Lens recommendations--Danube River Cruise

<p>I will be on a Danube river cruise in May 2017 with extra days in Budapest and Prague both before and after the cruise. I would like some recommendations on focal lengths of lenses needed for a Nikon full frame camera. I want to travel light, but not sacrifice to the point where I eliminate taking the kinds of shots present in these cities and from the cruise boat. <br>

I am thinking I need to take these following Nikon lenses that I own: <br>

70-200mm f4<br>

20mm f1.8 G prime. It is the widest prime I own. I also have 35mm and 50mm primes. <br>

16-35mm f4 G zoom<br>

Maybe a 24-85mm zoom too. <br>

Any other thoughts or recommendations will be appreciated.<br>

Joe</p>

<p> </p>

<p>Not sure if you prefer 50 or 35mm, but personally I'd take the 20, 50 and 70-200. Last time I took a cruise on Danube ('82 in Austria mostly) the 24mm was quite handy too. But, overall it's a personal choice and how comfy you are with the angle of view. Enjoy the trip.<br>

Les</p>

 

<p>There was a similar thread not too long ago here</p>

<p>photo.net/mobile/forums/mobile-fetch-msg?msg_id=00dIKQ</p>

<p>I guess this says all I want to say on this subject whilst stressing that the lenses you might use from the boat might be different from those you use on shore trips and you don't have to carry everything all the time</p>

<p>16-35, 24-85, 70-200. Or, depending on your shooting preferences, replace the 24-85 with a 50. Not sure about the 20; can't imagine much what it could do that couldn't be done with the 16-35.</p>

<p>I haven't done a long cruise yet but:<br>

What are you expecting from the 20mm compared to the 16-35mm? Will it serve for some kind of indoors shot on board? Its fine to carry backup primes for zooms on vacations. I use to do that too. But will you ever benefit from fast primes when your zooms have VR?<br>

70-200 sounds like a good idea; always handy but long enough? Do you happen to own an odd DX body that you could combine with it and maybe leave in your cabin during excursions ashore?<br>

24-85mm for lazy days when you'll leave the other 2 on board? Or maybe even the regular "wide" there, since ultra wide shots will get boring at some point? <br>

I guess a cruise isn't exactly fast action, but nonetheless you 'll want a wide shot of the surrounding landscape or other ships passing yours and as soon as things get interesting you might spot details you want to frame tighter. - That's why I'd go for 2 bodies, to spread my lenses over and even sacrifice the backup primes for the 2nd body if weight becomes an issue. But I am not familiar with your system. <br>

If you like to downsize your bulk with a prime I'd recommend picking one favorite.</p>

<p>For maximum flexibility, the three overlapping zoom lenses would be the best choice, IMO. The Donau and Vlatava are pretty wide through Prague and Budapest, so scenes down river and of the unique buildings on the shore - the 70-200. Walking about, the 24-85 would be the most used lens, but for interiors. the 16-35. I don't think the 70-200 would be much used for scenery. For people, maybe. I was there in 2001 with that setup, and used my 80-200 exactly once. My mainstay was a venerable 35-70/2.8 "pump" action, and a 17-35/2.8 inside historic buildings and restaurants.</p>

<p>The Prague Castle is a must see, but the buildings are close together. St. Vitus cathedral is fussy about photographs. Perhaps there is a fee, but I got chased out for using a tripod. I walked from there, across the old stone bridge into the Old Town. See the Astronomical Clock in the old square and if possible, see the Jewish Cemetery.</p>

<p>There are plenty of modern things to see too, but I'm a history buff.</p>

<p>I like Dieter's recommendations. On a boat trip from Seattle, Washington to Juneau, Alaska many years ago, shooting 35mm film, I found my 135mm prime very useful for shooting from the ship. The 70-200mm would have been much more helpful. I suggest taking it on your cruise, but leaving it on board on trips to shore.</p>

<p>I like to travel light my D600, 70-200 f4, and 24-85 is less than 5 lbs. You have coverage from 24-200 with VR. I live in NYC and rarely use my 20mm. Enjoy your trip.</p>

<p>IF you can handle all 4, take them, but I think the 3 zooms would be sufficient.<br>

The 20 will be good for inside churches and other such places, where you may want WIDE coverage, with more speed than the f4 of the 16-35 (for dim/dark buildings). But with a FX DSLR you may be able to get away without the 20, by pushing up the ISO. So maybe leave the 20 at home.<br>

I would use the 24-85 as your normal lens, and the 16-35 as the alternate, depending on where you go and the tightness of the area.<br>

While it can be clumsy to carry, I agree that a 2nd body with the 70-200 is a good idea. Then it will be faster to switch to the longer lens, for the far shots of castles and other buildings, while the boat is moving. I am not as fast changing lenses as I used to be, I'm out of practice. On land, there should be no rush, so switching lenses would not be a problem.</p>

<p>With the lenses you mention, I would take the 20, 50, and 70-200. With the lenses I own (35, 50, 28-300, 35-80,70-200, 70-300) I would take the 28-300 and leave all of the others at home. I might consider adding the 50mm f/1.8 for interior shots. I'd add a tripod and a water bottle before I would add another lens. </p>

<p>What would you bring normally on a city trip? Bring the exact same lenses this time. You know best which lenses you use most and suit your shooting style best. I could say that I'd probably leave the wide angle at home because I wouldn't use it enough, but if you're a wide angle junkie, that's pretty useless advice. <br>

The telelens for shots from the cruiseship as many have mentioned of course makes a lot of sense. But beyond that, consider the other shots are city-shots, and you probably know better how you like to approach those.</p>

<p>An idea that might help you feel comfortable leaving a lens behind ...</p>

<p>Many places disallow tripods because of the space a tripod occupies and the stationary nature of the tripod (as an obstacle to other visitors). Some of these places don't restrict monopods, but some do, and contacting each place you care to visit and photograph to learn their policies isn't practical. I suggest you look for a hiking pole that has adjustable height to use in place of a monopod. Museums, churches, and other photographable places rarely challenge anyone using such a pole. The pole can be kept short enough to be suited to routine hiking use, and extended when needed as a camera support. Some poles actually allow a camera to attach - I have one with a rounded cork head that unscrews to reveal a 1/4-20 thread, but I don't use it. I can rest a camera on the cork top and get sufficient support that way to shoot in lower light than I can handle just hand-holding a camera. It cost me about $30US in a local sporting goods store.</p>

<p>The pole can also be used on the ship, of course, which be handy shooting with the longer lens in lower light. However, I suggest you not rest the pole on the ship's deck to shoot. Cruise ships never shut off the engines, and the engines cause a vibration that can transmit from the deck through a pole (or monopod or tripod) to a camera. Resting the bottom of the pole on the top of your foot will take care of the vibration.</p>

<p>Bob raises a good point about monopods. I have a pair of hiking poles with a tiny compass on the top knob. If I remove the compass, there is a 1/4 - 20 screw that will fit a tripod socket. I have rubber feet for the poles for indoor use. I'm more likely to use them when hiking in the woods over variable terrain, but they can be useful in cities.</p>