35mm lens travel photography

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35mm Lens for Travel Photography

Today I’m going to talk about the most versatile lens in my camera bag: the 35mm lens.  I didn’t know it was possible to love another lens more than I loved my 50mm lens , but my friend Erin assured me I would, and she wasn’t wrong.  The 35mm lens is what’s on my camera for all day-to-day photography and events.  When I’m traveling, I generally start with it because it will provide the most versatility.  If I’m shooting a landscape, it can provide a wide view.  When I’m in a low light situation, it’s wide enough to let light in.  The 35mm lens creates beautiful portraits.  I’ve yet to find much that this lens isn’t good at, so let’s have a look today.

Basic Camera Information:

The best bang for your buck comes from investing in quality lenses. I shoot with Canon 5D Mark IV , but you do not need an expensive camera to create beautiful photos.  My   Canon 50D   and my  Canon Rebel xTi  served me well for travel photography for several years.  I upgraded my camera when I started doing wedding photography.  Last year, I took my Canon 5D Mark II  in for cleaning, and it came back with a scratched sensor.  I decided to upgrade with a Black Friday deal I found on   Canon Price Watch  because of the sensor issue and Tom was starting to get interested in video.  (For my Nikon friends, I’m sure there is a similar website.)

The price of your camera is irrelevant if you are still shooting in auto mode.  For better photography, you’ll want to understand how aperture, shutter speed, and ISO affect one another .  Note:  I no longer purchase a camera that comes with a lens.  I purchase the body and buy the lenses I want separately.  I don’t love the lenses that come with cameras.  They work, but if you plan to upgrade, just save the money on the first go around.

TL, DR:  Invest in lenses over cameras.  Learn to use your camera.

35mm Lens Information:

Canon offers a couple of 35mm lenses at various price points.  I shoot with the Canon 35mm f/1.4 USM , but there is also a 35mm f/2.0 lens , as well as a 35mm f/2.8 Marco lens . Even still, there is a 35mm f/1.4 II USM lens , if you want to spend even more money.  As I’ve said previously, I purchase most of my lenses from the Canon Refurb site .  I’ve had a great experience with them and find the lenses to be as sharp as a tack.

I’ve never shot with a macro lens, so I can’t speak to whether or not that is the right purchase, but I think that you can get by with the f/2.0 lens if you don’t want to spend the money for the f/1.4 version.  It would also be a lighter lens if you are concerned about the weight.  This lens is significantly lighter than the 50mm and seems to be lighter than the 24mm as well.  I definitely prefer it if I’m going to be carrying my camera for a long period of time.

What I Use the 35mm Lens For:

Everything.  Just kidding.  Sort of.  Almost.  Not really.  But actually.  The wide angle of the 35mm lens makes it more versatile than the 50mm lens, but it doesn’t have some of the image distortion that you see on the 24mm lens or the 16-35mm wide angle zoom lens.  While this slight distortion can be corrected in post-processing, I enjoy getting things right SOOC (straight out of the camera) when I can.  The 35mm lens makes that very easy.

The 35mm lens is great for travel photography.  I find that colors are brilliant and images are sharp.  If you are taking photos of sweeping vistas, you can do it with the lens.  That being said, if you want to capture foreground details against a wider landscape, it does really well with that, too.  Wandering around the tight alleyways of Venice?  This lens has you covered.  Photographing your hotel room?  This lens can do the trick.  Taking photos of your family on vacation?  This lens works.  Similar to the 24mm lens, I love the 35mm lens for food photography.

One last thing, this lens does night photography really, really, really well.  Night images are always very sharp.  I’m sure it has something to do with the USM mechanics, but this is my very favorite lens for night and low-light photography.

What I Don’t Use the 35mm Lens For:

Nothing.  Seriously.  While sometimes I may prefer to zoom in on a subject, I will switch to a lens with a different focal length… after I shoot some photos with this lens.  I always find myself coming back to the 35mm.  Erin wasn’t wrong when she told me that this lens would change my life.  I hope you enjoy it just as much.

35mm Photography Examples and Discussion

Landscape photography.

This photo of Manarola harbor shows what a great job this lens does with landscape photography.  It feels as if the entire image is in focus, from the wine terraces to the buildings.  The long exposure smoothed the choppiness of the sea while still showing the movement of the waves.   The cloudy evening allowed for beautiful colors, even though we didn’t get to witness a beautiful Cinque Terre sunset.  ( Pro tip:  Even if it looks like golden hour will be a bust, get out there anyway.  Blue hour will still be beautiful and you might end up with some images like this.)

City Landscape Photography

The changing light of Florence can be impossible to capture from inside of the city walls.  Most of the time, you’ll have to go to the Piazza Michelangelo if you want to capture the sunset views against the Ponte Vecchio.  This photo was taken from the Ponte alle Grazie, which is actually quite a bit further from the Ponte Vecchio than the Ponte Santa Trinita.  In this case, the 35mm lens captured both sides of the Arno River, but I copped the image in post-processing to get rid of a crane that has been in Florence for the past several years.  I love how both the architecture and the water are sharp in this image, never mind the beautiful, soft colors of a Florentine sunset.

Close In Landscape Photography

Have you ever tried to take a picture of a building or monument in a small confined space?  I feel like Europe is filled with these moments, and it can be very frustrating to get a photo that keeps the details sharp.  Enter the 35mm.  We were at the Spanish Steps in Rome during the most crowded point of the day.  Shooting with the 17-35mm lens or the 24mm lens would have included more people in the shot.  The 35mm was the perfect focal length for me to ensure that the Spanish Steps and Trinita dei Monti remained the focal point of this image.

Photographing Tight Quarters, even at night

I didn’t know if anything would capture the beautiful of Christmas Eve in Venice .  Between the beautiful colors of night, the stillness of the water, and how you can see exactly where I was standing, the 35mm lens does a pretty good job of reminding me exactly what that night felt like.  This image might have been the turning point for me and the Canon 5D Mark IV, too.  Up until then, I was wondering if upgrading had been a mistake.  The learning curve on the 5DMIV is more extreme than I expected.  I think the color profile is significantly different than the Canon 5DMII and I was having a hard time hitting my stride on manipulating the settings.  The image proves otherwise; the magic of Christmas, if you will.

Night and Low Light Photography

These two images illustrate how well the 35mm lens does in low light situations, regardless of aperture.  While you can see how the image loses some sharpness in the well-lit areas of the top image, the background remains crisp.  The short shutter speed allows for the capture of a split second while the merry-go-round is moving.  In the long exposure photo, you can see how the smaller f/stop allows for the background to stay crisp, even though the long exposure captured the movement of the merry-go-round.  My focal point remained constant on both of these images, but the other settings created drastically different images.

This photo, taken from the balcony of one of our rooms at the St. Regis , shows how well this lens does with landscape photography.  The small aperture setting requires a longer shutter speed, but allows all the details to remain sharp.  This image perfectly captures what Florence looked like on that calm evening.

Food Photography

I rarely shoot with my lens wide open.  That being said, sometimes you’ll find yourself in a dark restaurant in Cinque Terre and you want to photograph your meal.  Since I don’t shoot with flash when I travel (ever), dropping down my f/stop as low as it would go was the best way to ensure my subject was in focus.  In this case, you can see how sharp the lens is, even when it’s wide open.  In both of these shots, you can see the beautiful bokeh (“background blur” as most people call it), but you can still distinguish the delicious details of the pasta.

Vacation Photography

There’s a feeling of dread when I hand my camera to a passerby and ask them to take a photo with my camera.  The 35mm lens does a great job in this case though.  It’s wide enough that they can capture a “normal” looking shot vertically or horizontally, but it’s not so wide that you have to fight other tourists walking through your photos.  In this case, Tom and I are in focus, but you can see the beautiful landscaping and Buckingham Palace.  Sometimes I’ll set up the tripod and jump in the photo, but most of the time, I’d rather just hand my camera to someone and ask for a photo, if I can.  The 35mm is perfect for that.   Pro tip:  Always make sure your settings are ready to go, otherwise you’ll end up with improperly exposed images.  If you don’t have time to check your settings, flip the dial over to auto.  Better safe than sorry.  (I’m not someone who feels comfortable telling someone how to set up the photo I want and continually checking light/settings/framing.)

Travel Photography Tips

The 35mm lens is a really fun lens to play with because of its versatility.  Here a few photography tips to get your creative juices flowing:

• Change how you are framing a subject.  Is there a bridge you can shoot underneath?  What about the entry way of the old city?  Does it make sense to only show part of a subject?  Instead of shooting a subject dead-on, look for ways to make the shot yours.  Some of my most favorite images are when I’ve found a different place to shoot a classic image.  Sometimes I’ll frame the Duomo with trees.  Other times, I’ll shoot an image through a dramatic entryway or an old city gate.  Look for ways to make your shot, well, yours!
• Play with your aperture.  This lens is really fun for experimenting with aperture.  If you’re going for a bright, light, ethereal quality to your images, shooting with a wider f/stop will allow more light in your lens.  Remember: the smaller the number, the wider the f/stop.  Some people refer to this as “blowing out” your images.  It’s a personal choice.  Some people love them, some people hate them.  I think it depends on the trip and what I’m going for.  That being said, if you want to capture sharp details or create a darker, moody feel to your images, use a smaller f/stop (a larger aperture number).  If you’re looking for a good aperture that is right in the middle, I find apertures between f/8.0-f/9.0 to be the most reliable on bright, sunny days.
• Pay attention to reflections!  Whether it’s how the reflection of buildings bounce off a river, how the light illuminates the cobblestones, or how a puddle reflects the sky, make sure you’re watching for those reflections that capture a magical moment or scene.

You can find more photography tips and/or travel gear on my blog.

Follow along with Sara!

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Your pictures are always GORG especially that carousel pic! I need you to teach me all your ways <3 <a href=” http://www.greenfashionistablog.com ” title=”Green Fashionista”>Green Fashionista</a>

Quite interesting and insightful write-up. Just a small query: the discussion pertains to 35mm lens on full frame camera. For a cropped sensor camera such as Canon’s M6 camera, will it be okay if we use M-22 mm lens?

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Best Lens for Travel Photography in 2024 (All Cameras)

Discover the ideal lenses for travel photography, balancing versatility, size, aperture, and durability to capture stunning images on your journeys this year.

