2 Lenses for Cinque Terre, Italy?

We (wife and two kids) rented a house for 6 days to just hang loose here -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WP316ABiTt0

and was wondering if one could travel light and cover almost all bases with a crop sensor and Sigma 35 Art? Would adding the 10-18 be recommended and maybe even the 85 1.8?
We'll likely try to fly in and out of two places and stay at each for a day as well (maybe Milan and Florence).

THANKS!!!
 

LDS

Sep 14, 2012
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Cory said:
and was wondering if one could travel light and cover almost all bases with a crop sensor and Sigma 35 Art? Would adding the 10-18 be recommended and maybe even the 85 1.8?
We'll likely try to fly in and out of two places and stay at each for a day as well (maybe Milan and Florence).

Bring the 10-18 for street shots, they're narrow enough, and also for some landscapes.
 
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ahsanford

Particular Member
Aug 16, 2012
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If you don't mind 'vacation spoilers', mine Shutterdial (or another photo site that reports EXIF data) and back out which views of CT you like the best and see what glass they used.

Shutterdial is pretty fun: http://www.shutterdial.com/#/search?s=cinque%20terre&f=&a=0

Just click on the 'any focal length' text (it may auto-snap to 35mm at first) to whatever FL you want and the gallery will change -- it's sort of beta but it works well. Be advised it doesn't understand crop FLs well. I typed in 24mm and was getting Fuji X100 rigs, for example, so it's close but not perfect.

Anyway, have fun!

- A
 
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ahsanford said:
Also, you can tweak the context if so desired:

Kids: http://www.shutterdial.com/#/search?s=cinque%20terre%20kids&a=0

Nighttime: http://www.shutterdial.com/#/search?s=cinque%20terre%20night&a=0

Landscape: http://www.shutterdial.com/#/search?s=cinque%20terre%20landscape&a=0

- A

OMG Thanks!
 
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Hello,

I have been there for a few days a few years ago.
You need a wide angle lens for landscapes, so the 10-18 will do fine.
The 35mm Art can be a good tool. I would strongly recommend to take your 85mm with you.
I enjoy using this focal length for portraits in front of old wooden doors (preferably dark colors).
Take a tripod for sunset-sunrise-night landscapes.

To enjoy 5 terre, you need to walk in the villages by night as well. During the day it is packed with tourists that come for a day trip. Nigh time is quieter.

Good trip
 
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Vincwat said:
Hello,

I have been there for a few days a few years ago.
You need a wide angle lens for landscapes, so the 10-18 will do fine.
The 35mm Art can be a good tool. I would strongly recommend to take your 85mm with you.
I enjoy using this focal length for portraits in front of old wooden doors (preferably dark colors).
Take a tripod for sunset-sunrise-night landscapes.

To enjoy 5 terre, you need to walk in the villages by night as well. During the day it is packed with tourists that come for a day trip. Nigh time is quieter.

Good trip
Thanks. We're all about it. Never did a trip like this before. Saw pictures of Cinque Terre on Instagram and couldn't let it go.
 
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Versatility is the key in landscape work. Limiting yourself to one range or one lens is going to be a point of frustration if you need wider or longer and therefore can't get the shot you want. It's easier to take a few extra lenses with you than re-do the whole trip. A 16-35 / 24-70 / 70-200 focal range would be ideal. The f4 range is better and easier to carry than the f2.8 gear, but optically very similar. A small but stable tripod is essential too.
 
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gruhl28

Canon 70D
Jul 26, 2013
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ahsanford said:
If you don't mind 'vacation spoilers', mine Shutterdial (or another photo site that reports EXIF data) and back out which views of CT you like the best and see what glass they used.

Shutterdial is pretty fun: http://www.shutterdial.com/#/search?s=cinque%20terre&f=&a=0

Just click on the 'any focal length' text (it may auto-snap to 35mm at first) to whatever FL you want and the gallery will change -- it's sort of beta but it works well. Be advised it doesn't understand crop FLs well. I typed in 24mm and was getting Fuji X100 rigs, for example, so it's close but not perfect.

Anyway, have fun!

- A

This Shutterdial looks really cool, but I couldn't figure out how to make any selections other than f-stop and shutter speed. Those have sliders, but I can't see a way to change subject (landscape, concert, etc.) or focal length.
 
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gruhl28 said:
ahsanford said:
If you don't mind 'vacation spoilers', mine Shutterdial (or another photo site that reports EXIF data) and back out which views of CT you like the best and see what glass they used.

