Lens Choice for a trip to Rome

Hendrik_nl · Sep 21, 2025

With ultra-wide lenses, I don’t find AF as critical since the depth of field is so large, especially when stopped down. For that reason, I’d prioritize rendering and build quality instead. The downside is that not many third-party options are weather-sealed.

One thing I don’t like about ultra-wides is that the field of view can sometimes feel a bit underwhelming. That’s why I’d always pair one with a “normal” lens, like a 40mm or 50mm

mysteryman44 · Sep 21, 2025

The Nikon s 24 120mm lens is a great lens to take. I think it’s the perfect travel lens.

duffotos · Sep 21, 2025

Admirable response. From your gear list, one can surmise that we have decidedly different opinions about the use of zooms and ultra-wides in general. They are perhaps more appropriately addressed elsewhere. IMHO, it is doubtful that either of us will sway the preferences expressed by nonicks in the initial posting. My purpose in suggesting the 14 mm Viltrox lens was to inform, not to persuade. Your suggestion clearly offers more flexibility in the normal range.

nonicks · Sep 21, 2025

ContaxComeBack said:
ContaxComeBack said:

Again, I am not a zoom person. I think a cheap 75/2 with FX and DX modes on camera will work fine for the short tele needs, if I have to add one.

Click to expand...

Fwiw, I used an X100-series on my last trip to Rome and Ostia and Bay of Naples. That and an X-Pro with 35/1.4 (= equiv. to 50mm FOV). Both did a great job but if I could repeat the trip and had to use Nikon (which is fine, of course - maybe a Zf, though they are a bit heavy) a 35 / 40mm plus a 75mm would make me happy. Short teles in my humble opinion are very underrated for general photography and I'd also stick my neck out to say they make excellent landscape lenses too.

Enough from me now and I will go back quietly into my hutch

Thank you. 35mm is my go to FL for years. That is the first lens I purchased for my Leica . 23mm/1.4 was the most used lens with my X-pro3. I can imagine I probably can just take the x100vi for the whole trip and use pano and stitching for most of the ultra wide needs although that’s a little less fun to me. I travelled with my Leica q2 only for France, Spain and London and did stitching for ultra wide shots. 35mm and 50mm will probably make stitching even easier.

I am thinking about buying a 75mm lens ( not sure which one yet. But I need to mind the weight adding to my bag. So still need to evaluate the options… wish Zf has higher resolution and add digital crop-to zoom like Leica in its next generation.

nonicks · Sep 21, 2025

Michel Jarry said:
In recent years I went to Italy, Greece, Portugal and I'm now in Lyon France.
In my Think Tank Retrospective I carry my Z7, 24-120 f/4S, 14-30 f/4S and my 35 f/1.8S.

With this setup, I have yet to find a subject matter typical to these old countries that I could not capture inside, outside, day or night.

Enjoy your trip...

Thank you for sharing. That is a very comprehensive set up to cover pretty much everything from 14-180 ( mixing FX and DX ). Great choice!

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nonicks · Sep 21, 2025

Craig Gillette said:
nonicks said:

Also just curious about how useful 35mm/40mm or longer in Rome?

Thank you!

Click to expand...

It's over 10 years now since visiting Rome (etc.), but for that trip I had an aps-c 16-50, so 24-75 in ff angle of view terms. I felt it, at times, both not wide enough or not long enough. You have "wider" covered.

Depends on your interests but I'd also grab (or not) things like statues, architectural details, statues, some people shots, and then some long shots from high points. It was a 16 mp camera so higher res cameras can support more cropping.

So longer could be useful but then it adds to the kit, swapping would likely be needed, etc. I'm in Sony now so don't have any real insight to the available Nikon lenses you might consider.

Thank you! 24-75 is the most useful range for general use and travel for sure.

nonicks · Sep 21, 2025

Hendrik_nl said:
nonicks said:

I am planning a trip to Rome. I decided to take 26/m with ZF due to the low profile and the FOV is very close to the travel camera, Q2, it replaced.

I am thinking to bring and ultra wide lens. For those of you who visited Rome before, would you recommend:

1. Viltrox 20mm/2.8. Or

2. Voigtlander 15mm/4.5 Super Wide- Heliar

The main trade off here is aperture vs.focal length. I have no problem to MF with the 15mm. So the operation speed is not a main concern.

If 20mm is wide enough in most situation, I actual prefer to take it with me as the weight difference is noticeable although I have no problem to carry or mount either on the camera all day.

Any recommendation?

Also just curious about how useful 35mm/40mm or longer in Rome?

Thank you!

Click to expand...

My Zf is my travel camera and I usually keep it simple with just one lens: the Voigtländer Nokton 40mm f/1.2. I’m still debating whether to also bring the Nikon 40mm, since I sometimes miss having fast autofocus.

If I need something wider, I just shoot a quick handheld series and stitch them later in post. Works surprisingly well and more than good enough for a photobook or travel memories.

