Travel lens (and gear) ideas.

NfiniteZERO · Feb 12, 2015

Hey all. I'm looking for some input on my kit.

I just got married not too long ago and the wifey wanted to go to Vegas for our honeymoon. So, I grabbed my kit to take with me on the plane. My kit as we left on honeymoon was as follows: D700, 50 f/1.8, and the 70-200 f/2.8 VR II.

I had some pretty good DX gear (D7000, 17-55 f/2.8, 70-200 f/2.8 VR II) and was beginning the transition to FX (D700) when I ended up losing my job. To make ends meet, I ended up selling my D7000 and my DX-only lenses.

Didn't even take out the 70-200 all trip and it took me a little getting used to crowds while composing with a 50. Still had fun and got some great pictures out of it! Found myself wanting something akin to my old 17-55 f/2.8 that I had on my D7000, but also wanted something a little wider too. Also found out that I need a ND filter set (or variable ND)...very badly.

My wife does like to travel and I think I've gotten bit by the travel bug too. I'm trying to build a kit that doesn't weigh too much and would give me very good quality shots. To this end, I'm putting together a list of lenses to rent and try out. I've got Nikon's 24-120 f/4 and 16-35 f/4 as the next lenses for me to try out and would love to hear back from folks who have them. I'm also very open for other lenses to rent and try out as well.

Tailgunner · Feb 12, 2015

If money is tight, check out the Nikon 18-35mm. It's more consumer than pro lens but it does really nice work. I've been entertaining the Nikon 24-120mm F4 for a while and figure it and the 18-35mm would make a nice kit.

Tailgunner · Feb 12, 2015

That and a Nikon 20mm 1.8 or Nikon 24mm 1.4G

NfiniteZERO · Feb 12, 2015

Tailgunner said:
If money is tight, check out the Nikon 18-35mm. It's more consumer than pro lens but it does really nice work. I've been entertaining the Nikon 24-120mm F4 for a while and figure it and the 18-35mm would make a nice kit.

Tailgunner said:
That and a Nikon 20mm 1.8 or Nikon 24mm 1.4G

I'll check out the 18-35. Though, I've been spoiled by having fixed aperture glass - it might be hard to be fair with that kind of bias.

nerwin · Feb 12, 2015

Hey! I see you finally joined us!

I agree with the 18-35. Its lightweight, but its not super cheaply made...still an expensive lens if you think about it. Maybe not 14-24 2.8 quality. But its a good range on full frame. Very sharp I hear. I've been really wanting to pick one up because I don't think the 24mm on my 24-85 to be wide enough for some shots.

ruifo · Feb 12, 2015

18-35mm G AF-S is a great lens. Here my shots with it and the D810:
Nikon 18-35mm f 3.5-4.5G ED AF-S - an album on Flickr

TTLui · Feb 13, 2015

On my trips I always take a 28mm 1.8G and a 50mm 1.8G. I highly recommend the 28mm 1.8G. Its wide enough, and light, but you can still get close enough to take a decent half body or full body shot. Its a nice sweet spot between the 24 and the 35.

NfiniteZERO · Feb 13, 2015

TTLui said:
On my trips I always take a 28mm 1.8G and a 50mm 1.8G. I highly recommend the 28mm 1.8G. Its wide enough, and light, but you can still get close enough to take a decent half body or full body shot. Its a nice sweet spot between the 24 and the 35.

You know, I was thinking about going with a 1.8 prime set up as an alternative to the 24-120. Granted, it's a few more lenses to carry around but it would compliment my 70-200 f/2.8 quite well. I think I'll have to add some primes to my list to try out

My only concern would be filter sizes for when I do invest into a ND filter set (or variable ND) and a circular polarizer. Granted, step up rings are awesome but you cannot use the lens hood with some of them. Hmmm. More to ponder I guess.

ruifo · Feb 13, 2015

For travel, I usually take up to three lenses, being the 18-35mm always one of them. This is my usual travel kit option:

Derrel · Feb 13, 2015

iPhone4 snap

Travel Idea: For FX Nikon, go "light in weight", and "small"

I like to carry my 70-300 VR and a 24mm and a 50mm in a fanny pack that has a water bottle holder which just so happens to tightly grip the 70-300 VR lens, and which has a small zippered pocket that holds the 24/50 pair with the old-style Nikon lens caps taped back-to-back. the older style rear caps have maybe 60 or so interlocking nubs that make two reverse caps interlock, like Legos! I want to be able to travel light, so I leave the 70-200 or 80-200 2.8 lenses behind, and go with the 70-300 VR as my "reach" lens. Oftentimes, when I want to make my kit even smaller, I carry the Nikon 45mm f/2.8 P-Nikkor instead of a larger 50mm lens. The 45-P is a better focal length than a 50mm is for many outdoor situations. It has prettier bokeh than ANY Nikon 50mm lens, and it is so compact that it allows even a big Nikon D2 or D3 series body to be carried inside the main compartment of my larger fanny pack. It's a pancake style lens, so it's really handy for travel.

