Lenses for a trip to Europe

So I've got this awful, terrible commitment. I *have* to spend the summer studying law in Rome, and quite unfortunately I'll also be traveling to Spain, Germany, England, and North Africa.

Okay, sarcasm aside, I am so unbelievably excited for this trip I can't stand it. I am trying to figure out which lenses to take with me. I'm thinking (from my cache) Sigma 10-20, 24-105 f/4L, 70-200 2.8L, and 1.4x. Also thinking about picking up a 50 1.2L before I go... for a bit of portraiture if I get a chance...

Does anybody have thoughts on this? Sound okay?

Eh, not quite sure if you'd have time for the 50mm. I understand that creativity and getting good portraits is nice, but if you have the 24-105 or 10-20 on, you probably won't want to switch to the 50 1.2 and miss potential shots of buildings and things walking by.

For the money of the 50 1.2L, have you considered getting a 5D before you go? It'd make the 24-105 a fantastic walkaround, then you can pair a 17-40 or 16-35.

Or if you do stick with the 1.6x, you can consider a 30 1.4, you might want a good lens for the lower lighting of interior cathedrals and high ceiling churches.

But the 10-20 be amazing at St. Peter's or the Coliseum, but as soon as you get into the church, you may want something for low lighting.

I second a used 5D. Man a 5D and the 24-105 was the only lens I used in europe. 24 on a FF is wide for buildings/architecture and IS will help in the museum shots without any problems. ISO800/1600, 5.6 at 1/6 or 1/10sec gets great indoor shots....

Interesting... I've considered selling the 40D for a 5D, but never decided to pull the trigger. I suppose if I did that, the price shock would be minimal, as I would be selling the 10-20, 8mm fisheye, 40D, XT, 75-300, one 70-200 (I have two...)... God, I could get a 5D II for that! Oh dear, now I have much more to think about...

Sounds like a good plan. You may even have enough for some extra lenses

I would also get some insurance for your gear on your travels. Lens selection seems to be bang on.

Crop - One ultra wide (10-22, 10-20), one fast standard (30, 35L) and you have a super light but powerful combo that'll work for pretty much anything you need. That's how I travel ...

just dont think that we all (europeans) will pose for portrait shoots

just take lenses with you wich you like and also use at home. wide angle, walk around and a longer and you'll be fine! greetings from europe.

I wouldn't be so quick to get rid of the Peleng 8mm if you switch to FF - don't forget that's what it was designed for. Try it, and if circular fish-eye is not for you, well at least you'll know for sure.

Whatever lenses you decide to take

Whatever lenses you decide to take, please make sure that you have a backup body. I have had a body go down on the first of a 10-day trip to Alaska. If I did not have a back-up body, I would heve lost coverage of that trip.

zincozinco wrote in post #7281609
just dont think that we all (europeans) will pose for portrait shoots

Aww, but I would do the same for you!

Madweasel wrote in post #7281762
I wouldn't be so quick to get rid of the Peleng 8mm if you switch to FF - don't forget that's what it was designed for. Try it, and if circular fish-eye is not for you, well at least you'll know for sure.

Good call. I should definitely at least try it before ditching it. Although I recently saw one listed on craigslist for $200...!

Thanks also for everybody else's points... all well noted. I think what I will do is continue selling the lenses I was planning to sell anyway, and if it seems I'll get enough to get close to that $2600 mark then throw in the 10-20 and 40D for sale as well, so I can get the 5D II. I love the 10-20, but I would essentially see the same thing with a 16-35 2.8L, right? Or, since the 17-40 f/4L is just about the same price, I would lose so little on the wide end and pay almost nothing more to trade up the 10-20 for this...

This is all so helpful... thank you all so much. Hopefully this trip is more of a test run for my future expat plans...

5D, 17-40, 24-105, 35mm 2.0 would be a good combo. You need wide angle for some of the narrow streets and a fast prime for evenings. A 50mm 1.4 would be fine too if you prefer. 70-200mm is a waste of time IMO for city trips.

What the others have said: full frame it. And if you want big-ass wideangle, the 17-40 F/4L is a really wonderful bit of glass. Not essential, but certainly nice, and fairly light and compact (which the 16-35 isn't). I think the 70-200 on a full frame is a pretty useful length outside of the urban setting - there's some great landscape photography and long-distance portraiture to be had with one. Sounds like you'll be in Rome, at least, for a good long while, enough to explore beyond mere 'snapshots'. I would also definitely take a fast prime like a 50mm f/1.4, specifically for night-time, street photography candids when even an F/2.8 is relatively slow.

A few things: if you manage to get a 5D2 (which I heartily recommend based on my 3 weeks experience with it make sure you get something like a 320-500 gb hard disk/image tank to backup those 25-35 megabyte RAW files. And make sure you get good insurance to cover loss, theft or damage.

On a full-frame body:

16-35 f/2.8
24-105 f/4
70-200 f/2.8
35L
580EX II
CPL/3-stop ND/10-stop ND (for some great shots of fountains, etc.)
Tripod/ballhead