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Big trip, need lens advice.

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Hart623

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My husband and I are taking a once in a lifetime trip to Italy in May, and we will be there for 2 weeks. I want to take amazing pictures while I'm there as this is probably one of very few chances we will have to take a trip like this.

I'm still new to photography, with the Sony NEX 3N I've had for a little over a year. I've mostly taken photos of my husband's band, and some casual shoots for family and friends.

I currently have, in addition to the kit lens, a 50mm prime, and a 55-210 telephoto lens.

I would absolutely love suggestions on how to properly immortalize this amazing trip. Do I need to upgrade a lens, possibly add a wide angle lens? Am I better off leaving one of them at home? My goal is to take some beautiful pictures of the landmarks and the landscapes, but also of the life happening around us, and the special moments we find ourselves in while we're there. Any thoughts or suggestions would be so appreciated.
 
I would suggest you bring what you have. You know that equipment and are comfortable with it, so it's your best bet to getting what you want. They're perfectly capable lenses and they do different jobs so I'd take them all ( and they're lightweight by lenses standards ).

I'd probably suggest an LCD shade ( they are collapsible ) as if you get Sun it can be quite bright and you need to rely on the screen to see.

Spare battery or two. You can get them cheaply with chargers on eBay ( i.e. chargers apart from the camera itself ! ).
 
Hart623 said:
I'm still new to photography, with the Sony NEX 3N I've had for a little over a year. I've mostly taken photos of my husband's band, and some casual shoots for family and friends.
I currently have, in addition to the kit lens, a 50mm prime, and a 55-210 telephoto lens.

I would absolutely love suggestions on how to properly immortalize this amazing trip.
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Can you learn about exposure, lighting, and composition in two weeks?
Hart623 said:
Do I need to upgrade a lens, possibly add a wide angle lens?
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No.
Hart623 said:
Am I better off leaving one of them at home?
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Maybe.
Hart623 said:
My goal is to take some beautiful pictures of the landmarks and the landscapes, but also of the life happening around us, and the special moments we find ourselves in while we're there. Any thoughts or suggestions would be so appreciated.
Click to expand...
Put your camera on iAuto. It will do the job a lot of the time. But you will still end up with lost opportunities. It's unrealistic to expect that you will be able to capture everything perfectly, so don't worry about it.
 
Hart623 said:
My husband and I are taking a once in a lifetime trip to Italy in May, and we will be there for 2 weeks. I want to take amazing pictures while I'm there as this is probably one of very few chances we will have to take a trip like this.

I'm still new to photography, with the Sony NEX 3N I've had for a little over a year. I've mostly taken photos of my husband's band, and some casual shoots for family and friends.

I currently have, in addition to the kit lens, a 50mm prime, and a 55-210 telephoto lens.

I would absolutely love suggestions on how to properly immortalize this amazing trip. Do I need to upgrade a lens, possibly add a wide angle lens? Am I better off leaving one of them at home? My goal is to take some beautiful pictures of the landmarks and the landscapes, but also of the life happening around us, and the special moments we find ourselves in while we're there. Any thoughts or suggestions would be so appreciated.
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This is a question of philosophy than anything. I've done both ways... 2 bags of lenses, 2 bodies, and so on. And a 16-85 lens, 35mm f/1.8 and a travel flash.

Wide angle lenses in general capture more of the grandeur of a scene. Our eyes are somewhere around 35-60mm, with most being around 40-50ish I am told. This would correspond to a 25-35mm lens on your camera. The closest would for an e-mount would be a 35mm. Your 50mm gives the same field of view as a 75mm due to your camera's 1.5x crop factor.

There aren't a lot of wide angle choices for your camera... in fact there is only 1 and it is very expensive. It is the Sony 10-18 f/4 and costs $850, the only other solutions are the Sony 16-70 f/4 which is similarly priced and not very wide (though it would do in a pinch). And the 16-50 which is not that great optically. Or a few manual focus lenses.

You could rent the 10-18 for around $50 a week or rent the 16-70 for $60 a week.

Or you could sell your NEX 3n and its kit lens, which I think is a 18-55.

Then for $540 buy a used Sony a6000 (or $700 for new) which comes with a 16-50 kit lens. The a6000 is the new "NEX" camera from Sony. The 16-50 lens is not good, but the camera software hides a some of the flaws (I don't think your NEX 3n would do this). 16mm is not the ideal width, but I find it is the angle of view at the edge of where I start to enjoy landscape and similar photos. Obviously the 10-18 is still the a better wide angle lens. But for the same price as that lens you can buy both another camera like a Nikon d3200 and Sigma 10-20 and still have change left over (640-820). So it is hard to recommend buying it. I'm not suggesting you change brands, I am only mentioning why my recommendation for the 10-18 might seem lukewarm.
 
