Advice for traveling lens(es)?
p.2 #1Advice for traveling lens(es)?
old-gregg wrote:
Two thoughts:
I always found that primes make you think harder about a photo you're about to take. As a result the % of keepers taken with prime lenses is much higher for me. I cannot claim that it's a universal rule, but plenty of well known photographers shared the same observation, so at least I'm not alone.
And since one of your requrements is the ability to shoot in low light, the second piece of advice is to consider manual focus lenses for travel. AF adds bulk and weight, and not even needed for most situations, especially with gorgeous focus assist...Show more →
Beautiful photo! Thank you for sharing it. On your first point--agreed. I used to only shooting with primes. Then the flexibility of zoom took over especially when I shoot for clients, and the 70-200 2.8 became my fav lens. That said, I do miss my primes.
I wasn't thinking about manual focus for low lights but that sounds like a great idea. Now I'm rethinking my strategies...so many options
Two thoughts:
I always found that primes make you think harder about a photo you're about to take. As a result the % of keepers taken with prime lenses is much higher for me. I cannot claim that it's a universal rule, but plenty of well known photographers shared the same observation, so at least I'm not alone.
And since one of your requrements is the ability to shoot in low light, the second piece of advice is to consider manual focus lenses for travel. AF adds bulk and weight, and not even needed for most situations, especially with gorgeous focus assist...Show more →
Beautiful photo! Thank you for sharing it. On your first point--agreed. I used to only shooting with primes. Then the flexibility of zoom took over especially when I shoot for clients, and the 70-200 2.8 became my fav lens. That said, I do miss my primes.
I wasn't thinking about manual focus for low lights but that sounds like a great idea. Now I'm rethinking my strategies...so many options
Dec 29, 2025 at 06:30 PM
p.2 #2Advice for traveling lens(es)?
Tarekith wrote:
You can get aurora with the 20-70 just fine too FWIW.
https://i.postimg.cc/mDzgnVwb/AuroraMay2024-01.jpg
Beautiful. I do prefer to shoot aurora with a bit more details of the foreground--will that be limited by f4? I have not done any astro besides using my phone so asking
This is done by my iPhone 16 pro. Had to do some post processing to bring out the aurora.
You can get aurora with the 20-70 just fine too FWIW.
https://i.postimg.cc/mDzgnVwb/AuroraMay2024-01.jpg
Beautiful. I do prefer to shoot aurora with a bit more details of the foreground--will that be limited by f4? I have not done any astro besides using my phone so asking
This is done by my iPhone 16 pro. Had to do some post processing to bring out the aurora.
Dec 29, 2025 at 06:37 PM
p.2 #3Advice for traveling lens(es)?
I don’t think F4 versus F2.8 is going to make any difference for foreground personally. Especially on a modern Sony body which has good ISO performance.
Dec 29, 2025 at 08:02 PM
AmbientMike
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p.2 #4Advice for traveling lens(es)?
Truebeam wrote:
So I'd recommend something longer, depending on the fl you use. Sometimes I use teles on trips sometimes I don't, do you go to Iceland on a regular basis? If not you might take at least 2-3 lenses
Im more f/8 on travel you might look at a tripod to avoid a faster lensI've been there once. Planning for my next trip. That said, I don't know how often I'd go to Iceland (yet). Looks like I can't really get away from a longer range lens. Can you recommend a compact light weight tripod for travel--obviously solid enough that won't flip easily with any wind. Wind can be pretty strong in Iceland. Thank you for your advice.
I just use inexpensive lightweight tripods that I got for not much at a garage sale, so you might solicit higher quality tripod options. Not as concerned with checking them though
I photographed aurora here recently using one though, lightweight tripod but it was calm out and 30 sec exposure, youre not going to have much trouble imo, using a light lens . MLU can help. You'd probably need more stability if its windy though
AmbientMike wrote
11-16 , which is ~18-25 ff equivalent, stuck on the camera on a trip. It was awful. So just having 16-35 isnt something I'd likeSo I'd recommend something longer, depending on the fl you use. Sometimes I use teles on trips sometimes I don't, do you go to Iceland on a regular basis? If not you might take at least 2-3 lenses
Im more f/8 on travel you might look at a tripod to avoid a faster lens
I just use inexpensive lightweight tripods that I got for not much at a garage sale, so you might solicit higher quality tripod options. Not as concerned with checking them though
I photographed aurora here recently using one though, lightweight tripod but it was calm out and 30 sec exposure, youre not going to have much trouble imo, using a light lens . MLU can help. You'd probably need more stability if its windy though
Dec 29, 2025 at 11:19 PM
p.2 #5Advice for traveling lens(es)?
