London, Amsterdam, and Paris

<p>Hi Folks.</p>

<p>My wife and I are booked for a trip to these three cities in mid-late May. While we're in England, we'll do an overnight in Stratford-upon-Avon to get a taste of the countryside, as well. I have most of my gear worked out, but I'm trying to decide if I should bother bringing a 70-200 (f/2.8 I IS or f/4 non-IS) or leaving it home, and if I bring one, which? I'm inclined to the f/2.8 because it's faster and has IS, but it's also 3x the weight. If I don't bring a 70-200, my longest lens will be 100mm.<br>

I have a tendency to bring too much gear, and I'm really trying to keep it under control in case my carry on bag of gear gets weighed. </p>

<p>Does anyone have any thoughts?</p>

<p>Thanks!<br>

</p>

 

<p>I always carry a 70-200 zoom on every trip, and certainly on my last visit to Paris it accounted for 20% of my photographs. Ostensibly it could have been more if I made a habit of changing to that lens every time I needed 70mm+ for its superior quality vs the 24-105L but more often than not I'm too lazy and keep the shorter zoom on there instead. Its easier for me since I don't own -and don't need- the f2.8 lens but have the IS version of the f4 . Whether 20% of the photographs makes it worthwhile to you to carry a long lens I don't know, but it is to me . Others might tell you that they only need wide-angle lenses when they travel. What can I say- I don't agree.</p>

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<p>I'm trying to decide if I should bother bringing a 70-200 (f/2.8 I IS or f/4 non-IS) or leaving it home, and if I bring one, which? [Jay DeSimone]</p>

</blockquote>

<p>You want bokeh? Will you be photographing building interiors? If the answer is no to both questions, just bring the f/4 non-IS. Otherwise, bring a Canon PowerShot G12, G15 or G1X and forget the DSLR.</p>

<p>Thanks, David and Peter. I will probably shoot some interiors, but nothing that I will need 200mm for, and will be able to use a prime for low light/no flash situations. Since I don't have a bridge camera, and am planning to avoid purchasing any gear for the trip, those options are out. I will bring my tripod, but probably won't carry it everywhere, so the f/4 might be the answer.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>I will bring my tripod, [Jay DeSimone]</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Security inside the Louvre prevented me from using my monopod.</p>

<p>Many/most of the museums , palaces in Paris do not allow tripods. I've even had problems outside in the courtyards of the Louvre and in the Jardin du Luxembourg when setting up with a tripod. From recall the only use I made of a tripod in Paris was along the riverbanks at or after sunset and very early in the morning. </p>

<p>Sounds like a fun trip.</p>

<p>My experience is that less gear when travelling is far better. Go with the minimum. 1 body and 1 lens is ideal. But which one?!</p>

<p>If you have a cropped sensor camera, I'd suggest an 18-200 or similar. If not, maybe just a 24-70 or 24-105 if you have something like that.</p>

<p>It sounds like the trip is not a photo trip first, so that means you aren't going to have much time to be setting up shots and waiting for the right conditions. Based on that, travel light, move fast and enjoy yourself.</p>

<p>Good luck deciding!</p>

<p>Scott.</p>

<p>I'm not a Canon shooter, but know Europe reasonably well.... For most cities, especially these large ones, a lens as a 70-200 is of relatively limited value, it's mostly for detail shots. But the first time one sees a city, the focus isn't all that much yet at details. Carrying a large 70-200 f/2.8 in crowded ciries is no fun, a tripod neither. And these cities ARE crowded. Plus, the tripod is really not very useful - inside you're not allowed to use it (not in churches or musea), outside, there are too many people. So, the tripod would only be useful around Stratford-upon-Avon (countryside there is beautiful).<br /> I'd travel with either a few primes (20/35/50/105 probably), or my stabilised 24-120 f/4 plus a fast 35mm (on full frame all these). In a few instances I would miss a longer lens, but well, enough resolution to crop too. But, the larger the city, the less I tend to miss the long lenses.<br /> Of course, a lot depends on your style of photography, too, though....</p>

<p>Depends on your style, but I would leave both at home. 100mm is long enough.</p>

<p>I usually carry the EF 70-200mm f/4L IS, the EF 24-105mm f/4L IS on a full-frame body. I also carry an EF 1.4X TC-II and a flash. For night photography, I'll often take my tripod, if I know that I'll have time to be out for some long-exposure shots. For night street shooting, I simply use ISO 6400 for most situations. </p>

<p>Some people like to focus on a light kit. I like to carry a kit that will cover almost any situation that I'll encounter. I even take my 500mm when going to places like Alaska or the Western US, where I might go out looking for wildlife. For mammals and close birds, the 70-200mm plus the 1.4X TC works pretty well.</p>

<p>Hand holding is the rule in most museums and attractions like The Eye. Don't be afraid to pump up the ISO to get the shot:</p>

<p><a title="Romantic full moon as seen from London Eye by dcstep, on Flickr" href=" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3491/3884881520_8ac87e3663_z.jpg" alt="Romantic full moon as seen from London Eye" width="640" height="461" /></a></p>

<p>Having been to Paris many time over the past 20 years, and a few other cities including London and Amsterdam I find that I'm never sure what I'll need until I get there and think about what I'm going to shoot on any given day. So I carry three Canon zoom lenses from 10mm to 200mm. About 60% of my shots are with the 24-105, about 30% with the 10-22, and only about one shot in 10 with the 70-200 (F4). But I'm glad I've got that longer lens when I need it. All of that fits in a small-ish LowePro backback. </p>

<p>What I have learned is to only carry one or two of the lenses each day when I'm out & about. If I think ahead about what I'm going to shoot that typically works out well.</p>

<p>I agree with Wouter on what he wrote above about choice of equipment to bring. Keep it very, very light.<br>

Knowing the cities you mention, I would suggest that if you end up in very crowded area, move out and go to the areas with less tourists. All three are cities with a vast number of beautiful local quarters, which are much less frequented by tourists.Walk a lot and use the undergrounds and public bus services (which you can plan before leaving home).<br>

have a good trip.</p>

<p>Thanks for all the advice. I am hoping to get a bit of local flavor, too, not just trod with the masses of tourists. I think I'll bring the lens but not carry it unless I anticipate being somewhere that it will come in handy.</p>

<p>I vote for the one with IS, even though it's larger and heavier. Unless you have back problems, in which case go light. In the grand scheme of things a 70-200 f/2.8 lens isn't THAT big, and IS will be critical in places where you need to handhold shots.</p>

<p>The one caveat is that many museums require you to check your backpack. This means that you have to carry your great on your person. Walking around for an hour and a half with a heavy lens in one hand is tough. A belt-mountable soft-fabric lens case might be a lifesaver.</p>

<p>Two words: Wide Angle!</p>