Lens to pair with RP for travel

[Minerve101]

Thanks again for all the input.
Kayaker’s suggestion is very sensible, to look at which focal lengths I have previously used with my crop sensor zooms. Converting to the FF equivalent, about 40% were near 35mm, another 40% were near 28mm (as wide as I could get) about 10% were near 50mm, and the last 10% were near 85mm (as tight as I could get). Clearly the wider focal lengths are the most important.

Neuroanatomist, the panorama looks great. Did you manage this handheld? When I practice handheld I occasionally produce a set that cannot be merged with good sharpness. Maybe more practice could overcome that. A tripod is not practical for the trips I plan.

I do photograph people on these trips, but the goal is to include a generous view of the surroundings. The focal length for that is usually around 35mm.

I own and really like the EF 24-70 F/2.8 II, but the lack of IS is a drawback paired with the RP rather than the R5. The RF version of this lens with IS is 10 ounces heavier and seems pricy.

The good advice from all of you has me thinking about trading my EF 16-35mm f/4 IS for the RF 14-35, then using that the main lens. When the adapter is considered, the trade would save 6 ounces weight and about 1 ½ inches length. Sometimes the wider field of view might be handy. The biggest drawback is that the RF lens is not so sharp around 35mm.

More for me to consider, but I take from all of you that 35mm as the widest lens could be a problem.

[Kayaker72]

More for me to consider, but I take from all of you that 35mm as the widest lens could be a problem.

Neuro has a very solid point about Europe and the need for wider.

14 mm
small-7740 by kayaker72, on Flickr

small-7075 by kayaker72, on Flickr

But, trying to get every shot means you will have to pack every lens. Sometimes you have to make compromises and accept that you will still get shots to remember the trip by and shots that you will be proud of.

Same trip:

41 mm
small-7644 by kayaker72, on Flickr

24 mm
small-7545 by kayaker72, on Flickr

50 mm
small-7817 by kayaker72, on Flickr

etc.


Going through this trip (London/Paris in 2015), I kept 760 shots. I took 3 lenses, 14 f/2.8 (Rokinon), EF 24-70 II, and 70-200 II, I used them 8%, 83%, and 9%, respectively. Breaking down the EF 24-70 II, 47% of the total images were 24-28 mm, 11% were 29-35 mm, 15% were 36-50 mm, and 12% were 51-70 mm.

The 70-200 II usage was all over the range.

Safe to say, for that trip at least, yes, I would favor wider: 66% of my shots were 14-35 mm even though I carried out to 200 mm.

One last thought, especially as your intent seems to be travel/vacation. But if you are walking around I think it is both more enjoyable and safer to have a single primary lens that covers most of your bases. Stopping and changing lenses takes time, removes you from the moment, and may also draw attention. My thought would either to embrace the fixed lens/rangefinder mentality with one of your current prime lenses and have a second that you occasionally bring out or make the investment in a compact light zoom.

[neuroanatomist]

Neuroanatomist, the panorama looks great. Did you manage this handheld? When I practice handheld I occasionally produce a set that cannot be merged with good sharpness. Maybe more practice could overcome that. A tripod is not practical for the trips I plan.

Thanks! Nope, that was on a tripod. Each individual image was a 10 s exposure.

My RRS TQC-14 weighs about 3 lbs with the ballhead (and that's your total proposed load, so clearly not in the cards for you).

I have a night time shot from under the Eiffel Tower to match Brant's daytime one, also 14mm: