Rome - which lenses?

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Kell
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Just after some advice really.

Off to Rome for the first time in a couple of months and am unsure what to bother taking with me.

It will be either an 80D or a 20D.

(Though I have just won a 5D i on eBay, but I've yet to receive it and start getting familiar with it. This would dramatically reduce my choice of lenses though.)

First off, am I likely to be targetted having a DSLR? If so, I'll take my old 20D (if it's not sold by then).

Current lenses...

10-22 (EF-S)
18-135 (EF-S)
24 f2.8 Pancake (EF-S)
24-70 f2.8 (EF)
30 f1.4 (EF-S)
70-200 f2.8 (EF)
100-400 (EF)

I was thinking of trying to go light and only taking the following.

Walkabout lenses:
10-22
18-135 or 24-70

Evening:
24 pancake or 30 1.4 for the evenings.

I won't need a longer zoom will I?
 
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This isn't a photography trip BTW. I'm going with family, so I won't be out and about with the specific purpose of taking pics.

When I went to New York a couple of years ago, I took the 18-135 over and above the 24-70 for the extra reach both ends - especially as I didn't have anything wider than 18 at the time.
 
When I went to Florence i took my Nikon D700 FX with a 28 to 105. I used the wide end more than anything. The iphone came in handy in places high up that had secrity caging to prevent people dropping things from height. The small lens was idea to get between the gaps. I'm not sure I'd want to carry anything heavy all day.
 
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When I went to NYC a couple of years ago, I bought a Panasonic LX100. I added a 39mm screw on ND filter, and a pocket tripod, and it did everything I needed. It all fitted inside a shoe inside the luggage for travelling. Then I only needed a small compact camera bag.
 
If you shoot indoors (Vatican etc) it can be a bit dark so f2.8 with the zoom is good.

I would choose 80d with the 10-22 and 24-70 for daytime, the 30 f1.4 and the 24-70 for evenings (I am a big fan of the 24-70!).

You may get use from the 18-135 but outdoors only. The only reason I take my 70-200 f2.8 is if it is a photography trip as opposed to a family trip.

I have family in Rome, we are going in June.

T
 
Having looked at my album on Flickr, the bulk of my shots were taken using a 10-20mm on my old crop body Nikon.....quite good for capturing the large monuments BUT these days I travel lighter with Fuji gear and on recent trips to Venice, Verona, Florence and Pisa have used my 18-55mm and 23mm prime in the evenings in low light.
 
Just after some advice really.

Off to Rome for the first time in a couple of months and am unsure what to bother taking with me.

It will be either an 80D or a 20D.

(Though I have just won a 5D i on eBay, but I've yet to receive it and start getting familiar with it. This would dramatically reduce my choice of lenses though.)

First off, am I likely to be targetted having a DSLR? If so, I'll take my old 20D (if it's not sold by then).

Current lenses...

10-22 (EF-S)
18-135 (EF-S)
24 f2.8 Pancake (EF-S)
24-70 f2.8 (EF)
30 f1.4 (EF-S)
70-200 f2.8 (EF)
100-400 (EF)

I was thinking of trying to go light and only taking the following.

Walkabout lenses:
10-22
18-135 or 24-70

Evening:
24 pancake or 30 1.4 for the evenings.

I won't need a longer zoom will I?
24-70
 
I must admit, part of me regrets selling on my Sigma 18-250.

The overall IQ wasn't up there with some (most) of my lenses, but the convenience of having a (relatively) wide lens with a decent zoom made a great walkabout lens.

I'm not expecting to take anything that amazing, just record the trip. So faffing about with changing lenses might be a step too far.
 
24-70 on the 5D! The handling/buttons are exactly the same as the 20D.
 
Having done Rome quite happily with an X100F and the WCL, I'd take the 80D+10-22 - this will be the general walkabout, and 30 F1.4 for evening night stuff. I wouldn't take either the 20D or the 5Di as the low light performance is likely to frustrate you.

