Lens choice for rhine cruise and paris?

pondball · Jul 14, 2014

I'm trying to figure out what to take along on this trip. Right now I have my d700 with: Nikkor 24-85, Nikkor 70-300 and a Nikkor 50; 1.8... The first two are not fast glass. They are what came with the body when I got it this spring. D700 is almost new and I intend to keep it for awhile, perhaps upgrading to another body in the future (probably FF when I do)

I'm also wanting to take a decent set of glass with me on an upcoming trip to Europe (river cruise) and Paris. I'm thinking the most used glass will be the 24-85, especially in Paris, but not sure about the quality of the glass itself as it is not in the fast category and may be suspect at night.

I've looked at some of the faster Nikkor, tamron and sigma but can't decide if I should upgrade or not... And In Fact which one should be the priority if I do.

Question 1: will the glass I have now fit the bill for this trip or will I be disappointed in the results.
Question 2: for those who have taken similar trips, which glass was your go-to favourite... I don't want to have to go through constant swaps each day and have looked at some of the all in ones (28-300 etc) but I can't see where they would offer any better (if any) results than my current set of glass... Only advantage I could see would be that it would be an all-in-one solution.
Question 3: if I get one new piece of glass would you suggest: UWA, or a faster replacement for one of my two zooms?

Theo2 · Jul 14, 2014

Superzooms are gross! Unless you want all in one convenience that is. Whenever I go on a long trip I go very light (it's about the trip isn't it?) I'll usually bring a 50mm and a 35mm.

It all depends on what you want to take pictures of. If you want to take pictures of wildlife, bring a big telephoto! If you want street shooting on a cropped sensor bring a 35mm or a wide angle!

colnago1331 · Jul 14, 2014

pondball said:
I'm trying to figure out what to take along on this trip. Right now I have my d700 with: Nikkor 24-85, Nikkor 70-300 and a Nikkor 50; 1.8... The first two are not fast glass. They are what came with the body when I got it this spring. D700 is almost new and I intend to keep it for awhile, perhaps upgrading to another body in the future (probably FF when I do).

So this makes it sound like you don't know that your D700 is full frame. I don't know if you know that or not, but I figured I'd point it out.

As for which lens - it really depends on what you're hoping to get out of your photos. I, personally, would recommend you rent a wide angle or ultra wide angle lens (something like the Nikkor 16-35mm f/4) for the trip, as this is a fantastic piece of glass, albeit big and heavy. OTOH, a superzoom is incredibly convenient, allowing you to put one lens on and forget about it. Theoretically, the photos you take with it won't be as crisp and have the same image quality as ones taken with a lens with a shorter zoom range, but that may not matter to you.

pondball · Jul 14, 2014

colnago1331 said:
So this makes it sound like you don't know that your D700 is full frame. I don't know if you know that or not, but I figured I'd point it out. As for which lens - it really depends on what you're hoping to get out of your photos. I, personally, would recommend you rent a wide angle or ultra wide angle lens (something like the Nikkor 16-35mm f/4) for the trip, as this is a fantastic piece of glass, albeit big and heavy. OTOH, a superzoom is incredibly convenient, allowing you to put one lens on and forget about it. Theoretically, the photos you take with it won't be as crisp and have the same image quality as ones taken with a lens with a shorter zoom range, but that may not matter to you.

Yup... Knew that... It's the reason I got the d700 in the first place...
For this trip I'm not interested in wildlife shots as most will be about historical buildings and landscapes, then the streets of Paris. When I'm back home I'd like to get I to more wildlife. It that's another issue... The trip is my concern now,and yes getting good quality is at the top of my list, thus my questions about the glass I do have. I also have to be cognizant of what I can take on a plane, and subsequently haul around with me on the day trips.

Theo2 · Jul 14, 2014

Well, if I was going I'd just take a couple primes. Street photography isn't as much fun, in my opinion, with zooms. It's also way easier to carry around.

pondball · Jul 16, 2014

Thanks Theo
I appreciate your advice on the super zoom... While it sounds like a good choice in terms of convenience I'd hate to be disappointed in the results as this is not a trip we will be taking twice!
I've been following another thread on the Tammy 24-70 2.8 and was thinking this would be a good replacement for my Nikkor 24-85 as it would allow better evening shots around Paris and while on the river boat.
You mention primes but I wouldn't want to get a new prime that is in the range of what I already have so was maybe thinking that something in the order of an UW between 12 and 24 would be a good choice, especially for landscapes and street shots... Do you have any recommendations for a specific lens in this range?

sscarmack · Jul 16, 2014

24-70 is the ultimate carry lens.

shadowlands · Jul 16, 2014

I'm a D700 man myself. I travel with all three of my f2.8 zooms. I've ran into plenty of situations when I needed both reach and width.
I also toss in a 2X TC as well for 400mm when needed.

robbins.photo · Jul 16, 2014

pondball said:
I'm trying to figure out what to take along on this trip. Right now I have my d700 with: Nikkor 24-85, Nikkor 70-300 and a Nikkor 50; 1.8... The first two are not fast glass. They are what came with the body when I got it this spring. D700 is almost new and I intend to keep it for awhile, perhaps upgrading to another body in the future (probably FF when I do)

I'm also wanting to take a decent set of glass with me on an upcoming trip to Europe (river cruise) and Paris. I'm thinking the most used glass will be the 24-85, especially in Paris, but not sure about the quality of the glass itself as it is not in the fast category and may be suspect at night.

I've looked at some of the faster Nikkor, tamron and sigma but can't decide if I should upgrade or not... And In Fact which one should be the priority if I do.

Question 1: will the glass I have now fit the bill for this trip or will I be disappointed in the results.

Answer 1: Depends entirely on what you are shooting.

Question 2: for those who have taken similar trips, which glass was your go-to favourite... I don't want to have to go through constant swaps each day and have looked at some of the all in ones (28-300 etc) but I can't see where they would offer any better (if any) results than my current set of glass... Only advantage I could see would be that it would be an all-in-one solution.

Answer 2: My go too combo is a 70-200 mm F/2.8 and a 50 mm 1.8 AFS-G. Between the two I can get the vast majority of the shots I want. I like my 18-50 for landscape/cityscape shots, but if I'm shooting people I prefer the 50 prime. Since both lenses are pretty small and lightweight I have a lens case that fits on my belt so I can swap them out and carry both if needed.

Question 3: if I get one new piece of glass would you suggest: UWA, or a faster replacement for one of my two zooms?

Answer #3: Honestly, neither. If you want to do some shots at dusk or at night of Paris, that sort of thing - then get yourself a good usable tripod and remote trigger and just use the glass you already have - for a decent cityscape/landscape you'll want to stop down the lens anyway so fast glass becomes moot, and to do that you need long exposure, hence, tripod. If your shooting people instead, well the 50 1.8 will be as fast as you need I'm sure.