Of course "best" anything is very subjective and bound to make some people disagree. What do you think is the best lens for travel photography? What do you think about my reasons for choosing the lens I chose?
I will not use a zoom Lens, I will use a wide-angle prime Lens and a short tele prime Lens, fx a Voigtländer APO-Lanthar 35mm 2.0 Aspherical and a Voigtländer Macro APO-Lanthar 65mm 2.0 or Leica Macro-Elmarit R 60mm 2.8.
@@winheiMR I will rather NOT do photography with crappy Cameras and Lenses or I will use a secondhand very good Camera and prime Lens ! For me a Camera are a tool and a tool has to very good.
Your summary of the reasons is pretty clear and hard to argue with. Only for the "candid" part, my experience is that quite often, it may actually work in the opposite way: some people are more likely to tolerate someone with a "pro looking" setup taking their images than "just another annoying tourist". And if you wait long enough, they will stop thinking about you and start behaving naturally again. But perhaps it's just that given my size, there is little hope of being stealth with whatever camera. :-)
I have Canon EOS-M and M6 mark II cameras for travel. I picked up a Tamron 24-70 f/2.8 EF mount for $500. It is heavy but since I have both Viltrox adapter and speedbooster, I can go to 17mm f/2 or 70 mm f/2.8. I am also taking a tiny 35mm f/1.4 manual focus TTArtisan lens. I can fit them is my rugged camera box for travel.
That's why I use the Tamron 28-75mm f2.8 G2. Best of both worlds...lightweight, candid, flexible, affordable and takes awesome photos. Thanks for the video :)
I used to travel with 35mm prime (i watched too many documentaty photographer channels). But turns out i’m more happy with a small zoom lens + a small prime for low light situation. It’s faster to shoot with a zoom so i can spend more time enjoying the trip with friends and family.
Nothing is greater than having both. This true specially if you are travelling with friends/families who aren't keen in waiting for you to obtain your masterpiece. :)
@@alvinbartolome1239 hahah exactly. I think u also had similar experience. A prime really takes a lot of time to compose - my friends and family won't wait that long 🤣 yes, both prime and zoom is a killer combo
i did the same mistake trying to be a “pro” with 35 prime until my wife got fed up of my time wasting while she wanted to enjoy the trip with me. I did the rest of the trip with a selfie stick and mobile and we enjoyed a lot. Now I have 24 105 f4
I’m a retired professional commercial photographer. I had at my disposal the 16-35 f2.8, the 24-70 f2.8, the 24-105 f4, the 70-200 f2.8, and an assistant to carry the extra equipment. As got closer to retirement I started shooing more and more with the 35mm f1.8 and the 85mm f1.8 prime lenses. As a professional, when you absolutely must get the shot, in any kind of an uncontrolled situation, you’ll probably be best served by one of the zoom lenses, and the one I had on the camera most often was the 24-105. But, the joy of shooting with just those 2 prime lenses was part of the reason I didn’t retire earlier. In retirement I’m shooting almost exclusively with the 35mm & the 85mm for my personal enjoyment. A little caveat… in retirement, when photography is not the point of my day, I’m shooting with my iPhone 14 Pro Max. Actually an amazing camera.
Really like this comment. Definitely in case u deeply understand what do u want to shot and how to get best result u may sacrifice flexibility. May be in 30+ years I also will put my 24-105 and 24-70 on a shelf and start to enjoy only with primes ) may be ))
I too am using the Sony system. My solution for the weight + size issue was to get the new Tamron 28-75 f/2.8 lens. Very good quality, lighter, smaller (and cheaper) than the Sony 24-70. As I see it, the only compromise was loosing important 4 mm at the wide end of the range. David
With the latest sensors and lenses an APS-C camera is a great choice for travel. The key here is if you're going to focus on photography then bring your Full Frame and large lenses. But if you're with the spouse and kids you don't need the professional equipment. For me I'll leave the FF camera at home and go with the Sony a6700 with the Sigma 18-50 f/2.8 lens. It's a good all around combination, small and light. That lens produces surprisingly sharp images
You helped me make up my mind that the 35mm is the better lens for me because I want the smallest, simplest setup for travel photos/videos with the new Sony A7C II. Thank you!
The context in choosing a lens is so important. I'm glad you emphasized that. As a documentary filmmaker, the projects I work on are usually more cooperative than candid so the 24-70mm 2.8 is a great balance between mobility and beauty.
For me photography is just a hobby, so I'm not trying to make a living. However, I can relate to this discussion. I like taking street, travel and landscape. I have a fuji X100T with 23mm f/2 fixed lens, equiv to 35mm in full frame. I also have Nikon APS-C with zoom lens. 95% of rhe time I choose the Fuji with 35 equiv. It is light, compact and inconspicuous with great results.
Just came back from a two week photography job in Northafrica (mostly travel & street photography). Took the Fuji XT4 (APSC sensor/1,5x crop). Used the 16-55mm f2.8 about 75% of the time, the 16mm f1.4 and 33 f1.4 around 20%, and the 50-140mm f2.8 only 5% of the time. During the day the 16-55 is amazing, when the sun sets I use my primes. Works great for me :)
I’m using the new OM-1 since February 2022 and it is AMAZING for travel photography (and also for almost everything). Although I also use FF and APSC equipment, the M43 continues to be my favorite option (For Wildlife, birds and Macro the best option in my opinion). The Leica 10-25mm f1.7 is simply Wonderful (but as big and heavy as the Sony 24-70mm f2.8 ii) and I use it mostly for Video. The Olympus Duo 12-40mm and 40-150mm f2.8 is amazing for Travel photography, covering almost everything, also in moderate Lowlight (remembering that the new OM-1 has a better Low Light performance than the other M43 Cameras). But when I’m not working in Low light, the Olympus 8-25mm f4 or the Olympus 12-100mm f4 (depending on the subject) are BRILLIANT!! Like you I love the little Leica 15mm f1.7, but recently I’m in love with the Olympus 17mm f1.2 (the Nokton 10.5mm and 17mm f0.95 are also INCREDIBLE)! I love your videos! Your pictures are gorgeous!!
I brought a A7III with only a Samyang 35mm f/2.8 (which is one of the smallest lens for Sony) to Bologna in Italy. I was pretty impressed by the shots in the end. It was really versatile and pretty casual to walk around with. I did sometimes miss being able to go wider to take pictures of buildings outside and inside. But not missed zoom that much. Really happy about the result. A small 35mm is veristile, light weight, casual and easy to carry around where ever you go.
the best travel lens is obviously an 8mm-500mm f/22 zoom lens. Can be wide enough to get near 360degrees of landscape and zoom enough for a bird in a distant tree, and f22 makes sure the whole thing can stay small and light and not draw too much attention in street / event situations. Just make sure you have a really good sensor to deal with that f22 light handheld... and the bokeh is gorgeous, but microscopic. Only time I feel that set-up is limiting is when taking candid shots of distant nebulas... For that I hook my camera body up to a local observatory telescope.
Always best to bring a decent zoom and fast prime on any vacation. Personally, I chose the Sony 24-105/f4 and 35GM/f1.4. The zoom is awesome for video and the prime is perfect for candid shots and low light conditions. If I want to go really light, I'll just grab my Fuji X100V and GoPro - that'll get the job done surprisingly well.
I had watched your previous video on best travel lens a few years ago and this is another excellent video. Totally agree with your conclusion. I am now in Bangkok for a 3-week vacation and brought along three lenses - RF 24-70 f2.8, RF 70-200 f2.8 and RF 35 f1.8. I found myself using RF 35 1.8 all the time. Like you said, the lightweight 35 prime is enjoyable to use and it makes me want to bring it along anywhere I go and shoot more. Thanks for the great video!
I have a Sony APSC camera, and for my travels in Asia I paired it with a 17-70 F2.8. The full fame equivalent is 24-105, except as it is APSC, the size and weight of the camera and lens is much smaller than full frame and more discreet. It fits into a medium sling bag, as well as my wallet etc, so not a problem to take out in any scenario as I would always have a sling bag anyway. Versatile enough across different zoom ranges, all whilst being fixed at 2.8. Definitely the most versatile lens for me for travelling light.
I'm just a hobbyist who likes to make good photos to keep the memórias of my trips. I have an old nikon D5600 and use a tamron 16-300 f3.5 - 6.3. It's definitely not the best equipment but they haven't let me down. I've always been able to capture what I wanted. So, I'd choose versatility. Great video. Cheers!
The best 24-70mm F/2.8, you have a little of everything. I personally use Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8, Sigma 35mm f/1.4 for travel. I have Tamron 17-28mm (Rare use) and Sigma 85mm f/1.4 (exclusively for Portrait). Planning buy Sony 20mm G for astro-night photography. I use A7III.
From a long time APSC user (not sure if I'm allowed to join in with all you FF's). My "Go To" lens is the Canon 15-85mm IS USM, it so versatile in the zoom range, going wider than the 18mm of many lenses, but it is tack sharp across the frame! Plus, and its's a big plus the colour rendition with this lens is un-equaled in my experience with just about all Canons APSC lenses. Trust me I travel a lot too! So, if folk are looking for a great APSC travel lens the 15-85mm is the best you can get! I also carry the 24mm STM Pancake lens, much like you use the 35mm on a FF camera.
For me it’s the the Sony 24-105 for travel . Might be an f4 but has lens stabilisation and that extra reach makes it an incredible lens for travel. Plus for background separation at 105 it looks better than at 70 on the 2.8 imo.
For me my 6 year old Olympus PenF with a Lumix/Leica 15mm F:1,8 is my favorite travel companion. However, because it weights next to nothing, I also have the tiny Olympus 45mm F:1,8 in my pocket. Not that I am changeing back and forwards all the time, but I get some extra tele-capabilities if needed, and I stay small and inconspicuous.
Great insight and perspective. The 24-70 GM stays on my camera most of the time, it’s just so versatile and I don’t find the weight cumbersome at all. BUT I wouldn’t hesitate to toss the 35mm in my travel bag too - it’s so small that both lenses are still a pretty practical lens combo.
It is a hard choice to make. I find it quite difficult at times. So for me, i go with a simple kit lens as it's called a 18-55mm for my nikon d5600. It meets my needs as what i want to use if I'm not planning a specific shoot. As with all lenses they have pros and cons. Choice what best fits your own needs and go out and enjoy capturing life's moments.
