Venice trip: X100 + X-E1 ?

I can't see why you'd take both.

Maybe the XE-1 with a 14mm would make more sense to have two bodies.

I'd love to hear others rationale for bringing both. I'd love to be convinced I "need" an X100s.

Venice is beautiful. Been there twice, going back again.

Last time (Oct2012) I had my Nikon D5100, a zoom and a 35mm. Next time I am taking only my X100.

If you need to spend money, buy the XE1 and a zoom. I personally would spend that money while I'm in Venice, making pictures with my X100.

Also, if you get an XE1, learn how to use it expertly long before your trip. Screwing around with a new camera on vacation pretty much sucks.

Also . . .  If you have the time, train out to Padua for a day.

I thought about it again, a once in a lifetime trip with only a 35mm (equiv) focal length?

Hmmmm. You could, but you'll miss many opportunities that you would get with a 27-80ish.

The X100 will do a great job but remember that Venice has a lot of tight spaces and narrow pathways, so the option to zoom might be a better idea.

I would take the XE-1 for during the day and the X100 for night-time.

I doubt if you will ever use the X100. As others have said, Venice is tight in most places and you need wide. Then you will be shooting over canals, where the X100 will be short.

For night shooting, the 18-55, combined with ois, should easily handle it.  In Venice there tends to be a lot of soft ambient light.  Lovely.

I live in Italy for months each year. Been doing it for decades. I, nor anyone I know, has ever had anything stolen. On the other hand we have left valuable things at restaurants and by the time we got back to our hotel, there was a message waiting for us that it was found, safe and we could either pick it up or, in one case, they had already delivered it to our hotel.

On the other hand, I find the X100 a much nicer carry than my xe1, even with the 35. That would be the only logic I could see to choosing it over the xe1/zoom.

Let me be clear about what I commented.

If you already owned an XE1 & zoom, that would be my recommendation for you. (I will still leave my Nikon zoom home and bring my X100 ) If you don't own an XE1 & zoom at the moment, my personal choice would be not to buy it (spend the money to have fun over there) and use the X100.

My suggestion is to take only the X100. Believe it or not, I find the fixed focal length to be liberating and not a limitation.

Plus there is the smaller size and raw file you can work with.

Go with the X100

If it is a once in a lifetime trip, I'd recommend X-E1 + zoom.  Better skin tone with high ISO, higher resolution, and a very sharp zoom lens comparable to a prime.

If that's out of your budget, I'd suggest getting the 28mm wide angle adaptor for the X100.

Not sure it'd be worth dropping $1400 on an X-E1 just for one trip. If you already had one, I'd say definitely take both cameras...even if just for the purpose of having a slightly smaller one to carry with you at night when you want to be able to stick something in a jacket pocket.

The XE-1/18-55 is definitely the best standard zoom mirrorless package out there, though...so I'd consider buying one of the Amazon Warehouse Deals kits (there are several at around $1050 right now) and then selling it when you get back at a minimal loss. Or you could keep it!

I would take the X100S - best of both worlds.

Seriously, I took the X100 to Prague, and although there were a few times when I thought "I wish I had a telephoto lens", it was usually for things I could either walk a bit closer to, or things that were just me being a lazy photographer - ie. it would have been easy to snap them, but that doesn't make them good photos.

For those times when you want wide - the Panorama setup is very flexible (though I wish there was the option for a 60-90° view!). Here are a couple from Prague:





why not do it. It is nice to have the option of different focal lengths from time to time. For a once in a lifetime trip, I would bring two cameras just to have a backup. I would only carry one at a time though. For my last big trip I used a Sony NEX with a 24mm prime for 99% of my shots. I only used a zoom for one rooftop series. I enjoyed having the fast fix lens a lot. For my next trip, I plan to use the X100S as my primary camera with a NEX or pocket camera for backup.

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/thread/3220306

http://www.markwweston.com

It's going to be a judgement call for you.

If you will be spending a lot of time saying to yourself, "I wish I had a zoom lens", maybe it is better to have an X-E1 with you.

On the other hand, if you don't bring both with you, you might end up saying to yourself, "I wish I had brought the X100".

I have an X-E1 with the zoom lens. I recently got a Samyang 8mm F2.8 fisheye to go with it.

My wife and I went to England last year (or was it the year before?) and I brought a single focal length digital camera as my only camera. I had no significant second thoughts. It worked just fine.

Before that we had gone to France and I brought my DSLR with 17-85 zoom. I took over a thousand pictures. I overdid it that time! Also, lugging the camera around was a chore. Hence the simpler camera on the next trip. Have I looked at any of those pictures in the last year? Maybe one or two. Was it a waste of time to do that and take so many pictures I don't look at? Not a waste of time, just a very good learning experience.

The next time we travel I'll have the X-E1. I bought it with this trip in mind. Not a whole lot of pictures this time, not the world's best image quality, but capable nevertheless and very easy to carry. The fisheye is small too, so it will go along.

My recommendation is take the X100 only. Better image quality than the X-E1 I believe (not necessarily correct if you have a X100s). The single focal length is a different lifestyle choice, not a bad one either. You can pick one or two shots and get some large prints made after you get back. Meanwhile there will be plenty of things going on in Venice and you need to try to enjoy those too, instead of taking pictures all the time (my wife's opinion during the France DSLR trip, which actually made a lot of sense to me).

A previous poster's recommendation about the wide angle adapter lens for your X100 is a good idea and does not add a whole lot of bulk. I don't know the X100 options but if there is a tele adapter you might want to consider that as well. But for a highly built up place such as Venice, maybe you can do without and not miss it at all.

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Tom Schum

Hi, Tony, I've traveled all over Italy many times, including trips to Venice. To put it simply, there's a reason why we use lenses of different focal lengths -- one fixed lens simply can't cover all situations; the optical effects of wide angle are different from the optical effects of telephoto.

