Lens suggestion for China

Hello everyone,

I recently switched from a 40D to a 5D I and absolutely love the handling (viewfinder!) and results I get.

On the lens side, I have the Canon 24-105, Canon 50mm 1.4, Canon 85mm 1.8, and the Canon 70-300 (planning to sell it as I rarely use it).

I'll be in China (mostly Beijing and Shanghai) for 2 weeks in September and I'd like to travel lightly so I thought about bringing the 24-105mm and the 50mm only.

I really loved the 24-105 on my 40D as a general walkaround lens. The reach together with the Tokina 12-24 was enough for me most of the time.
Unfortunately, I find the 24-105 not to be very overwhelming at 24mm on the 5D.

I thought about getting a 17-40 and bring it along. WA sure is interesting in tight cityscapes.
However, I don't want to carry all my lenses.
So basically it's either the 24-105 + 50 or the 17-40 + 50 or 85.

I could still sell the 17-40 after this trip for (hopefullly) only a small loss as I want to keep my inventory small

I also wanted to see what focal lengths I use the most, but didn't know how to evaluate this in Aperture.

Hmm, so should I give the 17-40 a try and go with it + 1 prime or stick with the 24-105 + 1 prime?
I am planning to shoot city / street scenes, portraits, etc.

Thanks for any suggestions!

Shanghai has a lot to see.You will need a good wide angle for scenes along the river as well as for the ultra modern city skyscrapers at close quarters. But you will also find that many of the interesting subjects of street life will disappear as soon as they see you point a camera at them so you also need a long lens to get your shot from a discreet distance. Don't spoil your trip for the sake of carrying an extra lens. There is a market comprised of many small traders in camera gear of all types about 100 metres south east from the main overland rail station if the need arises, a bit like Aladdins cave but not obvious from the street.

this advice is spot on.

the most intriguing pics you'll see are the people.

the architecture is beautiful in Shanghai but the people are even more beautiful.

I was there 2 years ago and am dying to go back.

Greg J
--
Gregory A. Jackson
http://www.pbase.com/pdxJaxon

Thanks for your suggestions.

So which lenses would you bring along?

I figure in your opinion the 24-105 or the 85 are not long enough for some candid situations on a FF body so maybe I should indeed bring the 70-300?

Too bad I didn't have enough time to play with the new 5D in an urban environment. This would definitely help re. focal lenths.

Hmm, difficult choices.
I still tend towards the 24-105 and 50 somehow.

I would bring the 70-300 as the Chinese always seem to have put a temple worth capturing way over there atop that mountain. With the 5D your crop ability is somewhat limited. I think you would be fine with either the 17-40 or the 24-105, plus the 85 1.8 and the 70-300.... .. I would be tempted to take the four and then carry one or two based on the days schedule.

--
http://www.MartinDareff.com

http://www.martindareff.com/International-Travel/South-Africa-Safari/11941064_MigV5#846579258_j3My2-A-LB

In Shanghai at least you will not be shooting wildlife, but you will find many distant targets in the boat traffic on the river. And as mentioned before many of the more interesting street subjects will be gone if they see a camera, so there is a place for a long lens.

A good way to get around central Shanghai is by motorised trishaw, which you ride facing backwards giving a good view of the streetscape and oncoming traffic which can be literally in your face, interesting shots needing a fast shutter speed as you and your subjects are in motion. The evenings get dark early even in summer, the 85mm should cover both these situations well.

Having said all that, the 24-105 is going to cover most situations, and if you must restrict yourself to two lenses then take the 85. But having the 70-300 at least in your hotel you can make your own choice on the day.

Bring the 24-105 and something fast for night. I think the 50 is a good choice.

I travel a lot in China and Asia, and the 24-105 is almost always on. I have a 50L for night time.

The only thing I wish was that the 24-105 could have a bit more reach sometimes and that it was 24-105 1.4 haha.

Really though, the 24-105 is a great walk around lens for China. It's a great walk around lens for any city. I travel with it all the time. It's not very heavy either. I live in Shanghai and I find the lens plenty suitable for this city. Sure, you can bring your ultra wide angel to capture the Bund or something, but I'm pretty sure you'll more often find yourself in the 24-105 range than below it. Vacation requires the versatility of a zoom because you don't have all day to play around or to come back with another lens the next day. In most cases it's in the moment and I assure you that you'll miss shots if you come with something too wide and need to always be swapping lens and moving back or forth because you switched to a prime.

Hi,

Another reader living in Shanghai here.

I would recommend you bring the 50 1.4 and leave the rest at home.

Its is crazy hot and humid in Shanghai now, think it will be much the same in Sept even late at night.

The air quality is often poor which can effect images taken at long FL's too.

The normal FL can be fun... you can get excellent B&W cityscapes, candid shots. "Limiting" yourself to fixed 50mm can be fun too.... force you to employ your creative.

Of course it's easy to "recommend" this, I would end up bringing several. Hope you have better self-control than me!

-V

I live in Beijing

Don't carry too much but carry it with you all the time (some of the best shots you get in China come out of nowhere). As has been stated, people are usually your best subjects. In China you can generally photograph children (in fact I am often asked to take photographs and email the parents the pictures).

Wandering around Beijing I tend to use my 70-200mm a lot (for people shots) and my 50mm 1.4 at night. It gets dark early but people still hang out outside so a fast lens is essential. Check out the street vendors - lamb kebabs (yang rou chuar) and stinky tofu (chou dofu) are great. Beijing duck (Beijing Kao ya) is a must (i am not that fond of it but when in Beijing...)

You will probably end up going to some markets (one is enough), hutongs, the 'Wall' (Badaling is most popular but consider going to one of the other locations too), the Forbidden City and the Temple of Heaven. For these you will want some wide angle capacity. I think 24mm would be enough.

Head into a park early in the evening and watch Chinese people enjoying themselves (dancing, singing chatting etc). The 798 Art District is a bit cheesy but can be a fun way to spend a couple of hours (lots of galleries and cafes). It is an old factory zone filled with photo ops (many of which are designed for that purpose). You will also see locals carrying a boggling array of camera gear.

Best local camera shop if you need anything is http://www.rayi.cn

I think the 24-105 +50mm would be sufficient for Beijing. There will always be times when you wish you had a wider or longer lens but you want to spend most of your time enjoying China rather than trying to document it (a mistake I have made in the past)