p.2 #1 · Which Lenses should I take for shooting the Angkor Temples in Cambodia?
Thanks Kisutch - we won't have time to get to the Tonle Sap on this trip... it was an option but we chose to visit a pre-Khmer temple instead.
Anakha
Kisutch wrote:
Kinda OT, but if I were you I'd make sure to check out Lake Tonle Sap, a short hop from Siem Reap. There are floating villages and fishing lots that are quite a sight, and they are poised to change dramatically in the near future. There are plans to extensively dam the Mekong, dampening the seasonal flooding which these villages, and associated fisheries are built around. This is actually a rather historical moment for the region, so it'd be worth seeing some of these things before they potentially change forever. Further, the fishing lots are one of the most exciting things I've every photographed--kind of like Deadliest catch meets Mad Max. Anyways, just wanted to put that out there.
Also, when I was at the temples a year or so back, there was scaffolding on a lot of the temples, so wide-angle shots were a bust. My favorite thing to photograph at the temples were the carvings on the walls. Looking back, I wish I'd had a couple speedlites to cross-light the carvings with and bring out their texture.
One other thing is that domestic animals can provide really interesting photos in this area. In a gas station I came across juvenile herons fighting with each other, and there are water buffalo and other cool critters in the rural areas.
I brought the whole kit, but ended up using a walk-around zoom (17-55 on a crop sensor) 99% of the time.
p.2 #2 · Which Lenses should I take for shooting the Angkor Temples in Cambodia?
DmitriM wrote:
Tripod is a hassle.
I spent 3 days photographing temples in Cambodia and after 1 day I was literally bored to death. They all looked the same.
Forgive the chopping but these two points stood out for me. Tripod is a hassle -- I never used the one I took. And we were in Siem Reap for two days and after a day and a half we'd seen enough old rocks (and I have an appreciation for them -- it's just that they all become one).
We had an afternoon free the second day and our guide suggested the museum. I wasn't too keen but there wasn't anything else to do, so we went. What a surprise! It was one of the nicest museums I've ever visited -- so interesting and informative that I now tell people to visit the museum first so they have an idea of what's available in the region and can jot down what they would like to see.
If you've done all your research before before you've left home, then you know where you want to go. But most people I know just go, not understanding the diversity of temples and the distance between them, so the museum is a lovely introduction and can help you narrow down your choices.
I got most use out of my 17-40mm, my 85/1.8 and my 135/2 -- the last two for close-ups and people.
p.2 #3 · Which Lenses should I take for shooting the Angkor Temples in Cambodia?
Thanks DmitriM.
For longer exposures at dawn and dusk, plus HDR of the temples and interior low-light shots, a tripod is a big advantage. I have a CF Gitzo, so it is not too heavy (compared to an aluminum one). I'll take my Lee Filter system too as I like its results.
I've scheduled a visit to the National Museum in Siem Reap for the day we are spending having a break from the temples. We'll do the outlying regional temples first, then have a day of Cambodian cooking school, museum and muscle massage. Then spend two days around the Angkor region.
There were a number of reasons why I wanted to do the outlying regional temples first - a) we want to get to see some of the Cambodian countryside; b) a chance to see pre-Khmer temples before Khmer temples will give us the sites (roughly) in their correct chronology; c) if the car breaks down / gets bogged, etc, we have more time to get back to SR before we have to take flights to attend a wedding than we would if we did the Angkor temples first and the outlying regional temples last.
My 120-300 2.8 is useful for long-distance portraits at its wide-end.... just heavy and bulky.
Would it be a safe idea to hire a cambodian local to porter my camera bag around, standing next to me each day? Or would I be likely to see them scamper off with my gear at the first opportunity?
Anakha
Don Ellis wrote:
Forgive the chopping but these two points stood out for me. Tripod is a hassle -- I never used the one I took. And we were in Siem Reap for two days and after a day and a half we'd seen enough old rocks (and I have an appreciation for them -- it's just that they all become one).
We had an afternoon free the second day and our guide suggested the museum. I wasn't too keen but there wasn't anything else to do, so we went. What a surprise! It was one of the nicest museums I've ever visited -- so interesting and informative that I now tell people to visit the museum first so they have an idea of what's available in the region and can jot down what they would like to see.
If you've done all your research before before you've left home, then you know where you want to go. But most people I know just go, not understanding the diversity of temples and the distance between them, so the museum is a lovely introduction and can help you narrow down your choices.
I got most use out of my 17-40mm, my 85/1.8 and my 135/2 -- the last two for close-ups and people. ...Show more →
p.2 #4 · Which Lenses should I take for shooting the Angkor Temples in Cambodia?
anakha wrote:
Would it be a safe idea to hire a cambodian local to porter my camera bag around, standing next to me each day? Or would I be likely to see them scamper off with my gear at the first opportunity?
You've obviously thought all this out very well, so I'll just comment on the porter idea -- it sounds wonderful to me. Let's face it, you trust leaving your gear in a taxi while you're shooting (at least I did) with someone who can just drive off, so I don't see it as any greater concern to have someone carry your gear and be beside you.
Plus it would give you a chance to carry everything you want -- which would be heavy enough that your porter probably wouldn't be able to scamper so fast that you couldn't catch him.
p.2 #5 · Which Lenses should I take for shooting the Angkor Temples in Cambodia?
Just got back from there a week ago. I have to agree with others that mentioned that one day is enough. Just as cathedrals and castles start looking the same after awhile. Leaving the big camera home I took the Sony NEX5N and 18-200 zoom. Not a fast lens by any means but running the ISO up to 800 kept things quick. There will be tons of people there and precious little room for a tripod except out doors.
Were I to go again and using your gear I would only take the 24 and a monopod. To me the best photo opportunities were downtown where I wish I had a faster lens. YMMV.
p.2 #7 · Which Lenses should I take for shooting the Angkor Temples in Cambodia?
Thanks John_Edwards. I'd be interested in learning some of the logistics of your trip to Angkor.
Which of the temples did you visit? Did you go out into the countryside as well?
Did you take a private tour or go as part of a group? I've hired a guide to help time my visits to temples when the crowds are a bit thinner.
I have a monopod which I used on safari last year. I want to try my tripod for steadier HDR shots in Cambodia. I tried taking HDRs using my monopod at Victoria Falls, but they were too soft as a result of slight movement. I wish I'd had my tripod for those shots :-(
Anakha
john_edwards wrote:
Just got back from there a week ago. I have to agree with others that mentioned that one day is enough. Just as cathedrals and castles start looking the same after awhile. Leaving the big camera home I took the Sony NEX5N and 18-200 zoom. Not a fast lens by any means but running the ISO up to 800 kept things quick. There will be tons of people there and precious little room for a tripod except out doors.
Were I to go again and using your gear I would only take the 24 and a monopod. To me the best photo opportunities were downtown where I wish I had a faster lens. YMMV.
p.2 #8 · Which Lenses should I take for shooting the Angkor Temples in Cambodia?
ISO1600 - the reach on those lighter-weight lenses would still be good, but you'd need a very long exposure or really high ISO to get low-light shots to work. F2.8 helps in those situations, especially at dusk/dawn.
Anakha
ISO1600 wrote:
i would think a 300/4L IS would be an excellent tele for a trip like this- but then again so would the 75-300L IS.
p.2 #9 · Which Lenses should I take for shooting the Angkor Temples in Cambodia?
Don't bite off more than you can chew - find somewhere beautiful and allow the light and people to come to you. In racing here and there you may turn your back on opportunities as you seek the next.
Find a morning vantage point and shoot during golden hour - logistics, early rises, and an arbitrary opening hours (technically 5 a.m.).
Visit other temples and shoot details and people during the bland daylight hours, and also scout a scene for evening golden hour.
Set up, drink a coke and wait for the light; shooting HDR as the afternoon wears on, then single shots as the light warms toward evening.
And I guess you are looking online at images and trying to figure out where they are...
p.2 #10 · Which Lenses should I take for shooting the Angkor Temples in Cambodia?
Paul,
Yes - I have hired a guide and coordinated with them to have some dawn and dusk shoots. I've been scouring the web looking for interesting shots taken by other and the locations of those photos.
I'll try for interior shots in the temples during the middle of the day. My guide is experienced and should be able to efficiently take me to less well-known spots in the temples to take interesting photos.
Not a coke drinker - taking my steripen with me so I can safely drink plenty of water in the heat!
Funnily enough, after our holidays my wife and I often feel like we need another holiday to recuperate ;-)
Anakha
Paul Mo wrote:
Don't bite off more than you can chew - find somewhere beautiful and allow the light and people to come to you. In racing here and there you may turn your back on opportunities as you seek the next.
Find a morning vantage point and shoot during golden hour - logistics, early rises, and an arbitrary opening hours (technically 5 a.m.).
Visit other temples and shoot details and people during the bland daylight hours, and also scout a scene for evening golden hour.
Set up, drink a coke and wait for the light; shooting HDR as the afternoon wears on, then single shots as the light warms toward evening.
And I guess you are looking online at images and trying to figure out where they are......Show more →
p.2 #11 · Which Lenses should I take for shooting the Angkor Temples in Cambodia?