Hart623 said:
My husband and I are taking a once in a lifetime trip to Italy in May, and we will be there for 2 weeks. I want to take amazing pictures while I'm there as this is probably one of very few chances we will have to take a trip like this.

I'm still new to photography, with the Sony NEX 3N I've had for a little over a year. I've mostly taken photos of my husband's band, and some casual shoots for family and friends.

I currently have, in addition to the kit lens, a 50mm prime, and a 55-210 telephoto lens.

I would absolutely love suggestions on how to properly immortalize this amazing trip. Do I need to upgrade a lens, possibly add a wide angle lens? Am I better off leaving one of them at home? My goal is to take some beautiful pictures of the landmarks and the landscapes, but also of the life happening around us, and the special moments we find ourselves in while we're there. Any thoughts or suggestions would be so appreciated.
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As it happens, I'm off to Italy later this year, and I'm taking a Sony a5100, which I guess is an updated version of your camera. I'm taking a Sigma 19mm f/2.8 as my main lens, and also the Sony 50mm f/1.8 prime. Spare battery and spare SD cards, and small computer complete the kit.

I'm very happy with the performance of the Sigma 19mm, and the Sony 50mm f/1.8 is a particularly good lens which also has OSS. I always think that it's a good idea to have two lenses, and honestly it was a bit of a toss-up between the kit lens and the 50mm as the additional lens. The Sigma 19mm is so sharp that I'm happy to use either a small amount digital zoom (up to 1.5x), or rely on cropping once I get home. The 50mm should be good for landscape and maybe shots of particular scenes that are otherwise too distant for the 19mm.

While I like the really wide angle view of the 10-18mm or 10-20mm lenses, I find that I can live with 19mm for general use.

Despite what you hear about the Sony 16-50mm kit lens (that's probably the one you have), it has worked well for me, and that lens may be all you need at the wider end. There's a minor pastime on DPR of rubbishing kit lenses, and the Sony 16-50mm comes in for special attention. Provided you are happy with your copy of the lens, it will do fine, rather than getting another wide lens. I don't think that you'll need the 55-210mm.

You may need to work on your technique. Many "holiday snaps" are less than satisfactory because of lighting problems (e.g. bright background sky causing under-exposure of your subjects). I'm not sure about the 3N, but the Sony a5100 displays the effect of exposure compensation (EC) on the rear LCD, and you can alter the EC to suit the scene (but don't forget to return it to zero before the next shot).

The other thing to bear in mind is that since you are an amateur, and Italy has already been comprehensively captured on film, you are unlikely to come back with prize-winning shots, so make sure that you enjoy your trip as well as the photography. I was initially planning to taken my Nikon D7100 and a bag of lenses, but a reality check such as this, as well as security concerns sent me in the direction of the Sony.

-Buon Viaggio!
 
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It is way to late to start worrying about new equipment. Spend the time between now and the trip learning to make the most of what you have. Also, take lots of pictures between now and then to improve your technique.
 
Form factor would be one of my criteria for a camera/lens combination. Not only is it nicer to be able to blend in and not look like just another tourist with a humongous telephoto lens on their camera but unfortunately southern Europe has currently got a lot of desperate economic refugees fleeing from the horror shows that are happening further south and east and you do not want to be a target for theft.

So saying, it is not something to over worry about as it can be covered by insurance and Italy is a truly wonderful country. It is stuffed full of medieval architecture and what appeals to me is that in many small towns these wonderful buildings are not preserved in aspic but are just used as normal working environments. As regards lenses, there are many narrow alleyways with hardly room for a car and which are flanked by tall buildings so bear that in mind.

Have a great trip and be prepared to be treated to some of the best food in the world (imo).
 
I haven't read all the other advice, but I was in Venice and Rome for the part of a week during my two week trip. You can bring the 50mm, but I would lean towards a 35mm(kit if you have to) or less because of the small city streets. It is ideal to also get a fisheye.

Actions speak louder than words, so here are some samples for you to decide -> http://ambercool.smugmug.com/Events/Eurotrip-2014/i-b4WDS7L

--
-Viet
http://www.ambercool.com
"Luck comes to those who do"
 
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Hart623 said:
My husband and I are taking a once in a lifetime trip to Italy in May, and we will be there for 2 weeks. I want to take amazing pictures while I'm there as this is probably one of very few chances we will have to take a trip like this.

I'm still new to photography, with the Sony NEX 3N I've had for a little over a year. I've mostly taken photos of my husband's band, and some casual shoots for family and friends.

I currently have, in addition to the kit lens, a 50mm prime, and a 55-210 telephoto lens.

