What lens combinations to bring to Cusco, MP, Peru

[dallas_bittle]

Hi. I have been humming and hawing about what combination of lenses to bring in my upcoming trip to Peru.

 

I'll be travelling to Cusco, Machu Picchu, Sacred Valley and area for two weeks and am looking for advice from

travelers that have been to this region.

 

For starters, I will be bringing my Canon 1D MKII, as it offers me better weather protection and is more of a solid

piece of metal than my 30D, and it also is a little nicer at 1.3x crop. It also allows me more shots per battery, and

I've been considering not bringing my laptop or extra chargers, and could bring only a few batteries and lots of CF

cards instead.

 

In your opionions, would I be better served bringing:

 

a) 20 f/2.8, 24-105 f4, 50 f/1.4

 

or

 

b) 17-40 f/4, 50 f/1.4 70-200 2.8

 

or

 

c) another combination of the above?

 

I do plan on bringing one speedlight for those opportunities that I need a bit of a pop of light (for portraits of friends

travelling with me) and could bring a monopod, but am considering not bringing any pod if I can get away with.

 

I'm wondering whether I'll need the 70-200 as I wont be in the jungle at all and am not sure if I'll need the reach much,

and would rather travel a bit lighter if I can help it, but I wouldnt want to miss any opportunities by not having it.

 

Thoughts?

 

Thanks in advance.

[SCL]

Take B, but if you'll be doing much hiking be mindful of weight. I took only 2 lenses and found I only needed one.

[matroskin]

if you're going to do trekking in the Valley i'd go with B especially if you're into flora and fauna. aside from the cute

but spitting llamas/alpacas/guanacos/vicunas and other domesticated animals, there are all kind of wild beasts who

are shy so if you do encounter them you'll need the reach. don't bring the laptop and consider your 30d instead of 1D

MKII. <br> enjoy the trip.<br> KN

[christopheroquist]

Hey Dallas,<br><br>

 

It'll be an amazing trip. I loved Cuzco and Machu Picchu when I went a few years ago. I would also take the "b" combination, and definitely leave the laptop home. I would definitely take the 70-200, there will be a lot of opportunities for photographing not only wildlife but people when you need more pull than the 50mm can give you. Take a few extra CF cards.<br><br>

 

This is out of the way, but if you won't be returning to Peru for a while, and have some extra cash and an extra few days, consider going to see the Nazca lines and taking an aerial tour. It's mind-blowing.<br><br>

 

Chris<br>

<A HREF="http://www.aperculture.com">www.aperculture.com</A><br>

[dallas_bittle]

Thanks everyone for your answers. I really appreciate the feedback. I'm really looking forward to the trip...its one country I've never been to before, so I'm looking forward to the new experiences.

 

Re: Take the 30D instead of the 1DMKII...were you recommending it for its higher crop factor / longer reach, or for another reason? I personally prefer the 1D for a number of reasons, including its better AF, better AEB options, MUCH longer battery life, and generally more solid construction.

 

Cheers!

[scott_ferris]

Hi Dallas,

 

These things are always very personal to your style, if I were going and had your equipment I would take the 1D, 17-40, 24-105 and the 20. But if I were you I'd look at your exif and see what lenses you are using the most, the truth is a place is a place, you take your style of picture where ever you are. I don't use flash when traveling but if you do then for sure take it.

 

I'd have the 17-40 on the camera the most, enjoy the reach of the 105 (effective 140) and take the 20 for the few evenings and interior shots where the IS on the longer zoom wouldn't help due to subject movement.

 

Hope this helps, Scott.

[matroskin]

the only reason i was suggesting 30d was because it's lighter. but i think it's getting wetter in Cuzco so

if you're ready to carry the 1d for hours you should bring it.<br>KN

[phil_marion]

Re: Take the 30D instead of the 1DMKII...were you recommending it for its higher crop factor / longer reach, or for another reason? I personally prefer the 1D for a number of reasons, including its better AF, better AEB options, MUCH longer battery life, and generally more solid construction.

 

 

For a short trip I doubt you'll notice the 1D's better performance. You'll notice the 30D's lighter weight and 1.6 crop ratio.

[dallas_bittle]

Thanks again for the suggestions...I'm going to be bringing my 1D for sure...I generally prefer it as a tool...I was mainly concerned with how much reach I would need in the area and whether it justified bringing my 70-200 2.8L, which weighs a fair bit...but I think I've been swayed by enough of you to deal with the weight and bring it anyhow...I'll save a few lbs of weight not bringing a laptop, so it should be cool. Wish me luck..!

 

Cheers

[hernan_enriquez]

<p>I read that in Peru they charge you a "professional photographer" fee, 200 dls. if you carry a lens 200mm or higher, you might want to check into this is it is an issue1</p>

[joseph_federer]

<p>This is a bit late, but.... for future people that might seach this topic (like I did)<br>

Having been there, I found Peru very unlike Europe. In Europe, a lot of the images get taken in very dark locations (cathedrals, museums, etc) where something like a big 2.8 lens isn't really needed... almost everything is open-air. As such, you'll benefit more from extended focal length coverage than a faster aperture. Thus, I'd recommend one of the ubiquitous super-zooms available ... Not having to carry or change lenses really makes it easier to 'smell the roses'... rather than worrying about having the right lens on...<br>

I do all my travels with a 18-200 (and I bring a 50 f/1.4 but that rarely gets used) on a Nikon D300. Take a look at the <a href="http://www.federerphotography.com/blog/?s=Peru">Peru and South America photographs</a> (the actual peru stuff is 2-3 back - in peru, I did almost the exact same trip you did) on my <a href="http://www.federerphotography.com/blog">photography blog</a></p>