All the attractions are very busy, so 'photo' opportunites are few and far between, but I would recommend doing a timed evening visit to the Vatican, as then it really is empty. They don't do timed visits all the year round though. (taken at 29mm FF Equivalent - 19mm crop)


Vatican Gallery Of Maps - Evening Visit
by David Yeoman, on Flickr

And if you want shots of things like the Pantheon without thousands of tourists, get up early, go out shooting before breakfast!!! (taken at 35mm FF equivalent - 23mm crop)


Pantheon
by David Yeoman, on Flickr
 
Some food for thought https://longlensphotography.co.uk/italy/

And if you want shots of things like the Pantheon without thousands of tourists, get up early, go out shooting before breakfast!!! (taken at 35mm FF equivalent - 23mm crop)

This! Get your photography done before and at the sunrise and then enjoy the time with family and friends. That's a win-win situation. Evening is OK, but morning is a lot more permissive.

Thinking back on my 5D I used mostly 24-70mm, some 16-35 and a little bit of 70-200mm.
Don't even think about 20D unless you really don't care. 8MP output will leave you with very few options even if you get it perfect on tripod.
 
Dont know what it's like now, but a few years back pick-pocketing and stealing cameras was the national sport there. Personally I'd get insurance or a compact to take.
 
Dont know what it's like now, but a few years back pick-pocketing and stealing cameras was the national sport there. Personally I'd get insurance or a compact to take.

Really just avoid daytime large crowds, busy public transport and you will be just fine. In the morning there are hardly any people out. I am far more concerned about going to London
 
One thing I have never really understood is when folks have really good photography kit for whatever reason and then don't take it when they go to amazing, photogenic places and just take something old and cheap for fear of getting it stolen. In all seriousness, what's the point of having the really nice stuff then not using it? The average amateur should have it covered on the house insurance or travel insurance I would have thought.
 
On my next trip it will be the Nikon D810, Nikon 24-70 f2.8 and a Nikon 70-200 f2.8 . Visiting several European cities and going to make do with them and a camcorder, all heavily insured
 
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18-135 as a walkaround and the fast 30mm for low light. A more photography based trip would make me choose a different selection but as a decent compromise (a good couple of steps above "Happy Snapper!"), the 2 I suggest will cover most eventualities. If you have space for the UWA (10-22), take that as well - if you feel you'll want to use that instead of the 18-135 for a day or 2.
 
One thing I'm conscious of is that I can get too engrossed in photography and forget Mrs WW so that's something I watch now. I therefore like to avoid big kit and lens changes and generally spending too much time taking pictures. I'd take my A7 and a 35mm and also my 1" compact which has a 25-250mm zoom for wider and longer pictures and when the "big" camera is just too much.

One thing I did during last years holiday in Singapore with my A7 and 35mm f2.8 (I only took 4 pictures with my 1" compact) was take sequences of shots to do panoramas with and it seemed to work well enough so that could be another plus for a one prime or one zoom lens solution :D If I was a zoom person with an APS-C camera I'd probably choose a 17-50mm f2.8 or even the 10-22mm would do.

Only you know your partner and family Kell and how they react to you when you're taking pictures but spending time with my family would definitely push photography into second place if I thought they'd feel a even a teeny tiny bit put out at me fiddling with camera gear instead of spending time with them and enjoying the moment.
 
When I went to Florence i took my Nikon D700 FX with a 28 to 105. I used the wide end more than anything. The iphone came in handy in places high up that had secrity caging to prevent people dropping things from height. The small lens was idea to get between the gaps. I'm not sure I'd want to carry anything heavy all day.

In the days before digital,more than once I have visited both equipped with just a 50mm f/1.8 (on a Canon AV-1) and got plenty of usable pictures :)
 
One thing I'm conscious of is that I can get too engrossed in photography and forget Mrs WW so that's something I watch now. I therefore like to avoid big kit and lens changes and generally spending too much time taking pictures. I'd take my A7 and a 35mm and also my 1" compact which has a 25-250mm zoom for wider and longer pictures and when the "big" camera is just too much.

