What lenses to take to China and Korea

[Nick De Marco]

Im about to go tomorrow
I'm taking the M (Typ 240) with 28 and 50mm Summicrons, and the MP with some film and a 35mm Summicron.

I reckon that all I need, and will probably be all I take, but my latest blog is a muse on whether to add a 21 (and which one) and 90mm

Here:
http://rangefinderchronicles.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/going-to-china-21s-and-90.html

 

[jenquest]

A highly interesting read. I look forward to the results and have a safe trip.

 

[Harry S.]

I spent 6 weeks in China in 2011. I took a 5Dmk2 and 35mm f/1.4. Thats it. Wider might have been nice at times but I was never left wanting. Have fun!

 

[asiafish]

28, 35 and 50 should have you covered for just about anything.

 

[35mmdelux]

reckon you got it covered - where it me 21, 35 -- enjoy -

 

[ZeissFan]

Sometimes, you can take too many lenses. I often traveled with a 35-50-135 kit. I know that the 135 length doesn't always get a lot of respect, but I liked that length when traveling.

 

[pepeguitarra]

Take just one lens, a 35/1.4

 

[rwintle]

Went to the UK a few weeks ago. Took a DSLR (Nikon DX, so 1.5 crop) and three lenses. Usage ended up like this:

Nikkor 35mm f/1.8G - about 85% [this is about normal on DX]
Sigma 10-20 - about 10% [still pretty darn wide on DX, equivalent of 15-30]
Nikkor 55-300 - about 5% [long, equivalent of about 82-450]

Next time I might not bother with the long zoom for this kind of (mainly sightseeing and people/relatives photography) trip. Traveling light, I only take the 35.

 

[Clark.EE]

Push the boundaries

Push the boundaries

Take 1 focal length. 35 by preference.
Push yourself. You may be surprised at the results?

 

[mdwsta4]

To me 28 and 35 have always been too close together. I'd take 35 and 50 or 28 and 50 if you want a little more separation between focal lengths. One lens on each camera. Minimal hassle, minimal gear to tote around, less choices you have to worry about.

 

[raytoei@gmail.com]

i recently spent 5 days in japan,
i didn't want to spend the time
worrying about which focal length,
however I also didn't want to
go with only one camera, just in
case it failed on me. For the
trip, I took the IIIf and M6
and two 35mm lenses, and
20+ rolls of film.

raytoei

 

[DanBachmann]

21mm, 35mm & 50mm for me

21mm, 35mm & 50mm for me

I'm just back from Japan and Korea (just 4 days in Seoul). I brought along a 21mm, 35mm, 50mm and 75mm for the Leica (and picked up a Canon A-1 SLR along the way with a collection of lenses from 35mm-500mm along the way, but that's another story).

I was glad to have all the lenses, but found that most of the time I was using the 50mm, switching to the 21mm occasionally. When I was hiking with a few others for a day in Korea and needed to be quick and light, the 35mm was perfect. It was also great in the city. I could have swapped the less frequently used 75mm for a 90mm or space in my bag.

Of my ~45 shots for Japan, here was my breakdown:
21mm 5x
35mm 12x
50mm ~25x
75mm 4x

You can see the shots here with focal lengths: http://www.flickr.com/photos/danbachmann/tags/Japan+Leica+2013

I've not yet sorted through Korea yet, but I would guess it is the same breakdown. What I also suspect is your trip will be very different than mine since I was mostly visiting friends/family.

I'm glad I brought all these lenses - and I see you have decided to bring them all. Let's see what you come up with!

 

[YYV_146]

Wow, and I used to go out carrying a 5-lens kit in Beijing...

I agree, 35 is probably the most versatile for travel photography. I'd also take a 75-90 for safe measures, and an AF camera just in case you want yourself to be in front of something - the casual passerby usually can't handle MF.

 

[Nick De Marco]

I'm back now. The one thing I am glad about was I took the 90mm in the end. Ended up using it, along with the 28mm, most times. Should not have taken the MP though. Only enough time for one camera.
Nick

 

[Tin]

I was on a China trip a few months ago to Shanxi and Hebei Provinces, and all I took was the Fuji XE-1 and the 18-55 zoom (28-85 equiv.) I never felt that I was short in any coverage, even though that is my only Fuji lens at this time.

 

[Takkun]

Up until June, I only had a 35 and a 90. For most street shooting, it was perfect. Though I prefer the look of my 50mm, 35 is my go-to generally.
However, if I was traveling extensively, I'd probably go with the 28/50/90, since I would like the extra wide reach.

Nice to know I'm not the only one with a 135. I've taken to using it extensively for architectural details and candid portraits of strangers (oh no, am I turning into one of those guys that gets as far away from possible from his subject?)