Rome - which lenses?

Kell said:
We did quite fancy the trip to Pompeii.

But other friends have said there’s so much to do that taking the time out to do that might be too much.
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I don't know how much time you're going to have, but you can do Pompeii in a day from Rome quite easily. It means an early start, but it's perfectly feasible and well worth it. Herculaneum - or the part of it that's been excavated - is smaller and somewhat better preserved. People do manage to visit both in one day but I don't think this is enough time to fully appreciate them. Ostia Antica gives you a somewhat similar experience, but without the drama associated with Vesuvius, and is just outside Rome.

One tip for Rome. Most people want to visit the Colosseum, but the queues are challenging. Buy your tickets from the booth across the road, at the entrance to the Forum. This doesn't get so busy and the ticket covers the Colosseum, the Palatine Hill and the Forum. You can also take a tour with one of the guides who will approach you outside the Colosseum. They have group tickets, so you don't have to queue, and usually offer good value.
 
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MartynK said:
I don't know how much time you're going to have, but you can do Pompeii in a day from Rome quite easily. It means an early start, but it's perfectly feasible and well worth it. Herculaneum - or the part of it that's been excavated - is smaller and somewhat better preserved. People do manage to visit both in one day but I don't think this is enough time to fully appreciate them. Ostia Antica gives you a somewhat similar experience, but without the drama associated with Vesuvius, and is just outside Rome.

One tip for Rome. Most people want to visit the Colosseum, but the queues are challenging. Buy your tickets from the booth across the road, at the entrance to the Forum. This doesn't get so busy and the ticket covers the Colosseum, the Palatine Hill and the Forum. You can also take a tour with one of the guides who will approach you outside the Colosseum. They have group tickets, so you don't have to queue, and usually offer good value.
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Thanks for that.

We fly out early on a Thursday morning, and come back on the Monday afternoon. So we'd have Friday, Saturday and Sunday as full days plus Thursday afternoon and Monday morning.
 
Bumping this, as I will be off to Rome at the start of November...

As it is not going to be a trip specifically for photography, I am tempted to travel light and just take my X100V, but am I going to regret that?
 
Craikeybaby said:
Bumping this, as I will be off to Rome at the start of November...

As it is not going to be a trip specifically for photography, I am tempted to travel light and just take my X100V, but am I going to regret that?
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No, my recollection of Rome in 2015 was standard zoom on either K-3 or D7100 plus a wider zoom. Maybe something for fill-in flash as well. telezoom is overkill in my opinion in cities like Verona, Bologna and Rome.... I have used my 70-200 in Venice.
 
MartynK said:
It's your decision of course, and the rest of us can only offer advice based on our own needs and experiences.
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I'll second that.

This is a question to which no one except Kell can provide a valid answer. Moreover, whatever is the correct answer on this occassion may be the wrong answer on another. I once took a Hasselblad with its standard lens on holiday. Another time I took a tiny Nikon S10. On both trips I captured pictures that pleased me.

The only more or less definite rule I stick to is: don't take so much you're too weighed down to enjoy yourself!
 
Craikeybaby said:
Bumping this, as I will be off to Rome at the start of November...

As it is not going to be a trip specifically for photography, I am tempted to travel light and just take my X100V, but am I going to regret that?
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For ME, the single focal length would be too restrictive and if I had a X100, I'd have the supplementary lenses to give me the extra 2 options, at which point you're in X-T2 and 18-55 territory as far as bulk goes (which would be my choice, unless you also have the 18-135...)
 
We went in Feb this year. Not a specific photo trip.
I took my full frame Z7 with 24-120 f4 attached and also a 14-30 in a belt pouch - made it easy to switch lenses when necessary.
These 2 lenses were enough for the trip.
I carried the z7/24-120 in a PD sling - keep close to my body at all times.

Personally I see the value of the lightweight X100 but it would not be wide enough for me.
 
I was wondering why I was tagged as someone had replied to this thread. I'd forgotten I'd even started it.

We didn't end up going because, as you may have noticed, there was a global pandemic. We were booked to go end of March 2020 and right up until the week before, looked like it was still on, before eventually being cancelled.

In the interim, my photography kit has changed somewhat. And I don't think I have any of the stuff in the first post - other than the two EF lenses.

I liked the 5D, as it was my first foray into FF. So much so that I wanted to get a more modern version. I sold it and bought a MKIII. Regretted it almost instantly as it left me with the 5D3 and the 80D. Wished I'd kept both 5Ds. The mate I sold it to, won't sell it back either as now he loves it. One of the comments above mentioned low-light performance, but that was the only place I ever felt it lacking.

In the end, I used the 5D3 almost exclusively and the 80D just collected dust. So I ended up trading it (and all EF-S lenses) against a nearly new Sony RX10IV. 24mm-600mm equiv.

We went to Madrid earlier in the year and I only took that. Proved to be a good walkabout camera - even if the 1" sensor meant low-light wasn't that impressive.

Before that, I also bought compact Canon G5X (24-100). Which I took to Madrid on a work trip. Both got me shots that I was happy with.

Still haven't been to Rome, but it's on the list. Going back now, I'd take either of the above for a family trip. Acknowledging that 24mm is wide, but sometimes not quite wide enough.

When we went to Iceland in 2021 I took the little Canon for nights out and the bigger one for walking around taking shots. In both instances, I think I took the 17-40mm I bought on here, as well as a 24-70.
 
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I loved my original 5D, and have taken some of my favourite travel photos on it, but started to find it too heavy when paired with the lenses it deserved. It was a stop-gap camera that I kept for 8 years.

Based on the feedback, I am more leaning towards taking my X-T2 with the 18-55mm lens and maybe also the 35mm f1.4. As it will give me way more flexibility than the X100V, for not much more weight.
 
FWIW, for the last 2 holidays, I've only taken compacts - an RX-100vi and an X-30 (Sony and Fuji, respectively). However, those holidays have been to places we've visited many times before so were purely happy snapping. A few times, we even went out with NO camera at all (other than Mrs Nod's phone!)
 
stickytape said:
I've been to Rome once and it was pretty good - took a Z7 and a 24-200. Also walked around Harlem a lot with an R5 and 24-105 on. No issue. And I'm around 5'8" and 170 so....
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I walked around parts of Cape Town with a D3 and 24-120 in 2011, my other half carried a 5D2 plus 24-105/4L.... Our friend who lives there had kittens when we told him where we went with our cameras......... I am no lightweight myself but at least I made sure I was aware of my surroundings...
 
For you I think your 18-135 it the best choice, more than you need on both ends and this is a family trip. If it was me I'd probably leave my DSLR and lens's at home and just use my Panosonic Lumix point and shoot. keep in mind your reason for going in the first place!
 
The best thing you can do in any unknown enviorment is be aware of your surroundings and avoid suspect places!
 
Craikeybaby said:
Bumping this, as I will be off to Rome at the start of November...

As it is not going to be a trip specifically for photography, I am tempted to travel light and just take my X100V, but am I going to regret that?
Click to expand...

I happily did Rome with X100F with the additional WCL - no regrets over taking a ‘bigger’ system. Nice and lightweight. Going away again soon and almost certainly will be taking the same combo.
 
Mr Perceptive said:
I happily did Rome with X100F with the additional WCL - no regrets over taking a ‘bigger’ system. Nice and lightweight. Going away again soon and almost certainly will be taking the same combo.
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I did look briefly at the WCL, but figured that at that point I would be as well taking my X-T2 and kit lens.
 
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