Wide angled lens for mountains?

stringy wrote:

I'm lucky enough to be spending a couple of weeks in Nepal in early November, and will be doing some trekking up in the mountains.

I've currently got an EM-10, and the only lens I've got at the moment is the panasonic 14-140mm. This is a great lens and is really versatile.

I've not really done much photography of/in mountains before, so am wondering whether 14mm will be wide enough? or if I can make do with what I've got?

I like travelling light so if I can get away with the lens I've got, then that would be ideal, however I don't want to be up a mountain and wishing I could fit more in!

If I were to get something wide, then I think I'd be looking at the olympus 9-18mm or the panasonic 7-14mm to compliment the 14-140. I've been doing a bit of reading and they both seem to be great lenses with their relative strengths and weaknesses.

Im also not sure how much I'd need the full range of the 14-140, so wonder whether a 12-35, or 12-40 would work well on its own instead of taking the 14-140 + a wider lens. Having said that, both these lenses seem quite large?

Basically Im a bit lost, so any advice is welcome!!

I would definitely bring the 14-140; it's versatile and you can go wide or long without having to change lenses.

I highly recommend the Olympus 9mm fish eye body cap lens. It's very small and light, and I take it almost everywhere. I don't use it that often, but it gives a unique perspective when I want it.

I also recommend a fast lens for low light situations. My favorite is the Olympus 17mm f/1.8, but if you are shooting portraits then perhaps the 45mm f/1.8 (it does a good job of subject isolation as well). They are both small and light; I would take both.

I also always take a small tripod. My preference is the Targus 42" travel tripod (TG-42TT) with the crappy head removed and replaced with a 1/4" to 3/8" adapter and small ball head. If you will only shoot landscape, then just about any small ball head will do (I use the Joby with quick release plate, only 150g). But if you will be shooting in portrait orientation, then I recommend a cheap ARCA L bracket (see eBay for the Universal MPU100 ) and the Sirui 10x ball head. For more height, add the Manfrotto 259B extension.

Here's a recent hand held HDR shot with the 9mm

Bash Bish Falls with Olympus 9mm body cap fish-eye lens

FE