Having two primes that ride back-to-back with the rear lens caps holding the two as one, single unit allows you to pull out two lenses with one hand motion, and it keeps two lenses from bouncing around or jostling against one another when carried in a jacket pocket or vest pocket. Try it sometime!

HaveCameraWillTravel · Feb 13, 2015

I like the little 50 and 24 combo myself. One 52mm thread CPL fits both and away you go,

Tailgunner · Feb 14, 2015

Derrel said:
View attachment 95242
iPhone4 snap

Travel Idea: For FX Nikon, go "light in weight", and "small"

I like to carry my 70-300 VR and a 24mm and a 50mm in a fanny pack that has a water bottle holder which just so happens to tightly grip the 70-300 VR lens, and which has a small zippered pocket that holds the 24/50 pair with the old-style Nikon lens caps taped back-to-back. the older style rear caps have maybe 60 or so interlocking nubs that make two reverse caps interlock, like Legos! I want to be able to travel light, so I leave the 70-200 or 80-200 2.8 lenses behind, and go with the 70-300 VR as my "reach" lens. Oftentimes, when I want to make my kit even smaller, I carry the Nikon 45mm f/2.8 P-Nikkor instead of a larger 50mm lens. The 45-P is a better focal length than a 50mm is for many outdoor situations. It has prettier bokeh than ANY Nikon 50mm lens, and it is so compact that it allows even a big Nikon D2 or D3 series body to be carried inside the main compartment of my larger fanny pack. It's a pancake style lens, so it's really handy for travel.

Having two primes that ride back-to-back with the rear lens caps holding the two as one, single unit allows you to pull out two lenses with one hand motion, and it keeps two lenses from bouncing around or jostling against one another when carried in a jacket pocket or vest pocket. Try it sometime!

Long time no see.

NfiniteZERO · Feb 15, 2015

Derrel said:
View attachment 95242
iPhone4 snap

Travel Idea: For FX Nikon, go "light in weight", and "small"

I like to carry my 70-300 VR and a 24mm and a 50mm in a fanny pack that has a water bottle holder which just so happens to tightly grip the 70-300 VR lens, and which has a small zippered pocket that holds the 24/50 pair with the old-style Nikon lens caps taped back-to-back. the older style rear caps have maybe 60 or so interlocking nubs that make two reverse caps interlock, like Legos! I want to be able to travel light, so I leave the 70-200 or 80-200 2.8 lenses behind, and go with the 70-300 VR as my "reach" lens. Oftentimes, when I want to make my kit even smaller, I carry the Nikon 45mm f/2.8 P-Nikkor instead of a larger 50mm lens. The 45-P is a better focal length than a 50mm is for many outdoor situations. It has prettier bokeh than ANY Nikon 50mm lens, and it is so compact that it allows even a big Nikon D2 or D3 series body to be carried inside the main compartment of my larger fanny pack. It's a pancake style lens, so it's really handy for travel.

Having two primes that ride back-to-back with the rear lens caps holding the two as one, single unit allows you to pull out two lenses with one hand motion, and it keeps two lenses from bouncing around or jostling against one another when carried in a jacket pocket or vest pocket. Try it sometime!

Derrel, that's very crafty. Thanks for the input!

So, I've done some pondering and researching on what I want to do. Based on the advice you've all given me and some unexpected input from my wife, I've decided to look into this particular combination for my travel set up:

Nikon 20mm f/1.8 - Ultrawide awesomeness primo supreme-o. Takes a 77mm filter
Nikon 35mm f/1.8 - Excellent wide angle and....dum-dum-dum... fast prime for the wife's future DX camera! Takes a 58mm filter.

Paired with my 50 and 70-200, I'll have a great range covered. I know the 70-200 is a pig to be luggin' around, but I don't mind the weight since it's the best in class for that range. Two filter sizes wouldn't be too bad to manage either (20 + 70-200 with 77mm and 35 + 50 at 52mm).

I'll get the rentals on the way and post on how it fares.

Thanks again everyone for the input!

NfiniteZERO · Feb 17, 2015

Oh, forgot to add that I added the 18-35mm the rental list. I was planning to test them this weekend but I am helping to move my brother-in-law. As such, it'll probably be toward the end of the month before I get the time to test the lenses.