Traveling to Europe... debating what gear to bring. DSLR or EOS M?

[mangobutter]

My current lineup:

EF: 6D, 16-35 F4 IS, 50 1.8, 70-200 F4L

EF-M: EOS M, 22mm 2.0, Rokinon 12mm 2.0

Some old M42 mount lenses. super takumar 50 1.4, 50 2.0, 135 2.8

I am going to Barcelona, Paris, London for two weeks. Leaving in 10 days. I know Barcelona is infamous for pickpockets so I'm scared to bring the nicer, more expensive stuff out. Doubt anyone would try to (or be successful) at grabbing a bunch of my gear off me but you never know. Not to mention size and weight.

Right now I'm leaning towards a tripod, 90 EX flash, EOS M, 12mm 2.0, 22mm 2.0, 50 1.8 (bringing the EF adapter of course) and a small vintage vivitar 135mm 2.8 prime with M42 adapter for when I need reach in a pinch. So I'd have 18mm, 35mm, 80mm and 216mm (or so) covered. I'd stay light and small.

Or do you guys think I'd regret not having that full frame goodness for when I want to take some artistic shots (bokeh) or do some heavy handheld street photography in low light? over thinking the pick pockets? If I bring the M, i can go stealth.

Anyone have this dilemma and found a sweet spot for travel use? I'm missing a good fast lens for the 6D. Working on that. if I had a 35L again, i'd probably just bring that.

The 6D + 16-35 F4L would be nice too. The IS would help for museum/interior shots. or general night photography. The range is nice too vs. the 12mm 2.0 (18mm) on the EOS M.

 

[Random Orbits]

I'd bring the 6D + 16-35 f/4 IS + 50 f/1.8. Unless you know you'll need the tripod for a specific shot, you might consider leaving that at home as well. If you're staying in the cities, then the wider focal lengths will be more useful than the longer ones. In cities, I tend to favor the 16-35 over the 70-xxx range. The 50 f/1.8 is nice for available light, indoor scenarios, etc.

I have a "standard" travel kit of 16-35/50/70-xxx, but "standard" doesn't apply very often. It's the starting point to figure out what to bring but is rarely brought. The ultrawide zoom or telezoom might be dropped, but I almost always bring a fast prime either for more artistic shots or for low light.

Whatever you do, insure the gear that would be costly to replace (i.e. 6D, 16-35 f/4 IS). The peace of mind far outweighs the insurance cost.

 

[Psyclone]

Leave the M at home. I have had several incidents where the always-on touchscreen on my M has messed things up.

Resolution changed; exposure changed; focus point moved around. And in a couple of cases, I didn't see the problem until it was too late.

If I want good portability, I carry my SL1 instead now. The M gets used only for "just in case I need a camera" situations these days.

Canon, why can't I turn the touchscreen off if I want to? The SL1 supports that...

 

[dcm]

I have a similar setup (6D/M) with a few more lenses. It really depends on a few things. What do you shoot when you travel - types and focal lengths? What you plan to do with the photos afterwards? How have you used photos from previous trips? How light do you want to travel?

I've been to London, Paris, and a few other cities in my pre-DSLR days (film and compact digital). Also spent some time in the English countryside fishing. Most of my shots were wide angle, not as much call for a tele. I like small and light when I'm covering a lot of territory. If you don't plan to publish or print large I would think the M (and some PP) would suffice. If you plan to monetize your images, then the 6D might be more appropriate. I would only take lenses that I'm already familiar with on a body, that's not the time to learn.

Since I have a few more lenses to choose from I would take the EF-M 11-22 IS for wide, EF-M 22 for low light, and the EF-M 55-200 IS for portrait/tele, leaving the EF-M 18-55 at home. I'd likely only carry 1 extra lens at a time. The M+12+22+50 combo sounds about right to me, particularly if you like primes and can handle the M without IS.

I find the M/tele setup unsatisfactory without IS or a tripod and I don't typically carry a tripod with the M. I find I can use my EF 100L IS handheld on the M, but I haven't had much success with the EF 85 or 135 primes on the M without support. Maybe you have better luck or more practice than I do with a non IS tele combo on the M.