Voigtländer 28mm f2.0 Apo Lanthar
Voigtländer 50mm f2.0 Apo Lanthar
Voigtländer 90mm f2.0 Apo Ultron (Leica M, adapted)
Very compact. Performance wise, you will arguably hardly be able to put together a higher performing AND lighter set of lenses.
Voigtländer 50mm f2.0 Apo Lanthar
Voigtländer 90mm f2.0 Apo Ultron (Leica M, adapted)
Very compact. Performance wise, you will arguably hardly be able to put together a higher performing AND lighter set of lenses.
Dec 30, 2025 at 02:51 AM
p.2 #6Advice for traveling lens(es)?
I’m travelling currently with 16-35 GM2, 50 1.2 GM and 85 1.4 GM2, and depending on the day I carry one or two lenses. Most used has been the 50mm. I could have easily lived with 35mm GM and 85mm GM, and missed May be 5-7% of my wide angle shots. But we’re in a city, for your kind of photos you’ve posted, 16-35 is a great lens.
I left 28-70 f2 GM and 50-150 f2 GM at home, as also a couple of other primes.
I left 28-70 f2 GM and 50-150 f2 GM at home, as also a couple of other primes.
Dec 30, 2025 at 04:09 AM
p.2 #7Advice for traveling lens(es)?
Tarekith wrote:
I don’t think F4 versus F2.8 is going to make any difference for foreground personally. Especially on a modern Sony body which has good ISO performance.
Theoretically I agree! I've been watching some YouTube videos about Aurora lately. Seems it moves fast so long exposures will not be able to catch the shape or movement but rather a "green bulb". Seems aperture does matter. They all exclusively use f2.8 or lower.
I don’t think F4 versus F2.8 is going to make any difference for foreground personally. Especially on a modern Sony body which has good ISO performance.
Theoretically I agree! I've been watching some YouTube videos about Aurora lately. Seems it moves fast so long exposures will not be able to catch the shape or movement but rather a "green bulb". Seems aperture does matter. They all exclusively use f2.8 or lower.
Dec 30, 2025 at 03:14 PM
p.2 #8Advice for traveling lens(es)?
I posted this in a different thread but it belongs here too.
Small and fast manual focus primes have been my main travel lenses for the last year. I always bring a fast AF lens along as well just in case. We spent 9 days in Paris this year and I used the tiny Thypoch 28/1.4 about 70% of the time and used the Sony 50/1.4 GM to photograph the paintings and other art in museums. The Sony 20/1.8 and CV 10 also made a few appearances.
On our recent trip to Hawaii, I again used a small Thypoch manual focus lens about 70% of the time - the 35/1.4. The CV 21/1.4, TTArtisans 75/2, and the Viltrox 14/4 filled out the rest of my images (I brought the 70-200GM II just for a whale watching tour).
With small and fast primes on vacation, I carry two lenses with me in a sling bag. One lens on the camera and one in the bag. I like to mix and match something different each day. For instance, I’ll have the 35/1.4 on as my main lens but bring either the 75mm or 21mm or 14mm. Whatever my fancy is that morning. The next day will be different. I may decide to use the 21/1.4 as my main lens and bring along the 50/1.4 to match it. It makes things easy, relatively light, and loads of fun. Far more fun for me than a zoom.
Small and fast manual focus primes have been my main travel lenses for the last year. I always bring a fast AF lens along as well just in case. We spent 9 days in Paris this year and I used the tiny Thypoch 28/1.4 about 70% of the time and used the Sony 50/1.4 GM to photograph the paintings and other art in museums. The Sony 20/1.8 and CV 10 also made a few appearances.
On our recent trip to Hawaii, I again used a small Thypoch manual focus lens about 70% of the time - the 35/1.4. The CV 21/1.4, TTArtisans 75/2, and the Viltrox 14/4 filled out the rest of my images (I brought the 70-200GM II just for a whale watching tour).
