Backpackers and/or photographers help me decide which lens or lenses to bring with me

[2point0T]

Im flying to Rome on Aug 10 and traveling through Italy, then hitting Zurich, Budapest, Prague, Berlin, Frankfurt, Paris, Belgium, and finishing in Amsterdam. The whole trip is 1 month and 4 days. I am bringing my D90 with me, two batteries. I want to bring my 18-105 and 12-24, and my cf Manfrotto 4 section tripod (I bought it pretty much for this trip- I love shooting at night, HDR's, etc). Its very light.

I am torn on what lenses to bring though. I love my 50 1.8 but is it really worth bringing it just because it's a 1.8? The lens is small and light but every little bit counts when I am traveling a foreign land and with only a backpack.

I also am not sure what to do about storage. I am currently in Israel, which makes buying stuff at a good price very difficult. I have an 8gb card and 4gb card. It's not very many photos especially because I shoot raw all the time. I was thinking by the time I run out of space I can just buy another card, but a very large one like a 32gb. I will probably come a premium in Europe though, as everything is so cheap online at home. I also don't like the idea of only having the photos in one place. I have been told to get a hard drive, and this and that, but without guaranteed access to a computer, I'm not sure it's the right decision.

Please help me figure this out....I also have the following lenses, but figured the two I mentioned are the best choices.

105 Macro f2.8 - its heavy and $1k so I def won't bring it
70-300 - thought about bringing this
50 1.8
18-105
12-24

Thanks in advance for any input!

[djb5118]

If you are going for a very minimal setup I would just bring the 18-105 and the 12-24. Most of the things you are going to shoot, especially as a tourist, will fall in those ranges. The 50mm is a great lens, but if you don't think you'll use it then I would leave it at home. I brought mine to NZ only because I had it mounted on my video camera.

For storage, I used a portable usb external, but I also had my laptop to dump cards if necessary. You could pick up the 32gb card before you leave and that would easily solve the problem? Or just take the 8gb and 4gb cards and only shoot RAW when completely necessary, otherwise just shoot in a large JPG format.

[97TurboDSM]

the 50 can fit in your pocket. take it. as well as the 12-24 and the 70-300. leave the 18-105 at home

[2point0T]

yeah that seems like a toss up.....the 18-105 is the most versatile, and if I brought only two that means less to decide from, less changing lenses, etc

But the 50 is 1.8 which I love to utilize, especially in lower light situations, bokeh is nice but I can't decide if it will get old, probably not


I hardly ever use my 70-300 its a cheap Nikkor, maybe 8 years old. I have hardly used it here in Israel. It kind of sucks sometimes having so many lenses, especially with an indecisive person like me.

[DC2.2GSR]

if it was me, i'd sell that 18-105 kit lens for a few bucks and buy the 18-200mm VR II, and carry the 50 1.8 in your pocket. switching lenses while walking around in crowded and unfamiliar places would get real old, real fast. it's more to keep track of, and also means more 'looking down at an open camera bag' time, which translates into a huge risk of getting your sh** snatched. all of the cities you listed are huge tourist spots and there are plenty of people out there who would love to make a living off of your stolen gear. carry one camera and one versatile lens, with the 50 1.8 as the only extra to get some really sharp shallow DOF pics when you want.

[90HP]

if i had to pick any lens i would take the 12-24, it was on my camera 95 percent of the time when i had one.

[grimm]

when i was in italy i carried my 70-200L and 17-40L with me everywhere. I shot in jpg so storage wasn't too much of a problem, but i would suggest a netbook if you are looking to stay shooting RAW.

Don't think of limiting yourself to 2 lenses as a handicap, embrace it and learn to take interesting shots with what you have.

[JeremyPA]

bring lenses that will cover you from wide angle to telephoto. European cities are pretty tight, and you will need a wide angle for sure.

As far as backup, HP makes a portable hd that has a built in card reader for a few hundred dollars. Probably your best bet, and you wont need a PC.