I agree that 50mm is an excellent focal length for Japan, but I own the RF 50/1.8 and it's not a good lens. The bokeh is very busy with hard rings around specular highlights. Sure, it's sharp enough to get the job done, but I don't like its rendering at all... which is why I recommended the 35/1.8 instead. I haven't tried that one, but reviews have suggested it's a little better than the 50. Ideally OP would have the 50/1.4 VCM. Sell all the cheap RF and EF lenses and buy one, lol.
marsguy wrote:
I agree that 50mm is an excellent focal length for Japan, but I own the RF 50/1.8 and it's not a good lens. The bokeh is very busy with hard rings around specular highlights. Sure, it's sharp enough to get the job done, but I don't like its rendering at all... which is why I recommended the 35/1.8 instead. I haven't tried that one, but reviews have suggested it's a little better than the 50. Ideally OP would have the 50/1.4 VCM. Sell all the cheap RF and EF lenses and buy one, lol.
I actually have the EF 35mm f1.8 Macro! It is better than the RF 50mm f1.8 STM, but I prefer the 24mm focal length of my EF 24mm f1.8 Macro.
BTW.. I wasn’t suggesting that you spend more money, but rather liquidate unused equipment and put the money towards more appropriate gear. By all means spend money on your trip. Whatever you take with you, you will adapt your style to accommodate the gear. This includes picking one camera and one lens from your current stock. There are a number of cultural events worth seeing. We, by chance, arrived in May during one of the large Shinto celebrations held at the shrine next to our hotel. Three million people attended over the three day event. Thousands were in traditional dress. Quite the event. Make sure that you are current with the etiquette regarding public photography and privacy in Japan.
snegron7 wrote:
I actually have the EF 35mm f1.8 Macro! It is better than the RF 50mm f1.8 STM, but I prefer the 24mm focal length of my EF 24mm f1.8 Macro.
My youngest daughter was on a soccer team that toured France playing against French academy teams. It was also the 2019 Women’s World Cup. I took the Sony GM 24mm f/1.4 and 85mm Loxia for the two weeks. This 24mm is absolutely spectacular and is a great choice for traveling. Unlike my favorite, the 21mm, the 24mm handles subjects in the peripheral areas of the image without much distortion. So, your 24mm might just be a good choice for your trip.
I’ll be in Tokyo from about July 5-10. I’ll have other gear with me as this visit will follow Vietnam (including Hanoi and Ninh Binh, but my core kit for the city is likely to be my ZR + 35/1.2, with maybe my 85/1.2 in a bag. I’ll try it out first in Hanoi. That said, my RX100vii is still in play — it may make the cut over the ZR, in which case I’ll take two Z8s instead of one on the trip.
After reading all the feedback here and on other forums (and lots of overthinking), I decided to buy a Canon RF 24-105mm f4.0L.
So, my main camera outfit will be an R6II, RF 24-105mm f4.0L, RF 35mm f1.8 Macro, and RF 16mm f2.8 STM. My kid will be taking the OM-5 with Panasonic 12-35mm f2.8 G2, and an Olympus 45-150mm f4 Pro.
My reasons for choosing this setup:
1. The focal range I'm probably going to be using the most falls between 24mm and 105mm.
2. After a (very) lengthy research, it came down to picking between either a Sony 24-105mm f4.0 or a Canon RF 24-105mm f4.0L. Most online reviews place the Canon version slightly above the Sony version. I've had negative experiences with Sony lenses (decentering issues), having to return them until I got a good copy. Ironically, I actually owned a Canon RF 24-105mm f4.0L a few years ago but ended up returning it because it was deffective. I decided to try again.
3. The 24-105mm f4.0 covers most of my shooting, but I still need a wider lens. While my Tamron 17-28mm f2.8 is an amazing lens, my Canon RF 16mm f2.8 STM is way lighter and performs fairly well.
4. While my Sony A7iv captures better images than my Canon R6II, I really love using my R6II.
5. My kid would be complaining constantly having to carry the "heavy" A7c, so the OM-5 it is.
I just came back from my one week trip to Tokyo...since I mostly waffled on deciding what to bring I brought probably too many for a normal trip but photography was more or less my actual vacationing activities so I used pretty much all of them...