Being fortunate to have six lenses (from macros to telephoto), I find my most used in travel photography are my 24-70/2.8 and an old 28-300/3.5-5.8. I have become accustomed to the versatility of zoom lenses. For wildlife I prefer my 180-400 with built-in 1.4 T to the 600. The 28-300 has an amazing range and is lighter and less conspicuous than the 24-70. Also, shooting from across the street is less noticeable than from a few feet away with the 35mm. Plus, with the newer cameras, the improvement in noise reduction at higher ISOs somewhat overcomes the smaller aperture.
I took a 35mm f1.8 and a 24-70 f2.8 for my recent travel to Italy and used mostly the 35mm lens. Some days i needed a wider lens but the drawbacks of the zoom lens (weight, bulky and attract more attention) outweigh the pros of it. When I am looking at the pictures now I thought I took some of those pictures with the zoom lens where in fact after checking the exit I realized they were with the 35mm. I think taking the two lenses was the right decision.
Olympus 12-100mm F4 IS mated with an EM1 mk 3 is my go to combo for travelling. Unbelievable quality, a 24-200mm range in the 35mm vernacular, fantastic image stabilization when paired with the body. Fits in a small bag with a couple of batteries. I carry an iPad as my computer and view the images on that after a days shooting.
Bingo. I've got the same setup. Got a 25mm f/1.7 when low light is an issue. But also a 9mm f/1.7 pairs nicely as well for Ultra Wide Angle. Those two f/1.7 primes basically weigh 250g and take up almost no space at all. That's what 'travel' lens means; small, light, versatile.
I have the sony a7c and use the 35mm f1.8 and have it paired with the Sigma 90mm f2.8. Both lenses are small and light and (as a bonus) share the same 55mm filters. I prioritise the small and lightweight parts over big and flexible when traveling. If I have to go with just one though... hmmm... I have to go with the Sigma 90mm. I am too shy to get close to people.
Great video. I travel light with Sony 35mm f/1.4 gm, Sigma 65mm f2, and sometimes, the Sigma 90mm f/2.8. Get great resolution on my Sony a7riii. I do have a 24mm when needed.
Hi I enjoyed your video. I spent 2 weeks in France (Normandy, Paris and Loire Valley). In my opinion 16-35 is by far the best single lens for Sony. I got absolutely stunning pics of just about everything from people in Paris and Mont St Michel. I did not even bring my 24-70. 16-35 is also less bulky and lighter than 24-70.
Used a Sony 16-55 f2.8 on APS-C for a couple of years (because of its compactness), now I switched to full-frame and I just absolutely love the 50mm f1.8 for traveling. I realized that I don't really need wide angle very often and that I can do almost everything with 50mm. And f1.8 on full-frame just looks so much better than f2.8 on APS-C, that's really worth for me being limited to a prime lens (or two - mostly I take the 18mm Samyang with me, too).
Just returned from a trip around Europe and I took ages to decide what lens or lenses to take (I probably have too many!). At first I thought take the 24-105 f/4, but it is heavy for walking around all day with. Then I was going to take a 17-35 f/2.8-4 and a 35-105 f/3.5-4.5, but then I decided, I might need a wider apperture than those could provide, so opted in the end to take three primes, 35mm f/2, 50mm f/1.4 and 100mm f/2.8 Macro. I did take a few shots with the 50 and 100, but the vasy majority were using the 35mm (about 95%). The only comment I got from my brother-in-law, was "why didn't you bring a zoom lens?"
Very underrated lens for street and candid shots is samyang 35/2.8, fantastic little lens (weights just 80g). Now, I am also using Sony 28-60 kit for that matter (supe compact, but high distortion @28mm). I used to use big lenses like 24-105, 24-70, 70-200 (heavy, bulky and attract a lot of attention, but still absolute tools for commercial work). I can say that with modern cameras, weight, size and focus speed matters much more that crazy f stops.
I have this lens too and love it. Recently, I added Samyang 45mm f1.8 and I travel locally with this combo. If air travel and there is a weight limit, I carry Sony APSC + Sigma 16mm + Sony 50mm.
If I’m going to cities I normally bring a 24-105 mm F4 for daytime. Indoors or at night I use a 35mm 1.8. The lenses are small and light, but are flexible enough for most any situation.
Having done a lot of traveling, I recommend just one camera one lens. Did 16 months with just a 28mm equivalent, your eyes will adjust to the FL. I'd choose a good pancake, anywhere from 28 to 40mm.
I do a lot of travel editorial photography and my current set up is a Canon 6D with an EF 24-105 f4 lens. I don’t like to switch lenses, but I am considering getting a 50mm prime/fixed lens for everyday and people photography.
For the past few years I started shooting primes again. And I had planned on taking my 135mm GM, 35mm GM, and 14mm GM on an upcoming trip. Then the new 24-70 GM II and 70-200mm GM II were released. Now I plan to take the zooms including the 16-35mm GM on my trip. I love the primes, but it's hard to beat the zooms for their versatility.
Hello Mitchell, congratulations, very nice presentation and arguments ref. Lenses. My experience is slightly different. I use Sony 24-105 mm, f4.0 all the time. It gives me 100% of what I expect to achieve. Only if a photo assignment is very particular, I use prime lens and 35mm f1.4 is one of them. I used to walk around with 24-70mm, f2.8. Yet, I experimented with 24-105mm f4.0, and as a result, good old 24-70 is “collecting dust”. Todays cameras are so sophisticated, with super high ISO # , so I accepted a compromise and voluntarily sacrificed f2.8 by adopting f4.0. Of course, there is no magical recipe, so most important is spending time making photos wit different gear and find out what works the best for each individual. Btw, I love your photos. Best regards from Germany !!!
Thanks. Yes, that's the idea - outside of real world usage it doesn't really matter to me. Most gear we have these days is more than good enough for most uses.
Hey Mitchell. Thanks for your work, and I love the vibrancy in your photos. Nobody will ever be able to accuse you of being "afraid of colour" (as per a recent article about a suggested shift towards Monochrome photography). I'm newly back to owning a decent camera after years with small point and shoots, and phones. I bought a cheap, second hand Sony a7 and the Zeiss 2/35 in July and I've carried it almost everywhere since. I also got an 85mm Batis, but I hardly use it (and now it's for sale). I'm actually looking for a fast 24 or 28mm lens and am even thinking about getting a Leica Q2M or Q3. The image quality of particularly the monochrom version is phenomenal! I'm not afraid of colour, but 47mp (q3m down the track with 60mp?) and monochrome? Yes please. Keep up the good work and travel safe. 🙏🏻
Great Video! I still use Lumix m4/3 system and for Street photography I use lumix 20mm f1.7, 12-60mm f2.8-4 and SIGMA 56mm F1.4 paired to 2 Lumix G85 or old small Gx1 (no one notices you with GX1).
I agree! This is where I've come to. I travel to remote areas and my Sony a1 with a big lens --- No! I use the 20 a lot as I'm often in dark interiors and up close to things. 55 and 85 are in my bag. You've made me think about adding the 35. A zoom under f4 needs a fork lift. And I do love having a blurry background.
So, I just found your channel when I searched for best lens for travel between the 28mm & 35mm. I recently purchased a Fuji x100v for my first trip to Italy. I've used Nikon for many years with predominantly zoom lenses. My fuji as you likely know, has a fixed 35 mm equivalent and I also have the 28mm WCL lens. I greatly enjoyed your video and found it very useful for the information I was looking for. Thanks so much. I'm sure I'll return often.
Yes, each of us must try to make the right decision. I had the 24-105 F4, which was a great zoom, but for travel, I picked the Tamron 28-200 2.8-5.6, along with the 35 1.4 GM and the Tamron 17-28 2.8. If i'm not capturing great moments, it's probably because I'm too preoccupied with breakfast, and not focus.
Thank you for another great video. I actually looked at the previous video a couple of times; purely because I still struggle with my own choice. I am a NIkon user and most of my photos taken are as the dad that tags along my wife and kids capturing photos of them in the surroundings that I would feel proud to print and place it on a wall around the house. I currently own: 1) a 50mm 1.8. that I bought purely because at the beginning I did not know any different and was influenced by "you must own the nifty 50" advice, and 2) the 20-300mm 3.4-5.6 that was a choice based on the fact that often I use the compression effect to have my kids look closer to iconic landmarks ... and that their patience runs out with me when I get into one of my "move left a tad... nor mover back right.. come closer... wait that I try a different setting" moments :) . The aperture is not too much of a big issue as I have young kids and we do just about all site seeing between 7am-4pm in summer; i.e. lots of light. Overall, although I wish I had more money to by 2.8 zoom lenses, I am happy with the 28-300mm. However, I regret not getting a 35mm instead of the 50mm. The reason being that this f1.8 lens is mainly used at nighttime if we go for dinner or the evening stroll between the restaurant and our accomodation. Unfortunately, especially when in a restaurant, the 50mm is not wide enough... and 99% of the time I live the camera in bag and use my iPhone. So, my curiosity question to you is as follows; when you travel with family/friends, what is your lens of choice, and how do you balance between your passion and socialising?
You brought it to the point. Now It’s become more easy for me to coose. To be candid, I use my Sony RX1 Mark2 with a 35 fixed lens. For all other purpose, I go for the 24/70 GMaster.
If money is not a issue, and personally feel its always possible to add a small prime i would say : replace the 24-70GM with the 24-70GM2 and also take a 35GM1.4 with the size and weight savings of the new 2470GM2 :)
As a travelcamera the Sony RX100 series is very good. It fits in your pocket. Then as something extra a bigger camera when you are out just for taking landscapes or architecture. My travel set is Sony IV with 24-70 f1.8-2.8 and a Sony a6500 with 18-135 (eqv. 28-200 mm). All bodies and lenses are stabilized, so I can take really long exposures. With the latter combo a 1/5 sec is not a problem. I also use the in body clearzoom to double the focal lenght when needed with no quality loss. In video you can even get away with the quadruple digital zoom if neccecery. RX100 is about 300 g and the aps-c combo is 790 g. Not bad.
