# Travel Photography



## Samsam2891 (Dec 19, 2018)

Hi All

I would like some advice from professional or enthusiast photographers who do travel photography.

I am from South Africa and I am going to Europe in April 2019. I am doing a Contiki tour (So I will be in different European Countries majority of the time then I'm going to Turkey) and although I need to pack light I still want decent photos as I enjoy photography and I might never get the opportunity to do this again.

I have researched quite a bit on different cameras and I've settled with the 200D. I've looked at all the specs and it's exactly what I need. The problem is the lens. I've only really done studio shots so travel photography is new to me.

Here are things I'll be taking photos of:

Street Photography

Landscapes

Low Light conditions (most probably)

Far distance subjects (as we might not be up close to some of the landmarks during the Contiki tour so I will probably need a zoom and I'd like the shots to be sharp)

Architecture or inside areas such as museums

I'd like some advice on lens. Preferably a versatile lens or max. 3 lens. I'm currently looking at the 18-135, 50mm and 10-18mm but I'm not 100% sure yet so any suggestions will be appreciated.

Tia


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## Jeff15 (Dec 19, 2018)

Hello and welcome, among your lenses you with need a zoom. Good luck with your travels.....


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## beagle100 (Jan 2, 2019)

Samsam2891 said:


> Hi All
> 
> I would like some advice from professional or enthusiast photographers who do travel photography.
> 
> ...



for lightweight travel and "street" look at all the mirrorless options 
*www.flickr.com/photos/mmirrorless*


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## Braineack (Jan 2, 2019)

Will you be spending time specifically on photography?

If not, I'd just bring the one regular zoom and call it a day.  Unless I have a specific need, I almost never grab the 200mm when I'm traveling my shoulder always regrets bringing it.

Depending on the trip, my 24-70 can capture about 90% of the shots I attempt to acquire, then 24-120 could probably get me closer to 100%.

I did UK/Italy with just a 15-50mm (crop) and have no regrets only having that: London/Italy Trip


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## ac12 (Jan 3, 2019)

My Nikon DX/APS-C travel kit is:
Nikon 18-140 + 35/1.8. 
The 18-140 as the general purpose lens, the 35/1.8 for low light. 
I would have preferred a 24/1.8 for my low light lens, but Nikon does not make a DX lens like that.​The Canon equivalent to my Nikon kit is:
18-135 + Yongnuo 35/2.
Canon does not make a fast crop normal lens, and the Yongnuo is the only one that I know of. 
Or get the Sigma 18-36/1.8 or 18-50/2.8, but these are large lenses.​If you need more reach than the Canon 18-135 can do, I would add the Canon 75-300 IS II USM.​My current travel kit which is significantly lighter and smaller than the Nikon kit is an m4/3 system:
Olympus EM1 or EM10
Panasonic 12-60/3.5-5.6 + Olympus 17/1.8
or the Olympus 14-150 + Olympus 17/1.8​


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## Valerie Green (Apr 11, 2019)

I have been doing travel photography for sometime now and I find that I always go for the Canon EF-S 18-135 mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM lens because of its great image quality and the 24 megapixel sensor combination. Also, because of the STM settings, I also like to shoot short abstract video clips.

Also, as a backup I keep the Canon 50mm f/1.8 STM as the backup lens because of its amazing image quality and the control to get the accurate focus on the LiveView.


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## Soocom1 (Apr 11, 2019)

I have to agree with Valerie Green. 

A single lens that covers a wide spectrum like the 18-135. will do wonders especially with a crop sensor. 

You really don't want to carry alot of lenses and especially in certain regions of Europe where that is a huge call sign for thieves. 

Now if your going to do all of the above with the usual type shots, the big thing is to be sure that your camera is up to the task and not overly expensive to use. 
No not film.... batteries! 

If the 200D has an optional VC battery grip that will do wonders for keeping the juice alive. 

Also switching lenses continuously opens you up to dust.    Stick with that and a UV/polorizer filters, you should do fine.


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## ac12 (Apr 11, 2019)

Soocom1 said:


> . . .
> Now if your going to do all of the above with the usual type shots, the big thing is to be sure that your camera is up to the task and not overly expensive to use.
> No not film.... batteries!


Forgot about that one.

The battery in my Nikon D7200 will last me 2+ DAYS of shooting.