One thing I did during last years holiday in Singapore with my A7 and 35mm f2.8 (I only took 4 pictures with my 1" compact) was take sequences of shots to do panoramas with and it seemed to work well enough so that could be another plus for a one prime or one zoom lens solution :D If I was a zoom person with an APS-C camera I'd probably choose a 17-50mm f2.8 or even the 10-22mm would do.

Only you know your partner and family Kell and how they react to you when you're taking pictures but spending time with my family would definitely push photography into second place if I thought they'd feel a even a teeny tiny bit put out at me fiddling with camera gear instead of spending time with them and enjoying the moment.

I think they’re kind of used to it by now.

But then I try not to turn it into a big thing.

The 5D I bought also comes with a 50mm 1.8 II.

It’s a lens I’ve had in the past but mine went ‘off’ pretty quickly. And I found it a little too zoomed in. Which is why I bought the 30mm 1.4. So I’ll see what it’s like when it turns up.


One thing I have never really understood is when folks have really good photography kit for whatever reason and then don't take it when they go to amazing, photogenic places and just take something old and cheap for fear of getting it stolen. In all seriousness, what's the point of having the really nice stuff then not using it? The average amateur should have it covered on the house insurance or travel insurance I would have thought.

I know what you mean. It does seem counter-productive.

My 80D isn’t the most expensive camera in the world, and to most thieves a 20D would look like an 80D, would look like the most recent 5D. So you’re probably not less of a target with one or the other

But then there are places it’s not even worth taking the 20D. There was a thread a while back about going to Rio. And the general advice then was just don’t bother with a DSLR.

Funnily enough, today was the first time I’ve felt conscious about having my camera with me. I was walking around Camden and I had the 100-400 on. And it definitely attracted attention.
 
On my next trip it will be the Nikon D810, Nikon 24-70 f2.8 and a Nikon 70-200 f2.8 . Visiting several European cities and going to make do with them and a camcorder, all heavily insured
Don't forget the dashcam, Baz ...
 
Really just avoid daytime large crowds, busy public transport and you will be just fine. In the morning there are hardly any people out. I am far more concerned about going to London

I have spent a lot of time in London over the years, walking around the roughest areas at night on my own, never felt unsafe until a few years back on a visit. It really wasn't the same place, even right on westminister bridge and trafalgar square early in the evening. No way would I wander around the places I used to now.
 
I've been to Rome a few times, and always took a Nikon crop sensor DSLR, 10-20mm, 16-85/80mm and 70-300mm. Most of the time I used the 16-85/80, as I have for most european city trips, with the odd use of the 10-20mm. The 10-20mm is particularly useful in the Pantheon. ;) The 70-300mm was hardly ever used. Wider is normally better. I've never felt in any danger in Rome, either in large crowds, or walking through the city at night/early morning, and I was always alone. Don't know whether the OP is planning night/early morning, but I always took a Tripod for those situations, and that was when most of my keepers were taken.

The 16-85/80mm is roughly equivalent to 24-120/127mm on FF. If the images are an important part of the trip, I'd take the 5D and the 24-70mm. If it will just be for snaps walking round, then the 5D and the 24-70mm again, or 80D and 18-135mm to save a bit of weight, and maybe the 10-20mm too. I always go with the best that I have because that is the main aim of the trip.
 
Get a 2 day bus pass, go round a couple of times, study the map and work out what you want to photograph. We went over 10 yes ago and I used a canon ae1 with a 50mm lens, basically a FF format.
 
I've been to Rome a few times. Many of the side streets in the older parts of the city are narrow and congested, so a wide angle capability is good to have, but I wouldn't dream of lugging a DSLR around one of my favourite cities! We walk a lot when we go there, and DSLRs are bulky/heavy. Just about all my photographs of Rome have been shot on an old Panasonic TZ9, and a more modern 'travel compact' with a decent zoom range might suit.
 
