Advice on lens for Rome trip - 8-25 vs 12-100

I'm visiting Rome for the first time next week with my OM-1.

I mainly use my camera for wildlife (birds, insects, macro) + scenery and family photos so I don't have a lot of experience using it for city sightseeing, so I'm wondering which main lens I should take since I want to travel light with just a couple of lenses.

I have the Oly 25mm 1.2 and Oly 17mm 1.2 for low light, so I'm planning to take one of those two lenses for evenings, but for daytime I'm wondering whether to take my 12-100mm which is what I'd normally take travelling or my (lighter) very new 8-25mm which I managed to pick up recently on a discount.

The 8-25mm is my first wide-angle lens so I'm only just getting used to using it, but I can imagine finding it very useful in the tighter confines of a city and the Coliseum (which I'll be visiting). I don't typically take a lot of tele photos when I've travelled previously so I don't *think* I'd miss the extra range of the 12-100 too much, but I've never been to Rome before. I expect my photos will mainly be scenery, sights and vistas rather than close-ups of people or street photography.

I guess I'm just worried about leaving the very versatile 12-100 at home lol.

For those who have done a similar trip, out of those lenses which do you think I'll get the most use from?

Cheers,

Steve

If I was making this trip, I'd mount the 8-25 and bring the 12-100.

When you want to take a picture of the Colosseum, you might need 8mm to get as much of it in your picture as you can. You won't get to back up.

However, if you are going up to a mountain for a good view of Rome then clearly the 12-100 would be more appropriate.

I would definitely take both + the 17mm. The 8-25 will probably be your most used lens but the 12-100 is very nice to have if you want a close up of some detail on a building for example. Also, the sync IS of the 12-100 can be very handy indoors if you have a body that takes advantage of it.

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When I travel I only take 1 lens... the 17/1.8 and it's all I feel I need 90% of the time. It of course depends on your photographic style and purpose of the trip. By purpose I mean, is this a photo centered trip or a family trip. If the later, take as little as you think you can live with to take snapshots on the run, you won't have time to fiddle with multiple lenses. If I had the 8-25mm I'd probably take that and the 17mm.

My trip to Rome was back in the day when the widest I had was the 14-45 kit lens. Not a problem for things like the Coliseum, but definitely far too narrow for places like the Trevi Fountain and Pantheon interior. I've looked back though the images - I was also using lengths beyond 25 moderately often. So I'm afraid I'm another advocate of taking both lenses. And I'd be tempted to add a fast prime for church interiors. They are photogenic, but many are gloomy.

I never understood why people think to have to make a choice. Bring them all

Generally for street and people 8-25mm will over everything but f/4 is not always useful

I take my 10-25mm and 25-50mm 1.7 they do cover every single situation. I doubt you will be shooting much at 75-100mm

If I remember correctly from when I visited Rome several years back, I think you'd get a lot of use out of the extra 4mm in the wide end from the 8-25. If I were you and set on only taking one zoom lens, then it'd be the 8-25.

However, taking both 8-25 and 12-100 might not be such a bad idea. But personally I think you'd get more out of 8-25 than 12-100 in that destination.

I just had a trip through Vienna, Bratislava, and Prague.

I brought the Olympus 12-100 F4, the Panasonic 7-14 F4, and a 25 1.8. Covered everything reasonably well. Would have liked some other bright primes in some cases, but this was a great travel kit on a family trip.

Gordon

Interceptor121 said:

I never understood why people think to have to make a choice. Bring them all

Generally for street and people 8-25mm will over everything but f/4 is not always useful

I take my 10-25mm and 25-50mm 1.7 they do cover every single situation. I doubt you will be shooting much at 75-100mm

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I wouldn't say it is hard to understand that not everyone wants to carry so much gear. Sometimes just personally wanting a lighter load, sometimes because people are with family/kids and every amount of weight counts when you have to carry a diaper bag, snacks, etc already. Sometimes because people don't want all their stuff with them just in case anything happens, etc, etc.

There are many reasons people would not want to bring everything.

The OP said:

"since I want to travel light with just a couple of lenses."

8-25, 12-100 and 17mm sounds like a good combination though. Of course if it was possible, if the 8-25 is mainly on, then a lighter lens like a 35-100 f/2.8 could work better (or even 40-150 f/4) since one would have to change between the 8-25 and 12-100 anyways, but OP didn't indicate having any lens like that.

