I am going to Savannah for a few days to visit some friends. They happen to have a really nice place and live on a lake there. I have never been to that side of the country before. my wife and her friends want some portrait shots around town but I also want to maybe get some wildlife shots in (if there are any) so i have an idea what to take but mainly i just need some outside thoughts.
My current gear is as follows:
Nikon Z8
Nikon Zf
14-30 f4
70-200 f2.8
24-70 f2.8
180-600 f5.6-6.3
50mm f1.4
40mm f2
28mm f2.8
PD Travel Tripod
A part of me wants to just say to heck with it and take everything. But that leaves for a very hefty size bag to carry on the plane. I almost thought what i can do is take the Zf, with 24-70 and 70-200 and a 50mm and that should cover mostly everything but then thought if i saw some really interesting wildlife id kick myself for not having the 180-600.
You know your photographic interests/inclinations better than anyone (I hope!). You also know how long you'll be there, your transportation situation, and hopefully you've done a bit of research and have an idea of what the opps will be like. And, not insignificant, how understanding witl your companions be regarding letting you take photos and fuss with gear? That should guide you as to what to take. At the least, share these useful tidbits so we can intelligently provide input.
draacor wrote:
I am going to Savannah for a few days to visit some friends. They happen to have a really nice place and live on a lake there. I have never been to that side of the country before. my wife and her friends want some portrait shots around town but I also want to maybe get some wildlife shots in (if there are any) so i have an idea what to take but mainly i just need some outside thoughts.
My current gear is as follows:
Nikon Z8
Nikon Zf
14-30 f4
70-200 f2.8
24-70 f2.8
180-600 f5.6-6.3
50mm f1.4
40mm f2
28mm f2.8
PD Travel Tripod
A part of me wants to just say to heck with it and take everything. But that leaves for a very hefty size bag to carry on the plane. I almost thought what i can do is take the Zf, with 24-70 and 70-200 and a 50mm and that should cover mostly everything but then thought if i saw some really interesting wildlife id kick myself for not having the 180-600. ...Show more →
Unless photography is the main purpose of your travel, the odds are that you’ll be happier with minimal gear that doesn’t weight you down and interfere with the other travel-related activities.
I’ve got plenty of big, heavy, expensive gear that I drag around for much of my photography, when photography is the primary objective. But when I travel I now usually carry a smaller (APS-C) system and 1-3 small prime lenses. (Others might take a single small zoom instead.)
That includes domestic travel and international travel of 6-10 weeks duration.
(If you are specifically going to a location to do photography— e.g. sightseeing and hanging with family and friends is not hte goal — your decisions could be different.)
You could be able to do those “portrait shots around town” with the 50mm or 40mm lenses… or with just the 24-70mm. That zoom would likely cover your landscape needs. Unless you have some idea of what wildlife you’ll be chasing (or if there is any) and how much time you’lll have to do that, that big zoom is going to be a lot to haul around.
We went to Charleston as a side trip to my nephews funeral. I did fine with an 18-135 on aps-c. I'd think unless the old city area is substantially more condensed, 24-70 and 70-200 would do it, if sticking to what you have. Bulkier than I'd like. That's why I also have a 28-200. I'd ask friends about gators, see if plans, time, distance to gators or other nature makes sense for a big lens. Too much gear impacts a fun trip.
Zf and the 24-70. Leave everything else at home. My typical travel kit on trips that are not photo-specific consists of a single full-frame body and a 2.8 24-70 and I've been just fine. That includes trips to Europe, Asia, etc. It would be a different story if it was, say, a family safari trip. And a different story if the purpose of the trip was primarily photography.