A7IV
FE16G
FE40G
FE70-200GII
CV28APO
Sigma 85 Art
Tripod
I think if someone makes a 24-50 F2 I can probably be pretty happy with that. I have no real issue lugging 3 lenses with me on the day of and with a tripod if I have a specific shots in mine(I pretty much brought it for 3 specific shots I have in mind I wanted to shoot)
Have fun with your trip, I am already wishing I am back there...lol
I went in early May during Golden Week with the R5II, 28-70/2, 70-200/2.8Z and 1.4x TC. While there I bought the 20/1.4 VCM. I haven't had time to go through all the photos yet due to work priorities but I'd guess the usage was 60/40 for the 28-70 over the 70-200. Maybe 70/30. I didn't use the 20 a lot other than the day I bought it to make sure it worked. Other than that the 1.4x was the least used lens of the bunch, but still came in handy on some occasions.
The downside to this kit was that the two zooms were fairly large and heavy, but I did want these for some people photos I planned to do while there and didn't want to also bring a set of slower, lighter lenses for 'landscape' outings. When not shooting the weight was a bit of a drag.
Very glad I brought the 70-200 as there were definitely scenes and compositions that benefitted from it.
It sounds like you’ve settled on a versatile setup. Having spent a fair amount of time traveling in Japan, I’d say that how you like to travel and what you want to see matter just as much as focal length.
A lot of indoor spaces in Japan can be very tight. In my experience, 35mm or wider is generally more flexible indoors, while longer lenses can leave you limited to detail shots if you don’t have room to step back.
To immediately contradict my own advice, though, neither of those things is an absolute rule. This is a detail shot taken at 20mm. A wide lens doesn’t stop you from moving closer when you want a tighter composition:
And this was taken at 55mm in a very tight restaurant. By positioning myself in the doorway, I was still able to get a relatively broad view of the interior:
So while those focal-length limitations are generally true, positioning yourself well and being willing to move can often get you around them.
I also agree with what others have said about weight. You spend a great deal of time walking, using public transportation, and navigating stairs, so even small differences add up. It’s worth thinking about the bag itself, too. I try to leave enough room for something other than camera equipment, whether it’s a drink, a sandwich, or a souvenir picked up during the day.
Personally, I often go out with one camera and one lens selected for that day’s itinerary. I find the restriction freeing because I’ve already made the equipment decisions before leaving and can spend the day enjoying the sights rather than managing gear.
Your 24-105mm, 35mm, and 16mm should cover these situations well. I just wouldn’t feel obligated to carry all three every day.
William_S wrote:
It sounds like you’ve settled on a versatile setup. Having spent a fair amount of time traveling in Japan, I’d say that how you like to travel and what you want to see matter just as much as focal length.
A lot of indoor spaces in Japan can be very tight. In my experience, 35mm or wider is generally more flexible indoors, while longer lenses can leave you limited to detail shots if you don’t have room to step back.
To immediately contradict my own advice, though, neither of those things is an absolute rule. This is a detail shot taken at 20mm. A wide lens doesn’t stop you from moving closer when you want a tighter composition:
And this was taken at 55mm in a very tight restaurant. By positioning myself in the doorway, I was still able to get a relatively broad view of the interior:
So while those focal-length limitations are generally true, positioning yourself well and being willing to move can often get you around them.
I also agree with what others have said about weight. You spend a great deal of time walking, using public transportation, and navigating stairs, so even small differences add up. It’s worth thinking about the bag itself, too. I try to leave enough room for something other than camera equipment, whether it’s a drink, a sandwich, or a souvenir picked up during the day.
Personally, I often go out with one camera and one lens selected for that day’s itinerary. I find the restriction freeing because I’ve already made the equipment decisions before leaving and can spend the day enjoying the sights rather than managing gear.
Your 24-105mm, 35mm, and 16mm should cover these situations well. I just wouldn’t feel obligated to carry all three every day....Show more →
Thank you!! I'm planning on taking a backpack but haven't decided which one yet.
