24 T/S for Prague?

[miketing]

Chances like this doesn't come very often, and I'm being very nervous about it. I'm going

to Prague, staying for about 7 days, all dedicated to photograph the city.

 

Should I ditch my 17-40 for the 24 T/S? I really hate the distortion on the 17-40 when

shooting architecture. Does anyone have good sample photos of the TS lens?

[brambor]

Michael, bring a fast lens or be prepared to shoot at higher ISO. Prague is magical although this isn't the best time of the year to visit.

[alois_lazecky1]

Best season for Prague is in May. 24 T/S is the only lens you can have, so if you have one take it if you don't take regular 24 or wider and crop out the unwanted areas. Beautiful city, but keep an eye on your equipment.

[yakim_peled1]

SLR? DSLR?

 

SLR? I've often noticed that the 24mm FoV (I have the 24/2.8) is not wide enough but sometimes it's O.K. DSLR? Forget it. It will be WAY not wide enough.

 

Happy shooting,

Yakim.

[miketing]

Okay. I understand it'll be snowy, and cold. How about the skies? Will it be clear or cloudy

mostly? Lots of snowfall?

[jackflesher]

I'd take both.

 

As for the distortion in your 17-40 -- if you are shooting digital, you can get the FREE PTLens plug-in which will remove it entirely. (Though it will not remove perspective distortions -- you can do that manually in Photoshop.)

 

For more info see: http://www.epaperpress.com/ptlens/index.html

[ci_p]

You might get bored of Prague before your time is up. Especially at this time of year when drunk people are less inclined to moon the general public, and cats stay indoors, owing to the cold. Go see bones at Kutna Hora(1 hr). Or cesky krumlov or karlovy Vary (?)

 

I'd stick with the 17-40, because a lot of the architecture in Prague is old and not exactly straight. And if you're shooting digitally, you can fix it later anyway if you want. And Prague has been photographed to death a long time ago. And people that ask this sort of question tend to have an unhealthy equipment fetish, when they should be just getting on with it.

 

http://www.sobi.org/photos/places/Czech/Prague/index.html

[david_hay1]

Michael, don't listen to some of these guys....Winter is by far the best time to photograph Prague - especially if there is snow. Even if it doesn't snow it is quiet. I have been a couple of times in January and will go again for five days this year. It is very cold for making adjustments with movements lenses though.

good luck

David

[brambor]

In general - the skies will be grey, it will be windy, cold and wet. The buildings will be soaked in moisture. Great opportunity to shoot street scenarios with tough conditions and grumpy people. If you come from May to September it will be a night and day experience but that goes pretty much for every city in Poland, Slovakia, Germany, Austria and Hungary at this time of the year.

[brambor]

... but if you catch a fluffy kind snow storm then it is heaven to get some nice shots of the old town.

[bestactionshots]

I would take 17-40L for landscaping shots. Here's link to see my sample shots http://www.softechie.com/Photos/Samples/Canon1740Lens

[miketing]

From where I come from, a country in Southeast Asia, Prague is a very intriguing, little

known city. I really want to make a photo essay of the city, despite never being there. So

it's not because of equipment fetish.

 

I'll be using a 1Ds, and 24mm angle would be a good enough wide angle. I've been lusting

for the lens for a while now. The only thing holding back is that the lens will only be used

for my travel photos. Professionally, I don't even take architecture, or interior shots.

 

I'm also thinking about the weight of the system to take. It's winter, and it's cold, and

people say Prague doesn't have reliable public transport. And I still need to carry a tripod. I

don't want to be freezing in Prague, and still having to carry a tripod and a camera bag.

 

For sure, two lenses I'll take is a 50mm macro, and 135 f2. If I buy the TS, I'll ditch the 17

-40. Otherwise, I'll take the 17-40.

[brambor]

Prague has one of the best public transportations in the world. I recommend using the trolleys and the subway system. The cars come overy 2 minutes or so, are clean and go everywhere in the city.