I don't mind the weight as it goes.

I have a 'sling' type strap so the camera is constantly on me. Walked over 40km around New York over three days with it like this so I'm used to it.

It's more the faffing about changing lenses that's the PITA.

Maybe I should sack it all off and take my old 35mm film camera and 50mm lens. ;)
 
It's your decision of course, and the rest of us can only offer advice based on our own needs and experiences. In my case, I enjoy photography but I have other, more compelling, interests. I tend to use my camera more as a tool to capture people, places and things in case I want to refer to them, or write about them, later; and I'm less concerned with the creative and artistic side of photography.

If you have time, consider a day trip to Pompeii or Herculaneum (they're close to each other), or Ostia Antica. That's the old port of Rome, just outside the city and easily accessible by public transport. It's well preserved too.

Rome, like most European cities, isn't very far away. You may fell in love with it, as many have, or just feel that you need to go back with different kit to get the 'shot' you missed!

Enjoy it, Rome is wonderful.
 
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I don't mind the weight as it goes.

I have a 'sling' type strap so the camera is constantly on me. Walked over 40km around New York over three days with it like this so I'm used to it.

It's more the faffing about changing lenses that's the PITA.

Maybe I should sack it all off and take my old 35mm film camera and 50mm lens. ;)

If you don't mind the weight take the 24 to 70 and the 70 to 200 with the 5D then :) Best glass with best body!
 
It's your decision of course, and the rest of us can only offer advice based on our own needs and experiences. In my case, I enjoy photography but I have other, more compelling, interests. I tend to use my camera more as a tool to capture people, places and things in case I want to refer to them, or write about them, later; and I'm less concerned with the creative and artistic side of photography.

If you have time, consider a day trip to Pompeii or Herculaneum (they're close to each other), or Ostia Antica. That's the old port of Rome, just outside the city and easily accessible by public transport. It's well preserved too.

Rome, like most European cities, isn't very far away. You may fell in love with it, as many have, or just feel that you need to go back with different kit to get the 'shot' you missed!

Enjoy it, Rome is wonderful.

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.
 
If you don't mind the weight take the 24 to 70 and the 70 to 200 with the 5D then :) Best glass with best body!

I would take the 70-200 if someone said it was the best lens for the city. But most times I’ve done city breaks in the past, it’s tended to be wider angles rather than zoom I needed.

Also, don’t know if you missed the i from the 5D.

Not sure a ‘classic’ would still be described as the beat body.

Looking back at my pics from the last time I went to New York, it seems I did take both the 24-70 and the 18-135. Though I didn’t ever take them both out on the same day.

I think I thought I’d see how I got on with the 24-70 to see if it was ok.

The only time I put the 18-135 on was when we did a tour bus and boat trip.

In an ideal world, there’d be a 10-400 f/2 that’s optically amazing and light.

Oh and costs £100.
 
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In an ideal world, there’d be a 10-400 f/2 that’s optically amazing and light.

Oh and costs £100.
Would that be FF or APS-C
 
Would that be FF or APS-C

All future cameras would be large format compacts and would all give results that exactly match expectations garnered over years of experience with 35mm film cameras and respective focal lengths.

Oh, and there'd be a standard mount too.
 
Take a Nikon film camera and put the 28mm f2.8, 50mm f1.2 and 105mm f2.5 in your bag, chuck a few rolls of Tri-X and some Portra in there and you're all sorted.
 
Just be sure to have your film hand screened to avoid it going through one of the new fangled film f***ers!!!
 
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.
Imho, as good as Pompei, Herculaneum and Ostia Antica are, there's enough to see in Rome for one trip. ;) On my first trip to Pompeii I thought I'd seen it all, but when I went again I realised I had not seen quite a lot of it.
 
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