I would absolutely love suggestions on how to properly immortalize this amazing trip. Do I need to upgrade a lens, possibly add a wide angle lens? Am I better off leaving one of them at home? My goal is to take some beautiful pictures of the landmarks and the landscapes, but also of the life happening around us, and the special moments we find ourselves in while we're there. Any thoughts or suggestions would be so appreciated.
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If the trip involves landscapes and architecture, I would get a wide zoom; other than that my advice would be to practice a lot before you leave, so you don't miss opportunities.
 
What you have is fine, make sure you know how to use it. Your camera is very similar to my E-pl1 in image quality. On my last trip to Italy, I only took two lenses, a 17mm f/2.8 and a 40mm f/2.0. An cheap external slave flash helps for indoor photo's.

Here is my thread about that trip:

Loading…

www.dpreview.com

Feel free to PM me with any questions.

Tedolph
 
Hart623 said:
My husband and I are taking a once in a lifetime trip to Italy in May, and we will be there for 2 weeks. I want to take amazing pictures while I'm there as this is probably one of very few chances we will have to take a trip like this.
Click to expand...
Congratulations. You don't say where in Italy you're going but I've never found it less than delightful anywhere.
Hart623 said:
I'm still new to photography, with the Sony NEX 3N I've had for a little over a year. I've mostly taken photos of my husband's band, and some casual shoots for family and friends.

I currently have, in addition to the kit lens, a 50mm prime, and a 55-210 telephoto lens.

I would absolutely love suggestions on how to properly immortalize this amazing trip. Do I need to upgrade a lens, possibly add a wide angle lens?
Click to expand...
You don't need to upgrade. If you can find a wide angle lens at a decent price it will help catch scenes that you'd otherwise miss: unless you shoot panoramas you won't get the whole of the Trevi Fountain, for example (8mm on APS-C) - 16mm would give about half the width and height.

143747169.jpg


But wide angles take a bit of practice and you haven't got a lot of time for that. Don't rule a WA out immediately but don't worry if you decide against it.

Take a small tripod or Gorillapod for long exposures (Sirmione, Lake Garda).

157237131.jpg

Hart623 said:
Am I better off leaving one of them at home?
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I've found 50mm on your size of sensor to be too long for most things. I much prefer a 35mm, which is in the middle of your kit lens's range.
Hart623 said:
My goal is to take some beautiful pictures of the landmarks and the landscapes, but also of the life happening around us, and the special moments we find ourselves in while we're there. Any thoughts or suggestions would be so appreciated.
Click to expand...
I try to separate sightseeing from photography; that's often impossible but if you can, set aside times for just taking your photos. Early evening before dinner is usually a relaxing time with softer light than the middle of the day.

I try to work in themes: stalls in a market; window displays at night; reflections in water; public street art ... I'll go for a walk looking for today's theme and tend to ignore everything else; but then I'll walk back looking for a different theme.

Although these are from France (Nice) this gallery shows what I mean; you'll see that I like to use B&W for a more dramatic effect in some cases. http://www.pbase.com/gerrywinterbourne/nice_2011

If you can be bothered to sort through the different places I have many other shots of Italy here http://www.pbase.com/gerrywinterbourne/holidays

--
---
Gerry
___________________________________________
First camera 1953, first Pentax 1985, first DSLR 2006
http://www.pbase.com/gerrywinterbourne
[email protected]
 
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Just a bit of non photographic advice. I do not know how much latitude you have in your travel arrangements but unfortunately many of the well known tourist spots are now so overcrowded in the conventional tourist season that visiting them is almost more pain than pleasure. The problem is that many more people have money to travel these days and Italy is particularly high on the radar for people from the Far East. Venice has been a no go area for several years now but sadly even Florence is going the same way. The only time to visit the famous tourist spots is in the lowest possible season.

So what to do ? Either be prepared to arrive at the galleries the moment they open but probably better to leave it to right at the end of the day. An even better solution (imo) is to abandon the big name places and go to lesser known but equally fantastic towns but that means research and not having so many museums and art galleries to visit. An example would be - forget Florence but instead go to Lucca (exquisite) a few miles away which gives you the feeling of Tuscany but without the horrendous crowds.

There are just too many people on our lovely planet unfortunately.

Edit:just to add in case you have not got the ability to change your plans. Do not be too downhearted, we are lucky as photographers that the best time to wander the streets with your camera happens to coincide with some of the best times for photography which is first light in the morning.
 
