Going to Europe in November need a wide

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phrons

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I want to bring my M2 but since I shoot with a 50 cron v1, I am thinking that it will be too narrow of a view for the trip.

If any of you have experience with a Barcelona and Lisbon, how wide do you think I should go?

I was told that 35 still might be limiting, and that I should go wider.

Any suggestions?
 
umm have not been on Barcelona or Lisboa, but 35mm sound about right for travel photography. 35mm will allow to create some decent landscape images and still be really useful for general street photography if that is your cup of tea. If you want to get a wider, 28mm would suit the bill but sometimes you will need to get too close to subject. That may or may not be an issue.

Me? I love 28mm and 24mm but find those restrictive for general photography. Would stick to 35mm if you are thinking about 1 camera/1 lens kit.

Regards

Marcelo
 
" I was told that 35 still might be limiting, and that I should go wider. "

I think it depends a abit on your preferred style of shooting and subject. I tend to prefer something longer than 50mm as my "normal" lens - a 75mm or even a 90mm in some cases (street shooting) so for me a 35mm is usually wide enough for those times when I need something a little wider.

Never the less I own a 28mm as well and will use this if I travelling in old world cities where I can envisage the need for the field of view that this affords. I would particularly envisage, in that case, if you are in Europe you will most probably want some "big" expansive shots - e.g. inside cathedrals and the like come to mind which is when I want to capture the full majesty of interiors and backing up to get more in is not often an option. In that case I think a 28mm is more likely to offer what you need and so am inclined to the view that yes, a 35mm may be a bit constraining. A lens you might consider is the Voigtlander 28mm f2 Ultron which is pretty good in general and very good when stopped down. It is small and quite lightweight and also good value, being much less expensive than Leica glass - but if you have the money for Leica then by all means go there.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/tags/Voigtlander Ultron 28mm F2/


https://www.flickr.com/groups/ultron28f2/pool/
 
I visited Barcelona in 2013 with 35mm, 50mm and 90mm lenses in tow. All of them saw use on that trip. Surprisingly, my favorite images were shot with the 90. That's a rarity for me and likely more a fluke than a recommendation. Here's an example:


med_U20045I1468293773.SEQ.0.jpg




I will say though, that the 35 was mounted most of the time that trip. Even still, I very frequently wished I'd brought my 28. There were many situations in which taking another step or two back to take in more of the view was simply not possible.
 
I have not travelled to either of your destinations; however, I have travelled to various Italian cities, Prague, Vienna and widely in big and small German cities. By far the largest number of photos that I've liked, I made with a 28mm. In older quarters of many cities, 28mm is even a little long, but if I had to have only one lens, that would be it. Here in the USA, I shoot mostly 50mm, but in narrow streets in Europe, wider is better for me. YMMV.
 
I visited both cities in November (2018) and shot mostly 35mm and 50mm, which are my go to focal lengths. My take is that if someone told me to bring a wide, e.g., 21mm, it would not be of much use to me if I don't really use a 21mm. Your style and preference are different, but if your go to focal length is a 50mm, my opinion is that your best travel photos will come from using that same 50mm. This one was from Fuji 50mm/2.0 on an X-T2 (an APS-C body), so the AOV was equivalent to a 75mm. I recall using this lens a lot, especially in Barcelona.

Taken at the Mercado de La Boqueria on La Rambla, Barcelona

46220704454_f067b04432_b.jpg
 
21mm Voigtlander! Didn’t take one to Italy but used it for a six week trip around the US on a M2 and was surprised how much I used it. They don’t cost much, are small and provide amazing images.
 
I have a 21 that I rarely use, but could easily get along with a 28/50 combo and a 90 if I felt like carrying it. 28 is just peaking into wide for me, but not “gimmicky” wide like I used when I started photography. Perfect for travel.
 
phrons said:
I want to bring my M2 but since I shoot with a 50 cron v1, I am thinking that it will be too narrow of a view for the trip.

If any of you have experience with a Barcelona and Lisbon, how wide do you think I should go?

I was told that 35 still might be limiting, and that I should go wider.

Any suggestions?
Click to expand...

Personally I think your best bet when travelling is to stick to gear you know. If you are familiar with your M2/50mm Cron and know how to get the best out of it, there are going to be literally countless opportunities in Barcelona and Lisbon (both very photogenic cities).

If you see opportunities for a wide angle then fine, but I wouldn't get one just to 'fit it all in'.
 
Homage to Catalonia by George Orwell is interesting travel reading. he describes the surreal situation in Barcelona (and frontiers) during Spanish Civil War.
 
I am shooting a Contax rf, but same concept. I am finding my self using my SC Skopar 21mm f4 much more than my 50mm Sonnar. If you want to shoot cathedrals, street scenes, etc., or get caught in tight spots (which happens often) it is an amazing lens.
 
Wide to narrow is vague argument. And has nothing to do with geographical locations.
It is how you are able to shoot. Nothing else. I have seen HCB pictures taken with 50 all over the world. Europe included. I have seen modern film M photog with timeless quality pictures using M3 and 50.
It is what you are capable of and what you like. To do like, need wide shots of architecture? Take 21. Do you like all with one? Take 35? Do you like to put accent only on one subject/object? Take 50.
 
In today's world of extreme (lenses -12, 15, 18, etc.) 35mm seems rather limiting but for modern photography in the 20th century 35mm was the most used "wide". I waffle between a 35mm and a 50mm lens as a "normal" for shooting city scapes. I also have a 28 Elmarit that i really like. The FOV between a 28, 35, and 50 is greater than you can imagine. However with the M2 you'll need a shoe mounted VF which can be just a little cumbersome. I vote for the 35mm with the 28 mm second. I really like the 21mm but it takes a lot of "mojo" to make it work and its really only good if (1) you used it a lot and are really good with it and (2) somewhat limited composition photos.


Coming back to edit, a big factor might be price. The 28 Elmarits are relative cheap compared to the 35 Summicrons.
 
Some years ago visiting Malaga and Seville I had a CLE with 40, 25 Snapshot Skopar, 15mm Heliar, and a 90 Elmarit. Personal seeing/composition preferences vary of course. I used the 90 only once. Expecting to use the 40 mostly, I was surprised at mostly using the 25mm in both town and country. The 15mm on a Bessa L did great in the cathedrals etc. Have fun planning and traveling!
 
Take your M2 and play with the frameline selector (hopefully it will have one). See if the 35mm frame lines fit your taste. Even in tight quarters, I've found it helps composing because it will not add a lot of dead space. I have tried using a 28mm and I didn't like the results... but then, that's strictly my preference.

BTW, check my Leica blog. I go to Spain every two years (hopefully will return in 2020), and to Germany and France as well. The only lens I've added is a 90mm, and used it very sparingly. But then, it all depends of your own taste and style.
 
Ccoppola82 said:
a 28/50 combo and a 90 if I felt like carrying it. 28 is just peaking into wide for me, but not “gimmicky” wide like I used when I started photography. Perfect for travel.
Click to expand...
Agreed!

A 28 is ideal in confined places. Wide enough to take a lot in, but not so wide that you need to constantly worry about collapsing verticals. Still, don't leave home without the 50; it's a perfect complement to that 28 for shooting portraits..
 
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