All around best lens choices for Paris cityscape/portfolio photography

[ChillOne]

Recognizing that there is no 'one size fits all' lens, I wanted to ping this group to see if it might be in my best interest to invest in a 3rd lens to being on my upcoming trip to Paris. Right now, I'm armed with my Nikon D7K (not full frame); 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6 kit lens, 35mm 1.8 prime, a good speedlight, and my gorrilapod table-top tripod. My planned photographic portfolio (amateur and still learning, by the way) is expected to be:

50% shooting the wife -- portfolios (looking for some blurred backgrounds), editorial-style (maybe more background in focus), etc. Primarily outdoor - day and night.

40% shooting the Paris cityscape -- day and night; tourist spots, buildings & architecture, river shots, restaurants, dusk/dawn/twilight longer exposure shots, etc.

10% shooting inside the museums -- no flash; shooting mainly the artwork with the occasional shot of my wife in the foreground.

Knowing this, can an argument be made to add a 3rd lens to my bag? I probably will not be back to Europe for some time. And, willing to make a little investment in equipment if needed. But, if I can do all I want to do with what I've got -- and get great results, then I'm happy.

Thank you in advance for your input and comments.

• Chill

 

[nelsonal]

From your description two things hit me:
You might want a longer prime for night/blurriest background portraits.

35mm might be a hair too long to work well in a busy museum. A museum ticket before you leave to test how easy it is to get photos of the art without being a bother to others or having lots of people in the shot would be money well spent (vs buying a lens in Paris or missing lots of the art waiting for the perfect shot of a few displays). I took a 24mm prime to Chicago, and while it worked quite well, I hadn't thought about waiting for other guests to clear out of the frame (mostly this was the larger paintings or tapestries).

Another thought is depending on how frequently you'd be repeating either of these types of photography once you return, is it might be worth renting a very memorable lens for a memorable trip.

 

[Milner]

Recognizing that there is no 'one size fits all' lens, I wanted to ping this group to see if it might be in my best interest to invest in a 3rd lens to being on my upcoming trip to Paris. Right now, I'm armed with my Nikon D7K (not full frame); 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6 kit lens, 35mm 1.8 prime, a good speedlight, and my gorrilapod table-top tripod. My planned photographic portfolio (amateur and still learning, by the way) is expected to be:

50% shooting the wife -- portfolios (looking for some blurred backgrounds), editorial-style (maybe more background in focus), etc. Primarily outdoor - day and night.

Shooting wife - the 18-105 or 35 1.8

40% shooting the Paris cityscape -- day and night; tourist spots, buildings & architecture, river shots, restaurants, dusk/dawn/twilight longer exposure shots, etc.

nikkor 10-24 or 35 1.8 or 11-16 2.8

10% shooting inside the museums -- no flash; shooting mainly the artwork with the occasional shot of my wife in the foreground.

35 1.8

Knowing this, can an argument be made to add a 3rd lens to my bag? I probably will not be back to Europe for some time. And, willing to make a little investment in equipment if needed. But, if I can do all I want to do with what I've got -- and get great results, then I'm happy.

an ultrawide like a 10-24 or tokina 11-16, i would go with the tokina for the 2.8 aperture. Easy for me to say i have a nikkor 14-24 2.8 and really like the 2.8

Thank you in advance for your input and comments.

yw

• Chill

 

[Milner]

easily remedied with a 10-24

From your description two things hit me:
You might want a longer prime for night/blurriest background portraits.

35mm might be a hair too long to work well in a busy museum. A museum ticket before you leave to test how easy it is to get photos of the art without being a bother to others or having lots of people in the shot would be money well spent (vs buying a lens in Paris or missing lots of the art waiting for the perfect shot of a few displays). I took a 24mm prime to Chicago, and while it worked quite well, I hadn't thought about waiting for other guests to clear out of the frame (mostly this was the larger paintings or tapestries).

Another thought is depending on how frequently you'd be repeating either of these types of photography once you return, is it might be worth renting a very memorable lens for a memorable trip.