[miketing]

btw, I don't think Photoshop perspective correction is an option for me. basically it's just

stretching pixels -- no good for big prints.

[brambor]

Top 3 Places to visit:

1. Prague Castle, Mala Strana and that 'notre dame like church' - Chram Svateho Vita

Plenty of gargoyles etc. Check out early shots from famous photographer Jaroslav Soudek. From this vantage point try to look down into the city and then get shots of the hundreds of small roofs to make an interesting composition.

 

2. Charles Bridge (Karluv Most) - Beautiful cobblestone bridge lined with statues.

 

3. Old Town Square (Staromestske Namesti) and it's famous clock (Orloj )

[adnan]

Bored of Prague in a week? impossible. I was there for four short days last summer and haven't stopped thinking of it since.

[brambor]

sorry. couldn't resist. I found this on the web.

[miketing]

So... I shouldn't have to worry about having to walk to places carrying a tripod and a bag?

(just bring a thick jacket)

 

I agree to David that winter can be beautiful with snow covering buildings, etc. However,

that's only right after snowfall. After several days and people walking all over the snow, it's

dirty and ugly. So what if there is no snowfall during my week there? This is very very hard

to decide.

 

Some people say 7 days is too long. But then I need to survey the town first before

deciding which spot to photograph.

 

Arrggh this is all too hard.

[brambor]

<a href=http://www.tramvaje.cz/index.html>Tramvaje</a>

[brambor]

Since you are bringing your 1D then it is easy. Do a pre-shoot day. Walking all around the city and shooting things. Go over the images later and pick the spots you would love to nail. For those shots you set your alarm clock to 5AM, go there, set up your tripod and spend some time on composition.

[brambor]

<a href=http://www.myczechrepublic.com/prague/transportation.html>Prague Transportation System</a>

<BR>

If the weather is unbearable then there is ton's of indoor architectural shots. The Prague Subway system is nice, Prague churches, castles and theatres offer great opportunities. The Prague National Theatre is a good bet. You might want to bring a silent camera for the theatres.

[brambor]

I don't know why I'm just totally taking this thread over. I must be home sick.

 

Michael, here is a great deal. A 7 day pass for any public transportation in Prague is 250krones - That's less than $15!

[ci_p]

"Bored of Prague in a week? impossible"

 

Sure it's possible. Walk from the old square, over the bridge and up the hill and you've seen everything already. Then you realise that (in summer) most of the people are tourists and that Prague is well on the way to becoming a twee little Euro city tourist event, rather lacking in personality (at least superficially). And then there is the realisation that Budapest & Vienna are *only* about 8 hours train ride away.

 

Redeeming features are, hot chicks, cheap beer, and lots of classical concerts.

 

I once did see a person actually using a canon T/S lens to photograph an architectural something, so it can be done.

[robin_sibson1]

I was in Prague thirty years ago, under the Old Regime. Nice place then; hope it still is. Anyone who thinks they can write off any major city after a few hours must have a very narrow view of life!

 

My last townscape session was in Brussels (using a -1v), and I was very glad to have both the 17~40 and the TS24 and the Extender x1.4 for when I wanted a TS34. The TS24 is a great lens, and I find it quite useable hand-held (with shift, at least) but it takes a while to learn how to use it effectively, so don't start the process when you get to Prague. If you take the 17~40 then the lens you probably do not need is the 50/2.5, which does not take you that far beyond 40mm, but you might usefully consider the 85/1.8, just right for the famous clock! Whether it is worth carrying the weight of the 135/2 depends on what kind of shots you want to take. I would certainly take a 550EX or 580EX; a spot of fill-in flash can be really helpful even with architectural shots, but a lot of experiment is required to make it work with a TS lens.

[awindsor]

Jack Flesher's response is a very good one. The barrel distortion of the 17mm can be fixed using PT Lens or a similar tool. This makes the 17-40 usable for architecture. I would take the tilt-shift since there is really no other way to capture tall churches.