Beginner Weekend in Bruges - What lens?

[JustJoe]

I’m off to Bruges in March for a weekend; I’m taking a D7000 with my 35mm 1.8G and I was thinking about renting a lens from lensesforhire.co.uk, I’m just not sure what to actually take.


Some suggestions would be great.

 

[StewartR]

Wish I could help, Joe, but Bruges hasn't yet made it off my must-go-there-some-day list yet. Some sort of wide angle would usually be useful for photographing in old towns with narrow streets, but I'll be interested to see what people who have actually been there have to say.

 

[Jack Schmitt]

When I went to Rome for the Weekend I took the 35mm 1.8 and Sigma 10-20mm, I did also pack my 18-200 but it never really got used. Hopefully going to Bruges in April and will be taking the same.

 

[woof woof]

I had a lovely holiday there a couple of years ago. I took my Panasonic GF1 with 20mm f1.7 (40mm FF equiv.) and LX5 and I never wanted anything else.

I expect you'll be taking night time shots and if so and doing do handheld you'll deffo need a wide aperture lens and ISO 1600 and probably a little higher. Besides a "standard" fast prime I suppose something wider would be handy? I used my LX5 for a few wider shots that the GF1 and 20mm weren't wide enough for and I used the GF1 for low light, for shots around town and when I wanted the best image quality.

Some of mine here....

http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/threads/panasonic-g-series-owners-thread.262800/page-31

They're not the final versions as they needed a little more processing before saving.

Hope you enjoy your trip.

 

[craigjardine1]

I would always try to pack a wide (10-20 or the likes) and a standard zoom (17-55, 24-70, 24-105, 18-135, 17-85 etc) so that you get a bit of zoom

 

[Musicman]

TBH, I'd take a lens that you know already. I made do perfectly well with just a 50mm f/1.8 when I visited in 1986.

That said a reasonably wide angle is useful for getting the whole of the belfry in from the market square if you find you want to do that, but you could always stitch a couple of shots together.

 

[damo71]

Went a couple of years ago, very pretty place.
I took a 50mm 1.8 and a 17-55mm 2.8 (great lens) and that covered every shot I wanted to take.
Have a great time nosing around all the side streets and canals

 

[Snapsh0t]

We had a day there 18 months ago as the last stop of a cruise and I just used my 16-85mm which seemed to do all I needed.

 

[holty]

nikon 18-200mm will cover all your bases and works great on a d7000 { i have both }

 

[Alastair]

I’m off to Bruges in March for a weekend; I’m taking a D7000 with my 35mm 1.8G and I was thinking about renting a lens from lensesforhire.co.uk, I’m just not sure what to actually take.


Some suggestions would be great.

Well.. the 35mm focal length would cover 90% of it for me. But focal length is a style thing,what suits anyone else may not suit you.

 

[Jackwow]

If you're in a city you need width, the sort of width you get with a 10-22 on a crop body.

 

[Flipper24]

I took my Sigma 10-20mm with me to Bruges and used it with a 17-50mm f2.8. I did take a 18-200 but never used it.
If you have a kit lens it will do fine and give you some width. When the light starts to go I would switch to the 35mm.

 

[J H Foto]

Nikon Zoom-Nikkor AF-S G ED VR 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6 Great all rounder...

 

[steveb]

As J H Photo above, for a single lens solution you can't beat the Nikon 16-85mm. Last time I was in Bruges many years back I was shooting film, and I found found a 24mm adequate, so 16mm on a crop sensor should be too.

 

[woof woof]

Mid and longer range zooms are fine during the day but if taking pictures at night (and it's a nice place to do so) the apertures of these zooms will be very limiting. OK for tripod use and longer exposures, but if shooting handheld the ISO is going to be very high at f3.5-5.6.

 

[JustJoe]

Thanks for the responses guys.

We were in Bruges for the day last year while in Brussels (not the nicest place) all I had with me was my 35mm, I never really missed a zoom.

Right now I'm looking at the Nikon 10-24 f3.5 and the Sigma 12-24 f4.5, use one of those in the day and the 35mm at night.

 

[stevetiler]

Been to Bruges twice and both times used my Sigma 10-20-perfect length! Take a tripod for night shots.

 

[woof woof]

Been to Bruges twice and both times used my Sigma 10-20-perfect length! Take a tripod for night shots.

May be ok for many locations but also not practical for many locations, narrow streets / paths / bridges, lots of people trying to use the same pathways etc...

 

[theurbanclown]

I'd take an 85mm. And a 24mm if you can.

I can't think of any situation when I was there, where I wanted any other lens.