Barcelona gear question

[notso bad]

<p>This is a two part question. With the reported higher crime and pickpocketing in Barcelona I want to travel and pack light, so I can use a smaller messenger style bag. <br>

I have the choice of a 5DII or 50D<br>

lenses available: 16-35/2.8, 24-105/4, 17-55/EF-s, 50/1.4, 70-200/4 and an old 28-105/3.5-4.5 that still seems pretty good.</p>

<p>given the cautions I have read online, I was planning one camera and one or two lenses plus the 430EX flash.<br>

I am leaning towards the 5DII with 24-105 +/- the 16-35 for extra wide angle. I tend to zoom in on architectural details, but with the scenes I have seen online for barcelona and monterrat and nearby scenic places in Catalunya I wonder if I will kick myself if I leave the 16-35 at home.<br>

so:<br>

1) will the extra width and extra stop of the 16-35 be worth the weight in addition to the 24-105? Or should I stick to one lens and flash?<br>

2) Is there another camera/lens combo that you would take instead?</p>

<p>thanks for your opinions</p>

[Ken Katz]

I would probably bring the 5D plus the 16-35, 24-105, and 70-200, and each day take with me either the 16-35 plus 70-200 or just the 24-105. I tend to not use flash for travel photography, so I would be tempted to leave the 430EX behind or buy one of the compact, lightweight flash units (220EX or 270EX) just for daylight fill.

[drjoder]

<p>I am currently in Barcelona for a month and am carrying my Nikon D800 plus three lenses (14-24 2.8, 24-70 2.8, 70-200 f/4), all in a Think Tank waist pack with shoulder strap. It is a bit heavy, but I have gotten used to it. My wife is Catalana and we have spent a lot of time here so we feel pretty comfortable, know our way around, and try to be aware of who is around us at all times. Most of my photography is at sunrise with few tourists about--and I think most pick pockets sleep in--so I haven't yet had a bad experience. I do feel a little self-conscious in crowded areas--say, Las Ramblas at peak hours--so tend to keep as much awareness as I can of who is around me and I make sure my bag and camera are firmly attached to my body with appropriate straps. I also don't carry a wallet--just some cash, a metro ticket, a photocopy of my passport, and our rented apartment keys. As to whether to bring the wide lens...it is up to you and your style. For me, I find I am using mostly the 24-70 and 70-200 (I, too, like zooming in to details). I have used the 14-24 but could probably have gotten by without it. Last night we were inside the Barcelona Cathedral for a Christmas concert, ceremony and service, and I used the 24-70 (at 3200 ISO!)...the 14-24 might have been fun to play with, but wasn't absolutely necessary. However, there might be some narrow streets in the old town area the wide angle would be good for... Anyway, just some of my rambling 2 cents. I have some very recent blog posts (with more to come over the next few weeks) on Barcelona that might give you ideas about where to go shooting: http://www.danieljoderphotography.com/</p>

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[notso bad]

<p>Thanks, for the comments.<br>

Daniel, I have seen your posts addressing the theft issue. We are traveling in a family, so with my kids, we will probably stick out a bit. That being said, I am usually comfortable with gear in cities all around. However, I was a bit intimidated with what I read online about Barcelona being more intense with pickpockets and bag snatchers.</p>

<p>I wanted to have less to worry about, so I thought about the 50D with 17-55 and pop up flash, but I will probably be disappointed stopping at 55m (88 equiv). So I am leaning towards the 5DII (for better ISO and a little wider) with the 24-105. And flash. And maybe one more lens. I will have to decide if I want to go wide or long. </p>

<p>Great pictures on your blog, by the way. <br>

incidentally, any suggestions for what to do in Barcelona for New Years Eve (with a family - two tweens)? </p>

[dcstep]

<p>Take the 5DII and your 24-105/f4 and 70-200/f4. The IQ, particularly when shooting night street scenes is far superior to the 50D. The camera body size is only a small difference in size. If you don't take it on an important shoot, like a super vacation, you have to ask yourself why you own it.</p>

