Going Travelling... 2 primes?

Hey.

Well i'm going overseas for 3 months or so, will be doing a university exchange program over in Israel... and i'm wondering which lens's to take.

At the moment i have a 5d Mark II
24-70
70-200 2.8 IS
135 f2
50 1.4

I'll be mainly shooting street photography, and portraits of different families around there.

I'll be taking the 135 f2 instead of the 70-200 2.8 IS due to the weight.

Now for the wide side, i'm thinking about picking up a 35 1.4 from HK on the way over there, and just taking that along with the 135.

Do you reckon thats enough?

Would it be worth it bringing the 24-70 as well when i need to go a little wider?

If you're happy to take the 24-70, then that with the 135L will suffice for your needs and with the 5D2, you can shoot in low light. Admittedly the 50/1.4 does widen your possibilities for not a lot more money. IMHO, you'll need a hood with the 50mm.


Have a good trip

24/70 and 135. You want versatility, imo.

Another argument in favor of the 70-200 f4IS

I would think you'd want zooms for convenience since I assume you'll be busy traveling. I love my primes but they have a time and place. When I'm running around I prefer zooms especially since you have a nice pair.

I much prefer shooting with primes and in the past have travelled with only primes....

But....

Today's zooms are so darned good, I think if I were limited to just two lenses I'd go with zooms instead.

I'd probably not take 24-70 and 70-200/2.8 IS, if wanting to travel light, even though I already have them. They are just too large and heavy.

Since 5D2 can manage high ISO without much trouble and because FF renders shallower DOF than a crop sensor camera (at any given aperture/focal length/distance), I'd probably go with a pair of f4 lenses such as the 17-40/4 and 70-200/4 IS, instead.

If I went with primes, I would want to take more than two. Probably 20/2.8, 35/1.4, 85/1.8 and 135/2, at a minimum (and assuming a FF camera).

A 1.4X teleconverter wouldn't take up much more space and works very well with the 135/2, too. Or with the zoom kit, it also works pretty well with a 70-200.

But, that's just me.

amfoto1 wrote in post #9091000
Vintage kits: Konica, Canon FD, Nikon, Leica RF, Pentax, Olympus, Minolta, Zenit, Ziess, Wista 4x5.

Just a friendly heads up: it's Zeiss, not Ziess.

Two primes only? That's a tough one. When I was using your format the 50mm and 90mm were by far my most used lenses. I think the 35mm, for your use, is a great choice, but the spread between it and 135mm is a lot more than I would care for. Whatever you do I suggest you take along a 1.4x TC for the 135L. Have you considered a G10 or G11? When I want small and light I take my G5, which the pictures from are amazingly good.

Aszental wrote in post #9089321
Hey.

Well i'm going overseas for 3 months or so, will be doing a university exchange program over in Israel... and i'm wondering which lens's to take.

At the moment i have a 5d Mark II
24-70
70-200 2.8 IS
135 f2
50 1.4

I'll be mainly shooting street photography, and portraits of different families around there.

I'll be taking the 135 f2 instead of the 70-200 2.8 IS due to the weight.

Now for the wide side, i'm thinking about picking up a 35 1.4 from HK on the way over there, and just taking that along with the 135.

Do you reckon thats enough?

Would it be worth it bringing the 24-70 as well when i need to go a little wider?

2470L + 135L..
70200 2.8IS is too heavy for traveling i think.

35L + 135L.

I have traveled quite a bit with only primes and I absolutely love it! When I was shooting with APS-C I used a Sigma 30 and the 85 1.8 and was very pleased with it. I like shooting inconspicuous so that combo in my small Domke was perfect. Im still shooting the same focal length now with my 5D, 50L and 135L and I love it. I cringe a little though when the elements come and suddenly I have to use the 1D with zooms because than theres just NO inconspicuous way of shooting!

The 50/1.4 is small enough that you might as well throw it in. So 35/50/135, or if you don't use wides that often, just the 50 and 135.

Even though I don't own either, 35L and 135L seems like a really nice combo to take if you shoot mostly people. I'd be worried about not having anything wider for the occasional need for a wide street, landscape or architecture shot though. Maybe something in the 16-24mm area that is light / cheap-ish?

35L & 135L + 1.4xTC

Also consider the 35L & 85/1.8. Those are the FL's I use most often when shooting street.

A light weight alternative to the 35L, which weighs 21 oz, is the Voigtlander 40mm f/2 which weights 7 oz. It's also about a $1000 less expensive. It is however MF, something that doesn't bother me.

.. 24L1.4II is nearly perfect whith 5DMKII (ultra sharp, perfect Bokey, perfect aperture).. I would prefer it to a more common 35mm ..
And of course the 135L2.0 best lens on the market for the 5DMKII..
Any crops issued from 24F1.4/50F1.4/135F2.0 on the 5DMKII will make a better pictures than any zooms on the market..and you can take pictures indoor, in the night in the cities ...