Camera Gear Guides | Lens Guides | By Jeff Collier

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This guide will help you find the best lens for travel photography , depending on your camera.

The right choice of lens can elevate your travel storytelling skills, allowing you to express and encapsulate the essence of each destination.

From wide-angle primes for shooting sweeping landscapes to versatile zoom lenses for dynamic versatility, the choices can be bewildering.

So, let us take you by the hand and walk you through some of the best options.

Table of Contents

How to Choose the Best Lens for Travel Photography

When selecting the best lens for travel photography, there are several key qualities to consider:

• Versatility: A good travel lens needs to be versatile. You want a lens that can handle various situations, from rolling countryside landscapes to detailed street scenes. A zoom lens with a range like 24-70mm or 18-135mm can be ideal, offering both wide-angle and moderate telephoto perspectives.
• Size and Weight: Traveling often involves moving around a lot, sometimes in cramped conditions. So, the size and weight of the lens are crucial. A compact and lightweight lens will be less burdensome during long days of sightseeing or hiking.
• Aperture: While zoom lenses with wide apertures like f/2.8 are great for low light and creating a shallow depth of field , they’re often heavier and more expensive. An f/4 lens strikes a good balance – it’s typically lighter, more compact, and less costly, yet still performs well in various lighting conditions.
• Prime or Zoom: A prime lens is typically smaller and lighter than a zoom lens, but it doesn’t offer the same versatility with only a single focal length. If you have space in your travel bag, a combination of one small prime lens (like a nifty-fifty) and one zoom would be ideal.
• Image Stabilization: This feature is a must for travel photographers, especially when shooting in low light or when using slower shutter speeds. It helps reduce the blurriness caused by camera shake, ensuring sharper images.
• Durability: A travel lens should be durable enough to withstand different environments. Look for lenses with weather-sealing if you plan to shoot in various outdoor conditions.
• Image Quality: High image quality is, of course, a priority. Look for lenses that offer sharp, clear imaging across their aperture range and focal lengths.

Best Full Frame Lenses for Travel Photography

Canon ef 24-105mm f/4l is usm (best canon ef zoom lens for travel photography).

• Great optical quality
• Durable build
• Versatile focal length
• Image stabilization
• Relatively expensive
• Some distortion at 24mm

The Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM is a travel photography favourite, thanks to its blend of versatility and image quality.

As part of Canon’s esteemed L-Series, it’s well-known for superior optical performance. It delivers exceptional image quality and sharpness, ensuring your travel photos are (hopefully) visually stunning.

It has a robust build and is completely weather-sealed. It’s also surprisingly light and compact, considering its focal range and capabilities.

Its 24-105mm focal range provides a huge amount of flexibility and is ideal for capturing everything from landscapes to detail shots.

The constant f/4 aperture across the zoom range makes exposure control very simple and allows you to maintain consistent settings in varied lighting conditions.

It’s also fast enough to be good in low light conditions and lets you play with a shallow depth of field, especially when fully extended.

The camera lens also comes with built-in image stabilization, which is essential for the kind of handheld shooting that’s normal when travelling.

Those looking for a less expensive alternative could consider the Sigma 24-105mm f/4 DG OS HSM [ Amazon | B&H ] – although you should bear in mind that it’s not weather-sealed.

Canon RF 24-105mm f/4 L IS (Best Canon RF Zoom Lens for Travel Photography)

• Weather sealed
• Excellent build quality
• Image stabilisation
• Excellent autofocus capabilities
• f/4 is not the fastest

The Canon RF 24-105mm f/4 L IS lens is among the mirrorless staples for Canon users.

The 24-105mm focal length is a versatile focal range, suitable for capturing wide-angle landscapes, portraits, and even some telephoto shots.

It’s an ideal range for travel photographers wanting to avoid constantly switching lenses.

As an L series camera lens, it’s very well-built, compact, and lightweight, with a robust construction and weather-sealing for added durability.

With its constant f/4 aperture throughout the zoom range, you get consistent exposure control, and the lens has impressive optical quality, producing sharp images with minimal distortion and chromatic aberrations.

The Canon RF 24-105mm f/4L IS also has in-built image stabilization. That means you’ll be able to take sharper images, even shooting handheld in low-light conditions, a common scenario when travelling.

Its Dual Nano USM (Ultrasonic Motor) also ensures smooth, accurate, and quiet autofocus, giving you the ability to get all your shots in focus, regardless of how challenging your subjects or environments are.

Nikon AF-S FX NIKKOR 24-120mm f/4G (Best Nikon FX Zoom Lens for Travel Photography)

• Excellent image quality
• Well-designed
• Versatile focal range
• Great autofocus
• Some barrel distortion

The Nikon AF-S FX NIKKOR 24-120mm f/4G is a great all-round lens for the Nikon shooter.

It has a nearly identical focal range to the Canon lens above and, as such, provides users with great versatility and the ability to shoot a wide range of photographic scenarios.

You can comfortably shoot expansive landscapes to detail shots and portraits. It’s the kind of lens you could just leave on your camera and be ready for anything.

Its constant aperture throughout the zoom range ensures consistent exposure settings. That means that, whatever the lighting conditions, you’ll be ready and won’t have to make a lot of setting changes to adapt.

Like the Canon, it’s also a high-end product that delivers sharp, clear images throughout its focal range.

It has Nano Crystal Coating, too, which reduces chromatic aberration and lens flare, ensuring consistently high image quality whatever the lighting conditions.

This lens is surprisingly compact and lightweight, given its focal range, and is fully weather-sealed, so you can confidently take it on your next adventure.

The Nikon AF-S FX NIKKOR 24-120mm f/4G has optical image stabilization – essential for handheld shooting – and its Silent Wave Motor (SWM) technology provides lightning-fast and silent autofocus.

Having such quick and quiet autofocus is a definite bonus during travel, for street photography, and for capturing candid scenes like a ninja.

• More: Best Lenses for Landscape Photography

Nikon Z 24-120mm f/4 S (Best Nikon Z Zoom Lens for Travel Photography)

• Excellent optical quality
• Customizable control ring
• f/4 not the best in low light

For the travel photographer shooting Nikon mirrorless, the Nikon Z 24-120mm f/4 S is a stellar choice.

Once again, it’s a lens with a 24-120mm focal range, which provides travel photographers with great versatility.

Whether you’re shooting landscapes or zooming in on details, you can adapt without the need for frequent lens changes.

This lens also has a constant f/4 aperture throughout its zoom range, which means consistent exposure. Plus, it’s easy to adjust your settings when moving between varied lighting conditions.

It’s compact and lightweight, given its capabilities, and has in-built image stabilization and extremely fast autofocus.

Travel photographers generally shoot most scenes handheld, so image stabilization is essential, and it’s always handy to have quiet and quick autofocus so you can react quickly and be discreet.

The Nikon Z 24-120mm f/4 S boasts exceptional optics and delivers crisp, colorful images with excellent contrast.

One nice feature is the lens’ customizable control ring, which allows travel photographers to adjust settings like aperture, ISO, or exposure compensation on the fly.

This ability to tailor-make your shooting experience adds another level of versatility to this as a travel lens.

Sony FE 24-105mm f/4 (Best Sony FE Zoom Lens for Travel Photography)

• Great image quality
• Weather-sealed
• A little heavy
• Limiting aperture

Although it lacks a few millimeters of focal length compared to the others in this section, the Sony FE 24-105mm f/4 is a travel photographer favorite known for its exceptional performance and versatility.

Starting at 24mm, the lens has wide-angle capabilities to help you shoot landscapes and architecture. And 105mm is still enough for detail shots and portraits.

Like every other lens in this section, it has a constant f/4 aperture throughout the zoom range. That makes it easy on you when it comes to changing settings, gives you some depth of field to play with, and helps you out in low-light conditions.

Travel photography often involves shooting in dynamic environments, so having built-in image stabilization is a must, particularly when shooting handheld at longer focal lengths. This lens delivers.

It’s also weather-sealed, so you can take it anywhere.

But what about its image quality? Well, Sony is renowned for producing lenses with outstanding optical performance, and the FE 24-105mm f/4 is no exception.

This lens produces sharp images with minimal distortion, chromatic aberration, and vignetting, so you should end up with stunning travel images.

For those photographers who need more range or want to save some money, consider the Tamron 28-200mm f/2.8-5.6 Di III [ Amazon | B&H ].

• More: Best Lightweight Travel Cameras

Best APS-C Lenses for Travel Photography

APS-C cameras are more compact than their full-frame brothers and sisters, and they often have the specs to deliver great images.

So, if you’re someone who has one of these cameras, these lenses could be for you.

Fujifilm XF 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 (Best Fujifilm Zoom Lens for Travel Photography)

• Lightweight and compact
• Variable aperture
• Some image softness

The Fujifilm XF 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 lens (full review here ) is pretty popular thanks to its wide focal range and compact design.

The best feature of this lens is clearly its impressive focal range. It’s both a wide-angle lens and a telephoto lens, so provides users with exceptional versatility for capturing everything from landscapes to distant subjects.

Weighing in at a mere 490 grams, the XF 18-135mm is also remarkably lightweight. So, it’s an excellent choice for travel photographers who prioritize portability.

The lens is fully weather-sealed, providing protection against dust and moisture, and is equipped with Fujifilm’s Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) technology.

With this, photographers can shoot handheld at slower shutter speeds without sacrificing image quality.

And, as you’d expect from Fuji, the lens has exceptional optical quality. The images are sharp, with well-rendered colors, minimal distortion, and chromatic aberration – a travel lens that can be relied on.

• More: Guide to the Best Wide-Angle Lenses

Panasonic Lumix 14-140mm f/3.5-5.6 II (Best MFT Zoom Lens for Travel Photography)

• Extremely versatile focal length
• In-built image stabilization
• Plastic construction

Just a note before I get into it: there are multiple versions of this lens, so it can be a bit confusing. The latest version, which is the version you want, says H-FSA14140 on the box and the barrel.

And if you get it, you’ll get a lens that is well-liked in the travel photography community for its broad focal range and compact design.

With its extensive 14-140mm range, it’s the most versatile lens in this guide. There is very little you wouldn’t be able to capture with it, thereby reducing the need to change lenses.

It’s also, especially given this focal range, exceptionally compact and lightweight and weighs in at a mere 265 grams. No need to use up much space or add unnecessary weight to your camera bag.

Panasonic’s Power O.I.S. technology is also integrated into the lens, providing effective image stabilization to ensure sharp, blur-free images, even when shooting zoomed-out.

It boasts an excellent autofocus system, fast and virtually silent. That’s particularly good for travel photography as you can shoot in quiet or intimate settings and capture moments without disturbing the atmosphere.

Thanks to both those last features, the smooth zoom and silent autofocus, the Lumix 14-140mm f/3.5-5.6 II is also well-suited to videography, adding an extra dimension to your travel storytelling.

Another option is the Olympus 12-200mm f/3.5-6.3 Lens [ Amazon | B&H ], though by most accounts, the Panasonic is a better performer.

Canon EF-S 18-135mm (Best Canon APS-C Zoom for Travel Photography)

• Light and compact
• Excellent autofocus
• Made of plastic materials

Weighing in at just 480 grams, the EF-S 18-135mm is a relatively lightweight and compact lens – important for travel photographers who want to minimize weight and maximize space in their gear bag .

And, with its 18-135mm focal range, whether you’re shooting landscapes, portraits, or distant subjects, the Canon EF-S has you covered.

The lens features Canon’s STM (Stepping Motor) autofocus technology, providing smooth and silent focusing during both still photography and video recording.

It is also equipped with Dynamic Image Stabilization (IS), which reduces the impact of camera shake.

This feature is invaluable for handheld shooting, ensuring sharp images even when using the lens at longer focal lengths or in low-light conditions – a common scenario in travel photography.

The overall image quality is excellent, too, something that Canon is well-known for. The images are sharp, well-contrasted, and with good color reproduction across its focal range.

Nikon Z DX 16-50mm f/3.5-6.3 VR (Best Nikon Z DX Zoom for Travel Photography)

• Extremely lightweight and compact
• Good autofocus
• Good focal range
• Slightly cheap feel

The Nikon Z DX 16-50mm is exceptionally compact and lightweight, making it an ideal companion for travel photographers.

The lens’s sleek design ensures it takes up minimal space in your gear bag. It’s so sleek it almost looks like a pancake lens!

Not only that, but the lens also has an electrically retractable mechanism, allowing it to collapse into an even more compact form when not in use.

Despite its small form factor, it nevertheless covers a decent focal range, from 16mm to 50mm. This makes it well-suited for a variety of travel scenarios, from wide-angle landscapes to portraits.

Overall, the image quality is good, and sharp throughout the range. That’s aided by built-in stabilization that eliminates the effects of camera shake when shooting handheld.

Equipped with a Stepping Motor autofocus system, the Nikon Z DX 16-50mm has fast, quiet, and precise focusing. This is super useful when shooting travel photos, as you need to react quickly and often be discrete.

• More: Best Lenses for Portrait Photography

Nikon AF-S DX 16-80mm f/2.8-4E (Best Nikon DX Zoom for Travel Photography)

• Fast variable aperture

This lens gives you a bit more focal range to play with than the one above, and a faster variable aperture.

16-80mm gives you a lot of flexibility in terms of what you can shoot. It’s wide enough for architecture and landscapes, and also perfect for portraits and details shots.

It’s the kind of lens that, if you’re thinking of an all-around solution, this could be it.

Although variable aperture lenses aren’t the most convenient, f/2.8-4, gives this lens impressive low-light performance and creative depth of field control.

Its brighter aperture is especially good for dimly lit environments, so you can capture stunning images in indoor settings or even as the sun sets.

The lens also features Nikon’s Vibration Reduction technology, which ensures clear handheld images even at low shutter speeds and the end of the range.

The Nikon AF-S DX 16-80mm f/2.8-4E has fast and accurate autofocus, as well as Nikon’s high-end Nano Crystal Coating and Extra-Low Dispersion elements, which help reduce lens flare, ghosting, and chromatic aberrations.

This means that the images it produces are high quality and with accurate color reproduction, even in the kind of challenging lighting situations that commonly occur in travel photography.

• More: 77 Awesome Travel Tips for Photographers

Sony 16-55mm f/2.8 G (Best Sony E Zoom Lens for Travel Photography)

Credit: Marc Bergreen

• Great optics
• No image stabilization

This is an extremely versatile lens with a constant f/2.8 aperture throughout the focal range.

That bright aperture somewhat compensates for the lens’ lack of in-built image stabilization and allows for excellent low-light performance and creative control over the depth of field.

It’s compact and fairly light, and has a robust, weather-sealed build that can comfortably withstand the rigours of travel photography.

As photographers have come to expect from Sony, you also get excellent image quality, with sharp pictures and true-to-life colors, and great autofocus capabilities, essential for capturing those sometimes fleeting travel moments.

Best Prime Lenses for Travel Photography

In terms of both optical and build quality, nothing really beats primes.

So, if you can find one that suits your shooting style, choosing just one or two to put in your bag could be a good way to go.

The links below each section are to the full-frame equivalents.

As a focal length, 35mm is justifiably popular, as it provides a natural perspective that matches the field of view of the human eye.

They are sometimes referred to as the ‘storytelling lens’ because, given this natural feel, photographers easily feel in sync with their camera, which makes it easier to compose scenes.

They are ideal for capturing a wide range of scenarios, from street photography to environmental portraits.

Many 35mm primes feature wide apertures, such as f/1.4 or f/2, so they’re good in low light and can also handle high shutter speeds. This makes them extremely versatile.

Possibly the best lens for travel photography, and any photography.

A 24mm prime provides a broader view, allowing you to include more of a scene in your frame.

This makes it perfect for capturing expansive landscapes or architecture, particularly when you want to emphasize the scale or beauty of a location.

It’s also good for photographing, for example, bustling marketplaces or cultural events, as you can get right in the centre of the action and still fit plenty into the frame.

Despite being a wider focal length, a 24mm is also good for environmental portraits, as it can capture subjects in their surroundings, providing context and storytelling elements.

The nifty fifty is renowned for its flattering portrait perspective that allows you to isolate subjects from the background.

Many 50mm primes have wide apertures (f/1.8 or f/1.4), so you can create beautiful background blur and really emphasize your subject.

Those wide apertures mean they generally have great low-light performance, too.

50mm is also a good focal length for detail shots, such as a local artisan’s hands or the textures of street food or handicrafts.

What’s Best for Travel Photography: One Lens, Two Lenses, or a Three-Lens Kit?

Choosing the right combination of lenses for your travel photography kit is an important decision that can have a significant impact on what you can capture.

Do you travel as light as possible and take only one lens? Should you take more lenses to cover more situations?

Which focal lengths should you choose?

A telephoto lens? Zoom lenses or primes?

Let’s take a look at a few of the options.

One Lens Kit

My ideal one-lens kit would be my go-to lens for every kind of photography, a 24-70mm f/2.8, or a 24-105mm f/4.

These are generally high-quality lenses, and they are extremely versatile.

With their broad focal ranges, you can take wide-angle shots and also zoom in for portraits and other detail shots.

As you can shoot so much with them, and often won’t feel limited in any way, you can focus on being in the moment and just enjoy the photography.

Having one lens also means less weight to carry and less space taken up in your bag – perfect for those who prioritize traveling light.

If you have an f/2.8 aperture, it’s also fast enough that you can shoot in even challenging light conditions. With f/4, you may struggle more, but as a trade-off, you’ll get the extra focal length.

Two Lens Kit

My ideal two-lens kit would have a 24-70mm f/2.8 or 24-105 f/4, paired with either a 50mm f/1.4 or an 85mm f/1.2.

The 24-70mm covers a wide focal range, while 50mm and 85mm primes excel at portraits, detail shots and low-light situations.

As I’ve already run through the features of the 24-70mm and 24-105mm, I won’t repeat myself, so let’s consider the primes.

Choosing either of these primes will enhance your creativity. Their wide apertures can create beautiful background blur and enhance low-light performance.

Not only this, but shooting with primes forces you to move around more and immerse yourself in a scene to try out compositions, whereas, with a zoom lens, you can stand in one place and let the lens do more of the work.

In my opinion, when you’re traveling, anything that forces you to get more involved is a good thing.

A two-lens setup is also still relatively compact compared to a three-lens kit.

Three-Lens Kit

My ideal three-lens travel photography kit would be made up of a 24-70mm f/2.8 or 24-105mm f/4, with either a 50mm f/1.8 or 85mm f/1.2, and either a wide-angle lens (such as a 10-22mm) or a longer prime, such as a 135mm or a 200mm.

I’ll just cover the third lens here, to avoid repeating myself.

My reasoning for these two choices is that, with a third lens, you are starting to get into specialist travel photography.

The first one or two lenses are all-round options that will basically help you photograph pretty much anything.

When choosing a third lens, given it’s going to add more weight and cost, and is not totally essential, you need to pick something that will help you photograph something specific that your other two lenses might struggle with.

If you particularly like to photograph architecture or panoramas, you might want to consider a 10-20mm (or something close to those focal lengths).

If you like to take pictures with a lot of lens compression, shoot wildlife, landscape details, or creative portraits, a longer prime will definitely help.

With a three-lens kit, you’ll be ready for anything.

Single Zoom vs. Multiple Primes

When choosing the best lens for travel photography, you of course have to consider the differences between zoom lenses and primes.

If you choose to take a single zoom lens, you will have the ultimate in convenience and versatility.

You’ll never need to change your lens (or feel like you want to).

But there are limitations. They’re often not as good in low light, and they give you less creative control over depth of field compared to primes.

With primes, you get enhanced low-light performance, sharper image quality, and creative control with different focal lengths and apertures.

But, on the flipside, you’ll need to make (possibly frequent) lens changes, due to potential gaps in focal length coverage, and primes tend to weigh more.

FAQs About the Best Lens for Travel Photography

Which lens is used for travel photography?

Many lenses can be used for travel photography.

You can use a telephoto lens, zoom lenses or primes, and you can choose the focal length you need.

The important thing is that, whatever camera lenses you choose, they’re versatile enough that you can shoot in a variety of environments and situations.

What focal length is best for travel?

The best lens for travel photography in terms of focal length is the most versatile one.

Generally, if you have to choose one lens, a zoom with a focal range of 24-70mm or 24mm-105mm is best.

What is the best prime lens for travel photography?

The best prime lens for travel photography would be, depending on your shooting style and preferences, one of either a 24mm, 35mm, or 50mm. Only if you shoot wildlife would you need a telephoto lens.

What two lenses should I have for travel photography?

If you just want to take two camera lenses with you, I recommend you take one zoom lens (for versatility) and one prime (for creativity).

Jeff Collier is an experienced film photographer who enjoys experimenting with modern digital photography equipment, software and apps. He’s also an ex-world champion triathlete and avid cyclist, clocking hundreds of km each week in the beautiful Tweed Valley of northern NSW, Australia.

Your “Best for any camera” seems to have left out M43

IMO Sony’s best travel lenses are the 20-70 G and the 16-35 G. I take an RX1 or the FE 28mm as a (creative) prime.

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35mm vs 50 mm For Travel Photography

Why is prime lens good for travel photography? So you spot a picturesque scene while you are out and about, and you take out your mirrorless or DSLR camera, with a prime lens in it, take a few steps towards or away from the object, shoot, and voila! - sharp images with fewer aberrations. That is the power of prime lenses right there, fast apertures, bokeh effect, and crisp details.

Prime lenses are great for travel photography. It takes a bit of physical movement and creativity to get fantastic shots.

What is a prime lens? 

A prime lens is a lens that allows you to shoot at a single focal length. These types of lenses have no zoom feature, unlike kit lenses. But that is where they are advantageous. Manufacturers of kit lenses have to worry about optimizing various features, ultimately leading to not so good image qualities. On the contrary, prime lenses put all their resources into shooting quality images.

Prime lens restriction inspires creativity. Since you can't go wide or long as with Kit lenses, you have to put more thought into it and decide what to exclude and include in the photos. You can only zoom by taking a few steps away or towards the subject of your photography.

You are going to enjoy this physical movement; not only is it a physical exercise but also mentally stimulating. It gets the juices flowing, leading to great photography skills.

And that's what makes prime lenses great for travel photography. Not only are you going to enjoy using them, but you will also get much better results than with Kit lenses.

But not all prime lenses are equal. Manufactures produce prime lenses at various focal lengths. For full frames digital cameras and 35mm films, prime lenses can be put into the following categories based on their focal lengths:

• Ultra-wide: 12-21mm
• Wide: 24-35mm
• Standard: 50mm
• Portrait: 80mm
• Telephoto: 135mm
• Super Telephoto: 200-500mm

For most photography enthusiasts, when the time to ditch zoom lenses for prime lenses comes, that means getting the 50mm; and for various good reasons.

Most people only progress to a 35mm prime lens later, after giving the standard 50mm lens a try. But which is the best prime lens for traveling?

35mm vs 50mm lens for travel

A 35mm lens is considered a wide-angle lens, and although it is right at the edge of this definition, it will still allow you to capture a broad field of view than a 50mm lens courtesy of a wide aperture. It can be used in both full-frame and crop sensor cameras.

On the contrary, a 50mm lens is a standard focal length lens for getting a field of view closer to that of the human eye. it is great for capturing portraits of people too

On the whole, the 35mm lens is the best for travel photography.

Sure, the 50mm lens is a longer lens with a better depth of field than what you get with the 35mm lens, which means a better bokeh effect or dreamy out of focus backgrounds. But it doesn't give you a wide look and is much zoomed-in, thus limiting the number of shots you can take in tight spaces and non-traditional portrait environments. On the other hand, a 35mm lens works great for both landscape and portrait views. Advantages of 35mm prime lenses include:

1. Familiar field of view

35mm lenses are excellent for landscapes. See, the angle of view isn't too much as with 24mm lenses, and neither is it too narrow as with 50mm lenses. 35mm lenses closely mimic what the human eye does, capturing scenes with a familiar and much more realistic perspective.

2. Big aperture to capture blurry background

35mm lenses have also got big apertures. A large maximum aperture on your DSLR or mirrorless camera means pretty wide shots with fantastic depth of field. A large aperture also makes it easy to get blurry backgrounds in your photos. Not that all images with blurry backgrounds are the best but depending on how you use it, it can make the subjects of your photos stand out.

3. Can shoot in unideal conditions

Another advantage of 35mm lenses is the ability to take photos in poor lighting conditions without compromising shutter speed. Simply open the lens to f/2 or even f/1.4, and it will collect the light needed to capture superb low-light portraits using fast shutter speeds.

4. Small and easy to carry

  35mm lenses are also compact, making it easier to capture stunning portraits while holding your camera. The last thing you want is a massive, heavy lens on your camera when it comes to travel photography. 35mm lenses are small and compact, making them great for travel photography.

5. A perfect compromise between standard and wide-angle 

50mm is thought to be the rough estimate of the scope the human eye captures; that is, however, debatable. While a 50mm lens excels in many things, it's not great for capturing portraits in tight spaces.

A 35mm lens, on the other hand, is versatile. Mount it on a full-frame camera for landscape views or on a crop sensor camera for portrait views.

Full frame cameras vs. cropped sensor cameras

 Camera sensors matter. Different cameras have unique sensors. They determine how close or far you have to stand from the subject. A full-frame camera sensor is equal in size to a 35mm film, while crop sensors are relatively smaller.

Since lens focal length measurements are based on a 35mm field of view, a full camera sensor doesn't alter the effective focal length. On the other hand, crop sensor lenses alter the focal length. For example, a 50mm lens on a full-frame camera sensor means your zoom is 50mm, but on a 1.5 crop factor, it is 75mm.

Cons of 35mm prime lenses

The only cons of a 35mm lens are that you need to get closer to the action to capture portraits, and there's the risk of losing compression such that the background appears far because of a wide field of view. Another disadvantage is that shorter lenses are less flattering.

Wrapping up

Ultimately, you want a compact, versatile lens for travel photography to capture great portraits. Our favorite prime lens for traveling is the 35mm. It boasts of a big aperture with a scope that closely mimics that of the human eye resulting in a familiar view. It is small and comfortable to carry lens and versatile to boot. It produces fantastic photos in both full-frame and cropped sensor cameras.

Have you tried the 35mm prime lens for travel photography? Feel free to share your experiences, looking forward to reading your comments!

Christie Noir

Jackie Noir

Jackie Hazel

Using a 35mm Lens for Travel Photography

Jason Vong recently challenged themselves to only use a 35mm lens for travel photography. The video is a great highlight of how some lens fit a particular photography style better than others. Check it out!

00:00 What 35mm am I Using?

00:56 For APS-C Users 

01:09 35mm is a Fantastic Travel Lens

02:00 35mm for Portraits

02:48 How I Personally Use a 35mm

03:28 How to Save Money Buying a 35mm!

04:35 Versatility, Portability, & Pairing!

05:12 Cons about the 35mm

06:23 Conclusion

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Best lenses for travel photography in 2024: perfect all-in-one superzooms

The best lenses for travel will let you shoot almost anything, and save some space in your bag!

• Best for Canon
• Best for Nikon
• Best for Sony
• Best for Fujifilm
• Best for L-mount
• Best for MTF
• Best Canon DSLR
• Best for Nikon DSLR
• How we test

Best for Canon Best for Nikon Best for Sony Best for Fujifilm Best for L-mount Best for MTF Best Canon DSLR Best for Nikon DSLR How we test

The best lenses for travel photography will enable you to take amazing photos without weighing you down. Travel photography lenses are often versatile zooms that allow you to pack just one lens such as a superzoom but it all comes down to your shooting style and how much you want to carry.

With most of your bases covered, you can focus on snapping gorgeous landscapes, stunning sunsets or captivating portraits and the best part is if you choose to just take one lens with you, you'll never have to faff with changing it. 

When picking a superzoom lens, it’s tempting to go for the biggest zoom range you can get your hands on. However, such lenses tend to be quite large and weighty. They’re generally more convenient and less heavy than a combination of standard and telephoto zoom lenses but, when you want to travel light or go on walkabout, it’s nicer to have something smaller and more lightweight dangling off your camera strap.

Considering the 1.5x crop factor of most APS-C cameras (1.6x for Canon ), a zoom range of around 18-200mm is generally ideal. This gives you similar wide-angle coverage as from a standard zoom, while stretching your telephoto reach to 300mm in full-frame terms (320mm for Canon).

Best lenses for travel photography in 2024

Why you can trust Digital Camera World Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out how we test.

Best travel lens for Canon mirrorless cameras

1. Canon RF 24-240mm f/4-6.3 IS USM

Our expert review:

Specifications

Reasons to buy, reasons to avoid.

If you're an EOS R-series shooter and want something with a longer focal range than the Canon's two 24-105mm options, then you're in luck as there’s also a superzoom option that isn’t overly big and heavy, and doesn’t cost silly money. It comes in the shape of the RF 24-240mm, which squeezes a very useful 10x zoom range into a reasonably lightweight and weather-sealed build. Further attractions include a Nano USM autofocus system which is super-fast for stills and enables smooth and virtually silent focus transitions during movie capture, and a highly effective 5-stop image stabilizer. At the short end of the zoom range, color fringing can be noticeable and barrel distortion is massive, but both of these aberrations are corrected in-camera by default, and when processing raw files. With this lens, Canon is combining optical and digital corrections rather than relying on optical corrections alone.

Read our full Canon RF 24-240mm f/4-6.3 IS USM review

Best travel lens for Nikon mirrorless cameras

2. Nikon Z 24-200mm f/4-6.3 VR

The list of travel-friendly credentials for this soon-to-be-launched lens is long and impressive. It’s particularly compact and lightweight for a full-frame lens that boasts such an extensive zoom range, yet has a sturdy construction that includes comprehensive weather-seals and a fluorine coating on the front element to repel moisture and grease. Image quality benefits from the inclusion of two aspherical elements, one aspherical ED (Extra-low Dispersion) element and two further ED elements. Nikon ’s high-tech ARNEO coating is also applied to minimize ghosting and flare. Not just for stills, the stepping motor-driven autofocus system enables smooth focus transitions during movie capture, along with minimal focus breathing and focus shift when zooming. Ideal, for full-frame Z-series cameras, the lens is also an interesting travel choice for the Z 50 , where this camera's 1.5x crop factor gives this lens an effective zoom range of 36-300mm. 

