The old story: "which lenses should I take with me on my upcoming trip?"

The old story: "which lenses should I take with me on my upcoming trip?"

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Using narrow 50 inside of interesting buildings is just not ... you all know what I would type.
And it is even more not ... because OP's "I trust my M10" is not something I buy. Sorry. If you trust M10 sensor, you are not needed in fast lens even for indoors.

I used my M9 sensor camera this month for indoors at up to 75 km/h sports with 1/160-1/1000. Used CV 35 VM lens @f1.4 not because of in-doors, just because of intermittent bokeh lust.
While 50 1.8 and 135/4 did just fine.

Also, everywhere I go, except my motherland, I have no problem to use Leica as tourist. Well, I went to motherland with film M and was asked if it was locally made camera : )

With all of OP's special lenses, I would just trade few of then for 35 1.4 FLE and 21 SEM on M10. And beat the fear about been close and been stuck at "high" iso from 1991 era limitations.
 
Planning on Tennessee Smokey Mountains this year instead of our usual Colorado. Since it's unfamiliar territory and the trip a bit shorter than usual, I want to go lighter than usual with equipment. To leave the Hasselblad home is an easy decision that will lighten the load and reduce the number of decisions. I'm sure I will bring my Leica digital and film gear: M9, M9M, M5, M7. That's four bodies, and that's plenty enough Leica bodies. I'll try to resist bringing too many lenses, possibly going light on the extreme wides. Maybe something like 18-24-35-50-90.

I'm less sure if I could leave my Nikon gear behind. I think I should bring my D700, to be able to use lenses longer than 90mm. I could bring it with the 135/2.8 and my Leitz 180mm APO-Telyt, which I have converted to Nikon mount. And maybe bring along the 25/2 and 35/2 Carl Zeiss lenses I haven't had much of a chance to try out yet.

I don't want to burden myself with too much stuff, but I want to have enough gear to have fun with. Planning is half the fun of it, after all. I like to shoot mountain scenery and buildings. (Probably should at least add the 28mm PC to the Nikon kit.). So, this post is the official beginning of my planning stage. I have all summer to worry about this.
 
Raid: I am sure you will have great photos and you and your family will have a great trip no matter which gear you end up bringing. Everybody needs to use what works for them. For me, the decision is simpler.

My Fuji XT-1 and the 23mm f2.0 lens, my kit at home and for travel, will be the gear I use when 8 members of my US family join my wife and I in Havana for her birthday. That's always worked for me. Now I will have my original x-100 for backup and when I need a flash. I am confident that will do everything I need.

Distantly related, Today the Cuban Ministry of Culture asked my wife, a Cuban poet, if she help arrange a deal for them to exhibit my series "the Cockfighters" http://bobmichaels.org/Cuban cockfighters as a representation of Cuban rural culture at this years Iberoamericana cultural festival. This series was shot in just over a year using my XT-1 with the 23mm and 14mm lenses.
 
Here is something I did not long ago.

And I should say that trip we come a very long way from Australia to the Mediterranean. Normally I take my 2.8 Summaron and maybe the 21 and a 50. I know I know all the reasons why I shouldn’t do that but I like each of them for various reasons just like you, raid.

But on this occasion I took only one lens. Of all the lenses I could’ve chosen I took the 1.25/75 7 Artisan. And I have to say having only that one lens I come up trumps. It was a joyful exercise having to think about that lens and what there was to photograph. Kind of a roundabout way of thinking. But then maybe not. Just think of photographers of old, where they only had a particular lens and developed skills around that constraint.

I enjoyed setting myself the challenge. Is that a thought to guide selection ?
 
Bob Michaels said:
Raid: I am sure you will have great photos and you and your family will have a great trip no matter which gear you end up bringing. Everybody needs to use what works for them. For me, the decision is simpler.

My Fuji XT-1 and the 23mm f2.0 lens, my kit at home and for travel, will be the gear I use when 8 members of my US family join my wife and I in Havana for her birthday. That's always worked for me. Now I will have my original x-100 for backup and when I need a flash. I am confident that will do everything I need.

Distantly related, Today the Cuban Ministry of Culture asked my wife, a Cuban poet, if she help arrange a deal for them to exhibit my series "the Cockfighters" http://bobmichaels.org/Cuban cockfighters as a representation of Cuban rural culture at this years Iberoamericana cultural festival. This series was shot in just over a year using my XT-1 with the 23mm and 14mm lenses.
Click to expand...

Thank you Bob. Congratulations on being asked to exhibit "The Cockfighters"!
 
571514m3 said:
Here is something I did not long ago.

And I should say that trip we come a very long way from Australia to the Mediterranean. Normally I take my 2.8 Summaron and maybe the 21 and a 50. I know I know all the reasons why I shouldn’t do that but I like each of them for various reasons just like you, raid.

But on this occasion I took only one lens. Of all the lenses I could’ve chosen I took the 1.25/75 7 Artisan. And I have to say having only that one lens I come up trumps. It was a joyful exercise having to think about that lens and what there was to photograph. Kind of a roundabout way of thinking. But then maybe not. Just think of photographers of old, where they only had a particular lens and developed skills around that constraint.

I enjoyed setting myself the challenge. Is that a thought to guide selection ?
Click to expand...

Using only a 75mm lens must have been quite challenging. At the same time, it may have given you the opportunity to bond with this lens!
 