 

[tclune]

Your two-lens set looks perfectly appropriate to me. On a different note, let me mention that you can get a single pass to just about all the museums in Paris if you get it at the Paris airport. I haven't been there for a couple of years, but my recollection is that the passes are sold in 1-day, 3-day, and week-long denominations. You don't have to stand in line at the D'Orsay, Louvre, or Rodin museums if you have this pass -- you just walk right in. The catch is that you can't buy the passes at the museums. But, if you buy them at the de Gaulle airport, you can use them whenever you like. They don't start counting the days that the pass is good for until your first museum visit. My wife and I got these on our last visit, and would pop into the Rodin for lunch, or just wander around the Lourve when the weaather was iffy, etc. It's a very cool investment (the first time we went to Paris, we spent most of a day waiting in line to get into the D'Orsay. Never again...)

 

[Art Jacks]

If you are making an infrequent visit to Paris could I suggest that maybe you alter the percentages of the type of images you intend capturing, you state that you want to photograph your wife with blurred backgrounds etc, is it possible you could get some of these shots back at home and concentrate on getting images that are not possible once you have departed Paris. There is so much to capture in Paris and I do not mean just the regular tourist spots, it is a city for walking through and observing the ever changing street scenes, there are not many cities to compare with the atmosphere of Paris IMHO.

I travel in Europe on a regular basis by car, we do take photos of each other but these are only record shots but if you look at my profile photo you will probably realise why
--

A selection of my images can be found at http://www.photo-genesis.net follow the galleries link then select the Jacks gallery

 

[ChillOne]

Agree Art Jacks. I should mention that any blurring in the background would be just enough where you could still make out the backdrop -- 'Hey, that's the Eiffel Tower' back there. But, still draw the eye to the subject.

 

[JamesLumix]

Hi Chillone!

Yes, I think there is a good argument to add another lens to your kit (or two). Especially when its not like your in paris everyday!

From what you want to achieve...
Day/Night/Low Light shooting without flash
Wide Angle
Ability to blur back grounds to isolate subjects

you need a good wide angle and the fastest glass you can

I think you should look at the Tokina 11-16 2.8 - It is a great, sharp, well built UWA lens. Yes, the zoom range is small, but I have never found this to be an issue. The 2.8 is a must for indoors or shooting in unpredictable light (by that I mean you don't know that every day or situation will be sunny and bright while traveling).

And.... a 17-50/55 2,8 lens

Tamron VC
Sigma OS
Tokina 16-50
Nikon 17-55 - but get a good used copy to keep the price down
All are great 2.8 mid zoom lens

This would give you the ability to create editorial/photojournalism type shots in which I think you are trying to get that same "look".
Also gives you the ability to work in low light too.

50% shooting the wife
35mm 1.8

40% shooting the Paris cityscape

17-50 2.8 Zoom or at times 11-16mm Tokina 2.8, but the 17mm wide end of the zoom is often enough

10% shooting inside the museums
11-16mm 2.8 Tokina

If needed, you could add the cheap, but still good, 55-200mm VR to the kit for some light weight extra reach. But it may not be needed with your shooting style.

I would look to sell the 18-105mm to fund both the Tokina and a 17-50 2.8 zoom

I think our shooting styles (what we like to shoot) are quite similar

my kit
D300s
11-16mm Tokina 2.8
17-55mm Nikon 2.8
35mm Nikon 1.8
55-200m Nikon

So I might be a bit bias, but have asked similar questions to you! Also heading to Paris in July and this will be my kit

--
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamescoote/

 

[Hindigo]

I have lived in Paris for about 5 years and based on your priorities, I'm not sure you would need anything else. Or rather, you may need all of the following:

• a UWA for some dramatic landscape or indoors shooting;
• a wider fast prime for night shots;
• a 105 or 135 DC for the wife shots;
• a longer lens for architectural details;
• maybe a macro for museums...

but any of these would only be for 1 or 2% of the shots. My suggestion would be, since you do not expect to come back any time soon, just go with you current gear, discover more since you'll be lighter, enjoy your time leisurely while not having to change lenses every 5 minutes, and use the saved cash to treat yourself and your lady to some nice dinners

Tom

 

[Julian Vrieslander]

On a different note, let me mention that you can get a single pass to just about all the museums in Paris if you get it at the Paris airport. I haven't been there for a couple of years, but my recollection is that the passes are sold in 1-day, 3-day, and week-long denominations. You don't have to stand in line at the D'Orsay, Louvre, or Rodin museums if you have this pass -- you just walk right in. The catch is that you can't buy the passes at the museums. But, if you buy them at the de Gaulle airport, you can use them whenever you like. They don't start counting the days that the pass is good for until your first museum visit.