With small and fast primes on vacation, I carry two lenses with me in a sling bag. One lens on the camera and one in the bag. I like to mix and match something different each day. For instance, I’ll have the 35/1.4 on as my main lens but bring either the 75mm or 21mm or 14mm. Whatever my fancy is that morning. The next day will be different. I may decide to use the 21/1.4 as my main lens and bring along the 50/1.4 to match it. It makes things easy, relatively light, and loads of fun. Far more fun for me than a zoom.
Dec 30, 2025 at 03:16 PM
p.2 #9Advice for traveling lens(es)?
sandy27000 wrote:
I’m travelling currently with 16-35 GM2, 50 1.2 GM and 85 1.4 GM2, and depending on the day I carry one or two lenses. Most used has been the 50mm. I could have easily lived with 35mm GM and 85mm GM, and missed May be 5-7% of my wide angle shots. But we’re in a city, for your kind of photos you’ve posted, 16-35 is a great lens.
I left 28-70 f2 GM and 50-150 f2 GM at home, as also a couple of other primes.
Thank you! This is very helpful! I"m almost convinced with 16-35 GM. Looking for recommendation for long lens to pair with 16-35. 135 isn't a whole lot lighter than 70-200 GM, which I already have.
I’m travelling currently with 16-35 GM2, 50 1.2 GM and 85 1.4 GM2, and depending on the day I carry one or two lenses. Most used has been the 50mm. I could have easily lived with 35mm GM and 85mm GM, and missed May be 5-7% of my wide angle shots. But we’re in a city, for your kind of photos you’ve posted, 16-35 is a great lens.
I left 28-70 f2 GM and 50-150 f2 GM at home, as also a couple of other primes.
Thank you! This is very helpful! I"m almost convinced with 16-35 GM. Looking for recommendation for long lens to pair with 16-35. 135 isn't a whole lot lighter than 70-200 GM, which I already have.
Dec 30, 2025 at 03:29 PM
p.2 #10Advice for traveling lens(es)?
mudlake wrote:
I posted this in a different thread but it belongs here too.
Small and fast manual focus primes have been my main travel lenses for the last year. I always bring a fast AF lens along as well just in case. We spent 9 days in Paris this year and I used the tiny Thypoch 28/1.4 about 70% of the time and used the Sony 50/1.4 GM to photograph the paintings and other art in museums. The Sony 20/1.8 and CV 10 also made a few appearances.
On our recent trip to Hawaii, I again used a small Thypoch manual focus...Show more →
Great tips. Thanks for sharing your experience. I don't know any of the manual focus prime lens you mentioned. Will look into them. Curious to see your images in Paris and Hawaii.
I posted this in a different thread but it belongs here too.
Small and fast manual focus primes have been my main travel lenses for the last year. I always bring a fast AF lens along as well just in case. We spent 9 days in Paris this year and I used the tiny Thypoch 28/1.4 about 70% of the time and used the Sony 50/1.4 GM to photograph the paintings and other art in museums. The Sony 20/1.8 and CV 10 also made a few appearances.
On our recent trip to Hawaii, I again used a small Thypoch manual focus...Show more →
Great tips. Thanks for sharing your experience. I don't know any of the manual focus prime lens you mentioned. Will look into them. Curious to see your images in Paris and Hawaii.
Dec 30, 2025 at 03:33 PM
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p.2 #11Advice for traveling lens(es)?
Truebeam wrote:
mudlake wrote
I posted this in a different thread but it belongs here too.Small and fast manual focus primes have been my main travel lenses for the last year. I always bring a fast AF lens along as well just in case. We spent 9 days in Paris this year and I used the tiny Thypoch 28/1.4 about 70% of the time and used the Sony 50/1.4 GM to photograph the paintings and other art in museums. The Sony 20/1.8 and CV 10 also made a few appearances.
On our recent trip to Hawaii, I again used a small Thypoch manual focus lens about 70% of the time - the 35/1.4. The CV 21/1.4, TTArtisans 75/2, and the Viltrox 14/4 filled out the rest of my images (I brought the 70-200GM II just for a whale watching tour).
With small and fast primes on vacation, I carry two lenses with me in a sling bag. One lens on the camera and one in the bag. I like to mix and match something different each day. For instance, I’ll have the 35/1.4 on as my main lens but bring either the 75mm or 21mm or 14mm. Whatever my fancy is that morning. The next day will be different. I may decide to use the 21/1.4 as my main lens and bring along the 50/1.4 to match it. It makes things easy, relatively light, and loads of fun. Far more fun for me than a zoom.