I would definitely recommend that you travel with either a mix of primes or a zoom that will give you more options. Shooting from the Rialto (most famous bridge in Venice), for example, you may wish to take in the entire scene, in which case the X100's 23mm will serve you well, but you may also want to frame much closer to isolate specific areas.

I would have no problem going out for a day with a fixed focal length lens, but if this is indeed your one and only trip to one of the most beautiful cities in the world, you will find yourself severely limited with the X100. Don't get me wrong; the shots that it is appropriate for will be great, but you will MISS opportunities that call for other focal lengths.

Thanks to all....... The forum is awash with lateral thinking and good advice. Consensus seems to be either/or, but not both. So I guess that's pushed me into the X-E1 territory. Having used the X100 in so many different situations I just KNOW I would regret not having the flexibility of a focal length range, albeit not a massive one but especially one slightly wider than the 23mm.

Thanks to all and I hope to post some results on my return and to confirm my suspicions that the zoom is the right decision.

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Tony168

And once in a lifetime trip... i doubt it. I visited Venice in last October and we are going back also next autumn ; - )

I left my TOO HEAVY DSLR equipment at home ( Canon 7D+10-22+24-105 usually) and i took only my Canon G1X with me to Venice. Zoom range  was close to a 18-55 and VERY useful !  X-E1 will be better because it has a better EVF (G1X does not have any - its OVF is terrible and LCD difficult in bright light - without reading glasses ...)

X-E1 is actually on my dream/shopping list  - IMO it is a perfect travelers camera ! I hope i'll have it in Venice the next time...



Have a nive trip ! And be prepared to walk a lot! - it is the only way to move around in Venice .  You will get lost, but that is just fun - islands are small anyway....Some places do not allow photography - please respect that ( like Frari and many museums)

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Kari
SLR photography started in 1968, 40D since 2007, and now 7D !
60.21 N 24.86 E

I have the Fuji X-E1 with the 18-55 lens and I would say it

would be a perfect combinations to cover  most situations.

Venice is a magical place and please don't forget to make use

of the monochrome  facility on the camera. Somehow

Venice cries out for black and white. Also when I was there

I found the locals loved being photographed and would often

pose quite willingly.

If you wish some inside information from one who knows the city

send a message and I will getin touch.

Phil.

I just looked over about 500 shots of Venice from last year, with a good mix of canal-side shots as well as alleys and tight spaces. At the time I had an NEX-7 with the 18-55 zoom.

In alleys and confined spaces I went wide, all at 18mm. On the canals, such as in a boat, surprisingly I was at 35-40mm most of the time. In places like Piazza San Marco it was a mix depending on the composition. There were a few shots I wished I had something even longer, but not many.

I've only had my X100 for about 6 months and intend to try it as my only camera on the next Europe trip in March.

My experience over several trips (my favourite city in the world), is entirely opposite. You don't know just how many shots you missed if you had only 23mm either that or you only stayed around the more open areas and the Grand canal.

In the past I've taken D700 with several primes for when I'm out on my own in the evenings. However, during the day or when with others I had D700 with 28-300 and 17-35 - sometimes I would even take a second body. IMO and although you would still get some shots with a fixed 23mm - if ever a place was made for a wide angle to short tele-zoom, it is Venice. Often you have only a maximum of 6ft - 8ft backward/forward movement because of canal in front and wall behind. Even with WA lenses you will find your self resorting to detail shots sometimes because you do not have the space for anything else.

The Fuji 18-55mm zoom will cover 80% of your needs. To cover across the wide canals and islands you would need at least up to 150mm (equiv), but you can at least crop from the 55mm (84mm). Likewise you may not have quite a wide enough view at 18mm but you will cover most ops - and you do have the panorama feature to help. If you also own the X100 then why not take it for interiors.

Now that I have the XP1 and 35mm + 18-55 I shall use it as my main daytime kit but supplement it with 85 and 180mm Nikon primes and my 17-35mm wide angle zoom (equivalent to 24-52).

I know a few of the resident photographers on Venice and they agree that the island really does require focal lengths from WA to medium telephoto.

I cannot understand why anyone would suggest taking only a 23mm fixed lens camera to Venice. While I'm ready to agree that personal choice comes into this - it is surely better to be "overarmed" than to return home from this wonderful place with little to show for it.

My advice is to take the XE-1 and zoom.

http://maps.veniceconnected.it/en

Above is a virtual tour of Venice at ground level - great for getting around and for those that will never get to Venice. Either stroll along and look around or enter start and finish points (from water bus drop-off to hotel or from hotel to tour places).

You may find this helpful - I did on my first trip to Venice and even now I plot our route to the hotel with it and get straight to the door. The water bus will drop you at the nearest stop (but you will have to tell them which that stop is), then you will have to hoof it yourself (and don't expect to use a map!) Use this virtual tour to start at the water bus drop-off stop (water bus station pick-up near the airport - short road bus ride - or get a road bus to the island and water bus down the Grand canal - but the 1st way is easiest). Plot your virtual route to your hotel address and this will make things much easier - I commit to memory but you can also print out a highlighted route.

Have a great time, don't stay on the main drag and around the honeypots - get around the back alleys/canals and to where the locals live (cheaper to eat great food there too), it's a great place - we may even meet if you're there in April.

I have plenty of pictures here http://www.perfectlycaptured.com/showgallery.php/ppuser/228/cat/all/page/5 you will need to trawl through 2 or 3 pages either side to see all of them but this page has quite a few of the usual Venice pics.

Vic

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The sky is full of holes that let the rain get in, the holes are very small - that's why the rain is thin.
Spike Milligan