JosephScha said:

If I was making this trip, I'd mount the 8-25 and bring the 12-100.

When you want to take a picture of the Colosseum, you might need 8mm to get as much of it in your picture as you can. You won't get to back up.

However, if you are going up to a mountain for a good view of Rome then clearly the 12-100 would be more appropriate.

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+1 on the 12-100. The Seven Hills of Rome is a thing.

I have not been to Rome, but I do live near and shoot in a densely built old city. Over the years, I have discovered that a wide zoom works better than almost anything else in that environment. I have a 12-35mm on the M43 and a 20-60mm on the FF (which would be pretty close to the coverage of your 8-25mm), and I think you would do great with the 8-25mm for pretty much all your urban shooting, with the fast prime for darker indoor venues. I suspect the 12-100 will be bigger than you want to carry, and heavier, so my vote is for the 8-25mm.

If you need a longer lens, I would even make the suggestion of getting the plastic fantastic Oly 40-150mm f4-5.6, instead of the 12-100mm. I know that sounds like blasphemy, but it's very light weight, small, and inexpensive, so low risk if anything happens to it. Plus, you get longer coverage if you are out in the countryside doing telephoto shooting.

YMMV, of course....

-J

If it were me for certain I'd have ONLY the 12-100 f4 Pro lens glued to the body and in a competent non slash able bag. I 've read too many stories of thieves that target tourists in that area in the first place, slashing their bags and ripping off their cameras and worse. and I for sure would NOT bring more than one ideal lens, which the 12-100 f4 Pro lens most certainly IS. I do not consider one absolutely NEEDING to have more than a equivalent 24mm wide capability. And the 200mm eq. reach is pretty ideal for so many cases. Just be safe. It's a tough world we're living in these days.

I would bring the 12-100. but also try to remember that you can make a 2 image pano (rectangle photo) or even a 4 image pano (larger square) if you feel the 12-100 is not wide enough. I use a photo 1 finger to signal the start of a pano and a photo of 2 fingers to signal the end of that series. It helps me remember what I was thinking when I took that series of photos.

I like UWA shooting and cities often need it, so I'd take the 8-25/4. Janet's advice to get a copy of the plastic fantastic 40-150 is good, just in case you need the reach you say you don't often use.

The 12-100/4 would be too heavy for me, and the wrong FL range.

From my own kit, I'd add the (used) PL25/1.4 mk i - cheap if it's stolen, light, and excellent rendering.

My only concern in your case would be that UWA composition requires practise. Maybe have a look at some of the images Albert Dros took in Rome - he loves UWA.

Andrew

I was in Rome 4 years ago and just got back from a trip that included Venice and Athens. I think the important question is not what to take to Rome, but what lens should be on your camera when you leave your hotel each morning. My advice is to travel light during the day. You will be getting on/off buses and subways, standing in entrance lines, and it will be difficult to change lenses in crowded museums or if you are on any group tours. All I carried during the day was my E-M10 or E-M5.3 with my 12-40 attached. Many museums, churches, and the Vatican restrict bag size ("no backpacks" is a common policy) and camera usage (such as "no flash" or "no photos"). The average tourist only carries a cell phone and many will sneak photos in places that say "no photos". The larger your camera gear, the more you will attract the attention of security personnel. I looked through my photos and could find almost none at focal lengths >25mm. Based upon the above considerations, I suggest your 8-25mm should be your go-to lens, but that may vary depending on your daily activities.

I took a quick look at the photos from my last couple of Italian trips. I used 2 lenses about 50/50 - 12-40mm f/2.8 Pro and PL 8-18 f/2.8-4. I used the 12-40 more at the longer end. Maybe 10% of my shots were at the 8mm end. I do a lot of panos for wide angle situations, though.

If the 12-40Pro died tomorrow, I would seriously consider the 12-100 as a replacement.

MerlinTheMog said:

I'm visiting Rome for the first time next week with my OM-1.

I mainly use my camera for wildlife (birds, insects, macro) + scenery and family photos so I don't have a lot of experience using it for city sightseeing, so I'm wondering which main lens I should take since I want to travel light with just a couple of lenses.

I have the Oly 25mm 1.2 and Oly 17mm 1.2 for low light, so I'm planning to take one of those two lenses for evenings, but for daytime I'm wondering whether to take my 12-100mm which is what I'd normally take travelling or my (lighter) very new 8-25mm which I managed to pick up recently on a discount.