Shutterdial is pretty fun: http://www.shutterdial.com/#/search?s=cinque%20terre&f=&a=0

Just click on the 'any focal length' text (it may auto-snap to 35mm at first) to whatever FL you want and the gallery will change -- it's sort of beta but it works well. Be advised it doesn't understand crop FLs well. I typed in 24mm and was getting Fuji X100 rigs, for example, so it's close but not perfect.

Anyway, have fun!

- A

This Shutterdial looks really cool, but I couldn't figure out how to make any selections other than f-stop and shutter speed. Those have sliders, but I can't see a way to change subject (landscape, concert, etc.) or focal length.

Looking at most of those images, the widest was circa 24mm full frame. But most of them look a little too tight and need a looser (wider) framing to work better.
 
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Since the thread lives I've settled on my 10-18, a 24 2.8 STM pancake lens and then ? to top it off. The Sigma 35 will stay home because it's all about light travel. That would point to a 50 1.8, but I had one and just not blown over by it. Would #3 maybe be a Canon 50 1.4? I'd maybe go with the 85 1.8 that I already have, but the 50 smaller and lighter.
Thought about a mirrorless camera, but I'm a one-camera person and strive to keep it ultra-simple.
On a side note - we altered our trip to 3 days in Cinque Terre, 3 in Florence and 2 in Milan.
Thanks.
 
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ahsanford

Particular Member
Aug 16, 2012
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Cory said:
Since the thread lives I've settled on my 10-18, a 24 2.8 STM pancake lens and then ? to top it off. The Sigma 35 will stay home because it's all about light travel. That would point to a 50 1.8, but I had one and just not blown over by it. Would #3 maybe be a Canon 50 1.4? I'd maybe go with the 85 1.8 that I already have, but the 50 smaller and lighter.
Thought about a mirrorless camera, but I'm a one-camera person and strive to keep it ultra-simple.
On a side note - we altered our trip to 3 days in Cinque Terre, 3 in Florence and 2 in Milan.
Thanks.

In general with a vaca loadout -- different than a dedicated photography trip with a bag full of glass -- this is my approach:

1) I always always always bring an ultra-wide option as there is always a vista / atrium / church interior that you simply can't back your feet up any more and use the wide end of a standard zoom.

2) I think you need a standard FL zoom or standard prime (24-70, 50 prime, etc.) for faces, even if you are traveling alone.

3) And then you take a deep breath and think about what you are going to shoot or personally prefer to shoot. It has been my experience that the 'third thing' you bring of any size -- so you can disregard a pancake -- is the inflection point between a small vaca kit and a larger bag you'll need to lug around. For some, that third thing is a short tele zoom like a 70-200 / 70-300, for others it's a macro lens, for others it's a tripod and ball head, for others it's a speedlite, for others it's a 2nd body / Go-Pro / video rig, etc. Choose that third item carefully.

- A
 
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ahsanford said:
Cory said:
Since the thread lives I've settled on my 10-18, a 24 2.8 STM pancake lens and then ? to top it off. The Sigma 35 will stay home because it's all about light travel. That would point to a 50 1.8, but I had one and just not blown over by it. Would #3 maybe be a Canon 50 1.4? I'd maybe go with the 85 1.8 that I already have, but the 50 smaller and lighter.
Thought about a mirrorless camera, but I'm a one-camera person and strive to keep it ultra-simple.
On a side note - we altered our trip to 3 days in Cinque Terre, 3 in Florence and 2 in Milan.
Thanks.

In general with a vaca loadout -- different than a dedicated photography trip with a bag full of glass -- this is my approach:

1) I always always always bring an ultra-wide option as there is always a vista / atrium / church interior that you simply can't back your feet up any more and use the wide end of a standard zoom.

2) I think you need a standard FL zoom or standard prime (24-70, 50 prime, etc.) for faces, even if you are traveling alone.

3) And then you take a deep breath and think about what you are going to shoot or personally prefer to shoot. It has been my experience that the 'third thing' you bring of any size -- so you can disregard a pancake -- is the inflection point between a small vaca kit and a larger bag you'll need to lug around. For some, that third thing is a short tele zoom like a 70-200 / 70-300, for others it's a macro lens, for others it's a tripod and ball head, for others it's a speedlite, for others it's a 2nd body / Go-Pro / video rig, etc. Choose that third item carefully.

- A

Do you consider a set of LEE filters + holder + rings as a third item?
 