I find that carrying too much gear takes away from the holiday feeling. It’s not just the weight but also the worry about theft. These days I decide upfront: if it’s a photography trip, I’ll bring more gear. If it’s more of a holiday for pleasure, I go minimal.

Agree. It's my favorite way to travel also. One camera one lens or a fixed lens camera.

nonicks · Sep 22, 2025

mysteryman44 said:
The Nikon s 24 120mm lens is a great lens to take. I think it’s the perfect travel lens.

Yes. I had it with me last trip. Fantastic optical performance and AF speed. Love it. But for Rome, I try to do a little more low profile set up by going prime and smaller. Max no more than 3 small lenses or 2 lens for Zf and x100VI. Still debating.

There still a chance I might just bring 1 camera and 1 prime.

--
https://www.flickr.com/photos/183079213@N06/

ContaxComeBack · Sep 22, 2025

nonicks said:
There still a chance I might just bring 1 camera and 1 prime.

X100-series sounds promising then!

Mind you, if you were going to Ireland, Isle of Man or Britain you'd have great fun with a Nikonos-V and the W 35/2.5. Nothing to worry about when it comes to WRability there. I shot with that combo on trips to the Lake District for possibly my best ever pictures. But I digress!

nonicks · Oct 15, 2025

I want to thank all for your advice and suggestions.

I finally decided to bring the 26mm for weather seal just in case. And I took the Vitrox 20mm/2.8 with me and knowing that this was going to be the main lens.

With that said, I also took your advice and brought the X100VI for having something a little longer.

I pretty much used the 20mm on ZF about 2/3 of the time. It's such a great focal length for Rome. I can imagine I can just take this lens with the ZF, and leave everything home. X100VI was great although it's a little too long for what I need. But the SOOC are just lovely. Great for some environmental portrait and family photos.

There were a couple moments I wish I had the the 15mm Voligtlaner with me. But other than that, I really didn't feel I needed 15mm.

Also, I was little lazy to switch camera even when I know that I could get better results if I switched. For that reason, I believe a zoom lens would be perfect. I can think of one perfect lens/camera combo, which is the Panasonic 18-40mm with S9. I think this combo has a lot of potential for places like Rome or Italy in general.

Everywhere we went in this trip was packed with tourists. Plus we were constantly moving given the busy schedule. So it's not easy to get the pictures I typically like although I still got something to show. I will share some pictures in a separate thread.

Thank you again!

--
https://www.flickr.com/photos/183079213@N06/

bikinchris · Oct 15, 2025

I have no problem with using Microsoft ICE to stitch images together, so I often bring a more normal lens and take several image and stitch them together. Sometimes, I use a short zoom like 17-35, but even then, I use it on the narrower side.

Craig Gillette · Oct 15, 2025

Thanks for a post trip update. Looking forward to some pics.

jiberlin · Oct 15, 2025

I also would vote for the 14-30/4. In the narrow old street of old european towns you will need the widest field of view that you can get.

In my view, the F4 aperture is not a problem because the short FL combined vith VR allow long exposure times handheld.

Rene Gr · Oct 16, 2025

I returned the Viltrox 20mm due to the unfixable wavy distortion. But if you do not shoot architecture and simply want it to dive into the crowd, close-up to people, it might be useful.

I would take the 24-70 f/4 for a light travelling. For a second lens, only you can decide if you need an ultra-wide or a fast prime.

ContaxComeBack · Oct 21, 2025

nonicks said:
I want to thank all for your advice and suggestions.

I finally decided to bring the 26mm for weather seal just in case. And I took the Vitrox 20mm/2.8 with me and knowing that this was going to be the main lens.

With that said, I also took your advice and brought the X100VI for having something a little longer.

I pretty much used the 20mm on ZF about 2/3 of the time. It's such a great focal length for Rome. I can imagine I can just take this lens with the ZF, and leave everything home. X100VI was great although it's a little too long for what I need. But the SOOC are just lovely. Great for some environmental portrait and family photos.

There were a couple moments I wish I had the the 15mm Voligtlaner with me. But other than that, I really didn't feel I needed 15mm.

Also, I was little lazy to switch camera even when I know that I could get better results if I switched. For that reason, I believe a zoom lens would be perfect. I can think of one perfect lens/camera combo, which is the Panasonic 18-40mm with S9. I think this combo has a lot of potential for places like Rome or Italy in general.

Everywhere we went in this trip was packed with tourists. Plus we were constantly moving given the busy schedule. So it's not easy to get the pictures I typically like although I still got something to show. I will share some pictures in a separate thread.

Thank you again!

Very good to read your feedback and useful to take in as it's handy to re-evaluate my own travel kit a few years now since last going to Italy. I can imagine taking a 24, 35 and 50 (or equiv. in APS-C0 again or like you I can see possibly a 20/21 in the city instead of the 24. Did you enjoy the Zf as the body for your lenses. And did you find the X100VI and Zf equally nice handling and instinctive to use when you got into your stride? (No need to reply if you are busy catching up!)

nonicks · Oct 21, 2025

ContaxComeBack said:
nonicks said:

I want to thank all for your advice and suggestions.

