Bringing the right lenses on a trip to Vietnam

Hi !

I am going on a trip to Vietnam and was wondering which lens to bring.

I want to bring two and I must choose between a Canon 11-24, 24-70 (2,8) and 100-400

I will bring the 24-70 which is a good all around lens but am hesitating between my favorite landscape lens (the 11-24) and my 100-400 for close up shots.

Any ideas ???

Thanks

Can you carry the 100-400 comfortably?

What are you planning to shoot that you need a LONG lens like that?

On a FF camera, I would take the 24-70 and a light medium tele zoom (70-300 or 70-200/4).

But if you LIKE the 11-24, take that.

This is one reason I switched to m4/3 for travel, the gear is smaller and lighter than FF, especially the long lenses.

Hi there,

Would be nice to bring 11-24 and 24-70

Chances are slim for 100-400

Happy traveling.

What can I say beyond: "Hit the gym and reduce non-photographic luggage"? Ultra wides aren't my personal cup of tea. I own a 15mm to shoot the odd environmental selfie once in a while with it (but it weighs too little to ever become a concern, when it comes to packing). - For ordinary photography I feel fine with an 21mm as the wide end and don't miss that one much with a zoom starting at 24mm (equivalent). If you are pondering to leave your 11-24 at home, practice(!) panorama sweeping & stitching before you leave and pack an extra memory card.

Upon the long end: I can live with a barely used 135mm on Leica, am quite content with 200mm (equivalent) on SLR and saw no dramatic change in results when I brought a 230mm for APS MILC.

If I was going to build up an EOS travel kit I might end going for 2 bodies wide to 35 (or 40) and a 70-200/4 and remain skipping the 24-70. but picking just an EOS R with it's praised 24-105 is almost likelier to happen.

I don't want to talk you into buying or renting different gear. - Is there a chance for you to arrange your trip in a way that you can drop off a lens for a while somewhere? or send it back home?

What is your reason to skip your 3rd lens? - Airline restrictions or carrying convenience? Did you already max out your bags for convenience?

Guy,

Is this a once in a life time trip? I would bring all three. The 100-400 can be used as a landscape lens to isolate subjects from a distance as well as everything else telephoto it does amazingly well. You can add a high quality dual element Canon 500D close up filter to the 100-400 to use as a close up lens for flowers and Bobs your uncle. You have one of the very best wide angle zooms in the world that you can use for landscape, close focus wide angle and anything else wide angle and you should bring it. You spent all the money to own really really great glass if not the very best only to look for a way not to use it. I would take the opposite approach, insure your gear and go with it all. It will easily fit in a small photo back pack. Tripod and graduated neutral density filters for landscapes? Have a great trip and good hunting.

Can you carry the 100-400 comfortably?

What are you planning to shoot that you need a LONG lens like that?

 

On a FF camera, I would take the 24-70 and a light medium tele zoom (70-300 or 70-200/4).

But if you LIKE the 11-24, take that.

 

This is one reason I switched to m4/3 for travel, the gear is smaller and lighter than FF, especially the long lenses.

Thanks for your feedback

Guy,

Is this a once in a life time trip? I would bring all three. The 100-400 can be used as a landscape lens to isolate subjects from a distance as well as everything else telephoto it does amazingly well. You can add a high quality dual element Canon 500D close up filter to the 100-400 to use as a close up lens for flowers and Bobs your uncle. You have one of the very best wide angle zooms in the world that you can use for landscape, close focus wide angle and anything else wide angle and you should bring it. You spent all the money to own really really great glass if not the very best only to look for a way not to use it. I would take the opposite approach, insure your gear and go with it all. It will easily fit in a small photo back pack. Tripod and graduated neutral density filters for landscapes? Have a great trip and good hunting.

Thanks for your feedback !

If you should have the opportunity to photograph people in their homes, you will want a wide lens. I haven't been to Vietnam and don't know where you live, but room sizes in homes in many parts of the world are smaller than in the United States. Take your 11-24 and 24-70. If you think you might want something longer, consider purchasing the Tamron 70-300mm stabilized lens.

Thanks for your reply

Can you carry the 100-400 comfortably?

What are you planning to shoot that you need a LONG lens like that?

 

On a FF camera, I would take the 24-70 and a light medium tele zoom (70-300 or 70-200/4).

But if you LIKE the 11-24, take that.

 

This is one reason I switched to m4/3 for travel, the gear is smaller and lighter than FF, especially the long lenses.

