What lenses to take to China and Korea

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!
 
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.
 
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.
 
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Push the boundaries

Push the boundaries

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