I still watch your previous best lens video, the one that made me attached to your channel. That video was so well made... It became different than all those 'best lens for this and that.... ' videos on youtube. Started watching this. PS (after watching full video): still prefer the old one. Sorry man, maybe It's just me, but it felt a little 'pros and cons' type video, and little less 'talking the heart out' like the previous one. Also, nothing changed, as you kept the verdict of the previous video intact. Love the new images in this video very much! 😍 For me, I really feel missing out with almost all the primes, except the 50mm. With that focal length, I almost never looked for going wide or narrow... Maybe that's the nature of the 50mm perspective. Otherwise, for travel /documentary, I go for the lens you ruled out right at the beginning... The 24-105mm f4.
Thanks for your comment. I didn't know the videos were competing against each other. 😛 The verdict is kinda the same, but in last one I actually said - full frame = 24-70, so NOT same. To be honest these are some of my least favorite videos, BUT, I know that people are interested, so I made them. I try to make it less about just gear stuff and as much about actual photography as possible, while still being about gear, if you know what I mean.
Sigma 30, 1.4 is perfect for the personal way I see the world. Zooms are extremely practical but it is difficult no to be all over the place since you have the ability to do it. Primes make me think intentionally, inspire me to go after more specific subjects. Primes definitely makes me love photography even more.
Thanks for your work. I am staying with 24-105 mm f4.0 since with our later generation cameras that have higher ISO with acceptable noise levels plus tweaks in post, and remembering - in-body and or lens stabilization permitting slower shutter speeds with hand held shots. I have be enable to capture excellent low light images. I also sometimes "cheat" by keeping in my pocket a 55mm f1.8 for extreme low light or when discretion is required.
Great video, Mitchell. Would you consider making a video on how to be discrete? I’ve gotten in the habit of shooting documentary between 50-85mm only because I feel it’s difficult to fill a frame at less, while remaining unnoticed
Very interesting and thanks for sharing some really great images and tips. I love your approach, the 35 is a really happy medium and i used this same angle of view with a Fuji X100 pocket APSc crop sensor for many years but just found on many occasions i needed to go a bit wider for landscape or street scape or a bit tighter with the portraits i love doing. I then updated to the Fuji XT5 interchangeable lens body and thats been a step up, I take two lenses with me the 18mm f1.4 (28mm FF equivalent) and 33mm f1.4 (50mm FF equivalent) both lenses are fairly lightweight, compact and fairly discrete although admittedly the X100 was the most discrete setup you can get apart from a phone. The 40mpx also allows plenty of cropping power which really surprised me the amount of detail a small camera can give you these days.
The Sigma 18-50 f2.8 is my go to lens for my APSC a6000 and a7r, with the Sony FE 85 f1.8 for both bodies. IF there is pixel loss when mixing formats I suck it up, The worst case is a final file of 15MP which is normally enough. Both are brilliant budget giveaways and are both sharp and fast.
I've swapped my 24mm and 85mm lenses for a 24-70 sigma on Sony E. It's heavier and bulkier but I find that I don't miss out on shots. My main gripe is, that f2.8 seems to get me more noise than I'd like in cloudy and/or dark situations, which is more common in the winter. Over the summer, it's just the size and weight, which is a tad heavy but I'm comfortable carrying this thing around for a hike for example, so it's fine. You can also make up for the candidness with standing twice as far away and shooting at 70mm. I'm planning on picking up a 35mm prime later down the road though, for some low light shooting scenarios, as it's really my all time favorite focal length, it gets the most use on the zoom too. But I just love the versatility too much, to sell this lens, I'll have to keep it forever.
I don't care about what lenses people are using, I only care about images and yours always stand out from the crowd. My favourite travel photographer is Steve McCurry and you Mitchell.
I travel frequently and I've realized that I don't really value travel photos for the bokeh or lack of grain. More important is the ability to quickly and conveniently grab a variety of shots while I'm on the move.
Great Video :) (no suprise) I can't wait for the Tamron 35-150mm f2.0-2.8. Of course I wish it was smaller but......from the focal lenght and the f-stop it's exactly what I need.
Thanks for the video mate. Really enjoyed it. I shoot primes on dual cameras for work. Debating the 24-70 for a trip to Asia. Your video was great but I’m still undecided haha I’m thinking 35 prime and using APSC crop to 50 (ish) when needed. Maybe throw a cheap little 14 pancake in for landscape. Thanks again mate. I really enjoy your photos too
For me if I was traveling again full time I would take with me a 24-105mm lens on a full frame mirrorless body and a fixed lens camera with either 28mm/35mm focal length... I used a Canon EOSr with 24-105mm and a Leica Q traveling for 8 months and I was able to photograph 90% of everything that came my way (the exception being ultra-wide landscapes/tight city scapes where a 16-35mm came in handy).
Great video mate! As usual, BTW. I like to work with two Canon systems: the M6 (mk 1!) cropped and the R6 FF. I totally agree with your thoughts. R6 (with a 24-105 and a 35 - and also a 16) is great and has amazing image quality, but very much larger and heavier, making it a pain to move, walk and hike, for that is what "travel photography" means to me. For those outdoor hiking experiences I much prefer the M6 with the kit 15-45 M (FF equivalent of a 24-70), but I also bring with me some recently discontinued EF-S lenses: the 10-18 and the 55-250. Because they are light and feature autofocus and stabilization they help me very much and give me a lot of flexibility. But there´s one more trick! I use two adpaters for those lenses, the Canon original and the Viltrox Speedbooster M2 (of course, it is made for EF lenses therefore you have to substitute the lenses mount ring for that, but that´s easy and China industry helps us...) so I end up with a 0.7 factor for the focal length and gain 1 stop of aperture at the cost of some very strong vignetting, but totally useful with creative crops or for video. So, I end up with a very economic and flexible system of 5 lenses having only three, yet light and effective (for a cropped sensor, obviously). Final hint: I also have a pancake EF 40 mm f2.8 that do wonders with both adaptors. With the Canon normal adaptor the cropped focal length is 64mm, and with the Viltrox M2 the effective Focus lenght is about 45 mm (40 x 0.7 x 1.6), with f2.0. Not bad at all.
Great video. I’m a hobby photographer who recently bought a new OM System OM-5 with a 12-45 f4 lens. It would be equivalent to 24-90mm FF. Besides that lens I use a 17mm f1.8 lens. So basically I’m using the same lenses as you do. I know I lose depth of field with m4/3, and when shooting with f4 lens even more, but the weight and size of the kit make up for that. When I see your 35mm lens, I think it is even bigger than my 12-45 (24-90) lens! Have you ever considered going back to M4/3?
I shoot mostly with Fujifilm so my setup is slightly smaller but I find myself keeping a prime lens on them the majority of the time. Smaller size and wider aperture are both big factors, but the creative limitations are something I also find enjoyable. There are certainly shots that I miss, or don’t even attempt because I know my focal range is not well suited for that composition. Carrying around a camera at all times has been the biggest factor in the improvement of my photography over the past couple of years and 90% of the time my photos have been taken with prime lenses.
As I’m still using a Canon APS-C camera, I added the EOS RP and an EF adapter to use my wider lenses (mostly) to their full extent on a full-frame camera. I got the RP body w/o lens - the option was the 24-105mm f/4 at the time, and it’s the first RF lens I finally decided to buy. Just before the recent price hike. I’ve taken it regularly just walking about, or the small EF 24mm f/2 on the adapter. The 35mm f/2 IS is much heavier, I don’t take it as often. The 24-105 is almost tiny, it’s wide-ranging, well stabilized. I’m still under its spell. 😊 And come to think of it, I have gone out quite a few times with an old FD 35mm f/2 on an adapter (Simmod), a light and compact setup. I agree a good compact 35mm lens is an excellent option, but they tend to be big, or noisy like the new RF one. Thanks for your thoughts, that question is always relevant.
Well as an amateur photographer the idea of a trip using only one camera and one lens sounds like a dream. Unfortunately I don't have half of your talent or creativity but I am trying to learn. After much deliberation and research I have bought an Olympus EM5 mark iii. With regards to the lens most of my travel images are holiday shots so I don't generally have many opportunities or time to try again. Certainly don't get to live in foreign places so give my limitations I'm going to get the 12-100mm f4. The image quality is good enough for what I will be doing with the images. The compact size is ideal for travel and I know its f4 but the image stabilisation is amazing giving low iso handheld shots in low light. I have tried primes but honestly family holiday time pressure and alway finding I had the wrong lens on and need to change lens is a real buzz kill.
I used to have only one A7R3 and one 24-105 f4 lens so I travel with it and happy with the flexibility, the semi macro and stabilization. As I cumulating over 20 lenses, the choices became difficult, always ended bringing lenses that I didn’t use. My last trip to Australia with one backpack forced me to bring only one camera with fixed 28mm lens and an Insta360 RS One for video. Wasn’t sure how that will work, but even though I missed many opportunities I wish I had a long zoom but the result was fantastic, I went back to using my feet to zoom, pay more attention to composition instead of picking lens. I truly love my Leica Q2 now.
I had the 24-70mm GM. But, I got tired of the weight, so I sold it and bought the 24-105mm G lens. I think most people would be well served by the 24-105mm as a general purpose travel lens. I also sold my 70-200mm GM for the same reason and replaced it with the 70-200mm G lens. But, eventually I sold the 24-105 and 70-200 G and bought all GM primes from 14mm to 135mm which I love using when I'm home. The 35mm GM and 135mm GM are my favorites. But, for me, a bag full of primes is just impractical for travel. So, I ordered the new 24-70mm GM II and 70-200mm GM II which will be my main travel lenses.