For me, my most used lens would undoubtedly be the 16-35L II. This might be the trip I would take only the 16-35 and the 28-300L IS mounted on two bodies, and carry them all day over shoulder and neck. Otherwise, one body + 16-35, with the 28-300L in it's own lens case slung over shoulder and neck. Plus a P&S or M43 camera, just in case everything goes to hell with the full frame stuff.
Definitely no tripod on the trip.
I would have no problem with airlines or getting in and out of tight spaces.
p.2 #12 · Which Lenses should I take for shooting the Angkor Temples in Cambodia?
Gunzorro,
I'm interested as to why you say "definitely no tripod on the trip"? Is that from experience at the Khmer temples, or a personal preference?
I'm taking a P&S for underwater shots when snorkelling/diving later in the trip, so have a backup for my single FF body.
Anakha
Gunzorro wrote:
For me, my most used lens would undoubtedly be the 16-35L II. This might be the trip I would take only the 16-35 and the 28-300L IS mounted on two bodies, and carry them all day over shoulder and neck. Otherwise, one body + 16-35, with the 28-300L in it's own lens case slung over shoulder and neck. Plus a P&S or M43 camera, just in case everything goes to hell with the full frame stuff.
Definitely no tripod on the trip.
I would have no problem with airlines or getting in and out of tight spaces.
p.2 #13 · Which Lenses should I take for shooting the Angkor Temples in Cambodia?
The bottled water's completely safe. A tripod means serious, planned shots. So if that's your style and you want sharp landscape and architectural shots, and you don't have to carry it everywhere, take it. It's not as if there will be millions of people tripping over the legs. It can be a quiet place depending on the season.
p.2 #15 · Which Lenses should I take for shooting the Angkor Temples in Cambodia?
Thank you for sharing your beautiful shots, cljtam :-)
My question for you is - where there any shots that you wanted to take but couldn't take as you desired due to not having a lens with a focal length exceeding 70mm? If so, which ones?
p.2 #16 · Which Lenses should I take for shooting the Angkor Temples in Cambodia?
anakha wrote:
Thank you for sharing your beautiful shots, cljtam :-)
My question for you is - where there any shots that you wanted to take but couldn't take as you desired due to not having a lens with a focal length exceeding 70mm? If so, which ones?
Anakha
Hi Anakha, oh - just fixed some of my link above.
Btw, I don't think that there is really anything lens I miss because of focal length. Instead,...I miss my little equitorial mount that I should have brought along with me.
p.2 #17 · Which Lenses should I take for shooting the Angkor Temples in Cambodia?
Night shots - another reason to take my tripod :-)
Hmm - perhaps a long exposure of a temple with the stars above it?
Anakha
cljtam wrote:
Hi Anakha, oh - just fixed some of my link above.
Btw, I don't think that there is really anything lens I miss because of focal length. Instead,...I miss my little equitorial mount that I should have brought along with me.
p.2 #18 · Which Lenses should I take for shooting the Angkor Temples in Cambodia?
anakha wrote:
Gunzorro,
I'm interested as to why you say "definitely no tripod on the trip"? Is that from experience at the Khmer temples, or a personal preference?
I'm taking a P&S for underwater shots when snorkelling/diving later in the trip, so have a backup for my single FF body.
Anakha
I don't like to be slowed down with a heavy tripod, or tripping over it. I get a lot more shots when I'm on the move and shooting hand-held, braced into positions. I'm one of the old view camera guys, and don't want to go back that direction with lightweight cameras. If it's not a paid assignment, I'm out to have a good time, and that means traveling light and as unencumbered as possible.
You've obviously thought this out and done a lot of research. I tend do less research, and to be more spontaneous and do things on the fly.
Like I say, I'd probably bring a full frame body or two, and two lenses,16-300mm, along with a P&S.
p.2 #19 · Which Lenses should I take for shooting the Angkor Temples in Cambodia?
anakha wrote:
Night shots - another reason to take my tripod :-)
Hmm - perhaps a long exposure of a temple with the stars above it?
Anakha
Yes, I did carry a Gitzo 1544 with me. Never regret, managed to take photo together with my wife outself, and also took a few snap of the sky at night at my hotel. (Though, not as good as it could be with an equitorial mount and can not manage to take casual astrophotography with temples,.....its still a lot of fun)
p.2 #20 · Which Lenses should I take for shooting the Angkor Temples in Cambodia?
anakha wrote:
ISO1600 - the reach on those lighter-weight lenses would still be good, but you'd need a very long exposure or really high ISO to get low-light shots to work. F2.8 helps in those situations, especially at dusk/dawn.
Anakha
I'm not sure you stated it in your OP, but what body(bodies) are you bringing? This seems like a PERFECT scenario for the 6D.