The Hologon is too slow for dark interiors without using a tripod. It could be that using only the CV 50/1 is a good option.
It will be challenging to use a 50mm lens for all scenes.
 
About 10 years ago, I traveled through the towns and villages of Tuscany with my then Nikon kit (D700 + 24-70). When I looked at the FL used, they were primarily 24-40 (heavily skewed to 28-35) and 70. The Hologon seems really cool but you won’t use it as much as the 28. I am dubious that with its AOV, the 50/1 will get the expected use in the tight spaces. When I visited Jerusalem several years ago now, took along the 21SEM and it was used a lot.
 
When I visited Japan a few years ago I decided to take a 50mm, a 35mm, and a 100mm lens. In the end, about 75% of the photos were taken with the 50mm, and the rest taken with the 35mm. I don't think the 100mm got a single shot. I was advised I'd want a wider lens for Tokyo, but 35mm got everything I wanted when I needed a wider view than 50 could give.
 
james.liam said:
About 10 years ago, I traveled through the towns and villages of Tuscany with my then Nikon kit (D700 + 24-70). When I looked at the FL used, they were primarily 24-40 (heavily skewed to 28-35) and 70. The Hologon seems really cool but you won’t use it as much as the 28. I am dubious that with its AOV, the 50/1 will get the expected use in the tight spaces. When I visited Jerusalem several years ago now, took along the 21SEM and it was used a lot.
Click to expand...

The 28mm Rokkor or 35mm Lux may be a good second lens?
 
Mos6502 said:
When I visited Japan a few years ago I decided to take a 50mm, a 35mm, and a 100mm lens. In the end, about 75% of the photos were taken with the 50mm, and the rest taken with the 35mm. I don't think the 100mm got a single shot. I was advised I'd want a wider lens for Tokyo, but 35mm got everything I wanted when I needed a wider view than 50 could give.
Click to expand...

Same here! 35/1.4 and 50/1 should do the trick.
 
My needs and camera bag diminish with each recent trip.
In 2018 our family of four (two younger kids) went to Japan (holiday) and Malaysia (family visit) for four weeks. I brought the Bessa R4m, CV Ultron-M 35/1.7, CV 25/4 LTM, Canon 50/1.4 and the Fuji GA645i and iPhone 6.
In 2019/2020 we four went to Brazil and Argentina for four weeks holiday and I brought the Fuji GA645i and Konica Auto S3 compact and iPhone 8.

The past two weeks we four are in Merida, Yucatán, Mexico and surrounding region for two weeks. I only brought the GA645i and iPhone 13Pro.

When thinking of what camera(s) and lenses to bring in 2022 I first tried to pack all my dream equipment in my carry-on knapsack/daypack. Then started removing everything I don’t *really*.
Narrowed it down to either/or the R4M and CV35/2.5 (bought from HH) or the GA655i.
In the end the choice came down to something I read “choose the one that always makes you happy”.
In my case, it’s the 6x4.5 negs that come out of the Fuji.
I’ve dug into my stash of misc freezer films and brought 15 rolls of 8 different films. With one night left before return home I have 4 unexposed rolls left.
 
For many years I used to carry with me two or three cameras. I am trimming things down to one camera this time.
“choose the one that always makes you happy”.
This is true. I pick a camera and lenses that I enjoy using and that I enjoy seeing images from.
Once it was a Canon P with Canon 50/1.2 ltm and a spotmeter. We visited Paris then.
This is one of my favorite images from that trip.
The spotmeter fell to the ground and I had to guess the exposures.

U3565I1156532079.SEQ.0.jpg
 
raid said:
I never said where we may be traveling.
If all goes well, we will explore a small area between Milan and Venice. It will be mainly small towns.
Click to expand...

I hope you include Verona in your trip. My wife and I spent a week there in 2016 while she attended a conference. Lots to see and a very walkable city. Nice Roman amphitheater in the city center, and the town is also fine for street photos.
 
Thanks for starting this thread, Raid. I very much enjoy your “what camera and lenses should I take” threads and the discussions that result. I voted for the 50/28, bc a 50 and a wide angle lens makes sense. For me, I learned that I’m mainly a 50/35 shooter; I’ve taken short teles on European trips but rarely use them. But… last September I picked up a used Leica CL digital and 18mm Elmarit lens (28mm equivalent) in great condition, and took it with me to Venice. Although I also had an M240 with me and did most of my shooting w/ the digital M, I enjoyed the small size and image quality of the CL with the Elmarit.

So… fast forward… my wife and I are headed to Prague, Dresden and Berlin in about 10 days. This time, I want to keep the camera gear light and simple. So I’ll be taking the CL digital with three lenses — the Elmarit 18mm f2.8, a Summicron-TL 23mm f2.0, and the Voigtlander Ultron 35mm f2.0 (which gives a 50mm equivalent field of view on the CL digital); and a Rollei 35S with some Tri-X and color film. So, two small cameras and some lenses that fit in a small bag. I love shooting with my Barnack Leicas, but taking time to change film can tax the patience of travel companions, so the Barnacks will stay home, as will my M240. In any event, the CL digital is nearly identical in size to a Leica IIIc, so it’s a compact and lightweight camerra.

I will return to Paris in September and will take the M240 and the CL digital. That will be a more photo-oriented trip, yet I will probably be shooting a 35mm and a 50mm on the M240 and use the Elmarit on the CL digital when I want something wider.
 
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