Wow XD you really like to buy and sell stuff. Imo zoom is something you can always have. You will always will find place for it. Thus its always pretty expensive
I think it also depends a lot on the trip landscapes and cityscapes vs street and people. I find myself sometimes struggling with composition for land and cityscapes with prime lenses only. So now I am back to a zoom lens 20-70f4 for Sony ;)
Hello from minnesota. I have a "Yours, mine and ours" family, 13 kids all told. I am 62 and my yougest is 15. As you can see we never have money, we work hard and play hard and are happy. My main camera is a Olympus pen E-Pl1 with the digital 14-42mm 1.35-5.6 and a 17mm 1.28, all Olympus glass. With the 17mm lens, the camera really does fit in a pocket. I use the Olympus the most, lightweight and small, mostly street, scenery and portraits. I own two more cameras, all 2nd hand. A Canon T3 with a EF-S 18-55mm 3.5-5.6, a Canon nifty 50 and a 35mm pancake lens (Again all canon glass),I use it for landscapes and micro work, with macro tubes. Plus a Pentax MX-1(which even 2nd hand cost me more then all the rest!). However, because of my age and eyes, I am really frustrated with focussing, so some times, most time my pics are out of focuss, dont know what is going on, now after all this, here is a question. would getting the Olympus eletronic view finder help me to focuss? I wont quit, just frastrated. Sorry for the long story and short question, I reall enjoy your photos and teaching style, thank you for your time and work, have a great day, Edwyrd.
Hey Edwyrd, thanks for your comment. About your question, there are actually probaly tens of videos on getting sharp photos on RUclips. It's not necessarily anything to do with the lens. I suggest you search for that.
I am not a professional but I have been shooting and or processing for over 50 years. For travel…I use my Fuji XF 16-80, 24-120 - 35 equivalent. Maximum flexibility. Try using the 35mm in the mountains. I love my 23f2 lens (35mm ) too but for Travel I do not like changing lenses in the field. The issue of size was a flawed point because weight and size are significantly lighter and smaller on crop sensor cameras something a non professional may value. Yes the zoom is still bigger in scale but I have experience with Nikon, Canon and Fuji set ups with zooms and I prefer the smaller footprint…much easier to enjoy travel.
I couldn’t agree more with you on this video. I had the some questions 2 years ago and after a lot of discussion with myself 😂 I sold everything and bought only one camera, one lens, the fujifilm X100F. I don’t get the separation of the subject you get but that is not so important for me because most of the times I want my subject connected to the environment around. So most of the times I use f/4 - f/8, and when the light is limited f/2 and high ISO is enough to get the shot. At the end of the day this camera is always with me and I have made shots that I wouldn’t with any other camera because of this. The last point for me, which is equally important is that due to the focal length limitations you are “forced” to be creative. That means that you are going to lose many shots but it also means that those you are going to create will be unique and original. Once again thanks for the video I hope we have a new one soon.
"due to the focal length limitations you are “forced” to be creative." LOVE this. Yes! Should have listed it as a PRO of the prime lens. And... I was also looking to get that Fuji, whatever the latest one is, but, it's sold out everywhere. 😂
Travel is the best lens for photography. i mean travel as a mindset, no need to go that far. Just take your camera and a specific lens that day. your photography improves when you are inspired by a lens, a light, a sky, a landscape, a seascape, a street, a culture, people, etc. Underwater photographers have to chose one lens before diving: So inspiring..
Hi Mitchell. As new photographer, I really appreciate this conversation. I've been traveling perpetually and creating photos along the way for a bit over a year now. I pounded the pavements and beaches of Mexico for almost a year. Now I'm exploring Southeast Asia. Wanting to keep my gear to a minimum, I decided to bring two lenses with me. A 24-70 f4 and a 35mm f1.8. I considered the 24-70 f2.8, but decided it was too large and too expensive for me at the time. I don't do much shooting at night and f4 has worked well for me so far. As an amateur, it was nice to get a bit of confirmation regarding my lens choices. So thank you for that. Now, to bring my photos to the next level I feel I need to develop more confidence with taking photos of people. I tend to avoid it due to fear of offending my subjects. I feel this has really limited me. The photographs I have taken of people have almost always been with permission. Even that is tough for me to do. I will take a look at your written content regarding people. I would really appreciate a video and discussion on this topic, especially since you excel as a photographer in this area. I look forward to viewing more of your excellent content and photography.
Thank you for making size and weight a major point. The lens I use the most is the 14mm Panasonic lens which is tiny. I can bring it with me all the time which makes the photos possible in the first place. I kinda want to get a slightly narrower lens and faster but I don't want to give up on the pocketability. There is a 20mm Panasonic that's slightly larger. And two collapsible zoom lenses that aren't even constant aperture and a lot of plastic. I do drop my camera quite a bit.
I just brought my XC15-45mm on my travel and call it a day. It does not have the shallowest depth of field but it is extremely versatile for storytelling and documenting my family. I am more likely to bring my camera often with this setup compared to when I was using the massive XF16-55. Might just add a 33mmF1.4 for that occasional specialty shot though.
Great video. I switched from my "kit"18-55 Nikon lens to a 24-120mm zoom. More reach better glass. Using a USP-C camera with full frame lenses. If I had the cash, I would get a Nikon D850 body.
Yes I have ruminated and been back and forth on this question for decades. It nearly drove me bonkers at times. Having bought and sold many systems and burned through thousands of dollars, I've reached a pretty good compromise (as we know, all camera systems are still some kind of compromise). Firstly - no zooms for me. The benefits of smaller primes, with a fast aperture, just can't be beaten. I now carry two small bodies - each with a fast prime attached, and this covers all my needs, for street/portrait and events. My Fuji APSC, has the marvellous 16mm 1.4 for all my wide stuff (24mm equivalent). My FF Nikon mirrorless, has the Z50mm 1.8 attached. The great thing with the FF Nikon is that if I need to get a bit closer, I just click the 'DX' button and I've suddenly got the equivalent of a 75mm lens. It's actually like having 3 lenses on board. The way I carry these makes them very light and I can walk all day. I usually only have one out at a time, so I am still seen with just a small camera and standard lens, so nobody gets alarmed. Best of both worlds. I wish I'd discovered this years ago. Finally - just to quieten those who bang on endlessly about the FF vs Crop Sensor debate - I actually prefer the images from the Fuji X-T3, over those from my Nikon Z6ii. Yes, I run a full-frame camera, but the images from my crop-sensor Fuji stand up remarkably well.
Definitely like this idea. :) And yeh, as I said in a past video - most of the time no one will tell the difference between Full frame APSC or whatever other cameras we use.
If this video is for amateurs, then all in one zooms are the best choice, 28-300, 28-200, 18-300, 18-400 ext. Those give flexibility in all situations and are not expensive. I used to travel with film camera in 80's and 90's with 28-200 Tamron on Nikon camera and small tripod to use longer focal lengths. Once you became professional you are more picky and you make your own perfect choices.
About lught lenses and casually shotting that is true. Because I literally have my most favorite lens 16-35 gm for what I do but I also just ordered 20mm g because I also want to have something more casual and discreet when I am not making big documentary, film or youtube video. For example, filming a simple walk in the park
Thank you for this video. Fabulous images! I use mostly Sony Zeiss 35mm 2.8 and 55mm 1.8. I love the character and the beautiful rendition of these lenses.
I thought I needed the a7iii with the 24-105 f4, but then I tried the a7C with the 28-60... My back thanked me, and there were maybe 2 times I wished for wider or longer, 2 times in one month. Looking back at the photos, they were wide enough, and cropping solved the other problem. For low light situations... I have the 35 1.8. Tamron seems to be working at a 24-50 f2, now that would be awesome
As a Fuji user I bring all my lenses when I travel. Best shots in landscape I use the Fuji 55-200 or 12 mm Samyang. For people I use the standard 18-55 or for al bit more depth of field the 35 mm F2.0.
@@mitchellkphotos I don't know that lens, or is it the Sigma. I do use the 18-135 Fuji. It is an allrounder but at f3.5 -5.6 you must not wish too much at 18 mm, but at 100-135 you will have depth of field. Mostly enough when you make a portrait.
I love my Z 35mm f/1.8 for a prime lens and it's pretty flexible as you mentioned, but for me, if I HAD to pick just one, even though the aperture can limit me sometimes, I'll take my Z 24-120mm f/4. I sure wish I could do it all with a 35, but I just know I'll be kicking myself later for not being able to get closer to a subject to get the framing I want when I can't physically move closer. For m4/3 cameras my favorite prime is that little 45mm f/1.8 from Olympus (90mm equiv). Not because it's flexible, but because the images it makes are dreamy. The bokeh is outstanding, it's very small and very sharp.
I know the Oly lens you're talking about. I had it. :) I get what you're saying about missing out. Definitely get that feeling and whenever I can, I'll take another lens, but if not... I think I'm ok with missing out on some things.
@@mitchellkphotos I'm just doing this as a hobby though, so I appreciate where you're coming from doing this professionally. I probably 'lean on' a zoom more than I should sometimes, but on vacations I just have to keep it simple since I never know what type of subjects I'll end up with (I have SOME idea, but there's always more to shoot than I imagined at different places).
Of course "best" anything is very subjective and bound to make some people disagree. What do you think is the best lens for travel photography? What do you think about my reasons for choosing the lens I chose?
I will not use a zoom Lens, I will use a wide-angle prime Lens and a short tele prime Lens, fx a Voigtländer APO-Lanthar 35mm 2.0 Aspherical and a Voigtländer Macro APO-Lanthar 65mm 2.0 or Leica Macro-Elmarit R 60mm 2.8.
@@cameraprepper7938 Wer genug Geld hat leistet sich eben mehr, ob nun die Fotos besser werden?
@@winheiMR I will rather NOT do photography with crappy Cameras and Lenses or I will use a secondhand very good Camera and prime Lens ! For me a Camera are a tool and a tool has to very good.
Your summary of the reasons is pretty clear and hard to argue with. Only for the "candid" part, my experience is that quite often, it may actually work in the opposite way: some people are more likely to tolerate someone with a "pro looking" setup taking their images than "just another annoying tourist". And if you wait long enough, they will stop thinking about you and start behaving naturally again. But perhaps it's just that given my size, there is little hope of being stealth with whatever camera. :-)
I have Canon EOS-M and M6 mark II cameras for travel. I picked up a Tamron 24-70 f/2.8 EF mount for $500. It is heavy but since I have both Viltrox adapter and speedbooster, I can go to 17mm f/2 or 70 mm f/2.8. I am also taking a tiny 35mm f/1.4 manual focus TTArtisan lens. I can fit them is my rugged camera box for travel.
That's why I use the Tamron 28-75mm f2.8 G2. Best of both worlds...lightweight, candid, flexible, affordable and takes awesome photos. Thanks for the video :)
I used to travel with 35mm prime (i watched too many documentaty photographer channels). But turns out i’m more happy with a small zoom lens + a small prime for low light situation. It’s faster to shoot with a zoom so i can spend more time enjoying the trip with friends and family.