You can see a ton of pictures in these threads:
https://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1880360/
https://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1920732/
Dec 30, 2025 at 03:40 PM
p.2 #12Advice for traveling lens(es)?
I think you need a good tripod and some good nd filters for those landscape shots
Jan 01, 2026 at 07:23 PM
p.2 #13Advice for traveling lens(es)?
Truebeam wrote:
A big part for all my trips (mostly solo trips) is taking photographs (more creative work than casual shots). Mostly interested in landscapes, street, and occasional self portraits (streets or landscape as backdrop). Prefer simple/minimum set up. Next trip: Iceland. I have a Sony A7 CII (bought for traveling purpose). Which one(s) of the following Sony GMs should I get?
Sony 16-35/2.8
Sony 24-70/2.8
Sony 50/1.4, 80/1.4, 35/1.4
I do like to shoot in low light. Want fast FS.
Ideally I'd prefer just one zoom. If not, one zoom plus one prime. What are your thoughts/experiences? Would love to see your sample traveling...Show more →
Looking at your lovely photographs, I would say that you like the range that is covered by the 24-70 GM II, a very fine lens that is useful for travel but for much else besides. It is bigger than some of the alternatives, but it is a very fine lens that covers a lot of the most prime photographic territory. I might also bring something like the Voigtlander 40mm 1.2 (manual focus) for low light and an alternative rendering. After you've spent a lot of money on those, the next lens I would get and bring is the 16-35 GM II, another great and very useful lens.
Alternatively to the lenses you asked about, I would urge you to consider the Sony 16-25 and 24-50 f/2.8 G lenses. These are excellent lenses and are rather small and thus travel-friendly. You could supplement these with the Voigtlander 40/1.2 and the TTArtisan 75/2.0. You could get all four of these for fairly close to the price of the 24-70 GM II.
A big part for all my trips (mostly solo trips) is taking photographs (more creative work than casual shots). Mostly interested in landscapes, street, and occasional self portraits (streets or landscape as backdrop). Prefer simple/minimum set up. Next trip: Iceland. I have a Sony A7 CII (bought for traveling purpose). Which one(s) of the following Sony GMs should I get?
Sony 16-35/2.8
Sony 24-70/2.8
Sony 50/1.4, 80/1.4, 35/1.4
I do like to shoot in low light. Want fast FS.
Ideally I'd prefer just one zoom. If not, one zoom plus one prime. What are your thoughts/experiences? Would love to see your sample traveling...Show more →
Looking at your lovely photographs, I would say that you like the range that is covered by the 24-70 GM II, a very fine lens that is useful for travel but for much else besides. It is bigger than some of the alternatives, but it is a very fine lens that covers a lot of the most prime photographic territory. I might also bring something like the Voigtlander 40mm 1.2 (manual focus) for low light and an alternative rendering. After you've spent a lot of money on those, the next lens I would get and bring is the 16-35 GM II, another great and very useful lens.
Alternatively to the lenses you asked about, I would urge you to consider the Sony 16-25 and 24-50 f/2.8 G lenses. These are excellent lenses and are rather small and thus travel-friendly. You could supplement these with the Voigtlander 40/1.2 and the TTArtisan 75/2.0. You could get all four of these for fairly close to the price of the 24-70 GM II.
Jan 01, 2026 at 08:51 PM
p.2 #14Advice for traveling lens(es)?
chiron wrote:
Sony 16-35/2.8
Sony 24-70/2.8
Sony 50/1.4, 80/1.4, 35/1.4
I do like to shoot in low light. Want fast FS.
Ideally I'd prefer just one zoom. If not, one zoom plus one prime. What are your thoughts/experiences? Would love to see your sample traveling photos. If you could indicate what lens you used for your photos, and what focal lengths that'd be great. Many thanks in advance!
P.S Doesn't have to be Sony GMs...Added a few photos I took in Iceland by my phone so to give you some idea what kind of landscapes I like. Phone images are far from ideal but welcome critiques.
