Which lens for Rome?

Lightsped

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I will be traveling to Rome on March 1st.

I have quite a few lenses, but am not sure which to take. I would like to limit my lenses to two. I am thinking 14-24, and 24-70. Should I substitute one of these for a 70-200? I may take the 50mm 1.4 since it is such a small/light lens.

I am hoping to get a decent keyhole shot. Which lens would be best for that?

Any other Rome photo recommendations?
Thanks
 
Just checked your 500px account - great images! So you are using a full frame camera. For city trips, I´d definitely bring the wideangle. But I´d suggest you take a look at other peoples 500px images from Rome and check what you are going to photograph there and what lenses they used. I love the fact that site displays the Exif data for most images.
Enjoy your trip!
 
Rome for sire requires a wide angle, If I was you to be honest I'd take 14-24, 24-70 and the 70-200.. Last time I was there I had 28-70 and a 50 with me and there were times I wanted to go wider but also many times I'd liked to have gotten tighter shots..
 
If I am traveling and photography will be a big part of the trip, I typically bring everything.

But if you want to travel light, tight European streets need as wide as you have.
 
You will need a Zoom...........

all three lenses listed are zoom..............................



IMHO, you'll be better off with the 14-24 & 24-70 and probably never have any use for the 70-200.

When I went there I only had my crop 15-50mm (22.5mm - 75mm), If anything I wanted wider and had a lot of images I had to stitch together when I went home.
 
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Rome is generally a tight place to shoot. A lot of shots are inside cathedrals or in fairly compact places like the Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, Plaza Navona, etc. Even the more open shots like the Colosseum call for wide angle shots. You may could use the 70-200 to get some detail, but I doubt you would need it enough to justify taking it. I would definitely take the 50 1.4f for low light. Some of the best shots are at night. Some of the best shots I took were during a self guided walking tour that started just after sunset up to about 10:00pm. Rome is beautiful at night but can still be crowded. Just watch your wallet.
 
Thanks for the replies and advice.

Has anyone got the infamous Rome Keyhole shot? If so, would the 24-70 be long enough?
 
oh what the heck. now i need to go back -- didnt know of that.
 
Man you have me wanting to go back to Rome again now! Maybe after my next trip which is Budapest next month I'll start looking at flights!
 
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I would take the 14-24, and 24-70, and a small tripod and leave at that. When I traveled through Europe I only took a 16-35 f/4 and a 24-70 f/2.8 It was well worth not lugging a ton of gear.

The 24-70 stayed on the camera 80% of the time and I personally never encountered a situation where I needed anything longer, However if I had a high quality 24-105 I probably would have brought that instead.
 
There are no special lenses for Rome....just bring the same lenses you'd use for a walkabout in NYC, London or Wichita.
No need to overthink this.
 
Want you to think about your own safety. Recommend you do not take expensive camera gear. Buy a capable point and shoot to take with you. Take lots of mem cards and change them out often in case your camera goes missing. You don't even want the more expensive smartphones to be seen out in the open. Watch for gangs of kids who make their living robbing tourists especially around train stations and tourists areas. They will surround you and your gear and valuables will be gone. Don't leave anything expensive in your room including room safes, but take it to the hotel safe in the lobby. You might want to do some online searches on tourist safety in Rome. Its a beautiful city, but beware. The Vatican area, especially the Sistine Chappel ceiling are amazing. The catacombs, Colosseum, pagan churches converted to christian churches, restaurants, palazzo s, Roman fountains and baths, ... are all amazing. Hope you have a great trip.
 
Thank you very much for the concern. I definitely take your advice seriously. But is Rome really that bad? It sounds as if I am going into Compton or Detroit....

I have been all over London on several trips, also been to St. Petersburg Russia, Seoul S. Korea, and San Juan Puerto Rico. Never felt nervous or scared. I also keep my camera strap around my neck and one arm (more difficult to remove) and also keep my hand on the camera.
 
Rome isn't as bad as Naples, no.

But yes, pick-pocketing is very prevalent in Rome; tons of tourists who are easy targets.

There are a lot of "Travelers" and local kids who plague Italy during tourist season -- they tend to stick to train terminals and the overcrowded buses, but they will do @Strodav mentioned, distract you to take your belongs. Don't put your camera bag on the ground if your at a cafe drink an Aperol Spritz, there's a good possibility someone will sneak up and snatch it.

They take advantage of the crowds and really don't even have to work that hard to hide their actions. They are usually very young and unsuspecting, but can stand around in a crowd and just go-to-town on all the tourists throwing coins into trevi fountain.

Just gotta be smart about it. Don't keep your wallet in your back pocket, never put anything you don't want to lose on the ground, be cautious of everyone -- especially those getting very close to use or offering/asking for help, don't fall for traps.
 

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