Read our full Nikon Z 24-200mm f/4-6.3 VR review

Best travel lens for Sony cameras

3. Sony FE 24-240mm f/3.5-6.3 OSS

Although fully compatible with Sony ’s APS-C format E-mount cameras, on which this lens has an effective focal length of 36-360mm, this lens really comes into its own on full-frame bodies. It’s typically weighty for a full-frame format superzoom but doesn’t feel overly large and has refined handling. The 10x zoom range kicks off at 24mm, enabling a generously wide maximum viewing angle, and there’s good telephoto reach at the long end. Based on a stepping motor, the autofocus system is quick and quiet, while Optical SteadyShot gives a benefit of around 3-stops in beating camera-shake. The optical path includes no less than five aspherical elements, plus one ED (Extra-low Dispersion) element. Image quality is mostly very good for a superzoom lens although corner-sharpness is a little lacklustre at the short end of the zoom range, and overall sharpness drops off at the long end.

Best travel lens for Fujifilm cameras

4. Fujifilm 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 WR LM R OIS

From Fujifilm ’s acclaimed XF stable of lenses for its APS-C format mirrorless X-mount cameras, this one has an impressive string of letters after its name. It’s a WR (Weather-Resistant) lens with no less than 20 areas of sealing in its construction. It features a fast and virtually silent LM (Linear Motor) autofocus system that’s super-fast for stills and smooth for movie capture. Handling is enhanced by the ‘R’ control ring, and it has a particularly effective 5-stop OIS (Optical Image Stabilizer). Quality glass includes four aspherical elements and two ED (Extra-low Dispersion) elements. The 7.5x zoom range is a little limited compared with some other travel lenses on the market but this helps to enable a relatively compact construction. Image quality is very impressive overall, although corner-sharpness is a little mediocre towards both ends of the zoom range.

Best travel lens for L-mount cameras

5. Panasonic Lumix S 28-200mm f/4-7.1 Macro O.I.S.

If you're in search of a versatile travel lens for your Lumix S5, the Lumix S 28-200mm f/4-7.1 O.I.S. fits the bill perfectly. This lens stands out as the most compact and lightweight 7x superzoom lens available for any system, making it an ideal companion for travel without adding bulk or weight to your carry-on. Covering a range of commonly needed focal lengths, it's a must-have addition to any Panasonic photographer's gear collection.

While the focal length falls slightly shorter compared to other brands, limiting its versatility for sports and wildlife photography, the trade-off for its compactness is reasonable and easily accepted.

There are no compromises on image quality to be found here – the 28-200mm lens performs admirably, with only minor inconsistencies at the extreme end of the zoom. While it may not match the sharpness of prime or professional lenses, Panasonic has achieved commendable results for a lens of this category.

The standout feature of this Lumix S 28-200mm lens is its Dual I.S.2 image stabilization, combining optical stabilization with in-body stabilization. This system is among the best available, significantly enhancing stability for both still photography and particularly impressive results in handheld video shooting, even at 200mm.

Read our full Panasonic Lumix S 28-200mm f/4-7.1 Macro O.I.S. review

Best travel lens for Micro Four Thirds

6. Panasonic LUMIX G VARIO 14-140mm f/3.5-5.6 II ASPH Power OIS

Micro Four Thirds format travel zooms from Olympus include the budget-friendly 14-150mm II and the up-market 12-200mm. They’re both very desirable lenses but we prefer this Panasonic option, which splits the two Olympus zooms for selling price, while adding a highly effective 4-stop optical image stabilizer. Thanks to the 2x crop factor of Micro Four Thirds cameras, the effective zoom range is 28-280mm in full-frame terms, thereby nearly matching 18-200mm lenses on APS-C format cameras. It delivers this in a remarkably compact package that weighs a mere 265g. That’s only about half the weight of some APS-C format 18-200mm lenses, making the Panasonic particularly travel-friendly. Even so, it packs a fast autofocus system and quality glass, including three aspherical elements and two ED (Extra-low Dispersion) elements. For a superzoom lens, sharpness is both very good and highly consistent throughout the entire zoom range.

Read our full Panasonic LUMIX G VARIO 14-140mm f/3.5-5.6 II ASPH Power OIS review

Best travel lens for Canon DSLR cameras

7. Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS II USM

Canon does make a proper full-frame superzoom travel lens - the EF 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6L IS USM - so why have we picked this 24-105mm instead? Quite simply, this is a better travel lens. At 795g, it's less than half the weight of the 28-300mm, so is much more travel-friendly, and it's also about half the price. That still doesn't make it cheap, but at least you can feel a little less conspicuous.

The new Mk II version of the EF 24-105mm f/4L IS has been redesigned to be tougher and more resistant to shock and vibration, and it features fluorine coatings on the front and rear elements. More importantly, the optics have been revamped, with the aim of improving sharpness across the whole image frame, throughout the zoom range.

Barrel distortion from the preceding 24-105mm lens was notoriously bad at the short end of the zoom range, but the Mk II performs a little better. It’s also a bit sharper, autofocus is a little quicker and bokeh is smoother, thanks to the fitment of ten, rather than eight, diaphragm blades. Overall, however, each of the improvements is quite subtle rather than making a hugely noticeable difference.

Read our full Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS II USM review

Best travel lens for Nikon DLSR cameras

8. Nikon AF-S 24-120mm f/4G ED VR

Nikon and Tamron have both manufactured 28-300mm superzoom lenses for many years, offering a travel-friendly option for Nikon full-frame SLRs. There’s not a lot to choose between them for handling, image quality and all-round performance. Both are good rather than great. To make the most of Nikon’s recent full-frame SLRs, it pays to set your sights rather lower in terms of zoom range, and to go for quality instead. The latest edition of Nikon’s 24-120mm VR is our first choice. It’s relatively compact and has excellent handling characteristics. It also gives you more a generous wide-angle perspective at the short end of the zoom range. The flipside, naturally, is that you’ll lose out on powerful telephoto reach, but that's often less useful than you expect anyway.

Read our full Nikon AF-S 24-120mm f/4G ED VR review

How we test travel lenses

We test lenses using both real world sample images and lab tests. Our lab tests are carried out scientifically in controlled conditions using the Imatest testing suite, which consists of custom charts and analysis software that measures resolution in line widths/picture height, a measurement widely used in lens and camera testing. We find the combination of lab and real-word testing works best, as each reveals different qualities and characteristics.

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Matthew Richards is a photographer and journalist who has spent years using and reviewing all manner of photo gear. He is Digital Camera World's principal lens reviewer – and has tested more primes and zooms than most people have had hot dinners! 

His expertise with equipment doesn’t end there, though. He is also an encyclopedia  when it comes to all manner of cameras, camera holsters and bags, flashguns, tripods and heads, printers, papers and inks, and just about anything imaging-related. 

In an earlier life he was a broadcast engineer at the BBC, as well as a former editor of PC Guide.

Related articles

The Best Lens For Travel (If You Can Only Get One)

Last Updated on January 20, 2021

I am extremely choosy when it comes to what lenses I take on my travels. When I began my serious deep dive into travel photography, I didn’t have the budget for the price of a full equipt gear bag. After watching countless “What’s In My Photography Bag” videos, I was left even more puzzled. Reel after reel, my question remained unanswered: What is the best travel lens? So, as I do, I set out on my own journey to find the lens with the most optimal focal length, quality, and price.

Deep into my research, I noticed all of my favorite photographers had one common denominator in their camera bags; a 35mm prime lens . So, naturally, I bought it. This 35mm lens and my beloved Canon camera are a match made in heaven when I am out exploring. I mean I love it SO much that I wrote a whole post dedicated to it!

If you want the quick answer to the question: the best travel lens is a 35mm prime lens.

If you’re still on the speculation side of things, I get it! Below we are going to dive into what makes this timeless lens a perfect match for travel photography and what some great options for this fixed length are. Let’s dive in!

This post may contain affiliate links for the products or services I mentioned, but as always, all opinions are my own. I make a small commission, at no extra cost to you, when you make a purchase or booking through these links. This helps to support this space and keep me blogging, which I am so extremely thankful for.

I am writing more travel photography content at the moment, but enjoy this other content featuring my 35mm photography!

Hiking the old man of storr: the isle of skye’s crown jewel, 10 arches national park hikes that will blow your mind, 10 jaw-dropping bryce canyon national park hikes you cannot miss.

Does that mean this travel lens is best for you? Consider your own photography style

I couldn’t write this post without an overarching disclaimer that in terms of photography gear, everything should be catered to your own personal style. If you don’t know what your photography style is, then 35mm is the perfect place to start and grow from. This focal length covers a range of photography styles: street, landscape, portrait, etc., so you’ll be able to capture a variety of styles, find what fits, and move forward from there. While I was traveling with my 35mm, there were only a handful of times where I said, “I wish I had _____”. I found what I liked in my own art, how I could improve it, and what inspired me about other photographers’ shots.

This lens is a staple in almost all photographers’ bags, so it’s a great baseline to begin your journey and experiment.

Why 35mm is the Best Travel Lens For Travel Photography

My 35mm lens of choice is the adored Sigma 35mm 1.4 Art Lens for a variety of reasons. The first one being this focal length’s versatility. I’ve taken this bad boy EVERYWHERE: hiking in Bryce Canyon , up the iconic Old Man of Storr , through the entirety of Iceland , on my very first backpacking trip , exploring Arches National Park , and everywhere else I plan on visiting in the future. I was able to take beautifully focused portraits, crispy landscape, and macro-style shots without hesitation. From my own experience, the only aspect of this lens that I’ve felt has hindered me is its inability to zoom. This isn’t much of an issue considering a lens with zoom is what I would like to purchase next for my gear bag.

The aperture rating of the Sigma is 1.4, so shooting during low light, my personal preference, was of no issue and actually complimented my photography style. I will never get over the bokeh that blooms behind the subject (see first photo below for example) in lower lighting. It’s so beautiful.

Once you begin shooting with this lens and get familiar with how it works, you won’t experience any setbacks as I did. From personal experience, it helped me grow immensely as a photographer in terms of composition, lighting, shadows, and authenticity.

Examples of my 35mm Travel Photography

Cons of Traveling with a 35mm Prime Lens

Con #1 |  lack of zoom..

The one and only con.

