Recommended lenses for a Japan trip

I don’t mind carrying some weight but I have too many options… the trip would be mostly in cities  street and landscape  no video

bodies X-H1 X-T2

lenses:

10-24

16-55

50-140

70-300

23f2

27 mk1

35f2

56 mk1

80 macro

I have a lowepro protective 450 backpack with enough space. 
and 16-55 is a must. 
thanks.

When I went to Japan in 2019 I was shooting with a Canon 6D. I just took my 35mm f/1.2 and 24-105mm f/4.0.

I was on a tour where we hit many Buddhist temples. In the evenings we hit the nightlife in the cities. The fast 35mm worked well in the temples that were often dimly lit and at night.

There was no point where I wished I had brought more reach.

Enjoy your trip!

dratwork wrote:

I don’t mind carrying some weight but I have too many options… the trip would be mostly in cities street and landscape no video

bodies X-H1 X-T2

lenses:

10-24

16-55

50-140

70-300

23f2

27 mk1

35f2

56 mk1

80 macro

I have a lowepro protective 450 backpack with enough space.
and 16-55 is a must.
thanks.

I live in Japan and as a hobbyist photographer the first thing I'm gonna say is you will want a wide-angle lens that's reasonably fast, but you largely won't need crazy speed - even for a lot of the big tourist spots a 23 will be too narrow, but 1.4 will be more than you need unless you specifically want to do night photography. The 23/f2, for example, will be too narrow in more situations than you think it will be, but also won't be fast enough when you want true night photography. As you said, you definitely want to bring the 16-55 2.8, perhaps also a reasonably a fast prime or two (expanded on below). I'd also suggest the 70-300 as shooting in Japan often involves shooting across bodies of water or aiming at details from the tops of vantage points such as castles and mountaintops.

What cities/areas in particular do you plan to visit? If you're hitting the big tourist spots of of Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka/Nara, and Hiroshima, you'll want mostly fast and wide/medium-wide lenses such as the 16-55 and maybe the 35 f/2. If you plan to visit more rural areas where you might want to focus more on details, the 56/1.4 and 70-300 will also serve you well.

dratwork wrote:

I don’t mind carrying some weight but I have too many options… the trip would be mostly in cities street and landscape no video

bodies X-H1 X-T2

lenses:

10-24

16-55

50-140

70-300

23f2

27 mk1

35f2

56 mk1

80 macro

I have a lowepro protective 450 backpack with enough space.
and 16-55 is a must.
thanks.

At the risk of plain speaking, you have a big collection of gear but evidently little idea which lenses will best serve you for your trip, and your own style of image making. Even a moderate amount of experience in use would typically lead to some preferences. It’s beyond my abilities to guess which of these is best for you to take with you. Maybe you are just seeking a chat with like minded collectors?

I went in 2019 using a Nikon D500. For lenses, 90% of the time I used a Sigma 18- 35mm f/1.8 and just a few times my Nikon 70- 200mm f/2.8. If I was to go back, I would be using my Fuji 16-55mm f/2.8 and the 50- 140 mm f/2.8. I like the flexibility of using faster zooms. It simplifies things too. I would probably also bring my Fuji 16mm f/1.4 for situations I wanted faster wide images. Gallery of images: https://pbase.com/jeffryz/japan&page=all

I traveled Japan quite a bit in the days when I had a film SLR with primes only. I took 28-50-90 macro and bought a 200mm while there. I agree that your 23/f2 would be too wide. So I'd advise you to take 16-55 and 50-140 as well as the 23/f2 for the evenings. I don't think you need much wider or longer, except if landscape or birding are an important part of your trip.

Looking at your gear, 16-55 and 23 f/2 is all I would need for that trip.

But with what *I* have, I would take my 16-55 and 18 1.4. 16-55 for general wandering around shots and 18 1.4 for night life and occasional artsy subject isolation stuff.

Whatever you do, don't bring a lot of stuff. I often found that too much gear actually hinders my travel enjoyment and just clutters the mind. Pick 2 and go.

dratwork wrote:

I don’t mind carrying some weight but I have too many options… the trip would be mostly in cities street and landscape no video

bodies X-H1 X-T2

lenses:

10-24

16-55

50-140

70-300

23f2

27 mk1

35f2

56 mk1

80 macro

I have a lowepro protective 450 backpack with enough space.
and 16-55 is a must.
thanks.

I do not know what is the idea / purpose of your trip … I am planning or more like dreaming a trip to Japan. My previous experiences of travelling have show’n me that i usually carry TOO much gear in the beginning…. 
If i some day buy the tickets it will be two lenses -  for example  from your list 10-24 + 16-55. One body and two possible ways to carry gear. Shoulder bag for  cities and possibly some insert for a comfortable backpack.

If i take Canon gear it will be FF body with 14-35  and 24-105f4.

I have just returned and carried a 24 mm and 28mm (FF equiv) and these took care of all my needs. Your 16-55 could be a one lens option, f 2.8 is okay for most needs.

I have decided on a 16 and 23mm to go to Japan next time fitted to my new XT5. Weight might not worry you but bulk will when you travel on any trains or buses during rush hours.

You will enjoy yourself

dratwork wrote:

I don’t mind carrying some weight but I have too many options… the trip would be mostly in cities street and landscape no video

bodies X-H1 X-T2

lenses:

10-24

16-55

50-140

70-300

23f2

27 mk1

35f2

56 mk1

80 macro

I have a lowepro protective 450 backpack with enough space.
and 16-55 is a must.
thanks.

FYI, when I suggested you take the 16-55 and 50-140 lenses, that's because you already have them and I assumed you would want to take them.

Personally, I'd never take these lenses when traveling. I have used the 16-55 for an event, but I rented it for that purpose. It's a great lens. I love the image quality and the flexibility in that case. It's practical when I'm the photographer, like for that event. But when I'm traveling, I'm usually not there only for photography. My X-Pro2 with a 16-55 is just cumbersome in that case. It weighs in at 1150 grams and is more than 15cm deep.

I'm actually preparing for a trip over the Easter holidays right now as well. I've decided I'm going to sell my X-Pro2 and my 55-200. Instead, I'll get an X-E4 and an 18/f2. I'm also adding two TTArtisan lenses: 25/f2 and 35/f0.95, which I will be comparing with the XF35/f2 I already have. It's a bit extreme, but going MF helps me getting smaller lenses. The total of the X-E4 + these four primes weighs less than X-Pro2 with the 16-55. Mount any of these lenses onto the X-E4 and it weighs less than half. I can use it like a compact with a wrist wrap, instead of my shoulder belt, and it slips into my small camera bag without any effort.

I'm going to the Bodensee on the border of Germany and Switzerland. The circumstances there are much less demanding than the extreme crowdedness of Japanese cities. So for Japan, personally, I'd definitely go smaller than the 16-55 and 50-140. But that's my personal taste. You'll find many Japanese themselves carry much bigger camera-lens combos than this. Then again, there's no country in the world that has more people obsessed with small cameras, being anywhere from cheap gadgets to uber expensive Leica setups. Whatever you end up taking, don't forget to enjoy the trip. Japan is an experience.

Don't overthink. I am heading to Japan this spring, over the golden week, I am seriously thinking to take xe-2 with the 27/2.8 in attidion to 16-80/4 and 23/1.4 with the x-s10.

That's all.

Will I miss opportunities? Yes, maybe. But I am traveling 15000 km to see Japan and photography is only part of it.