dan_tybor

<p>Sounds like everybody is a fan of the zoom over prime. I'm only bringing up this topic to see if anybody can manage with primes when traveling and how they might do it. <br /><br />Looking back at a recent vacation I'm estimating that I took about 50% of the photos at 17mm and 40% at 50mm with the Tamron, with the rest falling somwhere between. Would I be better served with 2 primes? Use one and pocket the other?<br>

Thanks again.<br />Dan</p>

<p >So I after researching primes vs. zooms on Photo.net, I wanted to open up a discussion and see if anybody has any advice on using primes as opposed to a zoom when traveling. I have owned a dslr for a few years now and am finally getting a feel for and more experience with traveling and lens choice. Before I abandon the zoom I was hoping to see other's experiences with using primes, i.e. limitations, benefits, changing lenses, etc. while traveling. Do you miss zooms? Are primes too limiting? Do you put one lens on the camera for the day, or have several on hand to swap out.</p>

<p > </p>

<p >My current set up is a Nikon D80, Tamron 17-50mm 2.8, Sigma 70-200mm 2.8, Nikon 50mm 1.8, and the Nikon kit 18-135mm which doesn't see much use anymore. I have been brining the Tamron and Sigma on trips lately. I hate the Tamron, but love the Sigma. Also, I may upgrade at some point to the FX D700 so primes might be a natural move. </p>

<p > </p>

<p >My idea is to replace the Tamron with two primes to lighten my load, not look too conspicuous, and increase speed (the Tamron takes forever to focus). Looking at photos I have taken in the past I find that I have a tendency to either go fairly wide with the zoom, or use the full 50mm zoom. Occasionally I find photos that I have taken that are at about 35mm, especially of friends. I also will break out the heavy Sigma and use it as a walk around lens for people/action, especially for subjects I can not get too close to. </p>

<p > </p>

<p >I really like the 2.8 of the Tamron for low light, and it served me well recently when doing some caving. A 18-200 would have not performed very well in that situation. </p>

<p > </p>

<p >I found that there are two main ways of traveling.</p>

<p >1) Traveling quickly on tours, busses, observing quickly changing action. A zoom would seem to be more ideal so as not to miss anything. Could primes work here?</p>

<p >2) Traveling and spending time in one place. Primes seem like they would work well since photos can be better composed due to time not being a factor. I often revisit particular places multiple times in a city for example as light changes and I think of new ways to compose shots. </p>

<p > </p>

<p >I'm still learning so the more info the better. Thanks!</p>

Martin, thanks for the guide. That's exactly the sort of traveling I do so that itinerary fits me well. The other comments have also been helpful. I know from traveling to other places that bargaining can be a way of life, however you don't want to undercut the vendors and at the same time not to pay too much as that can be disruptive. I had a friend that went to India and a riot almost broke out from people trying to sell to her and her friend!

 

Thanks again for the input.

Quang-Tuan Luong,

 

I like your galleries in color more thean B&W. They really pop that way. I think B&W is better when there is overwhelming color or for intense portraits. As for the photos themselves, they are amazing!

 

I do agree with some of the others in that there needs to be some personal interest or story behind the photos. It's an artistic dynamic that photos can have. You are much more experienced with photography than I am so I'm assuming you know what I'm referring to. I'm not up to par in taking those types of shots, but I know them when I see them.

You matter most. I'm not going to say which you should buy, but what matters more than the two, especially for a beginner, is the lens you use. The advanced features on the D200 are great, but not much use if you are just starting out. Frankly I would pick up an old manual film slr for $50 on Ebay and learn technique using a basic 50mm lens. If you have the money then I would go for the DSLR, but at your level either body would be great.

 

If you need proof, check out flickr and see what cameras are used for photos. There are definitely some great photos from folks using a D80 and many using the older D70 and D50. The D200 will be very disappointing unless you know how to use it. One tip though for either camera is to jack up the "Vivid" and things will turn out much better.

 

The bottom line is that spending more money will not make you a better photographer. Once you get a camera, go out and shoot and keep shooting. An experienced photographer with a crappy camera will always outperform an armature with an expensive camera.

I'm not too clear on what they can and can not do, but can you post links to photos on another site such as Flickr or a site you host yourself? They can't possibly have the right to do what they please with those photos if it's not on their server. Then again I don't know if you can post links to photos or not on Facebook. Just a thought though.

I agree with GuangaJim. I want to show people every picture I took on a trip to show what it was like being there, but I realize that they will never understand unless they were there. Just showing a few great descriptive photos will do more than the hundreds you actually took while there. A picture is worth a 1,000 words and 100 pictures are worth...well I'll be out of words by then. Looking at your gallery, the first thumbnail I clicked on was the one with all the blue chairs. The second was the child on farm. Fantastic!