There were a handful of times where I was saying to myself, “I really wish I had a telephoto lens or 100mm with me for this shot”. In the same breath, I also asked myself, “what can I do with what I have”? , and “how can I make this shot different and still unique?” Of course, I had times where I thought that I needed a certain lens to achieve a certain photograph, and I did for different concepts, but overall I have photos that aren’t like everyone else’s because I didn’t carry what everyone else did. I am proud of that.

I started to feel held back in a way on my last trip to Scotland when I couldn’t bring all of my ideas into my own hands, literally. This was different from all the other times during my travels because it was on this trip that I actually had ideas in my head that I knew I would need a certain focal length for. Previously, it was more like, “It would be nice if I wasn’t so far away from (said object)”.

I thought I needed the zooming aspect rather than what it would bring to the photo. It was in this way that I knew I wanted to add a special new lens to my collection to not only upgrade my techniques but propel me forward into new concepts, challenges, and ideas. So while the zoom can be a hindrance, it actually forces you to be more creative in your approach!

Pros of Traveling with a 35mm Prime Lens

Pro #1 | seeing new perspectives.

This is probably the biggest thing that helped me out over the last year. I looked at my range and always went into my photos thinking about what I could create with what I was given. This was important because it allowed me to really slow down and look at my surroundings and not click away by having something more versatile. There was so much that I didn’t know about photography, but ever since I have poured my heart into my practice and education, I finally understand concepts, uses, among so many other things that go into it.

Pro #2 | Encouraged Creative Ideas

I touched down on this in the reason above this one, but I knew it was essential to list and to go into more detail on for the sake of this post. This lens has challenged me since the day I received it. Its different focusing angles and the way it can transform any photo into an entirely different concept based on just the placement of the subject and aperture setting is astounding. It has taught me so much about creating moods, lighting techniques, and basically everything I know about photography today.

Pro #3 | Set Me Up For Success

Now that I am more educated and practiced, I feel 100% ready to take on my next challenge and ideas with a new lens. It feels so good that I made this investment not only in my craft but for my abilities as well. It is so much more worthwhile to purchase a lens, shake its hand, get to know it, and then introduce another into the group than it is to buy a handful and exchange between them.

My 35mm Travel Lens Recommendations

Sigma 35mm 1.4 art lens, canon ef 35mm 1.4 ii lens, tamron sp 35mm di  usd 1.4 lens, canon ef 35mm 2.0 is usm lens.

What camera do you love to shoot with? Share with me in the comments below!

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12 comments on “ The Best Lens For Travel (If You Can Only Get One) ”

You should mention if you use aps-c or full frame cause that makes a huge difference in the lens.

You forgot to mention one con of traveling with the 35mm prime – it is as heavy as a brick! I love it and maybe I’m just getting older, but holy cow is it heavy. Maybe some aren’t as heavy, I do have the Canon 35 1.4 usm II. It is gorgeous, but you better love it or you won’t use it, it’s that heavy. The real problem is that it is such a great travel lens, precisely when you don’t want all the extra weight. I carry it anyway, but you might want to give it a try at home for a day of excursions before committing to carrying that sucker all over Europe or something.

Would this lens fit on a canon rebel t6?

Yes! The Canon Rebel T6 has an EF mount, so it fits (:

Really thoughtful piece. I have reverted to Nikon 24-70 f4 as my travel lens on a Z7. The 2.8 version is great but a bit bulky. On my DSLR I have the Tamron 24-70 2.8g that you mention. It’s fabulous- color, focus, everything!!! I can’t imagine ever replacing it – too many great shots and memories.

I’ve been heavily considering the Tamron for its affordability! I’m glad to hear you love it (: it will more than likely be my newest addition!

My go to lens is the Sigma 18-250 mm. I am an amateur on a limited budhet but we were going on a cruise and I was unhappy with the two kit lenses from Canon te 18- 55 and the 55 – 250 mm. I teplaced the two lenses with the convenience of one and got a better image quality as a bonus. The lens also features a bear macro feature that give wonderful close ups. It is the closest I can imagine to a lens to all purposes. It may not have the image quality of a Canon L lense or a Sigma Art lens but it was the right choice for me. I have recently tried using it with extension tubes and found it works well for true macro photos. That experience with Sigma has led me to but two other Sigma lenses, The 150 – 600 mm contemporary and the 10 – 20 mm wide angle. I like these lenses but I still keep the 18 – 259 lens o my csmeta as my default lens.

I definitely think that zoom lenses are much more ideal for travel. I love the 35mm since it gives such a timeless look, but no zoom capabilities can get a little frustrating, I’ll admit! How do you like the 10-20mm? I’ll definitely look into the wide range zoom lenses. It just might be my pick!

I was hoping that Im going to see some sample shots here… but no.

The lack of photos is my fault and this is an older post of mine that needs a bit of updating (: I will add some photos in, but for now, you can see the photos I’ve taken with this lens on my Instagram account: https://www.instagram.com/aarenprody/

My favourite prime is a Sony G Master 24mm, f/1.4 it is super crisp and is on my camera (Sony A7R III) 95% of the time. Great for nighttime shooting landscapes and in the city. One of the best features with this lens/camera combo is the cropping ability, and the digital zoom shooting in APS-C mode which turns the 24mm to a 36mm with the touch of a button.

That sounds amazing! I’ve always been a huge fan of the quality of Sony’s glass! I’ve been considering making the switch back to Sony!

The 35mm f1.4: A Creative Take on Travel Photography

This past December I had the chance to explore the desert with the New Sigma 35mm f1.4 Art Series lens .  About 30 miles outside of Las Vegas, Nevada lies a town that is not on any maps.  Nelson, Nevada is a former gold mining town in El Dorado Canyon.  Filled with old cars, trucks, gas pumps, and barns, this was the perfect place to give the new 35mm lens a workout.

Making a commitment to a prime (fixed focal length) lens, requires dedication to the art of seeing and creating with what is in front of you at one focal length.  The slightly wider than normal 35mm lens is a great length to capture the personality of an area while still having the ability to walk in to get details.

When exploring, I was able to get in close to an old gas pump.  In the image photographed at f/2.8, you can see the sharp details of the numbers and rust along with the storytelling aspects of an out of focus trail of in the background.  In addition, the level of the color reproduction and contrast that is produced makes for a really nice detailed print.

Photographing with the 35mm lens is an intimate photographic experience with the camera, lens, and the scene.  If you want to crop in, you walk in.  Think of this as a manual zoom.  Look at the images of the door and the lubrication sign.  One of the most beautiful aspects of this image is the composition.  I was able to walk in to the point that I could crop the image to where I had horizontal lines at the top third and bottom third.

Wide-angle distortion is some thing that alters the look of a scene and makes it appear unnatural.  When using the 35mm, this is one of the best (if we had to choose) aspects of the lens.  Look at the same image from above of the door and lubrication sign.  The vertical lines are straight as are the horizontal lines.  This makes for an accurate representation of what the photographer saw.

If you want to capture a scene and work on seeing composition, I invite you to give the Sigma 35mm f/1.4 Art Series lens a try.  Attach this lens to your camera and leave the others in your car at home.  This will force you to see in the viewfinder and create stunning travel photography.

Very nice Ryan.

Thanks Ryan, not only is the 35mm focal length of the Sigma very versatile, the image quality is unsurpassed. I’ve never used a better lens and there’s just no alternative.

I love my Sigma 35mm 1.4!

The Sigma 35 1.4A is truly an outstanding lens that re-defines imaging quality for full frame sensor cameras like the Nikon D810. Quiet and accurate focussing, superb colour and resolution even at F1.4 across the frame. And a very satisfying out of focus Bokeh.

This lens is truly an optical engineering master piece and fully deserves the “Art” designation!

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Pure versatility, Canon RF 35mm F/1,8 IS review for travel photography (ver. 1.0)

Canon RF 35mm F/1.8 IS, how good is that lens? There no short answer, good, but not without its quirks. It is probably the most versatile prime lens I’ve owned. I would argue that its versatility makes it better than a prime lens.

Here, I will break down the cases when the RF 35mm can be used in travel photography and tell what kind of advantage it has over a zoom kit lens. In the end, I will talk about limitations. This is my Canon RF 35mm F/1.8 IS review.

Table of Contents

This post contains affiliate links for purchasing the lens at the end of the review. Buying from those doesn’t cost you extra, but I get a small % from the sale, which helps me run this website.

About the review

This isn’t a classic review about sharpness at different f-values, etc. You will find plenty of gear bloggers sharing this info. Instead, I will break down the real use cases. 

The review is made from a travel photography perspective. I believe that this is the genre that involves many others (street, landscape, portrait, events), basically anything that can bring an atmosphere of a removed location. If you don’t shoot travel, you may still find it useful.

Why do I compare it to a kit zoom?

The majority of the reviews I’ve seen compare relatively similar lenses to each other. They even compare similar lenses of different brands (who has better 70-200 for instance). But in my opinion, you need to choose between a fast prime and slowish zoom lens more often. Think about this; you have one camera body and you need to keep one lens attached. What should it be? Or you are getting a Canon RF body, what is the first native lens you should buy?

Canon’s RF L glass has (L)uxury price tag. At the moment I’m writing it (April 2021), Canon has only a few non-L lenses, out of which, the 35mm is the most versatile. I think this versatility makes it a competitor to zooms.

Zoom vs prime, briefly

Before we deep into the details, let’s get this out of the way. In general, (well, obviously) prime lenses are easier to make. Yes, overall, there are prime lenses that are more sophisticated than zooms, but let’s talk about the lenses within the same category (league, quality). Normally, you don’t compare a cheap 100 Eur zoom to a high-end 5k Eur cinema prime. 

In general prime lenses have

• Smaller size and weight
• Lower price
• Better speed (max aperture)

Canon 35mm for travel photography

Canon 35mm is a prime lens that is fast, small, reasonably priced, and with good image quality. On top of that, it can focus very close and has image stabilization. Let’s go into details and see what it means.

“Point and shoot”

This 35mm is just a bit longer* than RF 50mm f/1.8. It is small enough, that when it hangs on a strap, the lens “looks” forward, Its weight doesn’t make it point to the ground. When I photograph a scene on a street, which is a common thing in travel, I prefer to go unnoticed. And I would argue that the move, when you point your lens onto a subject attracts most of the attention. When the lens is in the correct position – it is easier to “point and shoot”. You can even shoot from your chest.