Hate the big watermarks--wasn't intentional but hard to get what I like on my phone. Also would like to know if I can downsize the images so they won't take up the whole screen.Looking at your lovely photographs, I would say that you like the range that is covered by the 24-70 GM II, a very fine lens that is useful for travel but for much else besides. It is bigger than some of the alternatives, but it is a very fine lens that covers a lot of the most prime photographic territory. I might also bring something like the Voigtlander 40mm 1.2 (manual focus) for low light and an alternative rendering. After you've spent a lot of money on those, the next lens I would get and bring is the 16-35 GM...Show more →
Thanks for your compliments on my phone photos :-) ! Used to carry my Nikon all the time but been lazy lately, plus my Nikon system is quite heavy. I'd got all of them if I had the $$$ :-). Now I'm mainly trying to decide between a good zoom or a couple primes such as 24 or 35. You are probably right, I like to shoot in 20-70 range. Thought about 28-70 f4 but not having the 24 range is a little deal breaker for me. Lately been looking into 24-105 f4, pair with a fast wide prime; or a 16-35 f2.8 pair with a tele prime. Decisions decisions decisions.
Truebeam wrote
A big part for all my trips (mostly solo trips) is taking photographs (more creative work than casual shots). Mostly interested in landscapes, street, and occasional self portraits (streets or landscape as backdrop). Prefer simple/minimum set up. Next trip: Iceland. I have a Sony A7 CII (bought for traveling purpose). Which one(s) of the following Sony GMs should I get?Sony 16-35/2.8
Sony 24-70/2.8
Sony 50/1.4, 80/1.4, 35/1.4
I do like to shoot in low light. Want fast FS.
Ideally I'd prefer just one zoom. If not, one zoom plus one prime. What are your thoughts/experiences? Would love to see your sample traveling photos. If you could indicate what lens you used for your photos, and what focal lengths that'd be great. Many thanks in advance!
P.S Doesn't have to be Sony GMs...Added a few photos I took in Iceland by my phone so to give you some idea what kind of landscapes I like. Phone images are far from ideal but welcome critiques.
Hate the big watermarks--wasn't intentional but hard to get what I like on my phone. Also would like to know if I can downsize the images so they won't take up the whole screen.
Thanks for your compliments on my phone photos :-) ! Used to carry my Nikon all the time but been lazy lately, plus my Nikon system is quite heavy. I'd got all of them if I had the $$$ :-). Now I'm mainly trying to decide between a good zoom or a couple primes such as 24 or 35. You are probably right, I like to shoot in 20-70 range. Thought about 28-70 f4 but not having the 24 range is a little deal breaker for me. Lately been looking into 24-105 f4, pair with a fast wide prime; or a 16-35 f2.8 pair with a tele prime. Decisions decisions decisions.
Jan 05, 2026 at 09:30 PM
p.2 #15Advice for traveling lens(es)?
I would say :
- Sony 20-70 F4 G (lighter than the GM; you said "my Nikon system is quite heavy"
)
- Sony 70-200 F2.8 (or 4) GM
- A GM prime (35mm ou 50mm 1.4)
- Sony 20-70 F4 G (lighter than the GM; you said "my Nikon system is quite heavy"
)- Sony 70-200 F2.8 (or 4) GM
- A GM prime (35mm ou 50mm 1.4)
Jan 06, 2026 at 06:24 AM
p.2 #16Advice for traveling lens(es)?
When I was in Iceland I found that my 70-200mm did all of the work. I wasn't hiking though.
Jan 07, 2026 at 09:38 PM
p.2 #17Advice for traveling lens(es)?
bemei wrote:
When I was in Iceland I found that my 70-200mm did all of the work. I wasn't hiking though.
When I was in Iceland I found that my 70-200mm did all of the work. I wasn't hiking though.
Jan 07, 2026 at 10:14 PM
p.2 #18Advice for traveling lens(es)?
How about the 14mm 1.8 GM paired with the new Tamron 25-200 f/2.8-5.6?
Jan 09, 2026 at 12:30 PM
p.2 #19Advice for traveling lens(es)?
old-gregg wrote:
https://d3ue2m1ika9dfn.cloudfront.net/fm/iceland.jpg
Not quite, we slept in the 4x4 for a week and did some serious off roading.
bemei wrote
When I was in Iceland I found that my 70-200mm did all of the work. I wasn't hiking though.Not quite, we slept in the 4x4 for a week and did some serious off roading.
Jan 10, 2026 at 12:10 PM
p.2 #20Advice for traveling lens(es)?
The GM 24/1.4 is fairly light and small and takes beautiful pictures. It is also close to the typical main lens of most phones. With a little cropping it covers the applications of a 35mm too. Then maybe a Tamron 28-200 to be able to frame landscape details without long extra walks?
Jan 10, 2026 at 02:02 PM