The 8-25mm is my first wide-angle lens so I'm only just getting used to using it, but I can imagine finding it very useful in the tighter confines of a city and the Coliseum (which I'll be visiting). I don't typically take a lot of tele photos when I've travelled previously so I don't *think* I'd miss the extra range of the 12-100 too much, but I've never been to Rome before. I expect my photos will mainly be scenery, sights and vistas rather than close-ups of people or street photography.

I guess I'm just worried about leaving the very versatile 12-100 at home lol.

For those who have done a similar trip, out of those lenses which do you think I'll get the most use from?

Cheers,

Steve

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I've traveled to Rome several times over the years, it never gets old. The decision on lenses depends greatly on what you like to see and do, and what type of pictures you plan to take.

The big sites are large and wide. The ultra-wide end of the 8-25 would be perfect to set the scene and stage. If I had that lens I'd definitely take it along and expect to use it quite a bit for both exteriors and interiors. On the other hand, Rome is full of sculpture and intricate detail. The long end of the 12-100 would very good for capturing those details. Evening street life in Rome is full of imagery. For that the 17/1.2 would be terrific, and also for the interiors of dimly lit churches.

If it was me, I would take all three lenses along. Then pick one for each outing from the hotel.

Beware that pickpocketing is definitely a thing. It doesn't matter where you are ... busy locations, places that look upscale and beyond reproach, it can and will happen everywhere you go. So a cut-proof camera strap, and something like the Pacsafe X9 sling bag would be a good piece of kit to have along.

--
Jeff
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jck_photos/sets/

I was in Rome three years ago.

Rome is an open-air museum, but even in "real" museums the 12-100 has proved adequate. Only rarely do I regret not having brought the 9-18.

But in retrospect, for all Italian cities (I am Italian) I suggest the 12-100 and a wide zoom.

My I suggest a trip also to Tivoli (35 km from Rome)? Villa Adriana, Villa Gregoriana e Villa d'Este are truly spectacular!

Have a nice trip!

L

My standard travelling lenses are:

• 7-14 f/4 (300g),
• 12-35 f/2.8 (310g),
• 45-150 f/4-5.6 (standby lens, 200g), plus
• 15 f/1.7 (115g).

I also have 12-32 (70g) on my backup camera or in case if I have to go ultralight.

The above are lenses with me every trip (mainly overseas, specially some places where are strange to me and I would have interest on everything).

Ultra wide is perfect for tight spaces shooting (narrow street, old town, indoor or by its interesting perspective for creative shots), a standard zoom for walking around and a f/1.7 for low light shooting...

As there could be some fine detail in distance but can't get close, a tele could be useful. The 200g 45-150 is my current perfect option for such purpose...

You might notice that my lenses would all be the smallest and lightest among their class (e.g. 7-14 f/4 vs 7-14 f/2.8, 12-35 f/2.8 vs 12-40 f/2.8) because I perfer to walk around the destination taking pictures. Carrying everything walking for few hours under whatsoever weather condition is never easy for my age and physical condition. Any extra gram might cut short my walking distance or could affect my enjoyment of the visit/shooting.

Rome could need to walk a lot. If I am you I shall carry a prime lens of widest coverage for indoor and low lighting, the 8-25 as general walking around + wide angle, leave the not small 12-100 behind and add a US$100 40-150 instead. IIRC just in Vertican you might find the 150 be too short (inside the cathedral or in the sequare).

My 2 cents.

We were in Rome 2015. I was using GM1 and G6 Panasonic bodies, GM1 with Samyang 7.5mm Fisheye and G6 with Panasonic 7-14mm. Yes, I like UWA. Also, as backup and general purpose, the fast lensed LX7 24-90mm f1.4 Compact, though I do not recall if I actually used it there.

Your 8-25mm would definitely be the best match. However, if you wedded to your 12-100mm f4, then you could take it, but it will be at 12mm 90% of the time and, even then, you'll want to do some multi-shot panoramas. If you have a smartphone with UWA, then it might cover below 12mm.

Yes, a small fast prime is always useful.

Have a great trip, it's a fantastic place to visit. Do be security aware, close zips, etc. If you have a Safe at the hotel, leave your Passport, spare cash, credit cards, in it.

Rome with UWA https://www.flickr.com/photos/dieselgolfer/albums/72157654650592648/with/18910870859/