[joe_willmore]

<p>I'd leave the speed light at home. I've shot twice in Barcelona. Unless you're shooting any impromptu portraits, you won't use it (the speed light). As for zooming in to details, I think you're better off with a tripod and fast glass and then crop. Given Barcelona's architecture and the reality of shooting in any city, I personally would take a wide angle lens simply b/c there will be too many sites where you want to capture the entire building or venue not just part of the facade.<br>

As for dealing with crime and pickpockets, I think the best answers there aren't in limiting your gear, it's stuff like:<br>

--situational awareness<br>

--not putting a big beacon over your head that says "tourist with expensive gear" (using a speed light in populated areas is a quick way to draw attention, having a bag that says "Nikon" or "Canon" is another).<br>

--carrying your gear in ways that makes is very hard for quick hands to reach in or pull off. For instance, a messenger back is a buffet if you don't zip it up and let yourself get distracted. A photo or tac vest or a backpack with lots of pockets you can't see in back of you is also problematic. Have it strapped on to you so it can't be pulled off easily and keep pockets closed and zipped.<br>

Most of all, have a blast. Barcelona is my favorite European city. Love the people and love the city.</p>

[david_henderson]

<p>Barcelona is one of the cities where its easiest to justify taking a longer lens. Lots of beautiful detail in the Gaudi buildings , whereas the broader perspectives were I thought rather ordinary. I wouldn't bother with a flash, though of course your style of photography might be different from mine. The Gaudi architecture is what separates Barcelona from other large Mediterranean cities. Best to go prepared to deal with it well.<br>

Security-wise I think you're wise to avoid a backpack- keep all the zippers zipped- and keep your wallet where its hard to get at. Inconvenient for you , but a lot harder for thieves. I lost my wallet, cards etc in Barcelona, though it was right in front of me at an outdoor table of a restaurant while waiting to pay the bill. Stupid. My wife and I split money, travellers cheques, cards etc between us on trips so were not left helpless if one of us is robbed, and we'll always have a couple of cards that aren't compromised.</p>

[drjoder]

<p>Notso Bad...We plan on spending New Year's eve with my wife's family and friends, so I'm not sure what to recommend to you for your family. One idea is simply to be in the street as midnight approaches--say, the Las Ramblas/Plaza Catalunya area. That will make quite an impression on the kids with all the people out and celebrating. Like everyone else has said (me, too), keep your situational awareness, zippers zipped, etc., etc. You should be fine. I, too, lost a wallet in Barcelona, but I left it laying on a table while I walked a few meters away to pay--stupid. Just be aware and use common sense and you'll be fine. Here is a link you might check out for some New Year's Eve activities: http://www.newyearsevelive.net/cities/barcelona.html<br>

Oh...while you are in town, check out the Joan Colom photography exhibit currently at MNAC on Montjuic...and maybe take in the Cinderella opera at the Liceu.</p>

[colin carron]

<p>I know it would not help at the time if anything untoward happened but I would make sure my gear was insured...</p>

[iangillett]

<p>As others have already said - be aware of your surroundings and don't fall for the "Let me clean that bird poo off the back of your jacket" routine - and keep your valuables under the table at cafes with the straps wrapped around the chair legs.<br>

Many years ago I was travelling out to Madrid two months after a couple of friends had been 'jumped' by a gang of four in broad daylight. I thought long and hard about what camera gear I would take on the trip - it was the first holiday my wife and I had taken without the children. In the end I decided to take the camera I originally planned to take rather than compromise with a compact. The first time we went out I took my 1V (yes - it was that long ago) with, I think, the 28-135 and I started to smile. My wife asked me why? I had realised that, without the need to hold on to the children, I had reverted to my previous technique of having the neck strap wound firmly around my wrist such that if I let go of the camera it would simply have dangled from my wrist. I said to my wife that if anyone tried to snatch the camera from me I would probably be arrested for manslaughter as I would have swung the camera down on to them.<br>