So it was a shock to me when I found that the battery in my Olympus EM1-mk1 with a Panasonic-Lumix 12-60 lasts me only about 4 HOURS of *continuous *shooting.  On my last trip, I could predict my battery changes, at about 11am and 4pm.  Carrying spare batterIES (note the plural) is critical.  I had 3 batteries on my last trip, and when I was on my last battery, after 6pm I was always worried that it would go "empty" on me.  I just got a 4th battery to solve that problem.  The battery usage rate makes charging at the end of the day a critical operation, to get ALL the batteries charged; 2 before bed, then 2 overnight.

With the 12-100/4 with Sync-IS on, the battery lasts only about 2 HOURS of *continuous* shooting     The way I shot my last trip, I would need to carry 8 batteries + 4 chargers.  Just from a power consumption PoV, on the EM1-mk1, this would not be a good travel lens for me.  I have to use the on/off switch more, to conserve battery power.  The EM1-mk2 has a longer battery life, but I don't know how much longer.

That experience taught me that with a mirrorless camera, you NEED to do a real test (as if you were on a trip) with YOUR camera and lens(es), to determine how long a charged battery will last, or you could get caught with an empty battery.  That test will tell you how many spare batteries you will need for an entire day, then add one more (just in case).


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## JoeW (Apr 12, 2019)

Okay, I've done a ton of travel photography (from locations like Botswana and Namibia to Europe to Peru to Vietnam).  A general rule is that you want to avoid switching lens a lot (1. because you'll miss good photos and 2. because you'll expose the inside of your camera to dust and dirt).  I think there's less of a chance of that in Europe (we're not talking about the rainy season in Vietnam or the dust storms in Africa) but still--you don't want to be switching lens a lot.

Advice I got from The Traveler (who has probably done 10x more travel photography then me) was to pack one lens (say, a 25-70mm zoom f2.8) and you're covered for landscape, architecture, street photography and most interiors.  And he's right. If you're really going to have a lot of very low-light photography then you pack a second lens that is small (like a 50mm or 35mm f1.8) that can allow you to shoot with available light (though I think a camera body that can shoot at ISO 2000 with no noise would be more important).  And then you walk in to the church, swap out lens just before you go in.  And everything you shoot for the next 1-2 hours is indoors in dim light so that nifty-fifty with f1.8 or f1.4 will do the job.  If you had to only take 3-4 shots, I'd just use my phone and not swap out the lens.  I'm serious about this:  if you think you're going to shoot a bunch with 1 lens, then switch for 2-3 shots--just use your phone for the indoor and wide angle stuff.  Because unless you can just go at your own pace and be very slow, you're not going to be able to swap out lens constantly.  You want to put a lens on and keep it there for a couple of hours.

If you are convinced you will have some distance shots that your zoom isn't going to be able to handle, then buy a teleconverter.  Don't use it for shooting birds--it won't be fast enough.  But you can turn a fast 70mm in to a 120 or 140mm lens.  Again, if you've got a slow (let's say the 18-135mm) then using a teleconverter really isn't an option except for a landscape shot with no flying critters.

So for me, it would be 1 body, 1 lens on it 95% of the time, a teleconverter (maybe), and a lens for when you're in a dark chapel for an extended period of time.  Otherwise, just rely on your phone for those inside shots or those "gotta swap lens out for this 1 shot" instances.

Other equipment to bring:  tons of cards (more  than you think you'll need).  Look for a way to back them up.  When I was anyplace I could bring my laptop, I backed them up to a an external HD every day religiously.  You'll have access to reliable power so I'd think about bringing a battery charger rather than multiple batteries.  Microfibre cloth and cleaning/anti-dust supplies.  A large zip lock bag to put your camera in if it starts raining.  Also, think about a really small tabletop tripod or a beanbag for a selfie with the sunset in the background or for a long exposure of the sky in the Blue Hour--I've got two such tripods that aren't very versatile but they're small, light, and about the size of two magic markers back to back--so easy to pack and travel with.  Get thee a camera bag that doesn't say "camera bag with expensive **** inside--please steal" as a logo.  I'm partial to just using a day pack and inserting something like a Timbuktu insert so half is my gear and the other half is lunch and some fleece, sunglasses, passport, etc.

Last of all, I find that it's very helpful to look at the places I'm going and then specifically search for sites where a photographer will have "tips for shooting Vancouver" or "best photographic sites in Ho Chi Minh City."  I'll not only get good tips on locations but get inspiration for particular photos or maybe equipment I need to bring.


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