Venice and Hasselblad advice?

[david_franklin1]

<p>Dear all, I am going to Venice later in the summer and will be able to take only a limited amount of kit. Basically I intend to take a 500cm and two lenses. My inclination is that the most useful pair would be a 50mm and a 150mm. Alternatively one of those two (50mm I guess) and a 100mm? I know focal length should not matter and I am sure in Venice it is possible to take a memorable picture with almost anything but.......if any of you have been to the city taking medium format kit, what focal lengths did you use most?</p>

[andre_noble5]

<p>I think you'll get many more shots with a 50 and 100 than with the 150.</p>

[paulcooklin1]

<p>I would take the 50 and 150 because when I went with a Canon 24-105 L I shot a lot at 105 or thereabouts due to buildings and distance etc. Take all 3, you will regret leaving any of them behind when you're there....leave behind a few pairs of socks instead.</p>

[leicaglow]

<p>David, Let me tell you that I really did not have a fun time taking my Hasselblad and three lenses to London the first time. I felt lugged down the whole time, and not having a tripod seemed like a waste of a good system.</p>

<p>If you're going to take a MF camera, I would limit yourself to one lens, and two backs (one for B&W and one for color). Then you'll have lots of film. With the 150mm, you should have a tripod, depending on your standards.</p>

<p>For size, I like Andre's suggestion, if you will take two lenses. The 100mm is pretty small. </p>

[david_franklin1]

<p>Thank you for the replies everyone. I take your point Michael, I have lugged a load of Hasselblad kit around Paris and New York (including tripod of course) and it was a pain - literally after a few days! There again I love the pictures I took on both trips. I went to Venice in my youth with a Pentax MX, 28,50 and 135mm lenses. I remember mainly using the 28 and 135 most of the time hence my thoughts about the 50 and 150mm. Maybe you are right though Paul, perhaps I should bite the bullet and take all three....</p>

[david_henderson]

<p>Isn't this a test of how important photography is as a component of the trip? If its the reason why you're going, then if I were you I'd take all three lenses and a tripod albeit that I wouldn't necessarily carry it all every minute. Venice is an evocative city, and there's a lot of opportunity in low light and at night. If you're staying centrally its feasible to carry a smaller "day kit" and note any photographs that might require say the 150 or a tripod and devote part of a day to getting those shots at the end of the trip. Its possible to call in at your hotel to pick up the tripod for night walks. </p>

<p>If photography isn't a really important component of the trip, then I'd question taking a MF slr at all- and a dslr/zooms; a Mamiya 7 , or even a good compact, might be a better bet .</p>

<p>Just one further comment- the hardest thing by far in Venice is getting good photographs when the difference in brightness between shaded buildings and bright white skies reflected in canals. You can't use grads effectively so unless you're into HDR (tripod all the time) then you'll need to respond to this in the film you carry. In short not a good time to take a bagful of Velvia and nothing alse. I've spent days and days in Venice trying to find fairly evenly lit scenes, not always terribly successfully, so go prepared for high contrast levels.</p>

[lonsdale]

<p>For what it's worth, take the 50 and 150, the place is full of people and landscape. I think you'll find the 150 a good lens for compressing many of the images, letting the 50 give you the wide angle you need. Having lived there part time for two years that is my opinion, I just don't think the 100 will give the reach you may want sometimes? I walk the beach and boardwalk and limit myself to one lens sometimes and have enjoyed both the wide and long.</p>

[david_henderson]

<p>Hmm I wonder whether we're all talking about the same "Venice"?</p>

[ondebanks]

<blockquote>

<p>Hmm I wonder whether we're all talking about the same "Venice"?</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Clearly not! How anyone would assume any other Venice than the grand old city on (and increasingly, in) the Adriatic, in a discussion like this, is perplexing.</p>

<p>Anyway, I'm not a Hasselblad shooter but I would take the 50mm and 150mm for their coverage and reach. My memory of Venice is a lot of fantastically claustrophobic little streets (including one connecting alley which was so narrow that you literally had to turn your body sideways to fit past another person). So longer lenses might at first seem less useful than shorter ones, but there are still open spaces across the squares and wider canals, as well as looking lengthways along the canals, picking out details of the buildings, etc.</p>

