Whats lenses to take to Egypt?

Hey guys,

I want opinions! I'll be going to Egypt for the first time next week, and I'm super excited. I want to travel super light, as many cities are in the itinerary: Cairo, Luxor, Aswan, Qena, Hurghada, Alexandria...

I will take only my GX-85 with 4 spare batteries, a mini tripods, polarizers and some lenses. I might take also my Olympus E-PM2 converted do infrared, not sure yet. My current lens list is this:

• Samyang 7.5mm f3.5 fisheye
• Panasonic 12-35mm f2.8
• Panasonic 20mm f1.7
• Olympus 75-300mm f4.8-6.7 II

I would love to take lenses for all occasions but I want to carry as little as possible for maximum flexibility. Other options in the lenses I own include:

• Super wide: SLR Magic 8mm f4, Meike 6.5mm f2; Olympus 8mm f8 fisheye cap;
• Standard zooms: Panasonic 12-32mm f3.5-5.6, Olympus 14-42mm f3.5-5.6;
• Wide aperture: Olympus 25mm f1.8, Olympus 45mm f1.8, SLR Magic 12mm t1.6;
• Tele zoom: Olympus 40-150mm f4-5.6 R;
• Macro: Olympus 60mm f2.8;

So, I can't take it all. I want to have the most flexibility and lowest weight. Best cost-benefit in weight vs flexibility, I might say. I'm mostly torn between the wide aperture options, on whether to take the 75-300 or the 40-150 plastic Oly, on choosing the 7.5mm fisheye vs the 8mm rectilinear lens, and on whether taking the macro too is a good idea.

If you have been there, what do you think? Is the 300mm necessary, or 150mm is enough for details of the huge monuments and perspective compression shots? Is the macro useful? Fisheye or extreme wide 8mm (wish I had a wide zoom, would be perfect)? Is the infrared body worth it?

Any other tips for the trip itself as a hobbyist photographer?

Cheers,

___________________________
Max M. Fuhlendorf

mfuhlendorf wrote:........

Is the macro useful?

To the ancient Egyptians the holy Scarabeus sacer beetle was a symbol of Khepri, the early morning manifestation of the Sun God Ra. It will fill your frame with the macro lens.

Scarabeus sacer rolling a ball of (camel?) dung. From: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scarabaeus_sacer

Fisheye or extreme wide 8mm (wish I had a wide zoom, would be perfect)? Is the infrared body worth it?

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/infrared-reveals-egyptian-mummies-hidden-tattoos-180973700/

• Samyang 7.5mm f3.5 fisheye
• Panasonic 12-35mm f2.8
• Panasonic 20mm f1.7
• Olympus 75-300mm f4.8-6.7 II
• Super wide: SLR Magic 8mm f4, Meike 6.5mm f2; Olympus 8mm f8 fisheye cap;
• Standard zooms: Panasonic 12-32mm f3.5-5.6, Olympus 14-42mm f3.5-5.6;
• Wide aperture: Olympus 25mm f1.8, Olympus 45mm f1.8, SLR Magic 12mm t1.6;
• Tele zoom: Olympus 40-150mm f4-5.6 R;

if you take two bodies I would at least take two lenses: 12-35/2.8 and 40-150/4-5.6 = minimum equipment in your case.

As third lens I would take the 20/1.7 for low-light situations

if you really want to travel light, than only this 2 bodies + 3 lenses.

Max - I am envious, I have been to Egypt twice for diving trips, once in 1994 shooting film and again in 2014 shooting digital, and I long to go back.

You are absolutely on the right track with the 12-35mm/2.8 and the 20mm/1.7 lens choices. I suspect those two will cover 80-90% of your photography needs. On the wide end, I am not sure I see much use for the fisheye there (and I own the 7.5/3.5), too many straight lines to deal with (unless you de-fish). I suppose taking the 8mm/8 bodycap lens would be worth it if you want that capability at minimal added weight.  I used Olympus for my underwater photography, and their 9-18 wide zoom was very useful in Egypt (and pretty lightweight).

