Note: I originally published this article under the title, “Thinking About Travel Photography Gear.” Since I’m planning a separate article about travel photography camera options, I have renamed this article to acknowledge its focus lenses.
Recently I’ve noted people trying to determine what gear will work well for photography while traveling, and especially wondering about what lenses to take. I do a fair amount of travel photography, and I’ll going to summarize a few approaches that can work.
But first, since what follows will mostly focus on lenses, let me say a few things about cameras, while recognizing that this will be far from an in-depth consideration.
Cameras
What is “the best” travel camera? That is a tough question, and it might be better rephrased as “what is the best travel camera for me?” Is photography your main reason for traveling, do you simply want to record the experience, or something else? Are you traveling alone, with other photographers, or with others whose interest in photography doesn’t match your own? Do you prefer to travel “heavy” — multiple bags and checked luggage — or you an ultra-light traveler who prefers to stick to carry-on only, even for long trips? Do you think of yourself as a scenic photographer, a people photographer, a street photographer, or something else?
With all of these possible variations, the right answer could be anything from your smart phone camera to a large, multiple lens system with tripod, or any of a number of intermediate options.
As a photographer, I’m not ready to give up good quality equipment that allows me to shoot my preferred subjects and make large prints from the images I bring back. Yet I also prefer to travel light, going “carry-on luggage only” even for multi-week overseas trips. The best solution for me has turned out to be a 1.5x cropped sensor mirrorless body with a small selection of lenses, mostly primes sometimes augmented by a zoom.
There’s a lot more to say about camera choice, but here I”m going to focus primarily on lenses you might use with a full frame or cropped sensor system. (Watch for another article focusing on camera options.)
Lenses for Travel
Rather than trying to answer the “what lens should I bring?” question, I’ll suggest a few approaches and briefly describe some pluses and minuses of each.
One zoom lens
A single zoom lens that covers sufficient focal length range, preferably with IS and a f/2.8 aperture might be all you need. While such a lens is not small, it is quite versatile. Especially if the lens — or your camera body – has image stabilization (IS) it will work in relatively low light in many situations, and it can work for everything from casual portraits to wide-angle photographs in constrained spaces. A “mid range zoom” lens can do the trick, whether it is one of the ubiquitous “kit zooms” or a more expensive f/2.8 zoom.
Pluses
- One lens stays on the body all the time.
- IS helps with handheld shots in low light.
- The lens covers focal lengths most often needed.
- Good image quality. Weight and bulk are less of an issue if you stick on only one lens.
Minuses
- These lenses are not small.
- You will give up some ultra-wide and telephoto options.
- A big lens can make you look like a “photo tourist.”
- Largest apertures not as big as you could get from primes.
- No backup lens if this lens has a problem.
- If you will only use one lens, you could get a smaller camera with a built-in zoom
One zoom lens with large focal length range
Some zoom lenses cover a very large focal length range (18-300mm!) with variable aperture. As with the first option, this provides a great deal of versatility for folks who want a larger selection of focal lengths, but who don’t want to mess with multiple lenses.
Pluses
- One lens stays on the body the entire time.
- Decent (but probably not stellar) IQ.
- Excellent focal length coverage for diverse subjects.
Minuses
- Not the best lenses in optical terms, though may be good enough for many purposes.
- Lenses can be relatively large.
- Poor low light options. (Use flash?)
- Big lens can make you look like a “photo tourist.”
- No backup lens if your lens has a problem.
A single prime
Before the era of zoom lenses, it was not unusual for photographers to head out with only a single prime lens with a decently large aperture. (This could be an interchangeable lens camera with a single prime or a rangefinder style camera with a fixed focal length built-in lens.)
Pluses
- The ultimate in simplicity and light weight.
- Excellent image quality.
- Good low light coverage with a large aperture.
- You may look less like a tourist.
Minuses
- No focal length flexibility. (Though some systems allow add on telephoto and wide angle converters.)
- No backup lens if your lens has a problem.
A few primes
Pluses
- Can be small and light.
- Good low light coverage.
- Excellent image quality.
- You may look less like a tourist.
Minuses
- A few small primes may add up to the weight/bulk of one zoom.
- Need to switch lenses more often.
- Less focal length flexibility than a zoom.
Multiple zooms
Pluses
- Lots of flexibility.
- Good zooms provide excellent image quality.
Minuses
- System quickly balloons in size and weight.
- Probably need speciality photographic bag or backpack.
- You not only look like a tourist… you look like a tourist carrying lots of expensive stuff, which is not always ideal.
Zoom(s) augmented by a large aperture prime
One zoom can cover ranges where flexibility is desired, and a smaller prime can provide a larger aperture option.
Pluses
- You get the flexibility of a zoom.
- You get the large aperture of a prime.
- Fine image quality.
Minuses
- Do you take a prime in the focal length range of your zoom (for low light) or a different range (covering different uses.)?
- Multiple lenses to juggle.
- Weight and bulk increase a bit.
Primes augmented by (most likely one) zoom.
For example, take primes for core use, but add a zoom telephoto.
Pluses
- Good image quality.
- Small and light system with primes for most photography.
- You look less like a tourist when using the primes.
- Focal length flexibility in range covered by the zoom.
Minuses
- Not as small and light as primes-only system.
- The not-a-tourist impression is lost when you attach that zoom!
The Answer
I know you’d like The Best Answer… but there isn’t one! No solution is perfect, and each photographer will likely balance the pluses and minuses in a different way.
What I do
Even though I use a full frame Canon DSLR system for most of my non-travel photography, these days I always rely on a smaller mirrorless system for my travel and street photography. This system mostly is built around primes of moderately wide to moderately long focal lengths, with lenses that are fairly small. In some cases I augment this with a single longer focal length zoom. The entire kit, plus my small laptop and a few other items, fits into a medium-size messenger bag that goes under the seat on flights.
G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” is available from Heyday Books and Amazon.
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