[matthew_stott]

<p>Enjoy your trip David! I returned from Venice recently, where I spent the week with my Rolleiflex. Like everyone has mentioned, the city is crowded and tight most of the time, so there are few options to zoom with your feet. You cannot back up a few meters to get people into a shot without getting wet (for the most part)- so the wider the angle the better. </p>

<p>That being said, I went with the 75mm of my Rollei and was fine for the week.</p>

<p>Have fun,</p>

<p>Matt </p>

[paulcooklin1]

<p>The trouble I found when I went to Venice was that a lot of the shots I wanted I couldn't get to on foot or they were high up etc...and therfore needed the zoom. It really depends on what you plan on shooting. The bottom line is whatever lens you take you will make the best of it and shoot with that in mind. There are shots for 'all' lenses but I would still take a longer and short lens personally.</p>

<p>A lot of these were shot with a 24-105 L lens (Canon) in 35mm at the longer end.<br>

http://paulcooklin.photoshelter.com/gallery/Venice-Italy-Monochrome/G0000IC6hYNZV6KY/P0000NDgZIk1Nkgs<br>

http://paulcooklin.photoshelter.com/gallery/Venice-Italy-Colour/G0000s5t0pO62wNs/P0000Z3B8wcBGQi8</p>

<p>Without the zoom I would have got very different images. Not better or worse, just different.</p>

[david_franklin1]

<p>Dear all, thank you again for the replies. I think I probably will go for the 50 and 150 - though I take on board everyone's points and kind comments. The trip is 95% a photographic one so I am not worried about the weight, as someone said, I don't have to take the camera out with me everytime.<br>

I must apologise too, much as I have a few tee-shirts from the other Venice (Beach) I did mean the one in Italy and should have made that clear. The first camera shop I ever went into in California was the old branch of Samy's Camera in Venice Beach, I believe it has gone now though? </p>

<p> </p>

[warren_williams]

<p>I recently purchased a SWC and after getting back my first roll I was sorry I didn't have the camera when I went to Venice last year. I'm an architect so the wide angle view felt perfect for the close quarters and the light weight is great for carrying around all day (lots and lots of time on your feet in Venice). There is also a real advantage to carrying only one lens but your image choices go down (I'm not sure this is a problem in Venice). Just some observations and an excuse to get a SWC for your trip.</p>

[zweeko]

<p>on my trips to venice, i have found that 90% of my shots have been on 35mm film [40mm lens - olympus trip 35] - it's a compact & horizontal city, for me. the remainder were taken with a hasselblad 110mm f/2 zeiss planar, fuji gw690iii, olympus om1 [85mm], and leica m6 [35mm summilux asph.].<br>

http://www.flickr.com/photos/zweeko/sets/72157626239403654/ [still not finished!]<br>

http://www.flickr.com/photos/zweeko/sets/72157626114264691/<br>

http://www.flickr.com/photos/j12t/sets/72157623467624860/<br>

http://www.flickr.com/photos/j12t/sets/72157623640914718/<br>

http://www.flickr.com/photos/j12t/sets/72157621927320751/</p>

 

[allan_f.]

<p>Hi David,</p>

<p>I visited Venice a few years ago with a small Hasselblad kit (one body, WL finder, one back, 50mm, 80mm, and a smaller portable tripod). Everything except for the tripod fit into a small shoulder bag meant for a medium sized video camcorder. This was part of a business trip so the amount of camera equipment was limited. You will spend plenty of time walking with your equipment, so plan accordingly. The 50mm was probably used most. If you have a 100mm lens it might be more useful than the 150mm. </p>

<p>Almost everything is packed tightly in Venice so there are less opportunities to use a longer-than-normal lens. Interesting light often happens early and late in the day. The narrow canals and sidewalks between buildings can be almost like shooting in a narrow canyon sometimes. A portable tripod is essential for some of these situations. A cable release plus mirror lockup helps keep things steady if your lightweight tripod is marginally stable for the Hasselblad.</p>

<p>Enjoy your trip, and make sure to go out shooting late in the day. Visit some side streets away from the main tourist attractions. Venice is a wonderful city to photograph.</p>

<p> Allan</p>