I finally decided to bring the 26mm for weather seal just in case. And I took the Vitrox 20mm/2.8 with me and knowing that this was going to be the main lens.

With that said, I also took your advice and brought the X100VI for having something a little longer.

I pretty much used the 20mm on ZF about 2/3 of the time. It's such a great focal length for Rome. I can imagine I can just take this lens with the ZF, and leave everything home. X100VI was great although it's a little too long for what I need. But the SOOC are just lovely. Great for some environmental portrait and family photos.

There were a couple moments I wish I had the the 15mm Voligtlaner with me. But other than that, I really didn't feel I needed 15mm.

Also, I was little lazy to switch camera even when I know that I could get better results if I switched. For that reason, I believe a zoom lens would be perfect. I can think of one perfect lens/camera combo, which is the Panasonic 18-40mm with S9. I think this combo has a lot of potential for places like Rome or Italy in general.

Everywhere we went in this trip was packed with tourists. Plus we were constantly moving given the busy schedule. So it's not easy to get the pictures I typically like although I still got something to show. I will share some pictures in a separate thread.

Thank you again!

Click to expand...

Very good to read your feedback and useful to take in as it's handy to re-evaluate my own travel kit a few years now since last going to Italy. I can imagine taking a 24, 35 and 50 (or equiv. in APS-C0 again or like you I can see possibly a 20/21 in the city instead of the 24. Did you enjoy the Zf as the body for your lenses. And did you find the X100VI and Zf equally nice handling and instinctive to use when you got into your stride? (No need to reply if you are busy catching up!)

I enjoyed using ZF more. I can imagine I would enjoy it even more if the viltrox 20mm had an appropriate aperture ring on it. But in general, the ZF offers me better user experience than the X100VI. I think it’s a combination of the tactile feel of the dials, the much better EVF, the weight and the much more responsive AF. But the 20mm FL choice definitely played a role here.

The X100VI was good in general. Given that I had used Fuji system for over 10 years including X100s, I had no problem to pick it up again. I left Fuji for Leica a few years ago and got the ZF last year. the X100VI did what it’s supposed to do. But AF struggled in some situations on this trip. The EVF and the dials feels inferior to the ones on ZF. And the aperture ring doesn’t feel great either comparing to other MF lenses I own. However, the SOOC pictures with the Kodak recipe were simply beautiful. Being easy, simple and straightforward on setting the recipes and able to deliver amazing outputs is absolutely still the biggest strength Fuji has.
With that said, if I had to choose only one to bring, it would definitely be the ZF.

GeoffRG · Oct 22, 2025

I've been to numerous Italian cities and never taken a lens wider than 24mm (or equivalent). I've usually carried 24-70, on most visits I didn't own anything shorter anyway. A wider lens might be useful or it could be an inconvenience.

NickZ2016 · Oct 23, 2025

nonicks said:
I am planning a trip to Rome. I decided to take 26/m with ZF due to the low profile and the FOV is very close to the travel camera, Q2, it replaced.

I am thinking to bring and ultra wide lens. For those of you who visited Rome before, would you recommend:

1. Viltrox 20mm/2.8. Or

2. Voigtlander 15mm/4.5 Super Wide- Heliar

The main trade off here is aperture vs.focal length. I have no problem to MF with the 15mm. So the operation speed is not a main concern.

If 20mm is wide enough in most situation, I actual prefer to take it with me as the weight difference is noticeable although I have no problem to carry or mount either on the camera all day.

Any recommendation?

Also just curious about how useful 35mm/40mm or longer in Rome?

A 24-70 (any of them) will cover the vast majority if things .

You want I guess 18mm in front of the Trevi fountain. Going by memory. A little wider won't hurt. Even so you risk having to stand inside the shop doorway in front. Go early to avoid crowds

Off the top of my head that's about it for NEED wider than 24.

If you go up to Gianicolo you'll want something longer for the view over the city. I guess the same comment for any of the other high point viewing areas. The bar above the Capitolino. Next door at the altar of Patria . If you take the elevator up above St. Peter's dome

I don't know how good the ZF is in low light but that's the only reason you might want a faster lens for some dark interiors.

Aphidman · Oct 24, 2025

You got some beautiful shots! I particularly like the one of the colosseum at twilight.

I just got back from Rome and Florence myself; I brought my Zf and two lenses: the 24-120mm f/4 S, and the 28mm f/2.8 SE. I used the 24-120mm when we were on scheduled tours or seeking out famous sites; and the 28mm for casual walking around and for very dim interiors. Lightroom tells me that I used the 28mm for 17% of the images, and the zoom for the rest. I'm pleased with the results.

It's no surprise that there's more than one way to do it, and get great images. My wife is happy with the shots she got with her iPhone 17.

Thanks for sharing your experience!

Lens Choice for a trip to Rome

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