Is a Ultra-Wide Suitable for travel & Street Shooting ?

[raytoei@gmail.com]

I will be going to Kathmandu for a short business trip this week and I can't decide if I should bring my Voigtlander 15mm/f4.5 ?

I just received it last week and I have shot 2 test rolls, there is a fair amount of distortion (if this is correct word), pls see the attached image. I believe that it is caused by a. too near to the subject b. not holding the camera level to the ground.

I intend to shoot scenery, so (a) and (b) problems are perhaps minimized. How about street shooting ? The only other problem I foresee is better lighting for the slow lens.

Please suggest or advice me as this is my first serious wide angle lens ever.

thanks

 

[jsrockit]

Picture looks normal for this wide of a lens. As for bringing it on a trip... do you have room in your bag? It is small enough to just bring.

 

[Leigh Youdale]

I have the 15 - and the 21, 25,28,35,40 etc.
I regard the 15 as a specialist lens which has occasional uses but in general for street I'd generally choose 25. Or if I took two lenses for street work I'd take 21 and 35. (I think 28 is too close to 35 to take both of those FL's).
Whilst the 15 is ultra wide, remember it's also ultra high and your landscapes can end up including an awful lot of sky and foreground.

 

[btgc]

That depends a lot on you. I mean, there are people using ultrawides mostly for distant shots, and there are people using UW for close shots.

 

[back alley]

what other focal lengths do you have?

 

[thegman]

It's tiny, you may as well bring it along, I think it's a great fun lens, and so quick to use as you barely need to focus at all.

 

[oftheherd]

I don't know the landscape of Kathmandu well enough to be sure, but I suspect it may be a little wide for landscape. I also suspect if where you will be is like a lot of oriental areas, streets are narrow and it will be a good lens for that. When I was in Korea the first time I soon learned 28mm wasn't wide enough for a lot of shots I wanted. I got an 18mm and never went on a trip without it.

But as Joe asked, what other lenses do you have?

 

[35mmdelux]

forget it unless you are a virtuoso with this focal length. to me at least, a super wide is a secondary lens.

 

[ZeissFan]

It's a small lens and doesn't weigh that much. I would take it.

 

[raytoei@gmail.com]

Thanks for all your comments.

This is what I have: http://retro.ms11.net/fsnov112-00001.jpg

The 15/f4.5 came late last week which I attached to Leica CL with a faulty Rangefinder window.

I am inclined to bring this:

* A wide (1 from below)
1. Xpan with 45/f4
2. Horizon 202
3. Contax G1 with 28/f2.8
4. Leica body with 15mm/f4.5
5. XA4 with 28m lens

* A Backup Camera (1 from below)
a. Olympus 35 SP 40/f1.7
b. GA645
c. Leica with 50mm/1.4 Canon

I am inclined either Xpan or G1 and the 35SP as backup.

your kind thoughts ?

 

[Chuck Albertson]

I am inclined to bring this:

* A wide.
1. Xpan with 45/f4
2. Horizon 202
3. Contax G1 with 28/f2.8
4. Leica body with 15mm/f4.5
5. XA4 with 28m lens

* A Backup Camera
a. Olympus 35 SP 40/f1.7
b. GA645
c. Leica with 50mm/1.4 Canon

My work never takes me to Nepal, and I don't know what line of work you're in, but that's more than I would take along on a short business trip. Depending on what you're going there for, you may not have much time to shoot, and you'll be dragging around a lot of very attractive (to thieves) photo gear for no purpose. I just spent three days in NYC, and was lucky to have enough time to take a half-dozen pictures (usually at night). I usually make do with an M and one lens, which tucks well into my laptop bag.

 

[bensyverson]

In my opinion, that's too many cameras. I've traveled with three cameras many times, but four is too many, and five is gross overkill. Six ("backup") is certifiable.

If you bring three cameras, make them different enough to justify taking. This isn't just to lighten your load; it's for your sanity. When you see an interesting scene, you don't want to be rummaging through a bag stuffed with five cameras to find the right one.

