Paris on 1 lens/day?

[ben z]

Right now we're on the road (well not right now, obviously I'm still

in the motel using my laptop) back up north for the summer, as soon as

we get home and unpack and pick up the other car which we shipped,

we're off to Paris. So while we've been driving I've been mulling

over what photo stuff I'm taking overseas (I don't normally give it

that much thought but I-75 is b-o-r-i-n-g). Normally I will bring my

MP, M6 and 3-4 lenses and that's that. However since it's Paris, I've

been talking about just taking either the screwmount or M3 with the

50mm or just my Rollei TLR. My wife says "if you want to pretend

you're HCB or Doisneau you can pretend Cleveland is Paris, too, so do

that when we get home but please take your usual cameras on the trip

so we'll have some decent photos to show from Paris". So, do you

think she's got it pegged and is taking just a standard lens a recipe

for disaster?

 

BTW, any Parisian forumers want to meet for un cafe? (been practicing

my high-school French with my neighbor who's from there, some of it's

actually coming back to me, I'm amazed).

[harry_zet]

15/35/90 and listen to your wife:-)

 

otherwise i would take a 28 with me

[jon_furer]

For street photography, I find that I can make do with the 35mm lens, which, if used properly, shows very little distortion.

[ronald_moravec1]

One camera- one lens. Then let the wife carry the other stuff just in case.

 

Marriage is compromise. So compromise.

[gib]

if only one lens, then a 35, but....

 

a CV 24 might be the kind of wide angle that would work well in the confines of some

Paris street situations.

 

when I have travelled with forgive me, an SLR of the non-leica kind, the bread and butter

lens was a 28-80, and most shots were 28-35 and some at the 80 end.

 

have a great trip

[lawrence_bochkis]

Are you worried about pick-pockets?

If you're just worried about saving space, take a standard and a wide, and you'll be good to go. Paris isnt' a city where telephoto is needed.

 

As far as pick-pockets go in any European city frequented by gaggles of tourists, it's pretty easy to not be a target.

The biggest piece of advice is to look like you know what you're doing, and not speak English. Keep your camera strapped to your hand, rather than hanging off your neck, and avoid getting bumped by people.

The most common pick-pocket technique these days is when you're getting on/off a bus or train, etc. for people to all of the sudden crowd you, and disorient you. Anytime you feel bumped and surrounded, you're being picked.

 

Pick-pockets find the easy targets, not the ones that have the best gear. If your camera is in your hand, people won't pay as much attention to it, and they will also know that you are paying more attention too.

[john_shriver]

I've done Paris (and France) with just a 35mm lens (Olympus XA). Happy with those results. My feeling is when you want something wider than a 35mm in Paris, you need a view camera.

 

But it sure would be a tempting place to use a good Summar! The idea of a Summar as a travel lens (on a screwmount camera) is tempting. With 400 film, you can take sharp contrasty pictures outside, and dreamy pictures inside in low light. You might want a ND filter handy with a Summar, as it only stops down to f:12.5.

[jbq]

Your wife has a good point. Take your "normal" equipment, the one that you're really comfortable with, with a decent assortment of lenses (not every single one, just a good range). Keep the "one camera - one lens" techniques for places that you're familiar with, and where you can come back easily.

[Jerry_]

...and you can 'blame' your wife: go out and buy the 28-35-50 lens for the trip. One camera, one lens. Simple, no?

[ronald_moravec1]

Another compromise!

[EricM]

i'd have a harder time deciding which film gets stuck in the camera. provia or fp4?

[jorn ake]

Take the Rollei. Paris is romantic & you are going with your wife. The Rollei will be a nice part of this. Slow and atmospheric. Plus a TLR is total stealth - everyone thinks you are trying to fix your camera, not trying to take their photograph. To heck with those speed demon Leicas! And if your wife is like my wife, she will say that she prefers the medium format shots given the choice, especially once they are printed up on nice paper. "They look like real photographs" she says, "not snapshots." Zoot-A-Lors!

 

See S. Liu's shots on the Classic Camera forum to see what she means.

 

http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00CCma

[billc1]

How about a tri-elmar for just 1 lens.

[paulstenquist]

Paris, one lens (50/2 Summicron Collapsible), one camera (IIIf RD), one day:

http://www.photo.net/photodb/folder?folder_id=311283

 

It was fun. Try it. You'll like it.

 

Paul

[mark_theken]

Hello Ben:

When traveling, I always bring a .58 M6TTL with a 35 Summmicron. Many times I also bring a 50 Summicron or Summilux and sometimes a second body (MP, M7 or M6 with .72 viewfinder) if I want to use more than one type of film. On trips when I plan to photograph inside bars, cathedrals, homes, etc., I bring a CV 21 4.0. The entire outfit is very compact and easy to carry around all day.

Bon voyage!

