Lens for Rome trip

Hi. What focal size lens makes more sense for Rome, Italy trip? I am using primes a lot these days. Although I do have a 24-120 F4 that I haven’t used lately. I have a Nikon 20 1.8g. Zeiss 25 f2. Sigma 35, 50 and 85 1.4. Even have a Zeiss 50 milvus. Not sure if worth bringing Zeiss if it will slow me down if crowds there. Mainly not sure which focal length is appropriate based on tight streets and sites and indoor architecture. Thanks

Forgot to mention lens is for D750 and Zeiss Milvus 50 is f1.4

How about traveling simple with D5500 and 18-140 lens? You can add the 35mm 1.8 and you are good to enjoy the trip.

I'm not a big believer in the idea that a particular city dictates a particular lens choice. I think a lot depends on the specifics of your trip. I haven't visited Rome since 2012, and on that particular trip I shot mostly with a 24-85VR, and occasionally with an old Tamron 17-35 f/2.8-4 or a small prime like the 35mm f/2D. Most areas of Rome were very crowded on that trip, so I rarely changed lenses, except when I was out for early morning photo walks by myself. In the Vatican, it was so mobbed that changing lenses would have been almost impossible. But I came away with a set of photos that I was very pleased with, despite having used less than optimal lenses. My Flickr album from that trip is here:

Italy 2012, including Rome

In other more recent trips, I've done a lot of shooting in other cities with a mix of primes and zooms, or almost totally with primes, or dominantly with a single zoom (my general-purpose travel zoom is now the Sigma 24-105mm f/4). Each choice has pros and cons, but I feel I know how to adjust my shooting style to allow for the traits of the set of lenses I've brought. Here are some further thoughts:

1. If I'm making a trip where I think I'll have a number of opportunities to get out by myself to shoot for a couple of hours or more, I like to have my best primes with me, and I carry a set of f/1.4 primes at 24, 35 and 85mm (I shoot FX on a D800). I also usually throw in the 35 f/2 for those times when I want to go lightweight and attract less attention. I know I can do my best quality work with my primes, but most of my travel is not exclusively dedicated to photography, so I like to have a zoom, too.

2. These days, my Sigma 24-105 f/4 goes with me on almost every trip, and I like it especially for those times when I'm with a group and don't want to hold others up while I change lenses. But it's a very sharp lens in the center of the frame at all focal lengths, and gives me fairly satisfying results across its range of focal lengths and apertures. The main adjustment I make for it is that I don't expect great edge sharpness at 24mm, especially at f/4 or f/5.6, so I keep that in mind as I shoot. If I were shooting with it in the Colosseum, I'd probably try doing multi-image stitch panoramas at 35 or 50mm, rather than using it a lot at 24mm.

3. Sightseeing in a tour group usually suggests the need of a zoom, at least for me.

4. If I'm making a "mostly primes" trip, I usually select one or two lenses for the day, rather than taking my entire kit with me. Fast primes are heavy. Often, I'll use just one focal length on my outbound trip for the day, and then switch to the other lens on the return, especially if I know in advance that I'll be re-tracing some of the same route.

--
Ray
My Flickr page: http://www.flickr.com/photos/rritchie/

Also bring 2-3 body guards to keep an eye on your gear as well as you ;-)

Rome is very busy and crowded. You really don't want to have to swop lenses often, if at all.

My suggestion would be to take only the 24-120.

--
***
Syd

vinman1 said:

Also bring 2-3 body guards to keep an eye on your gear as well as you ;-)

Click to expand...

I've been to Rome many times, and never felt paranoid about my gear at all. I met one guy who had his wallet stolen, containing all his cash, credit cards and passport - from his back pocket, on a crowded bus!

24-120 and 20mm 1.8 for all those interior shots.

thats all you need.

I did a few Italian cities in October last year: Milan, Venice, Pisa, Florence and Rome. I mostly used my 16-35 and 24-70, but often I needed the 16-35 for interior and even exterior shots. For example the Colosseum, Vactican City etc. My Camera is full frame D810.

yes, I was thinking of only taking a few lenses out for the day. a few primes at a time.

I also forgot to mention that I have the Nikon 18-35 zoom. maybe that along with 24-120. Bu t I want something fast for interior shots. I hate changing lenses in tight and crowded spaces. I have all these great primes though. Thats why I bought them. Thanks.

