Hong Kong Lens Recommendations

[c.poulton]

Hi,

I will be visiting Hong Kong for business in a couple of weeks for 8 days. Although I will be fairly busy I'm hoping to have at least a weekend to myself to explore.

I'm thinking of taking my Leica M2 and a couple of lenses, but am undecided on which focal lengths to bring.

Has anyone any recommendations for me? I was initally thinking of a 50mm f2 & 21mm f4, but should I bring something longer or less wide instead?

Many thanks

 

[om.ch]

I wouldn't take anything longer as the city is so packed and people are really fine with cameras being waved around (except for the odd gang). I would go with a 28mm or 35mm.

 

[segedi]

21/50 sounds like a great combo to me.

 

[peterm1]

Depends on your style of photography. I always like to have one longer lens for occasional use. For example in HK I used a 75 mm on my M8 to get shots of boats on Victoria Harbour. But I went crazy and took a DSLR too. Some Hong Kong shots here. https://flic.kr/s/aHsjsBMiTK. And here https://flic.kr/s/aHsjCCYgMw These should give you some idea of the kind of photo possibilities.

 

[pbo]

I just came back from HK and used 28/50 combo the most. I feel like 50 works nicely to capture closer details, but 28 is really good because of the previously mentioned busy/narrow streets and small spaces indoors. I did wish my 28 was a bit wider, so 21 sounds like a great idea!

 

[c.poulton]

Depends on your style of photography....

Thanks Peter, my style is mainly street and I tend to err on the side of wide primes, although your shots of Victoria Harbour are really tempting me to also bring my 90mm along with me. Some fantastic images you have taken in Hong Kong by the way, I can see now why shooting wide would be the way to go.

I think that you've helped make up my mind pbo, I'm definitely going to take along my 21mm! 🙂

 

[alan davus]

My wife and I are going to Hongkong in September for 8 days. Already decided to take my M-E plus 28 and 90 lenses. Only other decision to make is which one of my four 50's will get the nod (I favour the CV 50/3.5 because it's probably the sharpest).

 

[peterm1]

HK is one of the great places for photography. Some sites that come to mind for incredible photography : Mongok backstreets, alleyways and markets, Kowloon Park (always full of locals taking advantage of rare inner city nature) , Victoria Harbor foreshore, Star ferry rides, afternoon tea at The Peninsula hotel is good for photos of the high life. Hong Kong island streets, The Peak lookout, outer islands. There are still many places I have not fully explored yet and will probably go back soon. Lots of hotels fitting all budgets to choose from too. Incidentally if you vist The Peak hop on a normal bus near the Central terminus of Star Ferry and go up that way sitting on the top of the double deck on the left hand side. Its much better than The Peak tram which is crammed with tourists most times and requires a long long wait. Great views too if you sit where I suggested. I think it was a number 15 or 15a bus- your hotel will have details.

 

[nongfuspring]

At this time of year the city can be hot and humid (your lenses will fog), unless you're well acclimatised to this sort of weather I imagine you'll be spending much of your time indoors and the time you do spend outside will mostly be at night. This is not so bad since many of the most interesting parts of HK are indoors and the city is most alive at night, just perhaps the thing to bear in mind is lens/film speed.

The last few times I went to HK I just took one lens (40, 50, 35, 28). At first I much preferred the 28, but after successive visits 40 is by far my favourite.

 

[c.poulton]

At this time of year the city can be hot and humid (your lenses will fog)....

I presume this would be when going between high humidity outside to air-conditioned inside? Is there anyway to prevent this and will it harm my lenses in any way? I presume that my M2 will be just fine?

 

[c.poulton]

Thanks for the travel tips Peter, I'm particularly looking forward to tea at the Peninsula 🙂

 

[nongfuspring]

I presume this would be when going between high humidity outside to air-conditioned inside? Is there anyway to prevent this and will it harm my lenses in any way? I presume that my M2 will be just fine?

Yes, it shouldn't harm your lenses but it can be annoying. I put filters on my lenses and carry a cloth in back pocket to wipe the condensation.