Nothing is greater than having both. This true specially if you are travelling with friends/families who aren't keen in waiting for you to obtain your masterpiece. :)
@@alvinbartolome1239 hahah exactly. I think u also had similar experience. A prime really takes a lot of time to compose - my friends and family won't wait that long 🤣 yes, both prime and zoom is a killer combo
i did the same mistake trying to be a “pro” with 35 prime until my wife got fed up of my time wasting while she wanted to enjoy the trip with me. I did the rest of the trip with a selfie stick and mobile and we enjoyed a lot. Now I have 24 105 f4
@@DeepikaAditya woww. Same experience. One prime isn't practical for travel. Now I use 16-80 on a crop camera (so 24-120 in ff like yours)
I’m a retired professional commercial photographer. I had at my disposal the 16-35 f2.8, the 24-70 f2.8, the 24-105 f4, the 70-200 f2.8, and an assistant to carry the extra equipment. As got closer to retirement I started shooing more and more with the 35mm f1.8 and the 85mm f1.8 prime lenses. As a professional, when you absolutely must get the shot, in any kind of an uncontrolled situation, you’ll probably be best served by one of the zoom lenses, and the one I had on the camera most often was the 24-105. But, the joy of shooting with just those 2 prime lenses was part of the reason I didn’t retire earlier. In retirement I’m shooting almost exclusively with the 35mm & the 85mm for my personal enjoyment. A little caveat… in retirement, when photography is not the point of my day, I’m shooting with my iPhone 14 Pro Max. Actually an amazing camera.
Really like this comment. Definitely in case u deeply understand what do u want to shot and how to get best result u may sacrifice flexibility. May be in 30+ years I also will put my 24-105 and 24-70 on a shelf and start to enjoy only with primes ) may be ))
I too am using the Sony system.
My solution for the weight + size issue was to get the new Tamron 28-75 f/2.8 lens.
Very good quality, lighter, smaller (and cheaper) than the Sony 24-70.
As I see it, the only compromise was loosing important 4 mm at the wide end of the range.
David
With the latest sensors and lenses an APS-C camera is a great choice for travel. The key here is if you're going to focus on photography then bring your Full Frame and large lenses. But if you're with the spouse and kids you don't need the professional equipment.
For me I'll leave the FF camera at home and go with the Sony a6700 with the Sigma 18-50 f/2.8 lens. It's a good all around combination, small and light. That lens produces surprisingly sharp images
You helped me make up my mind that the 35mm is the better lens for me because I want the smallest, simplest setup for travel photos/videos with the new Sony A7C II. Thank you!
my best travel choice is the 24mm f1.4. The use of the super35 mode allows to get around 35mm when needed
The context in choosing a lens is so important. I'm glad you emphasized that. As a documentary filmmaker, the projects I work on are usually more cooperative than candid so the 24-70mm 2.8 is a great balance between mobility and beauty.
For me photography is just a hobby, so I'm not trying to make a living. However, I can relate to this discussion. I like taking street, travel and landscape. I have a fuji X100T with 23mm f/2 fixed lens, equiv to 35mm in full frame. I also have Nikon APS-C with zoom lens. 95% of rhe time I choose the Fuji with 35 equiv. It is light, compact and inconspicuous with great results.
Just came back from a two week photography job in Northafrica (mostly travel & street photography). Took the Fuji XT4 (APSC sensor/1,5x crop). Used the 16-55mm f2.8 about 75% of the time, the 16mm f1.4 and 33 f1.4 around 20%, and the 50-140mm f2.8 only 5% of the time. During the day the 16-55 is amazing, when the sun sets I use my primes. Works great for me :)
I’m using the new OM-1 since February 2022 and it is AMAZING for travel photography (and also for almost everything). Although I also use FF and APSC equipment, the M43 continues to be my favorite option (For Wildlife, birds and Macro the best option in my opinion). The Leica 10-25mm f1.7 is simply Wonderful (but as big and heavy as the Sony 24-70mm f2.8 ii) and I use it mostly for Video. The Olympus Duo 12-40mm and 40-150mm f2.8 is amazing for Travel photography, covering almost everything, also in moderate Lowlight (remembering that the new OM-1 has a better Low Light performance than the other M43 Cameras). But when I’m not working in Low light, the Olympus 8-25mm f4 or the Olympus 12-100mm f4 (depending on the subject) are BRILLIANT!! Like you I love the little Leica 15mm f1.7, but recently I’m in love with the Olympus 17mm f1.2 (the Nokton 10.5mm and 17mm f0.95 are also INCREDIBLE)! I love your videos! Your pictures are gorgeous!!
I brought a A7III with only a Samyang 35mm f/2.8 (which is one of the smallest lens for Sony) to Bologna in Italy. I was pretty impressed by the shots in the end. It was really versatile and pretty casual to walk around with. I did sometimes miss being able to go wider to take pictures of buildings outside and inside. But not missed zoom that much. Really happy about the result. A small 35mm is veristile, light weight, casual and easy to carry around where ever you go.
the best travel lens is obviously an 8mm-500mm f/22 zoom lens. Can be wide enough to get near 360degrees of landscape and zoom enough for a bird in a distant tree, and f22 makes sure the whole thing can stay small and light and not draw too much attention in street / event situations. Just make sure you have a really good sensor to deal with that f22 light handheld... and the bokeh is gorgeous, but microscopic. Only time I feel that set-up is limiting is when taking candid shots of distant nebulas... For that I hook my camera body up to a local observatory telescope.
Riiiiight....🤪
😂
Always best to bring a decent zoom and fast prime on any vacation. Personally, I chose the Sony 24-105/f4 and 35GM/f1.4. The zoom is awesome for video and the prime is perfect for candid shots and low light conditions. If I want to go really light, I'll just grab my Fuji X100V and GoPro - that'll get the job done surprisingly well.
I had watched your previous video on best travel lens a few years ago and this is another excellent video. Totally agree with your conclusion. I am now in Bangkok for a 3-week vacation and brought along three lenses - RF 24-70 f2.8, RF 70-200 f2.8 and RF 35 f1.8. I found myself using RF 35 1.8 all the time. Like you said, the lightweight 35 prime is enjoyable to use and it makes me want to bring it along anywhere I go and shoot more. Thanks for the great video!
I have a Sony APSC camera, and for my travels in Asia I paired it with a 17-70 F2.8. The full fame equivalent is 24-105, except as it is APSC, the size and weight of the camera and lens is much smaller than full frame and more discreet. It fits into a medium sling bag, as well as my wallet etc, so not a problem to take out in any scenario as I would always have a sling bag anyway. Versatile enough across different zoom ranges, all whilst being fixed at 2.8. Definitely the most versatile lens for me for travelling light.
35+85 combo is my go to setup.
you shooting weddings when you travel?
Me too 😊
I'm just a hobbyist who likes to make good photos to keep the memórias of my trips. I have an old nikon D5600 and use a tamron 16-300 f3.5 - 6.3. It's definitely not the best equipment but they haven't let me down. I've always been able to capture what I wanted. So, I'd choose versatility.
Great video.
Cheers!
Well, there's also a saying - the best lens is the one that you have. So if you have that... :)
The best 24-70mm F/2.8, you have a little of everything.
I personally use Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8, Sigma 35mm f/1.4 for travel. I have Tamron 17-28mm (Rare use) and Sigma 85mm f/1.4 (exclusively for Portrait).
Planning buy Sony 20mm G for astro-night photography.
I use A7III.
From a long time APSC user (not sure if I'm allowed to join in with all you FF's). My "Go To" lens is the Canon 15-85mm IS USM, it so versatile in the zoom range, going wider than the 18mm of many lenses, but it is tack sharp across the frame! Plus, and its's a big plus the colour rendition with this lens is un-equaled in my experience with just about all Canons APSC lenses. Trust me I travel a lot too! So, if folk are looking for a great APSC travel lens the 15-85mm is the best you can get!
I also carry the 24mm STM Pancake lens, much like you use the 35mm on a FF camera.
I had a 15-85. Foolishly, I sold it. Maybe I shall get another.
For me it’s the the Sony 24-105 for travel . Might be an f4 but has lens stabilisation and that extra reach makes it an incredible lens for travel. Plus for background separation at 105 it looks better than at 70 on the 2.8 imo.
Yeh, I do like it, but I don't want to go to 105 to get that separation.
For me my 6 year old Olympus PenF with a Lumix/Leica 15mm F:1,8 is my favorite travel companion. However, because it weights next to nothing, I also have the tiny Olympus 45mm F:1,8 in my pocket. Not that I am changeing back and forwards all the time, but I get some extra tele-capabilities if needed, and I stay small and inconspicuous.
I have always my Panasonic G 81 with the kit lens 12 to 60 f 2,8 to 5.6 with me and the Panasonic 25 mm f 1.8 . I m really happy😊
Great insight and perspective. The 24-70 GM stays on my camera most of the time, it’s just so versatile and I don’t find the weight cumbersome at all. BUT I wouldn’t hesitate to toss the 35mm in my travel bag too - it’s so small that both lenses are still a pretty practical lens combo.
It is a hard choice to make. I find it quite difficult at times. So for me, i go with a simple kit lens as it's called a 18-55mm for my nikon d5600. It meets my needs as what i want to use if I'm not planning a specific shoot. As with all lenses they have pros and cons. Choice what best fits your own needs and go out and enjoy capturing life's moments.
Being fortunate to have six lenses (from macros to telephoto), I find my most used in travel photography are my 24-70/2.8 and an old 28-300/3.5-5.8. I have become accustomed to the versatility of zoom lenses. For wildlife I prefer my 180-400 with built-in 1.4 T to the 600. The 28-300 has an amazing range and is lighter and less conspicuous than the 24-70. Also, shooting from across the street is less noticeable than from a few feet away with the 35mm. Plus, with the newer cameras, the improvement in noise reduction at higher ISOs somewhat overcomes the smaller aperture.
