Main lenses vs. travel lenses

Pontus · Expire: 2016-08-25

High end lenses versus much less pricey (and travel friendly) alternatives of approaching quality. Lets simplify things by adding that the camera used is one that can take any lens with adapters.

I bet many of us have a set of main lenses that we use when we can look after them properly and another set of lenses that we bring when we travel because of convenience and cost. Quite often we can get quite close to our first choice in image quality at a fraction of the cost. It can be a good idea to pair lenses so that we get to know certain focal lengths really well. Here's one pair:

Leica Summicron APO 75/2 vs. Voigtländer Color-Heliar 75/2.5

The Leica is a bit heavy and very expensive but it is as good as any lens gets. The CV is a very good lens but much cheaper and smaller and an ideal travel companion for a 2 or 3 lens travel setup. Many people prefer the slightly longer 90mm focal length: Leica Summicron APO 90/2 vs Voigtländer APO-Lanthar 90/3.5 or Contax G Sonnar 90/2.8

The Zeiss 100/2 Macro-Planar and the Voigtländer APO-Lanthar 125/2.5 are dream macro lenses for many and a substitute for travel could be the Tokina 90/2.5 which is one heck of a lens but of course it is shorter (still long enough for most bugs) and it's quite light.

Do you have any lens pairs to add?

casualcollector · Posted: Tue Jun 25, 2013 12:40 pm Post subject:

I used the big Canon 35-70/2.8 SSC for years. In the early 2000s I found a smaller, lighter Kobori made 28-70 and switched to that.

In the early 80s I began leaving the Canon F-1 at home in favor of the A-1.

Aanything · Expire: 2014-05-30

I don't have any really expensive lenses, so my difference in travel bag vs standard bag is mostly about size, often giving up a little speed.
For example, the little great s-m-c takumar 3.5/35 always finds its place in my bag when I need to travel light, while I tend to forget about it in many occasions. And everytime I use it, I think that I should use it more.

bruzzo · Joined: 05 Jul 2012 Posts: 153

fermy · Joined: 17 Feb 2012 Posts: 1974

My travel lenses are my main lenses. I take for travel the lenses I like and trust the most, since travel is often the best photo opportunity.

std · Joined: 09 Feb 2010 Posts: 1826 Location: Bulgaria

SonicScot · Posted: Tue Jun 25, 2013 2:08 pm Post subject:

Attila · Expire: 2025-11-18

I not travel Laughing

Certainly no rarities in travel all lens can go with me what I can buy again if I lost it. Usually all cheap stuff perform very well in good light and at F8.

Rick1779 · Expire: 2014-06-06

I don't have main lenses and travel lenses, maybe because I don't own many, but when I travel I take with me most of my preferred ones

Nordentro · Expire: 2015-01-29

I'm only following my wife for shopping when we travel Laughing

No, seriously... I absolutely think about size when traveling. Because smaller lenses make space for more lenses to come along Wink

I never take medium format or SLR lenses with me, but focus on smaller lenses like LTM, C-mount, PEN F, Pentax 110... Very Happy

kansalliskala · Expire: 2016-12-30

Last time I did a longer trip I had Yashicaflex TLR for 6x6 slides and a JVC video camera for the "moments". It worked perfectly.

edit: this site is too popular in google. I do a picture search for my JVC camera brand and find countless of my own photos on this site.

cooltouch · Joined: 15 Jan 2009 Posts: 9096 Location: Houston, Texas

DigiChromeEd · Joined: 29 Dec 2009 Posts: 3460 Location: Northern Ireland

LucisPictor · Expire: 2013-12-03

About 15 to 20 years ago, I made two big "photo trips", one to Kenya and one to Scandinavia (Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland). On both I only brought my Ricoh KR10x with a Rikenon 35-70 lens, because I did not have another lens. For the trip to Africa that was not enough, I would have loved to have a longer tele for the Safari shots, but for the trip to and around the North that 35-70 was all I needed.

Now I have an awful lot of gear. As much as I understand that one follows the idea of a main and a travel set, I neither differ between main and travel lenses - mainly for one reason: my holiday is more or less the only time when I have the chance to take photos apart from the usual shots I can take every day.

But I always bring way too much gear. We normally go by car on vacation, so space and weight is no problem.
Nowadays I bring my 5D for manual lenses and superwide shots, the D3100 for tele shots, the NEX-7 for many things, the M8 with the M-lenses for fun and the Nikon V1 for snapshots. I often also bring some other stuff to play with.

When I travelled to St. Petersburg three years ago with my dad, I also took quite a lot of stuff with me, but a little more restricted because of the flight.

Hari · Expire: 2015-05-27

Interesting idea!

Logically speaking:

Leica summilux 50/1.4 ASPH stays behind and the Zeiss ZM Sonnar 50/1.5 goes along

Noctilux 50/f1 stays behind and my nokton 50/1.1 goes along (sold, bought again)

35/1.4 FLE will stay behind at the Nikon 35/1.8 LTM will go with me (finally got a mint copy!!)

75 apo stays and the 75/2.5 heliar goes out

Last but not least, 90 apo stays and 90/2.8 elmarit has fun

This doesn't imply for a second that the lenses that go with me are inferior by any means. They are great lenses too. Just lesser cost and more peace of mind.

kansalliskala · Expire: 2016-12-30

Karsten - you take 5 different SYSTEMS to a trip. Shocked

Oldhand · Posted: Wed Jun 26, 2013 8:56 am Post subject:

I am just back from a month long trip to the west.
I took a bag full of lenses, but the one I used the most - it was almost always on my camera (Nikon D300) - was the Sigma 10-20mm.
The only other lens that I used was a Canon FD 50mm macro with adapter.
Of course, my tripod took a beating.
Here is a sample:
OH

mo · Expire: 2016-07-30

Nice sample,In Australia you need a good wide angle for the landscapes.

uddhava · Expire: 2021-06-21

Yes nice sample, and nice information from everyone! Very Happy

parabellumfoto · Joined: 06 Apr 2013 Posts: 413 Location: Sydney, Australia

Orio · Expire: 2012-12-04

I have two travel sets, both film rangefinder systems.
One includes my two Contax G2 cameras and the 2.8/21, 2.8/28, 2/35, 2/45, 2.8/90 lenses
The other includes my Zeiss Ikon and the 2.8/25, 2/35 and 1.5/50 lenses.
This second set is not complete, it lacks a spare camera and a 21mm lens.
Both sets fit into a very small bag, 24 (w) x 18 (d) x 15 (h) centimetres.
I would never take with me anything bigger on travel.

For on location work, I don't have a fixed set. I take the lenses that experience tells me I will need.