John from PA wrote in post #16302226
This was my experience in Qatar which is in the same region. You would see clean cars in the morning and they would be covered with dust/sand by late afternoon. Constand light breeze, tough wearing contact lenses.

I experienced the same thing in Winnemucca, NV .

Well the 50L, the 16-35L aswell as the 6D is weather sealed so im not so concerned about that.

The 70-300L is too, so only the 650D is not, which is not so much of a problem, since i used it in Prague in the snow, it got wet and dirty and still works like a charm

What should i do to prevent dust in my lenses or cameras? Cleaning them everyday or just leaving the front lens cap on it as soon as i dont use it (i have it mostly off to be ready for occasional shoots..)

However, so you guys think the 70-300L would fit in my travelbag

The wider the better for Dubai, lots of nice architecture there, I would definitely take something wider than 50, so the 16-35 would be in my bag.

Be aware of the local culture too. Street shots should be ok in Dubai, but you need to be careful in Abu Dhabi, as people will be a little more sensitive to have their photo taken without asking.

mesodan wrote in post #16303401
Be aware of the local culture too. Street shots should be ok in Dubai, but you need to be careful in Abu Dhabi, as people will be a little more sensitive to have their photo taken without asking.

Shooting in the streets, you have to be very, careful and very aware of customs, laws and restrictions both in Abu Dhabi and in Dubai. Nearly got arrested in Dubai over a photograph.

I would take the most unobtrusive gear possible and work with a local guide/photographer as much as possible.

I'd take both camera bodies (the 650 as a backup and for occasional longer lens work, if needed), but I think you'll find the 16-35, 50mm and 135mm all very useful on 6D. Of the three lenses, the one I'd have the least use for would be the 50mm. I'd rather have and 85mm, personally. Also, you could simply get a decent quality 1.4X for use on the 135mm, instead of another lens. The 135/2 works pretty well with a good 1.4X.

Last time I was in the Middle East I was only using primes and film cameras (hence, "full frame"): 21mm and 24mm, 35mm, 85mm, 135mm and 200mm. The 200mm was probably my least used lens there.

But we all shoot different subjects and the same subjects in different ways. So you might need a different setup.