I took a 35mm f1.8 and a 24-70 f2.8 for my recent travel to Italy and used mostly the 35mm lens. Some days i needed a wider lens but the drawbacks of the zoom lens (weight, bulky and attract more attention) outweigh the pros of it. When I am looking at the pictures now I thought I took some of those pictures with the zoom lens where in fact after checking the exit I realized they were with the 35mm. I think taking the two lenses was the right decision.
Olympus 12-100mm F4 IS mated with an EM1 mk 3 is my go to combo for travelling. Unbelievable quality, a 24-200mm range in the 35mm vernacular, fantastic image stabilization when paired with the body. Fits in a small bag with a couple of batteries. I carry an iPad as my computer and view the images on that after a days shooting.
Bingo. I've got the same setup. Got a 25mm f/1.7 when low light is an issue. But also a 9mm f/1.7 pairs nicely as well for Ultra Wide Angle. Those two f/1.7 primes basically weigh 250g and take up almost no space at all. That's what 'travel' lens means; small, light, versatile.
I have the sony a7c and use the 35mm f1.8 and have it paired with the Sigma 90mm f2.8. Both lenses are small and light and (as a bonus) share the same 55mm filters. I prioritise the small and lightweight parts over big and flexible when traveling. If I have to go with just one though... hmmm... I have to go with the Sigma 90mm. I am too shy to get close to people.
Great video. I travel light with Sony 35mm f/1.4 gm, Sigma 65mm f2, and sometimes, the Sigma 90mm f/2.8. Get great resolution on my Sony a7riii. I do have a 24mm when needed.
Hi I enjoyed your video. I spent 2 weeks in France (Normandy, Paris and Loire Valley). In my opinion 16-35 is by far the best single lens for Sony. I got absolutely stunning pics of just about everything from people in Paris and Mont St Michel. I did not even bring my 24-70.
16-35 is also less bulky and lighter than 24-70.
Used a Sony 16-55 f2.8 on APS-C for a couple of years (because of its compactness), now I switched to full-frame and I just absolutely love the 50mm f1.8 for traveling. I realized that I don't really need wide angle very often and that I can do almost everything with 50mm. And f1.8 on full-frame just looks so much better than f2.8 on APS-C, that's really worth for me being limited to a prime lens (or two - mostly I take the 18mm Samyang with me, too).
Just returned from a trip around Europe and I took ages to decide what lens or lenses to take (I probably have too many!). At first I thought take the 24-105 f/4, but it is heavy for walking around all day with. Then I was going to take a 17-35 f/2.8-4 and a 35-105 f/3.5-4.5, but then I decided, I might need a wider apperture than those could provide, so opted in the end to take three primes, 35mm f/2, 50mm f/1.4 and 100mm f/2.8 Macro. I did take a few shots with the 50 and 100, but the vasy majority were using the 35mm (about 95%). The only comment I got from my brother-in-law, was "why didn't you bring a zoom lens?"
Very underrated lens for street and candid shots is samyang 35/2.8, fantastic little lens (weights just 80g). Now, I am also using Sony 28-60 kit for that matter (supe compact, but high distortion @28mm). I used to use big lenses like 24-105, 24-70, 70-200 (heavy, bulky and attract a lot of attention, but still absolute tools for commercial work). I can say that with modern cameras, weight, size and focus speed matters much more that crazy f stops.
I’ve been using the tamron 28-200 and so far I’m really loving it. It’s not perfect but the flexibility is great without being an enormous lens
I have this lens too and love it. Recently, I added Samyang 45mm f1.8 and I travel locally with this combo. If air travel and there is a weight limit, I carry Sony APSC + Sigma 16mm + Sony 50mm.
If I’m going to cities I normally bring a 24-105 mm F4 for daytime. Indoors or at night I use a 35mm 1.8. The lenses are small and light, but are flexible enough for most any situation.
Having done a lot of traveling, I recommend just one camera one lens. Did 16 months with just a 28mm equivalent, your eyes will adjust to the FL. I'd choose a good pancake, anywhere from 28 to 40mm.
I do a lot of travel editorial photography and my current set up is a Canon 6D with an EF 24-105 f4 lens. I don’t like to switch lenses, but I am considering getting a 50mm prime/fixed lens for everyday and people photography.
For the past few years I started shooting primes again. And I had planned on taking my 135mm GM, 35mm GM, and 14mm GM on an upcoming trip. Then the new 24-70 GM II and 70-200mm GM II were released. Now I plan to take the zooms including the 16-35mm GM on my trip. I love the primes, but it's hard to beat the zooms for their versatility.
I agree!
I really want that new 24-70 f2.8 GM 2 as well for my A74...
Hello Mitchell, congratulations, very nice presentation and arguments ref. Lenses. My experience is slightly different. I use Sony 24-105 mm, f4.0 all the time. It gives me 100% of what I expect to achieve. Only if a photo assignment is very particular, I use prime lens and 35mm f1.4 is one of them. I used to walk around with 24-70mm, f2.8. Yet, I experimented with 24-105mm f4.0, and as a result, good old 24-70 is “collecting dust”. Todays cameras are so sophisticated, with super high ISO # , so I accepted a compromise and voluntarily sacrificed f2.8 by adopting f4.0. Of course, there is no magical recipe, so most important is spending time making photos wit different gear and find out what works the best for each individual. Btw, I love your photos. Best regards from Germany !!!
I like your approach to pros and cons to really go way beyond specs but shoot for real world usage.
Thanks. Yes, that's the idea - outside of real world usage it doesn't really matter to me. Most gear we have these days is more than good enough for most uses.
Hey Mitchell. Thanks for your work, and I love the vibrancy in your photos. Nobody will ever be able to accuse you of being "afraid of colour" (as per a recent article about a suggested shift towards Monochrome photography).
I'm newly back to owning a decent camera after years with small point and shoots, and phones.
I bought a cheap, second hand Sony a7 and the Zeiss 2/35 in July and I've carried it almost everywhere since.
I also got an 85mm Batis, but I hardly use it (and now it's for sale). I'm actually looking for a fast 24 or 28mm lens and am even thinking about getting a Leica Q2M or Q3. The image quality of particularly the monochrom version is phenomenal! I'm not afraid of colour, but 47mp (q3m down the track with 60mp?) and monochrome? Yes please.
Keep up the good work and travel safe. 🙏🏻
Great Video! I still use Lumix m4/3 system and for Street photography I use lumix 20mm f1.7, 12-60mm f2.8-4 and SIGMA 56mm F1.4 paired to 2 Lumix G85 or old small Gx1 (no one notices you with GX1).
I agree! This is where I've come to. I travel to remote areas and my Sony a1 with a big lens --- No! I use the 20 a lot as I'm often in dark interiors and up close to things. 55 and 85 are in my bag. You've made me think about adding the 35. A zoom under f4 needs a fork lift. And I do love having a blurry background.
I love my Sony 24-104 and 24GM for my travels! 24-105 for daytime and 24 for night shoots!
So, I just found your channel when I searched for best lens for travel between the 28mm & 35mm. I recently purchased a Fuji x100v for my first trip to Italy. I've used Nikon for many years with predominantly zoom lenses. My fuji as you likely know, has a fixed 35 mm equivalent and I also have the 28mm WCL lens. I greatly enjoyed your video and found it very useful for the information I was looking for. Thanks so much. I'm sure I'll return often.
Yes, each of us must try to make the right decision. I had the 24-105 F4, which was a great zoom, but for travel, I picked the Tamron 28-200 2.8-5.6, along with the 35 1.4 GM and the Tamron 17-28 2.8. If i'm not capturing great moments, it's probably because I'm too preoccupied with breakfast, and not focus.
Interesting combination of lenses. Thanks for watching.
I love the sound effects you add to each photo you show, it makes them feel more immersive 14:48
Thanks :)
I use a 50 mm 1.8 lens on my Nikon d850 most of the time when am traveling. Great all round prime lens
Thank you for another great video. I actually looked at the previous video a couple of times; purely because I still struggle with my own choice. I am a NIkon user and most of my photos taken are as the dad that tags along my wife and kids capturing photos of them in the surroundings that I would feel proud to print and place it on a wall around the house. I currently own:
1) a 50mm 1.8. that I bought purely because at the beginning I did not know any different and was influenced by "you must own the nifty 50" advice, and
2) the 20-300mm 3.4-5.6 that was a choice based on the fact that often I use the compression effect to have my kids look closer to iconic landmarks ... and that their patience runs out with me when I get into one of my "move left a tad... nor mover back right.. come closer... wait that I try a different setting" moments :) . The aperture is not too much of a big issue as I have young kids and we do just about all site seeing between 7am-4pm in summer; i.e. lots of light.
Overall, although I wish I had more money to by 2.8 zoom lenses, I am happy with the 28-300mm. However, I regret not getting a 35mm instead of the 50mm. The reason being that this f1.8 lens is mainly used at nighttime if we go for dinner or the evening stroll between the restaurant and our accomodation. Unfortunately, especially when in a restaurant, the 50mm is not wide enough... and 99% of the time I live the camera in bag and use my iPhone.
So, my curiosity question to you is as follows; when you travel with family/friends, what is your lens of choice, and how do you balance between your passion and socialising?
You brought it to the point. Now It’s become more easy for me to coose.
To be candid, I use my Sony RX1 Mark2 with a 35 fixed lens. For all other purpose, I go for the 24/70 GMaster.
If money is not a issue, and personally feel its always possible to add a small prime i would say : replace the 24-70GM with the 24-70GM2 and also take a 35GM1.4 with the size and weight savings of the new 2470GM2 :)
I carry 24-70 in camera bag. But use it only as needed. Most of the time I use 50mm f1.8 and 24mm f1.4. Both very lightweight.
As a travelcamera the Sony RX100 series is very good. It fits in your pocket. Then as something extra a bigger camera when you are out just for taking landscapes or architecture.
My travel set is Sony IV with 24-70 f1.8-2.8 and a Sony a6500 with 18-135 (eqv. 28-200 mm). All bodies and lenses are stabilized, so I can take really long exposures. With the latter combo a 1/5 sec is not a problem. I also use the in body clearzoom to double the focal lenght when needed with no quality loss. In video you can even get away with the quadruple digital zoom if neccecery.
RX100 is about 300 g and the aps-c combo is 790 g. Not bad.
I still watch your previous best lens video, the one that made me attached to your channel. That video was so well made... It became different than all those 'best lens for this and that.... ' videos on youtube. Started watching this.
