14mm f2.8 or 10-24mm f4 for Egypt trip

My wife and I have a trip to Egypt planed for this year and I am considering buying either the 14mm f2.8 or 10-24mm f4 lens for the trip. Any advice? My camera is an X-T2.

The Sigma 16 f/1.4 would also be a great choice. Great optics, and faster than either of the other lenses. I pretty much retired my 14mm after getting the Sigma.

jonikon wrote:

My wife and I have a trip to Egypt planed for this year and I am considering buying either the 14mm f2.8 or 10-24mm f4 lens for the trip. Any advice? My camera is an X-T2.

I have never used the 14mm so can't speak of that. I do own the 10-24mm though and I cannot imagine going on a trip without it hence that is what I would pick. Of course that is totally subjective. Since X-T2 doesn't have IBIS, I think the OIS of 10-24mm is more useful than just one stop unless you are shooting moving subjects but even then 2.8 probably won't be enough.

The Sigma 16mm 1.4 is also a great lens (I have one as well) and while even at nighttime you probably won't shoot at 1.4 all the time due to probable lack of depth of field it is still nice to have. There is also the Viltrox 13mm but kinda too wide for my taste. Might suit you well though.

Either way I would pick 10-24mm no matter what. You can get a used mark I version for a low price at the moment. Same goes for the 14mm though so both are a good deal price-wise.

jonikon wrote:

My wife and I have a trip to Egypt planed for this year and I am considering buying either the 14mm f2.8 or 10-24mm f4 lens for the trip. Any advice? My camera is an X-T2.

The 10-24 zoom is certainly more versatile and a very nice lens if you get a good one, but the sample variation can be all over the place. If it were me, I would take the Viltrox 13mm f/1.4. Much sharper, faster, and cheaper than either.

Depends on how you shoot.  FOR ME......I live in the 10-24 range nearly all of the time, so the zoom is an absolute given.  You don't mention your style or what else you might be taking with you.  If you tend to live in the mid-range, I would imagine that the 14 would be fine (and it is a superb lens).  If not, you too might value the flexibility of the zoom.

I tend to skip much of the midrange and often carry the 10-24 with a tele-zoom (currently the 50-230).  And I supplement that with the 35/2 for anything that might require a wider aperture.  I am considering replacing that lens with the 33/1.4 at the moment though.

I am heading to Seville next month and my kit will consist of the 10-24, 35/2 and 50/2.  I also travel with a Minolta CLE and its trio of lenses so I can always adapt one of those three (28, 40 and 90mm in FF) as well.  I most often find the 90mm on my adapter.

Enjoy the trip.

Rarely used my 14 after buying the 10-24. Definitely the 10-24. Much more versatile. Yes, the viltrox is good, but not as versatile as the 10-24.

On our honeymoon we went to Egypt and saw lots of tombs temples and pyramids. it was great. I am sure you will want that extra width the 10-24 provides.

oh, and here is a little tip.  make sure you bring a hat.   when i was packing i couldn’t find my hat but i figured it doesn’t matter.  when i get there i can buy a hat at some little tourist shop.  turned out the tourist shops had tons of souvenirs but nothing practical like a hat.  it was a week before i found one and i got a bit more sun burned than i would have liked.

For once I've got both of these lenses.

I cannot see a huge difference in IQ at 14mm f5.6. The zoom is a bit weaker in the corners but not by much.

I've been really impressed with the zoom and it seems to open posibilities that I've not had before.

Were I on this trip I'd take the zoom and nothing else. You gain with OIS what you lose in aperture. It is not too big or heavy.

For travel I prefer zooms.  We're all different though.  Why not bring both?  The 14mm is not very large.

Not sure if this helps, but I just got the Laowa 9mm F/2.8 today, and I’m very impressed by it.  It’s much much smaller than I had expected in person even with lots of photos in reviews, and near foolproof focusing (even though it’s manual.   IQ is extremely good, and far far better than I was expecting.  Looks like it’ll be a fantastic travel ultra wide lens.

I don't have the 14mm, but I do have the 10-24 and it's the lens I never leave at home. It's so versatile and it even works well for some portraits at the long end if you aren't looking for much bokeh. I really like 14mm as a focal length on APSC, but having the zoom, especially on a trip you will probably do once, is totally worth it. The image stabalization helps a lot on the X-T2 as well, it more than makes up for the f4 if you aren't using a tripod.

jonikon wrote:

gdanmitchell wrote:

jonikon wrote:

My wife and I have a trip to Egypt planed for this year and I am considering buying either the 14mm f2.8 or 10-24mm f4 lens for the trip. Any advice? My camera is an X-T2.

Is that the only lens you will carry? If not, what other lenses will you use it with?

Right now I plan to also take my XC 16-50mm. I'm also considering buying the XF 16-80mm. Not sure whether to also take the XC 50-230mm or not.

First of all. I think you made a good choice with the 10-24. I always kick myself when I leave it at home. Usually because I take the 16-55.  I tend to use it at the extremes though. So for me the 10-24 works well. The depending on my plans I’ll take a fast prime, usually the 35 1.4.  I almost always take my XC 50-230 unless I have a specific reason to take the 100-400. The 50-230 weighs almost nothing and while a bit soft at the long end it’s a better than average lens.  I’d  definitely take it as a zoom option.