 

[AlanF]

6D/24-105. Enjoy the sights and do not be a slave to your gear, especially a tripod.

 

[jefflinde]

I would take the M and all your lenses. They are small enough that you can bring the ones you will need for the day with you and leave the rest in your suitcase at the hotel. I went all the way through Croatia with just the M and it did everything I needed. Plus if someone does steal your kit you are out less than the body alone of the 6d. I never had an issue with messing up the touch screen. I had it on auto when moving around and driving. Then when I was stopped to take pictures I would put it back on manual and compose my shots. I bought my M about a week before I left so I had to figure out the auto focus issue on the fly. Once I got it down I never missed a shot that the camera should have made. Now if I was asking to much from it then that is my fault for not being prepared. I had the 18-55 and 22. I used the 22 for most city walks but I like the 18-55 for out the bus window. I had Lots of good drive by pics that where surprisingly in focus. As long as you know the limits of the M then it is a wonderful take anywhere camera. If you are there to sight see and take pics go with the EOS M but if you are there to take pics and then look around take the 6D.

Jeff

 

[Rocky]

I took my EOS-M to Turkey on a 11 days land tour on October. I did not miss my DSLR. Thereare some inconvenience. Please read my "EOS_M in Turkey" post. I would buy the 18-55mm lens for the trip for convenience. Your line up does not have a lens with IS.

 

[Marsu42]

The 6D + 16-35 F4L would be nice too. The IS would help for museum/interior shots. or general night photography. The range is nice too

I'd definitely take this combination - it makes a great tourist gear and has built-in gps so you know where you ended up ... taking a crop camera instead is not a good idea since the iq/usability on so many situations isn't as good and you'll surely come across a lot photo opportunities. Take the M & 50/1.8 only as a backup.

 

[Eldar]

I have been on all continents, in all kinds of social environments and photographed at any time of the day. I always carry what I want, which probably is more equipment than most people would care to carry. I have never lost anything to thiefs, except on the train to work here in Norway.

6D and 16-35 and 50 should clearly go. I would also take the 70-200, to shoot street situations with some distance between you and the people. There are also lots of things in a city, where a longer focal length is beneficial.

 

[nWmR12]

You could go either way. It is all so personal for when you shoot, and how you see things.

Generally, I would think the 6D + 16-35 f/4 would be really great for most every thing even in dark churches and such. Not sure how good you are at hand holding..If you want longer take either the 50 or the 135.. or both for reach.
In less you fine with using primes, and want a super light gear, then M.

I'd skip the brining the tripod.

 

[DRR]

Leave the M at home. I have had several incidents where the always-on touchscreen on my M has messed things up.

Resolution changed; exposure changed; focus point moved around. And in a couple of cases, I didn't see the problem until it was too late.

If I want good portability, I carry my SL1 instead now. The M gets used only for "just in case I need a camera" situations these days.

Canon, why can't I turn the touchscreen off if I want to? The SL1 supports that...

Couldn't agree more. Also, the LCD is unusable in bright sunlight. I had to battle that quite a bit trying to get some shots last time I was in Italy.

 

[sdsr]

Depending on where you go, you may find a tripod not very helpful (aside from being another annoying thing to carry around) - many sites ban tripods, others ban flash (or both). Plus, they're a nuisance anywhere crowded. In such cases, a FF body becomes appealing, for obvious reasons.

The weight/size/theft risk balance is always tricky - it seems silly to compromise on image quality when traveling, especially if you're not likely to return any time soon, but it also seems silly to drag around bulky, heavy equipment and impair your enjoyment. When I was in Paris a couple of years ago I used 5DII & 17-40L, 70-200 IS L, 24-105L and a few fast primes - not all at once, but even with a paired down selection often found myself towards the end of the day feeling half inclined to pitch the lot into the Seine. Nice photos, though.