* Canon RF 35mm f/1.8 IS: 74.4 x 62.8 mm / 2.93 x 2.47″  Canon RF 50mm f/1.8: 69 x 40 mm / 2.7 x 1.6″

35mm – classic focal length

If you use a zoom lens – make a trick. Take your best images and sort them based on focal length. What focal length is most common? For me, overall travel photography is around 35mm, but portraits 50mm and more. 

35mm shows things about as wide as your eyes can see. This significantly reduces the time to compose the shot. You just need to point the camera in the right direction. Most other lenses see differently, so you need to compose the shot more carefully by looking through a viewfinder. 

See what your eye can see

For some reason, no one talks about this. With a long (I mean size) wide-angle lens, the things in the viewfinder would be different from the way you see them with your eyes. The difference is especially significant closer to the edges on a wide angle. 

My point is; when the lens is short – this difference is not significant. This means you need less time to compose the shot

Easy to get around

Let’s assume you photograph at a party. People are jammed together in a small area. I found myself using the Canon RF 35mm most of the time because it makes it easy to get around. And, as it often is during the trip, you don’t shoot party as an assignment – you are part of it. You may hold a drink on the other hand, so you cannot rotate the zoom ring. Ok, it may not drink, how about a flash or a camera light. (I personally use Aputure MC – constant camera light )

When I photograph at a party – I talk to people, and when I see them happy, I take a step back and take a picture. 35m is just right to make a waist-level group portrait, without the need to go far away.

Another common travel scenario for me is sports. I mean, when you take part in them. When I go running – I keep my camera with a 35mm lens on a Peak Design clip. It is also my to-go lens when I photograph from a bicycle.

In travel portraits, I preferer to include some of the environment. Here, many photographers would recommend 24mm. I can agree, but only partially. 24mm includes a lot of objects and has distortion on edges. You would need more time to compose the shot.

In my opinion. If you have time to carefully compose – use 24mm, if your travel schedule is tight – use 35mm.

F/1.8, Macro, IS, what it means in practice?

Well, first of all, you gonna get background separation (bokeh) at wide-angle. It isn’t very common in this price/category. The fact that you can focus close makes it even easier to get bokeh. I am a bit unsure about how useful macro is. Unlike 100mm (in my opinion, the best focal length for macro) you would need to get very close to the subject. If you photograph insects – it is gonna scare them. But, because macro at this focal length isn’t very common – your images will stand out. 

F/1.8 as focal length, in general, performs well in low light. Coupled with image stabilization, you can handhold the lens at low shutter speeds. This comes quite handy at night.

Not sure how Image stabilization compares to other lenses, but if I shoot three images at 1/2 of a second – one of them is sharp. At. 0.4 of a second it delivers consistently good results.

Also, I used this lens to photograph birds eating from my hand. They are extremely fast 

Limitations

Canon RF 35mm F/1.8 IS is a good value for money, but it isn’t perfect.

Close focus problems

That is my main issue with this lens. Photography gear bloggers keep praising the R5 and R6 for autofocus. I may agree if they call it great or class-leading. But it is definitely not flawless! 

In darker conditions camera focus-hunts. And guess what the lens’s close focus does? The camera may start focus hunting very close, and it takes a significant amount of time until it figures out that the subject is few meters away. A significant amount of time!

I wish there was a switch to disable macro! I would even buy the same lens without the macro mode, especially if it would make it smaller. 

Ugly lens flare

Do you like what you see? You often buy an f/1.8 lens to take pictures in darker conditions. But there is a risk that flashlights would look like this. There’ve been cases where I switched to my Canon EF 16-35 F4 IS, which does a much better job with direct light.

Overall, most of the time, 35mm gets it right . But the risk of getting ugly flare really bothers me. I have to take additional time to check the images on camra.

Weather sealing

The lens is not weather-sealed, but overall, the build quality is as good as you would expect from a 500 Eur lens. No complaints here. 

Vs other 35mm. Despite its quirks, I think this lens is an outstanding deal! Images are fast and easy to compose. I prefer this lens when I travel with someone, who wouldn’t like to wait until I compose the shot. I use it to take pictures at travel events when I take part in them and don’t dedicate myself 100% to photography. When I shoot events as an assignment – I often use 16-35.

Vs zoom lens , It 35mm a better alternative? Well, with 35mm you lose the opportunity to go very wide (like 24mm) and you cannot zoom heavy. But both of these things require a bit of extra attention. Normally, when I travel with someone or take part in an event or sports – I keep 35mm on. I also use it when I need to create out-of-focus areas at wide-angle and in low light. But when I go around alone and can take time to compose a shot – I take a zoom lens. 

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Buying from those doesn’t cost you extra, but I get a small % from the sale, which helps me run this website . In my reviews, I don’t copy-paste spec sheets and bring you original content.

For now, I only link EBAY, but I will expand to Amazon and B&H as I get more views.

BUY Canon RF 35mm F/1.8 IS on EBAY

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Travel Photography How To

5 reasons why a 35mm lens is the perfect choice for travel photography (video).

Julia Trotti is a professional fashion photographer based in Sydney, Australia. She also shoots lifestyle and travel photos, and in this tutorial she offers five reasons why a 35mm lens is the perfect choice for travel photography.

Like Trotti, many photographers prefer to travel with a minimum of gear, and the ubiquitous 35mm lens is a compact, lightweight, and convenient choice. These unobtrusive lenses typically offer fast maximum apertures and great depth of field, making them ideal for low-light shooting, discreet street photography, and capturing expansive vistas of nature scenes.

Trotti recently spent several days in Tasmania, and had an entire bag of glass available. But as you’ll see here, she ended up shooting all of her images with a 35mm f/1.4 lens. She used her trusty wide-angle while hiking, shooting nature scenes and cityscapes, and even while capturing images of the local culture.

While watching this behind-the-scene travel tutorial, you’ll pick up some valuable advice on composition and shooting environmental portraits with a 35mm lens. So take a look, and consider lightening your load the next time you take a trip.

You can find more of Trotti's work on her website , and in her earlier tutorial on shooting portraits on the beach with natural light .

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35mm vs 50mm Lens Choice: Which is Right for You?

One of the most common questions I get asked by other photographers is, “Which prime lens should I get? 35mm vs 50mm?” Indeed, the answer to this question could really help you, whether you photograph portraits and weddings, or any sort of general photography from epic landscapes to casual everyday moments.

So, what is the answer? Well, as you can probably guess, the correct answer is, “It depends!” It depends on what type of photography you do, of course, but it also depends on your creative style as an artist.

Let’s dive in and help you determine whether a 35mm vs 50mm prime lens is better for you.

What is the Difference Between 35mm vs 50mm?

First, let’s make sure we understand the technical difference between 35mm vs 50mm. The two prime lenses are quite similar, but that 15mm in between the two numbers sure does make a difference.

If you want to skip to the next part and avoid the technical explanation, here’s the simplified version: 

50mm is considered to be the most “normal” focal length. It is the midpoint between two very common categories of lenses: wide-angle and telephoto. 35mm, as its lower number implies, is a slightly wide-angle focal length, but not by much. In other words, 35mm fits more into your composition than 50mm.

To get technical, 50mm will give you about a 47-degree angle of view, and 35mm will give you about a 63-degree angle of view. (We are assuming a full-frame camera sensor.) 

If you’re having trouble visualizing that, just remember that 90 degrees is a right angle, so, a 50mm prime is almost half that, and a 35mm is right in between. (By the way, a 90-degree angle of view would be about a 21mm lens.)

35mm vs 50mm on a Crop Sensor

Of course, if you have a cropped sensor, the effective angle of view changes. On APSC sensors with a ~1.5x crop factor your 50mm lens will become a bit of a telephoto prime at ~75mm, a 33-degree angle of view, and your 35mm will become a normal prime, around 52mm, or a 44-degree angle of view.

What if you have an APSC sensor camera, and want the same full-frame equivalent as 35mm or 50mm? 35mm will “turn into” 50mm, and 24mm will “turn into” 35mm. If you have a Micro Four Thirds sensor, with a 2x crop, then in order to achieve 35mm and 50mm equivalents, you’ll want an ~18mm prime or a ~25mm prime.

But, enough of the numbers! Let’s see a visual representation of what 50mm and 35mm look like in the real world:

35mm lens vs 50mm Lens: Which is Better for You?

When it comes to deciding on 35mm vs 50mm, there is the practical, technical aspect of it, and there is also the creative, artistic aspect.

Think about how you would take the same picture with both lenses. Let’s say you’re photographing a portrait of a human subject, and you want to frame them the same way with both lenses. With your 50mm lens, you might need to step back, away from your subject, while with your 35mm lens, you might need to step forward, towards them, because of the wider angle. 

A viewer may not be able to identify exactly which lens you used, however, they’ll often be able to feel a “closeness” to your subjects, especially with a 35mm lens if you take a step closer to your subject.

So, here’s the deciding factor, the big question you can answer with just a little bit of practice. Do you prefer to get closer to your subjects, or do you prefer to remain a “normal” distance away?

35mm vs 50mm Lens for Portrait Photography

When it comes to portrait photography, “normal” focal lengths are not always considered to be optimal. In fact, if you ask most portrait photographers about a “portrait lens”, they’ll probably mention an 85mm prime or a 105mm prime!

If you are often photographing just one portrait subject, maybe two, then either a 50mm or even an 85mm prime is usually a great choice. However, if you are often photographing more than two or three subjects, especially more than five, you’ll find that 35mm is just a more practical focal length for fitting everyone into the frame.

What happens if you photograph one person’s portrait with a 35mm prime? The closer you get to their face, the more your closeness and the wider angle of your lens will exaggerate their facial features, essentially making their nose look bigger! This is often considered unflattering, however, with careful consideration of the exact distance between you and your subject, a 35mm prime can create a sense of closeness and intimacy with the subject that you simply won’t achieve with an 85mm prime, though you can come closer to it with a 50mm.

Remember, Photography “Rules” Are Meant To Be Broken!

Oppositely, what if you try to capture a large group, say a bride and seven bridesmaids, with a 50mm or even 85mm prime? Well, first of all, you’ll need a lot of room to back up and fit them all into the frame! This isn’t always possible, and for that reason, I simply can’t recommend trying to do all your portraits with a 50mm, especially at a wedding where constraints indoors may be unavoidably tight.