 

[YYV_146]

I presume this would be when going between high humidity outside to air-conditioned inside? Is there anyway to prevent this and will it harm my lenses in any way? I presume that my M2 will be just fine?

Preventing, not really. If you're staying longer than a few days I would suggest a ziploc bag and some desiccants, otherwise things should be fine. Also remember to never do a lens change before the camera has heated up outside - the moisture can cling to internals and cause damage to both film and digital bodies.

 

[markwatts]

Night aspects of HK are very special. Table top tripod

 

[jbielikowski]

Take many good pictures, especially I like HK street vistas with 21mm, and dont forget to post them on flickr!*



*I was there in february with Olympus XA, took mostly pictures of people. So now when I feel I miss HK I'm searching on flickr.

 

[peterm1]

Thanks for the travel tips Peter, I'm particularly looking forward to tea at the Peninsula 🙂

Its really special and not all that expensive considering. (I think it was around $35 per person). The high tea at the Peninsula is a HK institution and unless staying there I don't think you can book. Also most people linger (gee I wonder why?). So it's always busy especially on weekends. The high tea starts at 2.00 from memory so arrive no later than 1.30 or even better 1.15 and line up otherwise you may find yourself enduring an even far longer wait for a table.

Another emerging institution is Tim Wo Han dim sum restaurant. The setting is simple but it is said to serve the best dim sum in HK. I visited the original one in Mongok (since closed) and had to wait perhaps 2 hours for a table. Its that popular. Since then they have opened at least two more restaurants on the island and in Kowloon. Its cheap and GOOD. In fact it's the world's smallest and cheapest Michelin starred restaurant. I can recommend it but there are many other restaurants which sell food just as good to be honest. Hong Kongers take their food VERY seriously.

You will see some photos in the links I provided which were made at both locations.

 

[peterm1]

Take many good pictures, especially I like HK street vistas with 21mm, and dont forget to post them on flickr!*



*I was there in february with Olympus XA, took mostly pictures of people. So now when I feel I miss HK I'm searching on flickr.

I should say that despite enjoying taking my M8 to Hong Kong in 2010, I also enjoyed bringing my D700 along in 2012. The 2010 trip was with a mate who was on his way back from a trip to Europe, as my wife could not get time away from her practice as an MD. That meant lots of time for photography as I did not have a partner to accommodate. In 2012 I returned to HK with my wife as I enjoyed HK so much having only visited the place once before for a short stop over other than in 2010.

I am bound to say that the D700 had some real advantages for me. It has much better dynamic range and low light capabilities than the M8. And it also allowed me to make much more use of longer lenses to capture candid shots in a way that is just not possible with a rangefinder camera. Having said I did buy a Nikkor 16-35mm f4 zoom whilst in HK and found it to be a superb wide angle zoom despite some robust barrel zoom at the wider end. But I can also say that I certainly enjoyed using both camera types.

I think another trip is on the cards. There is only so much you can see in 8 days and there is a lot to see, especially if you get away to some of the nearby locations. Besides all this talk about HK is making me nostalgic.

 

[jwicaksana]

I'll be leaving to HK first flight tomorrow, and am taking my M4-P and Rolleiflex 2.8B. Film wise, I brought too many rolls and too many different stocks, but the main characters are TX400 for Leica and 400H for the Rollei.

 

[k__43]

I used a CL + summicron-c 40 and a mamiya 7 65mm and 43mm in HK - I was happy with that combo. My wife used a Rolleicord and a hexar (AF) - all her shots were lovely.
A friend of mine had shots with a hassy SWC that looked great!

Anyway, I'd say go with the stuff you know and trust in your vision, it's not super cramped there so you do not badly need a wider lens (like in historic European cities). Go with what you feel the most, i.e. what you have to think about the least when using it. Enjoy your trip! I'd love to go again.

 

[newsgrunt]

I'm almost always of the opinion that you take the lenses you would normally use. if you usually shoot with a 35, take that. etc etc.. Tight cramped spaces do not necessarily require wide lenses unless you're after a particular look.