Bruce-Excellent Question. So just to offer a bit of 'focus' - the answer would be 'the destination of your choice' along with the gear of your choice. Of course, certain types of destinations - such as wildlife etc would assume some sort of super/telephoto setup by default. ...oh and both the 35 and 50 Summicrons are excellent options.
Ajay---L-O-L!! Without sounding bluntly biased, yes we r on the same page
CDalessandro-You definitely have things covered there, especially with that crop factor!!!
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My personal opinion would be any camera plus a prime between 28 and 50 mm. I would tend to go more toward the 50 range, only because it can also be used for portraits as well as general use effectively. If there were no portraits involved, then my choice would be between 28 and 35.
A leica is perfect for travel, small, light and easy to focus in garbage light. Pair it with ZM 35/2 or 50/2 if you dont have deep pockets or a 35/50 Lux ASPH if you do.
I generally take three Zeiss primes as well. 21,35/5 and 50MP. But in the end I get more keepers with the 24-105.
I prefer the Zeiss rendering and always put a Zeiss on first if I havethe time and if the subject allows for it but in the end the flexibility of a zoom with AF and IS is hard to beat if gettng the shot is the priority.
I would take NEX 5N (or 7 when available) with Zeiss ZM 18 (27mm equivalent). The NEX is small and light enough that it can be taken everywhere, which is after all priority number one. It has enough pixels that its pictures can be cropped sharply when they are too wide. And because of its 18mm focal length, it has so much depth-of-field that one need not focus. Set it at f:5.6, focus all the way to infinity, pull it back just a bit, and you have a true instant point-and-shoot. And, in order to do real close-ups, you get yourself a Hawks helicoid M-mount-to-NEX adapter. Then you have it all in one lens and camera. And yes, a pripod is a seriously good idea for low light. But the NEX is so small that you can get away with a very light (less than 1kg) tripod that is also harmless looking. I have been allowed to deploy one (mine was a Cullmann Nanomax 220, others prefer a Slik) where a larger tripod and cameras would unquestionably have gotten me told to cease and desist.
lovinglife wrote:
My personal opinion would be any camera plus a prime between 28 and 50 mm. I would tend to go more toward the 50 range, only because it can also be used for portraits as well as general use effectively. If there were no portraits involved, then my choice would be between 28 and 35.
+1
though i was only partially kidding about the d3x and 400/2.8. if i was travelling just for photography and needed the best iq possible for static objects. can a gigapan handle that rig? anything less than that and i would always be disappointed by the picture knowing it could have been better.
in the event that i don't have a sherpa with me and limiting myself to what i currently own it is always my NEX and either the pen f 42/1.2 or the contax g 45/2. if i'm not limited to gear i currently own, it would probably be the NEX-7 with 28 cron.
I have traveled the world with just one body and lens numerous times. Its not an alt kit, but have had no reservations with either a 5d I/II and 24_105 or a 7d an 15_85. Either one or the other have seen duty in some three dozen countries in my travels from the narrow streets of an Italian hill town to the vast open spaces of the Uzbek steppe. It would be a cold day in hell that I would limit myself to a single prime, and even colder day if you forced a narrow 50 or 35 on my camera.
though i was only partially kidding about the d3x and 400/2.8. if i was travelling just for photography and needed the best iq possible for static objects. can a gigapan handle that rig? anything less than that and i would always be disappointed by the picture knowing it could have been better.
in the event that i don't have a sherpa with me and limiting myself to what i currently own it is always my NEX and either the pen f 42/1.2 or the contax g 45/2. if i'm not limited to gear i currently own, it would probably be the NEX-7 with 28 cron....Show more →
Actually - In a way, u are right - for any sort of wildlife trips with the 400/2.8. I have plans next year sometime to visit Africa, at which point i will need to invest in a super telephoto. Of course, I don't think I'll be able to afford a 400/2.8, especially at the rate lens prices are climbing - I'm thinking maybe a 70-200L II or 300.
As far as the 28 Summicron on the NEX7, that was something I very seriously wanted to want for me. I had an NEX5 previously. Somehow I was very disappointed with the IQ. I was really hoping it would be the magic bullet for me, but even with tripod shots i was never very happy with the microcontrast, etc. The NEX5n and 7 probably produce much better output... If you try it out, i'd love to see the results One combo, however, which worked very well was the Summilux 50 ASPH / NEX 5 - but focusing was a pain (resolved by EVF on newer models).
That being said, I am really looking forward to the day that Sony releases a full frame NEX.
along with the gear of your choice. Of course, certain types of destinations - such as wildlife etc would assume some sort of super/telephoto setup by default. ...oh and both the 35 and 50 Summicrons are excellent options.
One combo, however, which worked very well was the Summilux 50 ASPH / NEX 5 - but focusing was a pain (resolved by EVF on newer models).