I have not been to Paris yet, but I'm on my way there in a few days. From what I have read, the Paris Museum Pass (if that's what you are describing) can be purchased at museums and other sites all over Paris. It can also be bought online, and from other sources, like tour operators. But you may pay a premium over the price at the museums. The current passes are availble in three versions: for 2, 4, or 6 days. Read more here:

http://en.parismuseumpass.com/

At the most popular museums and sites, the lines to purchase tickets and passes can be long. One recommended strategy is to buy your pass at one of the less popular sites. Here are some tips:

http://www.ricksteves.com/graffiti/helpline/index.cfm?topic=20847

 

[calson]

I think you will be fine with what you have but a third lens I would recommend considering is the Sigma 50-150mm f2.8 lens. It becomes a relatively compact and lightweight alternative to a 70-200mm f.28 lens but with the same speed and ability to through backgrounds out of focus if desired. It corrects the problem with the 18-105mm having to be used at f5.6 with often more of the background in focus than you would like as it can often add a cluttered to pictures of people.

If pictures of your wife are a priority a lens like the Sigma 50-150mm f2.8 is a great lens to be using not only in Paris but later here in the states.

Your 35mm f1.8 is also a very good choice. Having a fast normal focal length lens is great for night street photography.

 

[Reilly Diefenbach]

Nikon 10-24, the most useful two focal lengths available on any superwide and sharp as a tack.

 

[tclune]

Yes, that was what I was describing. Perhaps the availability has changed over the years, but when we got it you could only get it at the airport, over the internet before you went into France, or through your hotel at a huge mark-up. Glad to see that it has become more readily available.

 

[JakeB]

For several years I used that combination of Nikon 18-105 and 35 1.8 and they cover most situations.

You could go for a UWA to cover the wide end more if that's your style. (I use Nikon's superb 14-24 f2.8 on my D7000 -- simply stunning sharpness, but there are of course cheaper options).

My typical vacation approach was to use the 18-105 outside/in daylight, swap the 35 1.8 for indoors stuff (for obvious reasons) and when going out at night leave the 18-105 in the hotel and just have the 35 1.8.

The 35 1.8 will allow you to photograph your wife across the table in a restaurant, for example, take photos of the food, etc.

Whatever you choose, enjoy your Paris trip!

 

[tclune]

I travel in Europe on a regular basis by car, we do take photos of each other but these are only record shots but if you look at my profile photo you will probably realise why

Right. I've evolved a "blurred foreground" technique for just that reason...

 

[Luis Pinheiro]

I agree.

For Paris those two lenses are enough.

My old 16-85 was enough for me at one time (the Leica d-Lux 5 was enough another time!), and with those two your back will thanks you

Have a good trip
Cheers
--
luispinheiro

 

[heulwen]

Just got back from Paris less than 24 hours ago and made some interesting discoveries about my prefered focal lengths. I travelled with a D700 and a 35/1.4 and a 85/1.4. Turns out, it was the 85/1.4 I mostly wanted to keep on my camera. Paris has its narrow alleyways and lots of wiiiiiiide monuments, but then, it also has lots and lots of open space, where you will want to have something a bit longer to capture candids and details. For example all the parc's, all the place's, all the boulevards and esplanades.

I too love those blurred backgrounds and took a lot of shots with the Eiffeltower as a distinct shape in the background, and really felt the 85mm (of course as a FX-perspective) was perfect for this, just as it was perfect to capture details on the houses, windows, flowers, signs etc.

The 35/1.4 was good too, but didn't quite come into its own on the streets of Paris. Sometimes it wasn't wide enough, and then often, way too wide, especially in all that open space when all I wanted was to fill the frame.

My previous trips have been with a D50 and a 16-85, and it didn't cripple me in the slightest as a focal length, but that was also before I learned the joy of shallow dof et al.

My point is, you might want to have something longer with a bigger max aperture than the 18-105.

--
http://www.flickr.com/brightdawns/