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ahsanford

Particular Member
Aug 16, 2012
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niels123 said:
ahsanford said:
In general with a vaca loadout -- different than a dedicated photography trip with a bag full of glass -- this is my approach:

1) I always always always bring an ultra-wide option as there is always a vista / atrium / church interior that you simply can't back your feet up any more and use the wide end of a standard zoom.

2) I think you need a standard FL zoom or standard prime (24-70, 50 prime, etc.) for faces, even if you are traveling alone.

3) And then you take a deep breath and think about what you are going to shoot or personally prefer to shoot. It has been my experience that the 'third thing' you bring of any size -- so you can disregard a pancake -- is the inflection point between a small vaca kit and a larger bag you'll need to lug around. For some, that third thing is a short tele zoom like a 70-200 / 70-300, for others it's a macro lens, for others it's a tripod and ball head, for others it's a speedlite, for others it's a 2nd body / Go-Pro / video rig, etc. Choose that third item carefully.

- A

Do you consider a set of LEE filters + holder + rings as a third item?

100%. I almost put that on my list. My MindshiftGear FilterHive is small lunchbox sized -- it's not a tiny little throw in to your bag like a single CPL case.

But I didn't add it to my 'small vaca list' as bringing that effectively means a tripod is already coming along. (You can certainly shoot a Lee setup handheld, but if you've gone to such trouble to get it right in-camera, a tripod would overwhelmingly be used with that setup.)

So, to me -- and others may very well differ on this -- but tripod + ball head + cable release + Lee setup / ND grads = not a small vacation setup. That's more of a large photo backpack vacation in which you know you'll be doing a ton of shooting and have patient travel companions let you take 10 minutes to setup and nail a shot. In least in my family circumstance, that happens next to never.

- A
 
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Cory said:
Since the thread lives I've settled on my 10-18, a 24 2.8 STM pancake lens and then ? to top it off. The Sigma 35 will stay home because it's all about light travel. That would point to a 50 1.8, but I had one and just not blown over by it. Would #3 maybe be a Canon 50 1.4? I'd maybe go with the 85 1.8 that I already have, but the 50 smaller and lighter.
Thought about a mirrorless camera, but I'm a one-camera person and strive to keep it ultra-simple.
On a side note - we altered our trip to 3 days in Cinque Terre, 3 in Florence and 2 in Milan.
Thanks.

Excellent choice! So I'll certainly see you in Milan: such a small town, less than 2 million people... :)



BTW: if you are a Dan Brown's fan or plan in any case to visit The Last Supper by Leonardo Da Vinci (especially with a guided tour), remember to book in advance.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Last_Supper_(Leonardo_da_Vinci)
 
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JohanCruyff said:
Excellent choice! So I'll certainly see you in Milan: such a small town, less than 2 million people... :)



BTW: if you are a Dan Brown's fan or plan in any case to visit The Last Supper by Leonardo Da Vinci (especially with a guided tour), remember to book in advance.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Last_Supper_(Leonardo_da_Vinci)
THANKS. So far, the two essential items for Milan that we've found are the Cathedral and a restaurant called Naviglio Grande. Might do Lake Como for a quick visit or maybe just hang loose in Milan.
I think, too, it's gonna be the 10-18, 24 STM and 40 STM. The Sirui T-025x just arrived. Screwed off the center column, attached a carry strap and it's PERFECT. Not really perfect, but for travel it's really good.
We hear The Last Supper lines are a little rough, but if we schedule maybe it'd be the times that the typical tour groups are gone. Time'll be limited so probably just running around the city.
Thanks again.
 
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LDS

Sep 14, 2012
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Cory said:
THANKS. So far, the two essential items for Milan that we've found are the Cathedral and a restaurant called Naviglio Grande. Might do Lake Como for a quick visit or maybe just hang loose in Milan.

In Milan, I would suggest you to take a walk from the Duomo (Cathedral), after enjoying its sorroundings like the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele, to Castello Sforzesco (Sforza Castle). Once you are at Santa Maria delle Grazie (where is the Last Supper), you're not far away from Basiilca of Sant'Ambrogio (St. Ambrose) - which IMHO deserves a visit too.

In the evening you may hang out along the Navigli, or the Brera district. A recently redeveloped area with many new buildings designed by famous architects is around Porta Nuova (i.e. the "Bosco Verticale", and Unicredit Tower). Piazza Gae Aulenti, Corso Como and the Isola district are also popular places to spend the evening.

Then a lot depends on your interests. You can make a quick trip to Como, but visiting the characteristic lake towns and villas requires more time.
 
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