Mark

[dan flanders]

Leave your Leicas and Hassys at home. Invest in a Fed 2 with a good Industar lens and a Jupiter 11. The whole outfit will cost not much more than an 'C' note. Take your Rollei if you think you will want impersonal shots but dont go around carrying multiple cameras. Avoid the appearance of a 'street' photographer. Don't dress or act like a tourist - blend in with the populace. If you speak good French so much the better, but avoid 'fractured French' that will just mark you as another potential patsy. Keep your pockets free of anything of value and secure your personal ID and credit cards inside your clothing. French pickpockets are the worlds most accomplished and almost magicians when it comes to removing valuables.

Other than that, enjoy yourself. Paris is an experience you don't want to miss or have ruined by a bad experience.

[patricks]

MP, 35mm lens and a couple of roll in your pockets. be there.

 

best advice for Paris: do only one museum/myst-see-activity per day, spend the other half of the day strolling, sitting at a cafe, taking in the scenes/life.

 

forget about photography and focus on your wife.

[bda]

Ben,

 

I live in Paris and subscribe 100% to what Laurence says about pickpocket techniques. I often roam the city, including areas with lots of tourists and also most probably pickpockets. I keep my M7 straped around my wrist, and hide the two in a Domke-like bag hanging from the shoulder. I always have the camera in hand and bringing it to eye level is very quick, yet my look remains 'low-profile'. Or so I believe ;-)

 

I'll be glad to meet you at a café, if I am around. Send me an email with details on where and when you intend to be.

 

Bertrand

[35mmdelux]

Its not just about the camera, if it were, then all us Leica shooters would be big winners. Its MORE about the photog. Hence, 1 camera, 1 lens and enjoy the trip - maybe a super WA in side pocket.

 

Give La Jaconda my regards.........best PAA

[andy m.]

<i>'Take your Rollei if you think you will want impersonal shots'</i><p>

 

Whilst I don't doubt your knowledge, I don't think that I understand this comment since the Rollei is one of the best cameras going for the capture of personal shots, IMHO.

[leicamshooter]

For what it's worth, I went to Paris with an M3, 50mm lens, and a

hand held meter. They were the best photos I ever took of Paris. I

had visited Paris a few months before with a G2 and 3 lens

outfit, but my style of shooting was not as spontaneous. "Do I

shoot the Eiffel with the 28mm or 45mm... etc." In theory the

more lenses you have the more options you have for

photographs, but keeping it simple improved my photography a

lot. Oh, and my wife is now the owner of the G2, and she loves

having options when she takes a picture.

[jorn ake]

Oh lordy - be vigilant but don't freak out about the chance of getting pickpocketed. There is no way you are going to look like anything other than a tourist unless you speak perfect French and you were born raised and live in Paris. Be who you are - a tourist. The Parisians are used to this by now. They get a lot of them, so you won't be the first. Just be nice, solicitous and remember that you are another country with different customs that are not strange or weird or whatever. Everything just is what it is. And take your most expensive camera, hang it around your neck when you are using it & in a non-camera bag when you aren't. Above all, take lots of photographs. If you get your camera stolen, file with your insurance when you get home. You do have insurance don't you?

 

I still say take the Rollei, not because the Leica might get stolen, but how many people do you know are taking 6x6 vacation photos anymore? Why should your photos look like the gadzillion taken this year alone? 120 film is routinely available in France, so you don't even have to take more than a handful - some 100, some 400, B&W, color. Don't take transparency because then you actually have to meter accurately - just print so you can screw up and still get something workable. Remember your wife's request.

 

HAVE A LOT OF FUN! Paris is well, Paris. There is only one.

[will_wright1]

The lens I used most on my last trip was a VC 25. If not that a 28

for sure. I carried my 21 and got good use for interiors. A wide

angle town.

[Jochen_S]

During the past I sometimes tried to travel with just a standart lens - 75mm on Super Isolette. I must confess it doesn't work well for me. I can take a decent picture now and then but most times I say damn; no chance.

 

Be happy to have a wife caring about your photography and don't let her down. You have the expensive toys and she 's got neighbours to impress with the output. A day isn't long and Paris should be worth a few rolls, so try to take the chance. Among photographers you are free to seek any imaginable challenge, but among ordinary people you should proove that you're able to bring something home.

[john_r._fulton_jr.]

MP + 35mm is all you need. All the above is good advice. Have fun and you'll take better

photographs. Less is more. David Alan Harvey gets his great pictures because he spends

time with the local people, drinks a beer or two with them, and generally tries to relate as

well as he can to them. He has his M6 + 35mm with him and takes pictures of his new

found friends and acquaintenances. The way he works they barely notice that he's taking

pictures. His work has nothing to do with a bunch of cameras and a bunch of lenses. It has

to do with a human relating to another human.