Help me choose! 17-40mm f/4L + Tamron 70-300mm VC vs. 24-105mm f/4L IS on 5mkII

[Flake]

Although I haven't seen the bag it looks like it would hold all three lenses!  But even so why can't you take the 24 - 105mm and the 70 - 300mm or the 17 - 40mm?

None of the 5D series has a built in flash so I'd reccomend you get one, even if it's the 270EX  (small & light), and also a monopod which gives and extra stop, allows better stitching / HDR, and should the worst happen, it makes a great club!  It's also a nice walking stick on its own.  The Manfrotto 682B has a small set of legs to make it that bit more stable.

[Zorfunk]

Thanks for the great input everyone! I really appreciate the thorough post from Neuro and everyone elses' insight.

My biggest concern was whether 24mm on a full frame is wide enough and if 105mm is long enough. I'd prefer not to change lenses, but I would if need be.

I like having IS without a tripod for those higher aperture landscape and architecture shots, but im thinking i'll still need something wider than 24mm.

I do need to pack light since we're travelling through the alps and hiking to the castles in Bavaria. Great points about weather sealing.

Thanks again and if anyone has any other input about focal length in Paris, Cologne, Munich and Bavaria it would be much appreciated.

[K-amps]

Thanks for the great input everyone! I really appreciate the thorough post from Neuro and everyone elses' insight.

My biggest concern was whether 24mm on a full frame is wide enough and if 105mm is long enough. I'd prefer not to change lenses, but I would if need be.

I like having IS without a tripod for those higher aperture landscape and architecture shots, but im thinking i'll still need something wider than 24mm.

I do need to pack light since we're travelling through the alps and hiking to the castles in Bavaria. Great points about weather sealing.

Thanks again and if anyone has any other input about focal length in Paris, Cologne, Munich and Bavaria it would be much appreciated.

24mm is plenty wide on FF. This is assuming you do not want to change lenses. But if you are more concerned about the width, then take athe 17-40/ 70-300L combo, that would be very nice and cover 95% of your needs. Only you can decide what you are comfortable with...

[michi]

When in Munich, be sure to explore the smaller side streets in downtown Munich.  Also check out the Asam church and St. Michael's church.  They are beautiful inside.  Great for photos.  When at the city square, go up the "Alter Peter" church.  It's a workout but the view of downtown is fantastic from up there.  It's only a buck or two.  Also the Deutsches Museum is one of the largest technical museums in the world, it's a great way to spend a rainy in Munich.  It has fantastic exhibits and you are allowed to take pictures there.

There are many beautiful lakes in Bavaria which are worth stopping at, and of course the alps.  I recommend going to Garmisch Partenkirchen, a small city at the base of the highest German mountain.  You can go up this mountain (Zugspitze) via cable car or train.  Fantastic views from up there and on the way up. 

Unbeknownst to many, there is a ticket called "Bavaria Pass" or rather "Bayern Ticket" which is good for up to 5 people for a whole day and allows you to use pretty much every type of public transportion in all of Bavaria.  It's only €29.  Saves a lot of money if you take more than one person with you.  Just a few exceptions such as high speed trains etc...

http://babelfish.yahoo.com/translate_url?doit=done&tt=url&intl=1&fr=bf-home&trurl=http://www.bahn.de/regional/view/regionen/bayern/freizeit/bayernticket.shtml&lp=de_en&btnTrUrl=Translate

Have fun there.

[kubelik]

traveling "light" is a very subjective term.  on a recent trip back to Taiwan, I decided to travel light; I only brought the 5D Mark II with a 16-35mm f/2.8 L II, 24-70mm f/2.8 L, and 100mm f/2.8 L Macro.  I debated whether or not I'd need more telephoto capability, but the more I travel, the more I realize that I will only ever need telephoto lenses when I explicitly set out to shoot material requiring a telephoto lens -- sports or animals.  Paris doesn't seem like it'd require either.  That being said, the 100mm Macro was fairly light and I didn't mind that I brought it in case.

beyond that, I had to haul my wife's t2i and sigma ultra-zoom lens.  when I weighed my backpack at the airport, all told it was 15 or 16 pounds.  with chargers, batteries, extra memory, cleaning kit ... you get the idea.  (edit: for clarification, to me this is light.  I didn't have to bring my 70-200 or a tripod)  since you're only carrying the one camera, I'd say bring the 17-40, 24-105, and 70-300!  you can always leave a lens or two packed in the hotel room if you decide you definitely won't use it that day, but that way you won't regret not having brought the right tools.  you should end up with a 10 lb or lighter pack if you do things this way, and even lighter when you are holding the camera and lens in your hands.

have a great trip!

[unfocused]

We went to Provence last fall. As usual, I packed way more equipment than I used.

I have a 7D. For almost all my shots, the 15-85 was the lens I used. That's roughly comparable to the 24-105.

I also have the Tamron 70-300mm. The only time I used it was when we went to an ornithological park in the Camargue. Had we not been going there, I wouldn't have missed it.

To give you a sense of how versatile the 24-105 range is, we visited the Canyon du Verdon, stood alongside the running of the bulls in St. Remy de Provence, toured the Palais des Papes, walked across the Pont du Gard, watched gladiators "fight" in the Roman amphitheater in Arles, strolled along the beach in Nice and climbed to the rooftop in Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer. And, as I said, I never really needed another focal length.

[willrobb]

17-40mm f4L is one of my favourite travel lenses, it's small, light and when you travel you sometimes need those really wide shots and for the quality of image you get for that price....wow.

Here are some pics with it:

[K-amps]

Lovely shots Willrobb !!  They are very well exposed!