PS (after watching full video): still prefer the old one. Sorry man, maybe It's just me, but it felt a little 'pros and cons' type video, and little less 'talking the heart out' like the previous one. Also, nothing changed, as you kept the verdict of the previous video intact. Love the new images in this video very much! 😍
For me, I really feel missing out with almost all the primes, except the 50mm. With that focal length, I almost never looked for going wide or narrow... Maybe that's the nature of the 50mm perspective. Otherwise, for travel /documentary, I go for the lens you ruled out right at the beginning... The 24-105mm f4.
Thanks for your comment. I didn't know the videos were competing against each other. 😛 The verdict is kinda the same, but in last one I actually said - full frame = 24-70, so NOT same. To be honest these are some of my least favorite videos, BUT, I know that people are interested, so I made them. I try to make it less about just gear stuff and as much about actual photography as possible, while still being about gear, if you know what I mean.
Sigma 30, 1.4 is perfect for the personal way I see the world. Zooms are extremely practical but it is difficult no to be all over the place since you have the ability to do it. Primes make me think intentionally, inspire me to go after more specific subjects.
Primes definitely makes me love photography even more.
Hi Mitchell, I have a 35mm and 50mm with Leica M10-D and after many years of different lenses, these are ones that suit me the most!
Nice setup. 🙂
Thanks for your work. I am staying with 24-105 mm f4.0 since with our later generation cameras that have higher ISO with acceptable noise levels plus tweaks in post, and remembering - in-body and or lens stabilization permitting slower shutter speeds with hand held shots. I have be enable to capture excellent low light images. I also sometimes "cheat" by keeping in my pocket a 55mm f1.8 for extreme low light or when discretion is required.
Great video, Mitchell. Would you consider making a video on how to be discrete? I’ve gotten in the habit of shooting documentary between 50-85mm only because I feel it’s difficult to fill a frame at less, while remaining unnoticed
Interesting idea for the future. Thanks.
Very interesting and thanks for sharing some really great images and tips. I love your approach, the 35 is a really happy medium and i used this same angle of view with a Fuji X100 pocket APSc crop sensor for many years but just found on many occasions i needed to go a bit wider for landscape or street scape or a bit tighter with the portraits i love doing. I then updated to the Fuji XT5 interchangeable lens body and thats been a step up, I take two lenses with me the 18mm f1.4 (28mm FF equivalent) and 33mm f1.4 (50mm FF equivalent) both lenses are fairly lightweight, compact and fairly discrete although admittedly the X100 was the most discrete setup you can get apart from a phone. The 40mpx also allows plenty of cropping power which really surprised me the amount of detail a small camera can give you these days.
The Sigma 18-50 f2.8 is my go to lens for my APSC a6000 and a7r, with the Sony FE 85 f1.8 for both bodies. IF there is pixel loss when mixing formats I suck it up, The worst case is a final file of 15MP which is normally enough. Both are brilliant budget giveaways and are both sharp and fast.
I've swapped my 24mm and 85mm lenses for a 24-70 sigma on Sony E. It's heavier and bulkier but I find that I don't miss out on shots. My main gripe is, that f2.8 seems to get me more noise than I'd like in cloudy and/or dark situations, which is more common in the winter. Over the summer, it's just the size and weight, which is a tad heavy but I'm comfortable carrying this thing around for a hike for example, so it's fine. You can also make up for the candidness with standing twice as far away and shooting at 70mm. I'm planning on picking up a 35mm prime later down the road though, for some low light shooting scenarios, as it's really my all time favorite focal length, it gets the most use on the zoom too. But I just love the versatility too much, to sell this lens, I'll have to keep it forever.
My travel combo: 24mm f1.4 GM + 55mm f1.8 Zeiss
I don't care about what lenses people are using, I only care about images and yours always stand out from the crowd. My favourite travel photographer is Steve McCurry and you Mitchell.
That's very nice of you to say. Thank you very much. :)
I travel frequently and I've realized that I don't really value travel photos for the bokeh or lack of grain. More important is the ability to quickly and conveniently grab a variety of shots while I'm on the move.
Great Video :) (no suprise)
I can't wait for the Tamron 35-150mm f2.0-2.8. Of course I wish it was smaller but......from the focal lenght and the f-stop it's exactly what I need.
Thanks for the video mate. Really enjoyed it. I shoot primes on dual cameras for work. Debating the 24-70 for a trip to Asia. Your video was great but I’m still undecided haha I’m thinking 35 prime and using APSC crop to 50 (ish) when needed. Maybe throw a cheap little 14 pancake in for landscape.
Thanks again mate. I really enjoy your photos too
Try the 24-70 GM II, substantially smaller than your original GM and incredibly sharp and superb color fidelity.
For me if I was traveling again full time I would take with me a 24-105mm lens on a full frame mirrorless body and a fixed lens camera with either 28mm/35mm focal length... I used a Canon EOSr with 24-105mm and a Leica Q traveling for 8 months and I was able to photograph 90% of everything that came my way (the exception being ultra-wide landscapes/tight city scapes where a 16-35mm came in handy).
Great video mate! As usual, BTW. I like to work with two Canon systems: the M6 (mk 1!) cropped and the R6 FF. I totally agree with your thoughts. R6 (with a 24-105 and a 35 - and also a 16) is great and has amazing image quality, but very much larger and heavier, making it a pain to move, walk and hike, for that is what "travel photography" means to me. For those outdoor hiking experiences I much prefer the M6 with the kit 15-45 M (FF equivalent of a 24-70), but I also bring with me some recently discontinued EF-S lenses: the 10-18 and the 55-250. Because they are light and feature autofocus and stabilization they help me very much and give me a lot of flexibility.
But there´s one more trick! I use two adpaters for those lenses, the Canon original and the Viltrox Speedbooster M2 (of course, it is made for EF lenses therefore you have to substitute the lenses mount ring for that, but that´s easy and China industry helps us...) so I end up with a 0.7 factor for the focal length and gain 1 stop of aperture at the cost of some very strong vignetting, but totally useful with creative crops or for video. So, I end up with a very economic and flexible system of 5 lenses having only three, yet light and effective (for a cropped sensor, obviously).
Final hint: I also have a pancake EF 40 mm f2.8 that do wonders with both adaptors. With the Canon normal adaptor the cropped focal length is 64mm, and with the Viltrox M2 the effective Focus lenght is about 45 mm (40 x 0.7 x 1.6), with f2.0. Not bad at all.
Some good info.
I have the Tamron 28-75 f2.8 E-mount for events and weddings, its very light and does the job fine.
Great video. I’m a hobby photographer who recently bought a new OM System OM-5 with a 12-45 f4 lens. It would be equivalent to 24-90mm FF. Besides that lens I use a 17mm f1.8 lens. So basically I’m using the same lenses as you do.
I know I lose depth of field with m4/3, and when shooting with f4 lens even more, but the weight and size of the kit make up for that. When I see your 35mm lens, I think it is even bigger than my 12-45 (24-90) lens! Have you ever considered going back to M4/3?
I shoot mostly with Fujifilm so my setup is slightly smaller but I find myself keeping a prime lens on them the majority of the time. Smaller size and wider aperture are both big factors, but the creative limitations are something I also find enjoyable. There are certainly shots that I miss, or don’t even attempt because I know my focal range is not well suited for that composition. Carrying around a camera at all times has been the biggest factor in the improvement of my photography over the past couple of years and 90% of the time my photos have been taken with prime lenses.
As I’m still using a Canon APS-C camera, I added the EOS RP and an EF adapter to use my wider lenses (mostly) to their full extent on a full-frame camera.
I got the RP body w/o lens - the option was the 24-105mm f/4 at the time, and it’s the first RF lens I finally decided to buy. Just before the recent price hike.
I’ve taken it regularly just walking about, or the small EF 24mm f/2 on the adapter. The 35mm f/2 IS is much heavier, I don’t take it as often.
The 24-105 is almost tiny, it’s wide-ranging, well stabilized. I’m still under its spell. 😊
And come to think of it, I have gone out quite a few times with an old FD 35mm f/2 on an adapter (Simmod), a light and compact setup. I agree a good compact 35mm lens is an excellent option, but they tend to be big, or noisy like the new RF one.
Thanks for your thoughts, that question is always relevant.
Well as an amateur photographer the idea of a trip using only one camera and one lens sounds like a dream. Unfortunately I don't have half of your talent or creativity but I am trying to learn. After much deliberation and research I have bought an Olympus EM5 mark iii. With regards to the lens most of my travel images are holiday shots so I don't generally have many opportunities or time to try again. Certainly don't get to live in foreign places so give my limitations I'm going to get the 12-100mm f4.
The image quality is good enough for what I will be doing with the images. The compact size is ideal for travel and I know its f4 but the image stabilisation is amazing giving low iso handheld shots in low light. I have tried primes but honestly family holiday time pressure and alway finding I had the wrong lens on and need to change lens is a real buzz kill.
I used to have only one A7R3 and one 24-105 f4 lens so I travel with it and happy with the flexibility, the semi macro and stabilization. As I cumulating over 20 lenses, the choices became difficult, always ended bringing lenses that I didn’t use. My last trip to Australia with one backpack forced me to bring only one camera with fixed 28mm lens and an Insta360 RS One for video. Wasn’t sure how that will work, but even though I missed many opportunities I wish I had a long zoom but the result was fantastic, I went back to using my feet to zoom, pay more attention to composition instead of picking lens. I truly love my Leica Q2 now.
I had the 24-70mm GM. But, I got tired of the weight, so I sold it and bought the 24-105mm G lens. I think most people would be well served by the 24-105mm as a general purpose travel lens. I also sold my 70-200mm GM for the same reason and replaced it with the 70-200mm G lens. But, eventually I sold the 24-105 and 70-200 G and bought all GM primes from 14mm to 135mm which I love using when I'm home. The 35mm GM and 135mm GM are my favorites. But, for me, a bag full of primes is just impractical for travel. So, I ordered the new 24-70mm GM II and 70-200mm GM II which will be my main travel lenses.