Of course, back then there was no small/light alternative that could provide comparable image quality - APS-C wouldn't have helped much, especially inside dark churches. Things are rather different now, though. Last month the other half and I spent 10 days in London & Paris; I took the Sony a7r & a7s and each day used one or the other with a little bag that contained an Olympus OM 24mm 2.8, Sony/Zeiss 35mm 2.8, Pentax Super-Tak 50mm 1.4 and Pentax Super-Tak 85mm 1.8 - small, light and, except for the (extremely light) Sony/Zeiss lens and the bodies, cheap. Somewhat to my surprise, I never missed a longer lens (I brought along a 135mm Olympus OM, but never used it), and probably used the 50mm 80% of the time. I seldom wanted wider than 24mm, and when I did I could borrow the other half's a6000 + Canon 10-18mm (also light & cheap). The a7s, aside from its slight (?) low light advantages, has the benefit of being completely silent (if you set it up that way) and unobtrusive - you can even take photos in concerts without anyone noticing (disable all sounds, along the monitor).

So you might want to consider renting a Sony a7s and using your vintage lenses as a third option. Or you could also consider renting an Olympus M43 with a few fast primes - at least in low light, the combination of fast lenses with less shallow depth of focus and excellent IBIS can go quite a long way in making up for the inferior high ISO performance cf full frame - unless you're trying to freeze action you can keep the ISO down by using slow shutter speeds.

But if you're confined to the two alternatives you mention in your post, I'm not sure what to suggest - I really hated using my M (for reasons that had nothing to do with image quality), but of course that presumably isn't true of you.

This wasn't very helpful, was it....

 

[mb66energy]

I don't know how good the technical quality is you need.

IMO the combo

* EOS 6D + 70-200 (OVF better for tele shots/better stabilization)
* EOS M + EF-M 22 (display o.k for wide shots, f/2.0 for low light environments, unobtrusive)
* 16-35 or 11-22 for "ultra wide cases"
* Manfrotto 709B desk tripod
* EDIT: Forgotten the EF2EF-M adapter as backup if 6D fails (after Murphy's law this will prevent the 6D from failing. And have a small umbrella with you ... to avoid rain)

would be a good small gear set which doesn't need to many lens changes. The mini tripod from Manfrotto is very light, shows good stability and is cheap - the ball head is not great but it's getting better while I use that little thingy.

EOS M and EF-M 22 will make a good "always with you" package - even after the "shooting"!


Have a nice holdiday - Michael

 

[mangobutter]

Seems the overwhelming response is to bring the 16-35, 50 1.8, and 6d. I'm set on bringing the M regardless. It's so small and light you kind of have to. I think it will also work nicely for street photography where a small M will be less imposing than a chunky dSLR.

I'm still set on bringing the tripod. I absolutely want to get some high quality night shots. I have one of these:

http://amzn.to/14jzNmd

It's fairly compact. not bulky as you guys think

You guys that have brought a lot of gear to europe... what was your preferred method of carry? I have a photo backpack and messenger bag. I think the messenger bag is a lot stealthier.

 

[mangobutter]

I don't know how good the technical quality is you need.

IMO the combo

* EOS 6D + 70-200 (OVF better for tele shots/better stabilization)
* EOS M + EF-M 22 (display o.k for wide shots, f/2.0 for low light environments, unobtrusive)
* 16-35 or 11-22 for "ultra wide cases"
* Manfrotto 709B desk tripod
* EDIT: Forgotten the EF2EF-M adapter as backup if 6D fails (after Murphy's law this will prevent the 6D from failing. And have a small umbrella with you ... to avoid rain)

would be a good small gear set which doesn't need to many lens changes. The mini tripod from Manfrotto is very light, shows good stability and is cheap - the ball head is not great but it's getting better while I use that little thingy.

EOS M and EF-M 22 will make a good "always with you" package - even after the "shooting"!


Have a nice holdiday - Michael

That's a good idea I might change up a bit. Have the 6D+70-200 locked and ready to go with the EOS M/22mm (35mm) ready for low light shots and general "around town" shots. And have I'll have my Rokinon 12mm 2.0 in the bag ready to put on the EOS M. I could work with that. Maybe throw in the 50 1.8 as well since it weighs nothing. I'll have to put all this in my bag and see how it feels.