Given your choice I would probably take the 5D Mk ii with the 24-105 and the 50 1.4 for low light situations.<br>

Last time I was in Barcelona I also took my X-Pan with the 30mm lens - those were the days!</p><div></div>

[drjoder]

<p>Just walked down from Montjuic this morning. They are setting up for a New Years eve concert, fireworks, etc. in the area between Plaza Espanya and MNAC. Might be a good family option.</p>

[drjoder]

<p>And this is what the Olympic torch (1992) looked like up there this morning just after dawn. Have a great trip!</p><div></div>

[iangillett]

<p>Daniel - nice image</p>

[ArthurRichardson]

<p>Get insurance and take the big gun.</p>

[craig_shearman1]

<p>I was there a couple of years ago and heard the same things, but nobody bothered me. You'll hear similar stories about any big city anywhere. As others have said, it's a matter of being aware of your situation and not doing things that scream "tourist."<br /><br />I work in Washington, D.C., and every day see tourists walking down the street gawking at monuments with DSLRs slung casually over their shoulders, half-way around their backs where the camera could be gone for half an hour before they would notice. They might as well write "rob me" across their backs. Amazingly, few get robbed.<br /><br />I would say that once you have a DSLR out and a lens or two, it doesn't matter whether you have one lens in the bag or five -- if they see an expensive camera and want to rob you, they're going to do it. And the trauma isn't going to be eased much to think they only got one of your two cameras and one of your five lenses. So take what you need.<br /><br />Personally, when traveling with my wife and kids I usually leave the serious gear at home and just carry a point and shoot. A DSLR with my 24-200 "vacation lens" at most. I'm there to be on vacation and enjoy the time with my family, not to work. And I usually don't get the time to do much more than glorified snapshots anyhow.</p>

[peter_mellis]

<p>I was in Barcelona for a few days, with one camera/one lens. Photography wasn't the primary reason for my visit and I didn't want to be burdened by a lot of gear. I took my oldest and smallest DSLR (a Pentax DS) and one lens, a 35mm. I wanted better picture quality than a P&S and figured that I could get back to my old mindset when shooting 35mm film with a 50mm lens. It worked out rather well; the camera/lens combo was small enough that I could walk with it in jacket pocket (with hand around it) or around my neck and under the jacket. Missed some shots that I might have gotten with a zoom but was pleased with what I got.</p>

[notso bad]

This is a follow up post.

 

First, we had a great time, and never felt unsafe, we stayed in the Eixample district, away for the main most tourist areas.

The are felt safe and full of families at all times. The metro never felt too crowded in this off season. We kept our hands

on our bags, in front of us, and my jacket covered my pockets. If there were pickpockets, then they must have looked for

juicier targets. All around us everyone was on their smartphones and DSLRs were hanging on necks.

 

I took the 5D II with the flash and 16-35, 24-105' and 70-200/4. I carried them in a backpack, but this f stop backpack

opens from the back, where the straps are. I took the whole bag to Casa Battlo, without any space issues. The next day

our luggage arrived and I switched to a messenger style bag. The flash stayed in the hotel safe, and the 16-35 was

attached to the camera with the 70-200 in the bag as well. There were only a few times when I was annoyed that I didn't

have coverage from 35-70 mm. One day I took the 24-105 only.

 

Somehow we were never able to get going very early, so it was somewhat peak time by the time we got out. However, it

is still the slow season. Which is good, since these vacations are when I get to do most of my photography.

 

I was very happy to have the wide zoom most times since the extra view was great. This helped with the interior of the

churches, and in close quarters, when there were too many people to back up to get a good view. I am still learning how

to watch for my shadow and feet in the frame. Of course the tele zoom was great for architectural details, and landscapes

where I didn't want too much foreground, such as at the top of the tower in sagrada familia, or at montserrat. The only

time I wished I had brought the flash was for lighting my family's faces for fill, or later in the day. But we had a point and

shoot for that.

 

Thanks to everyone for hints and advice. I hope to find some keepers to post here.