Wow XD you really like to buy and sell stuff. Imo zoom is something you can always have. You will always will find place for it. Thus its always pretty expensive
I think it also depends a lot on the trip landscapes and cityscapes vs street and people. I find myself sometimes struggling with composition for land and cityscapes with prime lenses only. So now I am back to a zoom lens 20-70f4 for Sony ;)
Hello from minnesota. I have a "Yours, mine and ours" family, 13 kids all told. I am 62 and my yougest is 15. As you can see we never have money, we work hard and play hard and are happy. My main camera is a Olympus pen E-Pl1 with the digital 14-42mm 1.35-5.6 and a 17mm 1.28, all Olympus glass. With the 17mm lens, the camera really does fit in a pocket. I use the Olympus the most, lightweight and small, mostly street, scenery and portraits. I own two more cameras, all 2nd hand. A Canon T3 with a EF-S 18-55mm 3.5-5.6, a Canon nifty 50 and a 35mm pancake lens (Again all canon glass),I use it for landscapes and micro work, with macro tubes. Plus a Pentax MX-1(which even 2nd hand cost me more then all the rest!).
However, because of my age and eyes, I am really frustrated with focussing, so some times, most time my pics are out of focuss, dont know what is going on, now after all this, here is a question. would getting the Olympus eletronic view finder help me to focuss? I wont quit, just frastrated. Sorry for the long story and short question, I reall enjoy your photos and teaching style, thank you for your time and work, have a great day, Edwyrd.
Hey Edwyrd, thanks for your comment. About your question, there are actually probaly tens of videos on getting sharp photos on RUclips. It's not necessarily anything to do with the lens. I suggest you search for that.
I am not a professional but I have been shooting and or processing for over 50 years. For travel…I use my Fuji XF 16-80, 24-120 - 35 equivalent. Maximum flexibility. Try using the 35mm in the mountains. I love my 23f2 lens (35mm ) too but for Travel I do not like changing lenses in the field. The issue of size was a flawed point because weight and size are significantly lighter and smaller on crop sensor cameras something a non professional may value. Yes the zoom is still bigger in scale but I have experience with Nikon, Canon and Fuji set ups with zooms and I prefer the smaller footprint…much easier to enjoy travel.
I couldn’t agree more with you on this video. I had the some questions 2 years ago and after a lot of discussion with myself 😂 I sold everything and bought only one camera, one lens, the fujifilm X100F. I don’t get the separation of the subject you get but that is not so important for me because most of the times I want my subject connected to the environment around. So most of the times I use f/4 - f/8, and when the light is limited f/2 and high ISO is enough to get the shot. At the end of the day this camera is always with me and I have made shots that I wouldn’t with any other camera because of this. The last point for me, which is equally important is that due to the focal length limitations you are “forced” to be creative. That means that you are going to lose many shots but it also means that those you are going to create will be unique and original. Once again thanks for the video I hope we have a new one soon.
"due to the focal length limitations you are “forced” to be creative." LOVE this. Yes! Should have listed it as a PRO of the prime lens. And... I was also looking to get that Fuji, whatever the latest one is, but, it's sold out everywhere. 😂
Travel is the best lens for photography.
i mean travel as a mindset, no need to go that far. Just take your camera and a specific lens that day.
your photography improves when you are inspired by a lens, a light, a sky, a landscape, a seascape, a street, a culture, people, etc.
Underwater photographers have to chose one lens before diving: So inspiring..
That's true about underwater photogs, but still... which one to choose? 😂 I like what you say, though I tried to be as practical here as possible.
Hi Mitchell. As new photographer, I really appreciate this conversation. I've been traveling perpetually and creating photos along the way for a bit over a year now. I pounded the pavements and beaches of Mexico for almost a year. Now I'm exploring Southeast Asia. Wanting to keep my gear to a minimum, I decided to bring two lenses with me. A 24-70 f4 and a 35mm f1.8. I considered the 24-70 f2.8, but decided it was too large and too expensive for me at the time. I don't do much shooting at night and f4 has worked well for me so far. As an amateur, it was nice to get a bit of confirmation regarding my lens choices. So thank you for that. Now, to bring my photos to the next level I feel I need to develop more confidence with taking photos of people. I tend to avoid it due to fear of offending my subjects. I feel this has really limited me. The photographs I have taken of people have almost always been with permission. Even that is tough for me to do. I will take a look at your written content regarding people. I would really appreciate a video and discussion on this topic, especially since you excel as a photographer in this area. I look forward to viewing more of your excellent content and photography.
Thank you for making size and weight a major point. The lens I use the most is the 14mm Panasonic lens which is tiny. I can bring it with me all the time which makes the photos possible in the first place.
I kinda want to get a slightly narrower lens and faster but I don't want to give up on the pocketability. There is a 20mm Panasonic that's slightly larger. And two collapsible zoom lenses that aren't even constant aperture and a lot of plastic. I do drop my camera quite a bit.
I just brought my XC15-45mm on my travel and call it a day. It does not have the shallowest depth of field but it is extremely versatile for storytelling and documenting my family. I am more likely to bring my camera often with this setup compared to when I was using the massive XF16-55.
Might just add a 33mmF1.4 for that occasional specialty shot though.
Jep. Same here with 16-50 fuji + 23/1.4 Viltrox.
Great video. I switched from my "kit"18-55 Nikon lens to a 24-120mm zoom. More reach better glass. Using a USP-C camera with full frame lenses. If I had the cash, I would get a Nikon D850 body.
Yes I have ruminated and been back and forth on this question for decades. It nearly drove me bonkers at times. Having bought and sold many systems and burned through thousands of dollars, I've reached a pretty good compromise (as we know, all camera systems are still some kind of compromise). Firstly - no zooms for me. The benefits of smaller primes, with a fast aperture, just can't be beaten. I now carry two small bodies - each with a fast prime attached, and this covers all my needs, for street/portrait and events. My Fuji APSC, has the marvellous 16mm 1.4 for all my wide stuff (24mm equivalent). My FF Nikon mirrorless, has the Z50mm 1.8 attached. The great thing with the FF Nikon is that if I need to get a bit closer, I just click the 'DX' button and I've suddenly got the equivalent of a 75mm lens. It's actually like having 3 lenses on board. The way I carry these makes them very light and I can walk all day. I usually only have one out at a time, so I am still seen with just a small camera and standard lens, so nobody gets alarmed. Best of both worlds. I wish I'd discovered this years ago. Finally - just to quieten those who bang on endlessly about the FF vs Crop Sensor debate - I actually prefer the images from the Fuji X-T3, over those from my Nikon Z6ii. Yes, I run a full-frame camera, but the images from my crop-sensor Fuji stand up remarkably well.
Definitely like this idea. :) And yeh, as I said in a past video - most of the time no one will tell the difference between Full frame APSC or whatever other cameras we use.
My choice is the sony 24mm F1.4 Gm and 50mm F1.4Gm 😊, light and can get most of the ranges with the super35 mode on my a7iv
If this video is for amateurs, then all in one zooms are the best choice, 28-300, 28-200, 18-300, 18-400 ext. Those give flexibility in all situations and are not expensive. I used to travel with film camera in 80's and 90's with 28-200 Tamron on Nikon camera and small tripod to use longer focal lengths. Once you became professional you are more picky and you make your own perfect choices.
My pick would be fuji xf 18-55mm and xf 35mm 1.4r combo 🥳 ... on any fuji camera. Still very compact set and they yield SWEET BEAUTIFUL photos✨
About lught lenses and casually shotting that is true. Because I literally have my most favorite lens 16-35 gm for what I do but I also just ordered 20mm g because I also want to have something more casual and discreet when I am not making big documentary, film or youtube video. For example, filming a simple walk in the park
Thank you for this video. Fabulous images! I use mostly Sony Zeiss 35mm 2.8 and 55mm 1.8. I love the character and the beautiful rendition of these lenses.
I love Sony Zeiss 35mm 2.8 too
I thought I needed the a7iii with the 24-105 f4, but then I tried the a7C with the 28-60... My back thanked me, and there were maybe 2 times I wished for wider or longer, 2 times in one month. Looking back at the photos, they were wide enough, and cropping solved the other problem. For low light situations... I have the 35 1.8. Tamron seems to be working at a 24-50 f2, now that would be awesome
so so informative . big help for new beginners . thank you so much 💕💕💕
The Sony 20-70 f/4 is my go-to. Can shoot in crop mode on a high MP camera to get more zoomage.
Mine too!!! Sold my fav 24-105 for the 20-70 f4. I love it!!
As a Fuji user I bring all my lenses when I travel. Best shots in landscape I use the Fuji 55-200 or 12 mm Samyang. For people I use the standard 18-55 or for al bit more depth of field the 35 mm F2.0.
I've been interested in the fixed l35mm equivalent Fuji, but it's out of stock in most places.
@@mitchellkphotos I don't know that lens, or is it the Sigma. I do use the 18-135 Fuji. It is an allrounder but at f3.5 -5.6 you must not wish too much at 18 mm, but at 100-135 you will have depth of field. Mostly enough when you make a portrait.
@@mitchellkphotos by the way, I never spend that much money. I buy all my gear second hand.
I just got the 24-70 2.8!! I can’t wait to take it out.
Enjoy it! :)
Use the Olympus 12-40 F2.8 or 12-100 F4 for travel!
I love my Z 35mm f/1.8 for a prime lens and it's pretty flexible as you mentioned, but for me, if I HAD to pick just one, even though the aperture can limit me sometimes, I'll take my Z 24-120mm f/4. I sure wish I could do it all with a 35, but I just know I'll be kicking myself later for not being able to get closer to a subject to get the framing I want when I can't physically move closer. For m4/3 cameras my favorite prime is that little 45mm f/1.8 from Olympus (90mm equiv). Not because it's flexible, but because the images it makes are dreamy. The bokeh is outstanding, it's very small and very sharp.
I know the Oly lens you're talking about. I had it. :) I get what you're saying about missing out. Definitely get that feeling and whenever I can, I'll take another lens, but if not... I think I'm ok with missing out on some things.
@@mitchellkphotos I'm just doing this as a hobby though, so I appreciate where you're coming from doing this professionally. I probably 'lean on' a zoom more than I should sometimes, but on vacations I just have to keep it simple since I never know what type of subjects I'll end up with (I have SOME idea, but there's always more to shoot than I imagined at different places).