When I went to Japan I think I carried way too much. 5D2, 17-40, 50 1.4, 135L. But I came away with some really great shots. Though I did drop my 5D2 from 5 ft. onto the sidewalk. NO harm done! but i did tear up a little.

One of my favorite shots from that trip with the 135L:

(I like my processing punchy sometimes)

 

[RLPhoto]

Your 6D setup is perfect for europe. I took nearly the same setup a year ago and was glad I did.

 

[rcarca]

Don't over-angst about pick pockets and thieves. They are everywhere around the world, and you are no more vulnerable in Barcelona than any other city in Europe. Just be sensible, exactly as you would be in the USA.

You are looking at three very different cities and there will often be long views down streets/tree lined avenues where the longer focal lengths will be really good, and tight spaces where the widest you have got will be important. Personally, on a major holiday I reckon on taking the best I have, because that will give me the best memorise.

As for bag - depends on what you want to carry around all day. Personally, I usually go out on a day trip in London with one lens, and the next day I will go out with another. But then I live here! But I did follow that approach when I was in Colombia and in Athens and it worked well for me: saved my back, and made me concentrate on what I could take rather than swapping in and out of different lenses all the time. Mind you that also depends on how patient your fellow travellers are!

Anyway, the bottom line is to enjoy the holiday! Oh - and I agree: have decent travel insurance that will cover the cost of your kit: many policies have a single item limit that leaves you feeling double shafted if ever you need to make a claim!

 

[bmwzimmer]

If I was to go to europe right now, I would bring a 6D, rokinon 14mm, a 24-105, and a 50 1.4. This setup should be pretty compact and light.
When I last went to Europe in 2009, I was just getting into photography and bought my first DSLR, a 50D along with Canon 15-85 IS, 70-300 IS (non-L), and a 50 1.4. I used mostly the 15-85 and 50 and rarely touched the 70-300. I really liked that 15-85. Took some fantastic images with it. Only problem was I didn't know better at the time and shot the whole trip in Jpeg :-[. It turned out great at the time as my standards were not as high.

 

[RustyTheGeek]

Your 6D setup is perfect for europe. I took nearly the same setup a year ago and was glad I did.

I agree. I'm a big fan of the ultrawide zoom. The 16-35 is about my favorite lens. For walk around, it's also hard to beat the 24-105 or the 24-70. Personally, I carry the following...

5D3 or 6D w/ 16-35-f/2.8 or f/4 (Depending on low light or sharpness need)
Small Flash with diffuser (SunPak SD2000 or 270EX II)
24-70-f/2.8 or 24-105 (Depending on primary need, reach or low light)
15mm f/2.8 FishEye (super cool fun lens, esp for interior shots and "all over around" shots w/ people in the foreground
CPL Filter, extra batteries, extra mem cards.

I have a small pouch I use for the batteries + mem cards for my pocket.
The 2 lenses not on the camera fit nicely stacked in a LowePro Lens Case 2 with a foam divider.

I put everything including a rain jacket, and other travel items in a simple inexpensive day pack and I carry the camera on a simple BosStrap shoulder type hip side carry sling strap.

If I need a fast prime lens, I take the 50-f/1.4, 50-f/1.8 or the 28-f/1.8. (This could be easily substituted in the Lens Case 2 with the FishEye if the FishEye isn't your thing.)

This whole arrangement is fast and light and will easily go through security checkpoints, subways, crowds, etc and it doesn't scream photographer or expensive gear. If I want to be even less conspicuous, I wear the jacket over everything including the camera on the side and the backpack and it stays dry or is simply covered up.

As for the EOS M, meh... it's a bit heavy and bulky. Not sure why you need it. If I take a backup camera, it is usually a little S120. That way, if I end up going to a formal function or something and I still want a camera, I'm covered. I can also easily hand the S120 to a friend, wife or whoever and they can use it easily. It weighs nothing and is very small but still takes decent snapshots and shoots RAW so in Post I can later see how much noise the little sensor added. LOL!

 

[Phenix205]

Leave the M at home. 6D and your other great lenses will get you more higher quality photos under more situations. If you want a portable tripod, try one of the Velbon, light weight, sturdy, inexpensive, great for travel photography.