Thanks for your reply

What can I say beyond: "Hit the gym and reduce non-photographic luggage"? Ultra wides aren't my personal cup of tea. I own a 15mm to shoot the odd environmental selfie once in a while with it (but it weighs too little to ever become a concern, when it comes to packing). - For ordinary photography I feel fine with an 21mm as the wide end and don't miss that one much with a zoom starting at 24mm (equivalent). If you are pondering to leave your 11-24 at home, practice(!) panorama sweeping & stitching before you leave and pack an extra memory card.

Upon the long end: I can live with a barely used 135mm on Leica, am quite content with 200mm (equivalent) on SLR and saw no dramatic change in results when I brought a 230mm for APS MILC.

If I was going to build up an EOS travel kit I might end going for 2 bodies wide to 35 (or 40) and a 70-200/4 and remain skipping the 24-70. but picking just an EOS R with it's praised 24-105 is almost likelier to happen.

I don't want to talk you into buying or renting different gear. - Is there a chance for you to arrange your trip in a way that you can drop off a lens for a while somewhere? or send it back home?

What is your reason to skip your 3rd lens? - Airline restrictions or carrying convenience? Did you already max out your bags for convenience?

Thanks for your reply

If you really, really want to limit your choice to two lenses then I would go for the 24-70 (a good 'walk-about' range and on a FF has a reasonably wide angle). You don't know where you're going to be, what you're going to see nor how close you can get so I would also go for the 100-400 lens. I doubt whether you'll need much above 200m (FF) but the extra reach could be useful if you're viewing things from a distance or want to take close-ups of people you come across without 'getting in their face'. For me, a 11-24 is wide-angle 'luxury' (I don't have one :)). But I suspect that the size and weight is marginal. As @2Oceans says, it's probably a once in a lifetime trip. Personally, I would rather leave a pair of shoes at home, take the 11-24 and buy an extra pair of shoes in Vietnam :). Or just pay the extra baggage costs. You might never need the 11-24 mm, but I would hate to have the thought "Oh, if only I had my 11-24 mm with me!"

Hi !

 

I am going on a trip to Vietnam and was wondering which lens to bring.

 

I want to bring two and I must choose between a Canon 11-24, 24-70 (2,8) and 100-400

 

I will bring the 24-70 which is a good all around lens but am hesitating between my favorite landscape lens (the 11-24) and my 100-400 for close up shots.

 

Any ideas ???

 

Thanks

These questions about 'destination', or 'trip' lenses always strike me as being absurd.

Surely the choice is not determined not by where one is, but by the type of photography one does, or how you see the world.

If you really, really want to limit your choice to two lenses then I would go for the 24-70 (a good 'walk-about' range and on a FF has a reasonably wide angle). You don't know where you're going to be, what you're going to see nor how close you can get so I would also go for the 100-400 lens. I doubt whether you'll need much above 200m (FF) but the extra reach could be useful if you're viewing things from a distance or want to take close-ups of people you come across without 'getting in their face'. For me, a 11-24 is wide-angle 'luxury' (I don't have one :)). But I suspect that the size and weight is marginal. As @2Oceans says, it's probably a once in a lifetime trip. Personally, I would rather leave a pair of shoes at home, take the 11-24 and buy an extra pair of shoes in Vietnam :). Or just pay the extra baggage costs. You might never need the 11-24 mm, but I would hate to have the thought "Oh, if only I had my 11-24 mm with me!"

Thanks for your reply

These questions about 'destination', or 'trip' lenses always strike me as being absurd.

Surely the choice is not determined not by where one is, but by the type of photography one does, or how you see the world.

You are so right Wayne, but since I like all sorts of photography I was still wondering what other photographers think.

Thanks for your comment

These questions about 'destination', or 'trip' lenses always strike me as being absurd.

Surely the choice is not determined not by where one is, but by the type of photography one does, or how you see the world.

What you write is so obvious...! It reminds me to joke: "Oh, when it rains, what do you carry? It depends on the country:)

In any case, the 100-400mm is a heavy lens.

Try carrying around your tentative "kit" for a day or so, and see if you're up to it.

In any case, the 100-400mm is a heavy lens.

Try carrying around your tentative "kit" for a day or so, and see if you're up to it.

ALL DAY, for several days, just like you would on a trip. Though it may be hard to actually do it.

If you are young and strong the weight of the kit may not be an issue.

But I can tell you that as you get older, a heavy kit that feels fine on day 1 will feel HEAVY on day 14. And heat and humidity makes it much worse.