Thanks. I want to stick with full frame on this trip. although D5500 would be extremely lightweight.

joemama10 said:

Hi. What focal size lens makes more sense for Rome, Italy trip? I am using primes a lot these days. Although I do have a 24-120 F4 that I haven’t used lately. I have a Nikon 20 1.8g. Zeiss 25 f2. Sigma 35, 50 and 85 1.4. Even have a Zeiss 50 milvus. Not sure if worth bringing Zeiss if it will slow me down if crowds there. Mainly not sure which focal length is appropriate based on tight streets and sites and indoor architecture. Thanks

Click to expand...

We went to Rome last year, the combo that worked best for me was Nikon 20mm f1.8G, Nikon 35mm f1.4G (most used) and Nikon 105mm f1.4E (second most used). Body used was Nikon D5. Had carried Nikon 70-200 f2.8 FL but did not use it beyond 10-15 shots, if that. In your case, 20mm, 35mm and 85mm should be a great combo.

Thank you. I am thinking I should leave the Zeiss home. So I don't have to bother with manual focusing in crowds. I am mainly interested in trying to figure out if I need wider lenses on this trip. Like the 20 or 25, or 35mm lengths.

Very nice pictures. Thank you for the link.

I went to Italy in Sept. of 2016 for the second time. I took over 550 shots. I had my 24-105 Sigma ART and my AP-S Nikon 20mm f/1.8G ED prime, as a just-in-case-I-need-wider lens. I used the Sigma 99% of the time, set at 24mm. I doubt I took half a dozen shots at any other focal length. Personally, with the crowds everywhere, I think the 20mm focal length is a bit too wide in many instances. Before I went, I was seriously considering taking only my Nikon 24mm f/1.8 and my 85mm f/1.8 lenses; and nothing else. Those two would have been fine, as well. But, I'm not sure that I would have used the 85 for much. And, I definitely would not bring the Zeiss lenses. You really don't have time to manually focus every shot. And, also keep in mind that there is usually a lot of dust and crowns moving around at the places you will be going. It's pretty hard to keep changing lenses, while trying to keep junk out of your camera sensor. This is what 24mm will get you.







--
truview

Thank you. That was very helpful seeing what 24mm will get me. I also have the Nikon 24 1.8G for autofocus instead of 25mm Zeiss.

I've traveled around the US, Canada, and Europe with my digital SLR gear for 15 years now, and have never had an issue with theft, though I've certainly heard the sad stories from others. In my younger years I left everything in one large backpack and went out every day with 20 or 30 pounds of gear on my back. These days I always have a smaller day pack with me as well - I usually just have one or two extra lenses, spare battery and memory cards, a couple of filters, and maybe a blower brush and lens cleaning cloth in that bag. On some trips, the large pack now stays home.

My biggest concessions to the security issue, independent of the city, are that 1) I have an insurance policy that covers me for full replacement value on all my gear, and 2) I use a steel mesh security bag that fits over my large backpack, and I normally lock that to something solid, like a radiator, in my hotel room while I'm out.

Enjoyed your great photos on FLICKR.

I would take the 24-120 as a walk-around, 20 f/1.8 for interiors and small urban spaces. If you want to buy something, the new 19 PC-E, 18 Milvus or 15mm Zeiss classic or Milvus could be worth it for architecture, interiors and narrow streets and spaces, and you could leave the 20 behind. The PC-E is perfect for the scale of architectural ruins in Rome.

I would also take a fast 35 or 50 for night street shooting and interior candids with people when you want to stop action more than you can with the 24-120. The zoom I would use at f/8 to get best results for landscape and architecture - all reports and tests show it's soft at the edges and corners unless shot stopped down quite a bit, and soft past 85 in particular. I will probably add this lens to my kit in spite of IQ because of the very convenient zoom range, though I'm waiting as long as I can in hopes that they update it or a 24-85 to something with a bit more across-the-frame resolution.

Good travels - Rome is a wonderful place to shoot all kinds of things. Include the trip out to Ostia if the ancient ruins are any interest to you. Easy bus or train.

joemama10 said:

yes, I was thinking of only taking a few lenses out for the day. a few primes at a time.

I also forgot to mention that I have the Nikon 18-35 zoom. maybe that along with 24-120. Bu t I want something fast for interior shots. I hate changing lenses in tight and crowded spaces. I have all these great primes though. Thats why I bought them. Thanks.

Click to expand...

There are times when the shallow depth of field of fast glass might be needed. However with the low noise high ISO capability of today's quality dslrs, fast primes are not generally required for the darker environments.