The Horizon 202 and Xpan are too similar. The XA4 and Contax G1 with 28 are too similar. In fact, the XA4, Contax and Leica with 15 should be condensed to one camera—that's all "wide angle 35mm." And 15mm is too wide for travel, unless you're comfortable shoving your camera in strangers' faces.

I used to carry a DSLR and Mamiya 7 when I traveled, but found that quality-wise, there wasn't enough of a difference. Of course, the 7 is vastly better than any DSLR, but for travel purposes, even that difference was not enough to justify carrying two separate cameras that both weighed over a kilo.

Now I carry a DSLR with one lens (35mm) for general and low-light shooting and any smaller film camera (XA, 120 folder, Olympus Epic, etc). The film camera can handle lighting situations that digital can't, and gives better shots when I have the light and time to compose. A view camera is my third travel camera, but obviously it doesn't go in the day bag. 🙂

 

[gekopaca]

I would take it (or 21) for day shots (because in my opinion wide lenses are the best for street photo) and a very fast one (35mm f1.4, or 50mm f1.5) for low light situations.
With my R-D1 (X 1,5 factor), the perfect street combo is : 12mm + 35mm

 

[craygc]

If you must carry a range of lenses ...a rangefinder with 3 lenses i) 21~24mm, ii) 28~35mm & iii) 50~90mm + P&S.

As others have said, a 15mm is a specialty lens and when everything is shot with it the effect starts to get boring. It includes so much its often difficult to control unless youre VERY careful.

Traveling to new places for the first time is often better served by more of a generalist approach to photography, unless you know specifically what youre going there to shoot. Adopting a travel / documentary style just doesnt work very well if youre carrying bulk and weight - its tiring and it slows you down; and youre constantly thinking about which piece of equipment you should be using.

For me, anywhere in Asia, it would be:

1. 3 lenses: Leica 21/35/50 + 28mm P&S
2. 2 lenses: Leica 21/35 + 28mm P&S
3. 1 lens: Leica 35mm + 28mm P&S
   or...
4. Medium format kit + 28mm P&S

Ive thought often about how to carry MF and 135 systems together around Asia and everytime it always concludes as being too much of a compromise all round. Go light....

 

[raytoei@gmail.com]

sorry for the confusion. I only intend to bring 2 cameras, preferably a wide and fast.

 

[jsrockit]

5. XA4 with 28m lens
c. Leica with 50mm/1.4 Canon

I'd bring the aforementioned.

 

[Livesteamer]

I took my CV 15mm to Colorado this past summer and made some lovely landscape shots with it. I also followed the advice of a member here and doubled/halved my focal lengths. I took a 15mm, a 28mm Summicron and a 50mm f2.8 Elmar. Worked great. Joe

 

[MCTuomey]

one camera w/2-3 lenses spread b/w 15-21, 28-35, and 50-60, your choice. one fast lens from the mix might be helpful. a back-up P&S. that's it.

 

[Lss]

Ultra-wide is certainly suitable for travel and street. If I'm going to do a lot of photography on a trip, I make sure to bring the CV 15/4.5. Of course, it's a specialty lens so you don't want to over-use it. (Unless you are very very good, but I guess then it really isn't over-using.)

BW400CN

Leica M8

 

[robklurfield]

I love my 15/4.5. If you're using it for street shooting, I think most of need to break habits, meaning you need to get closer to your subjects than you normally would. Apart from the photographic and aesthetic part of this, there's the aspect of getting use to approaching people more intimately than comes naturally for some of us.

Lss has posted two great shots showing different approaches. I think a lot of whether you can make this lens work for you on your trip is how quickly you can get comfortable with shooting in a different way than you would with any other lens.

It is certainly great for broad landscapes. It can be equally great for intimate shooting on the street IF you can get close enough.

Anyway, it won't take up much room in your bag. Have fun. Post lots of images.