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Prime would be of no use as you u want to capture the life around you. Better to use telephoto lens u had. 210 lens is optimal for such occasions.
Primes comes into play at low lights because of thier extra light sucking capabilities.
I would suggest to move out with your telephoto lens.
 
paultr said:
Just a bit of non photographic advice. I do not know how much latitude you have in your travel arrangements but unfortunately many of the well known tourist spots are now so overcrowded in the conventional tourist season that visiting them is almost more pain than pleasure. Venice has been a no go area for several years now ...
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This is true only up to a point: yes, the areas around St Mark's and the Rialto Bridge and the lanes between them are jam-packed from mid-morning (when the tours arrive) until early evening but walk a couple of minutes away and most of the crowds are a memory.
 
Gerry Winterbourne said:
paultr said:
Just a bit of non photographic advice. I do not know how much latitude you have in your travel arrangements but unfortunately many of the well known tourist spots are now so overcrowded in the conventional tourist season that visiting them is almost more pain than pleasure. Venice has been a no go area for several years now ...
Click to expand...
This is true only up to a point: yes, the areas around St Mark's and the Rialto Bridge and the lanes between them are jam-packed from mid-morning (when the tours arrive) until early evening but walk a couple of minutes away and most of the crowds are a memory.
Click to expand...
 
paultr said:
The region I try to visit as often as I can is Tuscany and I look back with pleasure when we had our honeymoon there in the 80's when you could turn up at the Uffizi mid morning and just walk in. Last year we went for a repeat performance and the waiting times were measured in hours so we gave up.
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Yes, unless you buy advance tickets it's a waste of time and once inside it's like a cattle market. Do you know Museo dell'Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore behind the Duomo? Not so much famous stuff but a more pleasant experience.
 
Gerry Winterbourne said:
paultr said:
The region I try to visit as often as I can is Tuscany and I look back with pleasure when we had our honeymoon there in the 80's when you could turn up at the Uffizi mid morning and just walk in. Last year we went for a repeat performance and the waiting times were measured in hours so we gave up.
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Yes, unless you buy advance tickets it's a waste of time and once inside it's like a cattle market. Do you know Museo dell'Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore behind the Duomo? Not so much famous stuff but a more pleasant experience.

--
---
Gerry
___________________________________________
First camera 1953, first Pentax 1985, first DSLR 2006
http://www.pbase.com/gerrywinterbourne
[email protected]
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You can book online and if there is something you 'have' to see that is probably the best way. Make sure you do it before you go because when we tried (not online) for a day in advance it was all fully booked. This was in the middle of May and it could have been just a particularly busy week.

Loading…

www.uffizi.org
 
Hi, First I would reiterate what a few others say about sticking to the gear you already have. Not only for familiarity reasons, but also because it is fine kit capable of giving you excellent photos.

Here are a few tips:

1) When in Rome: Around midday the light is unflattering, for both people and landscapes. Do as the locals do, and head to the shade. Either shoot there, or take a break from your camera.

2) To get the very best landscape photos get up early, stay out late - You want to be shooting about an hour after/before sunrise/set.

3) Remember to capture memories, not just the 'classical' scenes (you can find enough of them on a google search!)

4) Look for details. Don't forget to close in on still lifes, eg a registration plate on a car, a cup of coffee in the cafe, This will give your photos a local sense of story.

5) When photographing people don't forget to engage! A simple smile usually does the trick.

6) Take a walk up a side street - It'll get you away from the crowds and give you some more 'real' location photos

--

NearerNirvana Travel photography

NearerNirvana Facebook page
 
Hart623 said:
My husband and I are taking a once in a lifetime trip to Italy in May, and we will be there for 2 weeks. I want to take amazing pictures while I'm there as this is probably one of very few chances we will have to take a trip like this.

I'm still new to photography, with the Sony NEX 3N I've had for a little over a year. I've mostly taken photos of my husband's band, and some casual shoots for family and friends.

I currently have, in addition to the kit lens, a 50mm prime, and a 55-210 telephoto lens.

I would absolutely love suggestions on how to properly immortalize this amazing trip. Do I need to upgrade a lens, possibly add a wide angle lens? Am I better off leaving one of them at home? My goal is to take some beautiful pictures of the landmarks and the landscapes, but also of the life happening around us, and the special moments we find ourselves in while we're there. Any thoughts or suggestions would be so appreciated.
Click to expand...
i wouldn't buy a new lens at this point, particularly since from your post it doesn't seem like you have a burning need for anything in particular and your kit lens can get pretty wide. if i were you, i'd consider the less expensive optional EVF for the camera instead, so that if you're in bright light you'll still be able to frame your shot.

one other thought - are you comfortable changing lenses on the fly? if not, you might consider buying a higher end sony compact. sony because the controls will be familiar to you, higher end as a bigger sensor is a plus, and some have quite decent zoom and features. that way hesitation over changing lenes won't get in the way of getting those lifetime photos.

btw, remember to bring a rocket blower to get dust off your lens and potentially your sensor. and have fun on your trip!
 
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