Some sort of telephoto is useful for picking out architectural details, and if you are mostly carrying your kit, I would go with the Oly 40-150R. However, if you are doing a mulit-day river cruise on the Nile, then I would opt for the Oly 75-300 instead, as its added reach will be very handy for picking out details of life along the riverbanks. Some of my fondest memories from the first trip were sitting up front on the riverboat with a Nikon 300/4 mounted on my film body. The other film body was a Leica CL with its 40mm lens for black and white, and that was an ideal focal length for many monuments, interiors, etc.

I don't see much use for your IR-converted body in Egypt, but I absolutely I do support the suggestion of a second body, even if another lightweight EPL-style, just to have as a backup for the trip.

Have a great trip.

I haven't been to Egypt, but I've been to Morocco and all over Israel, where conditions are similar. My kit is different. so if I were going to Egypt, I would take my GX9 and two lenses; my Panasonic 12-60mm f3.5-5.6 and either my Olympus 12mm f2.0 or Panasonic-Leica Summilux 15mm f1.7 for interiors and low light.

You could take your GX85, plus get the Panasonic 12-60mm f3.5-5.6, or if you prefer, the Panasonic-Leica 12-60mm f2.8-5.6, and an Olympus 12mm f2 or Panasonic-Leica Summarit 15mm f1.7 for low light or interiors. Just a simple two lens kit.

Forget about any flash equipment or tripods, except for something like the Manfrotto Pixie, because you won't be allowed to use that stuff in most places you expect or want to.

Beautiful images!

Henry Richardson wrote:

Henry Richardson wrote:

14-140mm

20mm

12-32mm

Some of my Egypt photos in 2009:

http://www.bakubo.com/Galleries%202/Egypt/index.html

And a short trip report:

http://www.bakubo.com/egypt.html

mfuhlendorf wrote:

Any other tips for the trip itself as a hobbyist photographer?

Ooh, I am jealous. Egypt is amazing. You will love it!

I went to Egypt in March 2020. Sadly, we had to cut the trip short because of Covid, and I am hoping to return late this year.

From your list, I would take the 12-35mm, the 40-150mm, and a super wide angle of your choice.

A few tips:

*. Dust can be an issue. (Take a look at my Luxor pictures, and you'll see what I mean.) I would plan on one lens setup for the day. I would go for either the 14-150mm or the 12-100mm, although I know they are not on your gear list. Weather sealing is a big plus. The 12-100mm was my mainstay throughout the trip.

* You pretty much can't take a regular camera into interior spaces --- tombs, pyramids, or museums. Sometimes you can buy a permit, but our guides didn't encourage it. The best move I made pre-trip was to upgrade my cellphone.

*.I didn't shoot much at the wide end. 10% of my keepers were less <12mm. I enjoyed having a super wide angle inside mosques in Cairo, but otherwise I could have lived without it. I might take one on the next trip just in case.

* I took the 100-300mm specifically for a dahabiya cruise. I used it a little on the boat, but it stayed in my suitcase the rest of the trip. I doubt I will take it on the second visit.

* Never used my primes. I didn't go out much at night, and I didn't need the speed during the day.

Pictures are here: https://mariematthews.smugmug.com/Egypt

FYI, I just ran some stats on the m4/3 keeper usage on my Egypt trip:

<12mm = 9%

12-35mm = 52%

36-150mm = 38%

>150mm = 1%

Primes = 0%

Of my overall keepers, here's the breakdown between m4/3 and my iPhone.  There were so many places where my m4/3 gear wasn't allowed.

m4/3 = 66%

iPhone = 34%

Henry Richardson wrote:

Some of my Egypt photos in 2009:

http://www.bakubo.com/Galleries%202/Egypt/index.html

And a short trip report:

http://www.bakubo.com/egypt.html

Loved the pictures! I will see many of the places depicted in them

Did you feel safe carrying camera gear around Cairo? I have read conflicting things on this. I'm not carrying any ultra-expensive glass or cameras, but still, if robbed it would take me a few years to rebuild my gear collection...

I even considered taking a Panny 14mm pancake to use on the streets, it being so nice and cheap...

thanks for the help!