Choosing Lenses For Travel

 

I am often asked what lenses I take with me when I travel.  The short answer is ‘more than I want to’ because they are heavy.  But, to be prepared for the variety of photographic opportunities you will face on the road, it is impossible to pick just one.  No one lens covers all the focal lengths or apertures that most photographers need.  In addition, some lenses are built for a particular purpose so both the destination and your style of photography will affect some of your choices.

 

The first lens that everyone needs is a standard telephoto lens.  They typically cover focal lengths in between 24 and 100 mm and occasionally up to 200 mm.  This covers what the human eye sees and gives you some zooming capabilities too.  If you are unable or unwilling to carry the weight of a lot of camera equipment and want to carry just one lens, find a telephoto lens that covers most of the focal lengths you care about.  However, additional lenses will give you more photographic flexibility.

 

The second lens to consider is a wide angle or ultra-wide angle lens that will cover focal lengths below 24 mm.  This lens is a good choice for landscape shots when you want to get everything in the picture but it is also great for indoor and close up shots.  Sometimes the best way to get rid of the clutter or extra people in the shot is to get close to your subject and use a wide-angle lens.  With a high aperture you can also blur the background so only your subject is in focus.

 

The next lens I recommend may surprise you.  It’s a fast 50 mm fixed lens (aperture of 1.8 or less).  It is a small lens so it doesn’t take up much space and it serves two important functions.  First, it will probably be the fastest lens in your bag so it’s a good choice for low light situations when you need a high aperture to make the shutter speed fast enough.  Second, it makes a great lens for panoramic shots, even in low light like sunrise or sunset.

 

Beyond these 3 lenses, the main focus is telephoto capability.  If you want to capture images of wildlife, you need at least 400 mm.  If you want to capture images of birds, you need even more.  A telephoto zoom lens is the most practical choice for travelers that don’t want to carry a 10-pound super telephoto lens with them.  A good telephoto zoom lens will cover focal lengths from 100 to 400 mm.  A 1.4X or 2.0X Extender will extend the focal length even further so it’s good to carry one of those too.

 

What else should you look for when you choose a lens?  The first thing is quality.  Your lenses stand a very good chance of outliving your camera so buy good quality lenses that you’ll still be happy with when you upgrade your camera.  Don’t buy lenses that are not compatible with high-end cameras because, if you are serious about photography, you will probably buy one sooner or later.

 

The next thing you want is speed.  Travel photography involves a lot of situations with low light or moving objects.  To capture images in these situations, you often need a higher shutter speed.  One way to increase the shutter speed is to increase the aperture (remember, higher apertures are represented by lower numbers).  So, the maximum aperture of a lens is important because it represents the limit for that lens.  For example, a lens with a maximum aperture of 2.8 will be able to increase the shutter speed much faster than a lens with a maximum aperture of 4.0.  There is a trade off, however.  Lenses with a higher maximum aperture are generally heavier and costlier than other lenses.  You have to decide if the weight and cost are worth it.  If you can afford only one fast lens, pick the wide-angle lens.  It will give a better blur effect for those close up shots.

 

Finally, look for lenses with image stabilization.  This will help reduce the blur due to camera shake. The longer the focal length, the more important it is.  It definitely works and you will be glad you have it, especially on your long lenses.

 

So, with all this advice, you’re probably wondering what’s in my bag.  Here’s a list of the lenses I take with me:

As you can tell, I’m a Canon photographer.  Equally fine lenses are available for Nikon.

 

May your travel and your photography both be rewarding!

 

              Roger Nelson