 

Love the pictures. I'm going to China soon so any suggestions would be great. What equipment did you bring?

 

By the way, I'm from Denver too GungaJim and sorry about the Rockies this year.

I'm headed to China next march as a requirement for school. I'm spending two

weeks in Hong Kong, but have 8 days to kill beforehand. Any suggestions where

to go? I was thinking Beijing and Shanghai. I also looked at yellow mountain

(Huangshan) near Shanghai and Yangshuo near Hong Kong. In terms of getting

the most both out of sight seeing and photo opportunities, what do you

suggest? I would have really liked to do Lhasa, but don't think 8 days is

quite long enough.

 

Also, what equipment would you suggest? I'm planning on brining the 18-135

kit zoom and the 50mm 1.8 for my D80. I was also thinking of picking up a

Tokina 12-24. Would it be worth while to bring a tripod also, or would that

just weigh me down? I'm purely an armature, but always enjoy getting

professional looking results.

 

All suggestions are greatly appreciated!

 

Dan

I just bought a D80 myself several months ago. My previous experience was with a fully manual camera with probably a not so good zoom lens. I opted to go with the 18-135 lens since bundled with the D80 it essentially only cost me $200. I added a 1.8 50mm for $100 and I've been pretty much set since. Not too bad for $300. The $800+ 18-200VR was definitely out of the question! Of course it depends on what your ability level and what you plan on accomplishing with your new D80. If you travel a lot than having a versatile light and inexpensive lens may be what you are looking for. The 50mm is good to have on hand for low light situations.

 

I don't have any experience with the Tamron and Sigma you are considering so I can't comment on them. From the reviews I've read, the 18-135 is definitely the better of the three. Of course the 18-70 is probably a really good bet also even though it doesn't have the reach of the kit lens. With the D80, that setup is far better than most P&S camera. In my situation, mastering composition trumps quality and budget is a big factor.

No offense taken Michel. I think the point I'm trying to make is that I have three avenues of photography I'm considering exploring: wide angle/landscape/architecture, macro/landscape, or long telephoto. The equipment to fulfill those needs I listed is from the information I've gathered so far on photo.net. I'm looking for the best avenue for learning and experimenting with new ways of composition. I'm obviously not going to base my decision solely on what people tell me, but to see how others may have progressed as they became more serious about photography and what lens offers the best progression.

 

By the way, I know you see this post every day, but there's definitly no shortage of people willing to respond which is a good thing :)

I'm an amature that doesn't specialize in any particular type of photography.

Pretty much I like to carry my camera around the city and take random pictures

of people, building, etc. Living in Colorado, I also take a mix of mountain

pictures and nature when I'm hiking. In a month I'm planning on taking a trip

to Utah and the Grand Canyon so having an additional lense to complement my

current setup would be nice.

 

Currently I'm using a Nikon D80 with the kit 18-135mm lens. I also have a

50mm f/1.8. I have a few ideas of what sort of lens to buy next, however I

figured I would get some feedback from this forum to get other people's

suggestions. As there is no shortage of knowledge on this website and no

shortage of opitions, I would really like to hear what people think as well as

how others pregessed in their lens purchases from amature to serious amature.

My prior experience in photography has been a fully manual film camera with a

50mm lens. I've learned that there is a lot more I can do with my composition

and creativity depending on what lense I'm using.

 

After reading through this forum, here are some prospects(~$500 budget):

 

Wide angel - Tokina 12-24mm f/4.0 ($500)- This seems like a great lense to

expend my knowledge of landscape photography as well as the dynamic effects it

offeres on the wide end. It also covers a range I currently do not have. I'm

questioning how much I'll actually use this lens. It also seems a bit slow.

I've also seen either extremely exceptional or extremly mediocre photos from

this lens due to the difficutly composing good pictures with such a wide angle.

 

Macro - Sigma 105mm f/2.8 or Tamron SP 90mm f/2.8 ($400) - I like this lens

since I will be able both use it as a macro as well as a prime telephoto.

I've never done macro so that seems like an interesting avenue to explore. I

will also be able to use it for landscapes. The down side is that I already

have that focal length covered with my current zoom lens.

 

Telephoto - Nikon 70-300mm f/4.5 - 5.6G VR ($500) - Seems like a good lens to

extend my reach. I'm just worried that I may outgrow this lense quickly and

what a faster and longer lens that may be far out of my budget.

 

What do you think? Any other suggestions? Yes I know it's another one of

these "what should I get next" posts , but I like to here what other people

think. Thanks!