However, if you can back up far enough to fit a group into the frame, you’ll be rewarded with the opportunity to create a bit more shallow depth of field, when using a fast aperture, and this can make up for the sense of distance between your camera and the subjects.

Personally? I often find that when doing weddings in general, and wedding portraits, I tend to reach for my 35mm prime, because I am more often in closer quarters, and more often capturing groups of 3-5 or more people.

35mm vs 50mm Lens for Candid & Street Photography

Whether you are out and about on vacation, or just hanging out around the house, having either a 35mm or 50mm prime at your disposal can be a thing of beauty. If you’re trying not to intrude on a special, quiet, intimate moment, then having a relatively small f/1.8 or f/2 prime on your camera can help you become more unobtrusive around your subjects.

Which focal length is best for these situations? If you’re always forced to keep some distance from your subjects, maybe because they are shy, then a 50mm prime lens will allow you to capture many types of moments without having to get “in their face” so to speak.

Oppositely, if you’re able to “get in the action” without disturbing anyone, a 35mm lens can allow you to immerse your viewers in the scene a little bit more, by allowing them to feel closer to the subject, and also see a bit more of the surroundings in the background.

Personally? Once again, I reach for a 35mm lens, preferably a small, unobtrusive f/1.8 prime.

35mm vs 50mm Lens for Landscape Photography

Landscape photography , as well as most types of outdoor or nature photography, is where the technical factor of your focal length will play the biggest role. Why? Because most of the time, a lot of your subject may be very far away, essentially “infinity”, which means that taking a step forward or back will do almost nothing to change all of your composition or at least the background.

For this reason, both your creative and technical decisions become very similar. What angle of view do you find to be the most useful? Do you prefer a wider view that includes more of the scene? Or, do you enjoy focusing on tighter, oftentimes more simplified compositions?

Again, there’s no wrong answer. I will say, however, that my personal favorite focal length for landscape photography is, once again, 35mm.

35mm & 85mm: An Excellent Combination

At this point, I hope you’re wondering why I like 35mm so much. If I had to choose only one lens, I don’t know if it would be a 35mm prime, honestly. I may have chosen 35mm for the above genres, but I don’t believe I could do everything with this lens.

Here’s my secret. For portrait, wedding, and candid photography , I’d pair a 35mm prime lens with a telephoto prime lens like an 85mm. This would give me the best of both worlds. If I want to isolate the subject (background blur), I can move back and do that with an 85mm prime.

With landscape, travel, and other types of outdoor photography, again, I wouldn’t choose a single 35mm prime lens — no way. I’d much rather have a wide-angle zoom lens. Some standouts include the 16-35mm, 15-35mm, or even 14-35mm lenses, not to mention Canon’s new RF 14-35mm f/4 L IS .

35mm & 50mm: Top Recommendations

Surprisingly, I’m not going to tell you that certain 35mm or 50mm primes are terrible, and others are great. You can’t go wrong with almost any 35mm or 50mm prime that has been released in the last few years. They’re all excellent. You can choose between affordable options like the Nikon Nikkor Z 35mm f/1.4 , or flagship lenses like the Sony FE 35mm f/1.4 GM !

The truth is, what is more important is your specific need and your budget. In addition to being an excellent value, there’s another advantage I mentioned: being “incognito.” A small, compact, affordable prime such as the Nikon Z 40mm f/2 , offers a nice split-the-difference focal length between 35mm and 50mm!, especially compared to lugging around the giant, heavy, attention-grabbing Nikon Z 50mm f/1.2 S .

Also, if you don’t plan to shoot wide-open, there’s even less reason to spend a lot of money! All primes these days are excellent by the time you stop them down just one or two stops. So, when shooting landscapes at f/8, you might as well get the affordable, lightweight, portable prime!

With that being said, here is the conclusion that I hope you all draw from this article. On the one hand, there’s no “wrong” choice when deciding between two relatively similar prime lens focal lengths. On the other hand, certain types of photography and specific conditions simply lend themselves to one focal length or another.

The best thing you can do is to try both focal lengths, and see which one fits your creative style! On the other hand, sometimes the best lens for the job is a pair of primes or a zoom lens! 

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The Only Three Lenses You Need for Travel Photography

A Post By: Phillip Van Nostrand

The only three lenses you need for travel photography anywhere   in the world are a fisheye lens, a 50mm, and a 135mm (or similar telephoto).

You can agree and finish this article right here, or you can read on to see exactly why I would choose only these three lenses to take with me anywhere in the world.

• The Three Key Travel Photography Lenses

Before I say anything else, the fisheye I have in mind has an aperture of f/2.8, the 50mm has an aperture of f/1.4, and the 135 has an aperture of f/2.0. Popular, cheaper variations on these lenses would be the 24mm f/2.8, 50mm f/1.8, and the 100mm f/2.8 Macro. I’d also like to address what I imagine a popular response to this article might be: “What about the 24-105mm?” This lens is weak for a couple of reasons. The maximum aperture on this lens is f/4, which ends up being very limiting if you are trying to travel light (and going without an off camera flash).  Also, prime lenses are always superior in quality to zoom lenses. There are less moving parts and the image quality is cleaner. If you think having just one lens to cover a greater range is easier, just remember what you gain in convenience (by having one lens) you lose in quality, weight, and ability to “see” in the dark.

Each of these lenses are used for very specific reasons. Just as we wear different shoes for different purposes throughout our week, such as; sneakers for exercise, dress shoes for work, and slippers around the house – we use different lenses to convey different feelings, emotions, and to use as different tools to capture our experiences. Some lenses really are better than others for certain things. For example, portraits are best taken with lenses between 85mm and 135mm . The distortion to the face/ears is minimized and the truest proportions are found in this range.

On the other hand, you wouldn’t normally reach for a lens like this when shooting a landscape scene (there are always exceptions to every rule, and it’s fun to see what happens when you break the general guidelines). Great lenses for landscapes tend to be a bit wider , somewhere between 15mm and 50mm. I recently took only these three lenses with me on the Trans Siberian Railway from Russia through Mongolia into China. Here are MY reasons for bringing the 15mm Fisheye, 50mm f/1.4, and the Canon 135mm f/2.0 with me on this trip of a lifetime.

• The Canon Fisheye 15mm f/2.8

The Canon 15mm lens is my antidote to boring building pictures. When traveling abroad (or around your own town/city/village), interesting buildings are inevitably photographed. Oh, that old bridge with locks attached to it? Better take a picture. Oh, look at that old cathedral in the Kremlin, better take a picture. If it’s there, it must be important. Well, you can add your photo to 1.5 million other photographs right there on Flickr or Google images that look  exactly like the one you just took.

What will you do to differentiate yourself? How can you take a picture that will make someone pause for more than half a second?  Ad companies are excited when someone spends 4-8 seconds looking at a photo. Can you get someone to look at one photo for that long? What would it take? For me, I decided I would never take boring, straight photos of buildings ever again. I’d either edit them in unusual ways (like creating an HDR image , or process it in very contrasted black and white), at unusual times of day, or I would attempt to photograph it differently than every other tourist before me.

Shooting with a fisheye lens can be really fun, actually. Hold your camera up to your eye with a fisheye lens on, move the camera upwards and watch the horizon bend down sharply at the sides, creating a “globe” feel to your image. Tilt the camera down and watch the earth curve up like a big “U”. Buildings become warped and distorted in unusual ways, like a piece of Gaudi’s architecture . Stand in the middle of the street and point the camera straight upwards and watch the buildings on the side loom over you, like in a Dr. Seuss book.

Fisheye lenses can capture an entire room, cabin of a train, or a bathroom easily. They make selfies on your DSLR incredibly easy. You can take incredible photos of the stars at night. And best of all, they are great for doing the Camera Toss . (I suppose I should recommend NOT trying this ever, anywhere). Fisheye lenses add an element of fun and whimsy to travel photos, which I find otherwise a bit boring and predictable. It’s also an incredibly light and compact lens to travel with, which is why I always bring it along on my trips now.

• The 50mm f/1.4

The 50mm lens is a standard, go-to, all-around lens. And while the Fisheye lens brings a lot of whimsy and fun to my travel pictures, some scenes just don’t call for that. I’ve heard it said that the 50mm is the closest representation to what we see naturally with our eyes. This lens is my best choice of the three options for Canon 50mm lenses. For only about $300, this lens has fantastic optics and a powerful aperture. It’s made of real glass lenses unlike the cheaper, lower quality 50mm f/1.8 . And it focuses fast, unlike the much more expensive 50mm f/1.2 , which happens to be twice as heavy.

This is a great, inconspicuous lens on a camera body because it doesn’t stick out too much like a 70-200mm would, and the quality is just superb, as I’ve already said. It is extremely lightweight, and you could honestly walk around the entire day with just this lens. What I associate most with the 50mm f/1.4 lens is  street photography . I love to take that lens and get lost down side streets and alleyways. I like to take photos of strangers on the street with this lens. The focal length is just right, so it feels as though the viewer is standing there by him or herself. It captures just enough of a scene to convey what is there.

The 50mm f/1.4 is also a great lens for portraits (though I prefer the 135mm f/2.0). It produces lovely bokeh . It forces you to get up close to your subject, making the portrait more intimate. You can’t hide behind a telephoto like the 135mm or a 70-200mm. You are an arm’s distance away, and being that close sometimes shows up on the subject’s face in interesting ways.

The last thing that I think the 50mm f/1.4 does best, is capture images in low light situations. Trying to capture dinner in a restaurant at night using candlelight only? Totally possible. That light reflecting across the river at night? 50mm does it best! Sleeping in yurts for four nights in a row? Getting that delicious yurt light from the top of the tent is easy with the 50mm.

Fun fact: of my top 200 images from the trip, 112 of them were taken with the 50mm.

• The 135mm f/2.0

The granddaddy of all these lenses, the 135mm f/2.0 has a special POW feel to it. Because it is a telephoto, it pulls the background in for a nice compact feel to the images. It is a great portrait lens as it completely obliterates the background in a sea of dreamy bokeh. And one special fact about the Canon 135mm f/2.0: it has the ability to focus at a distance of 1 meter (3 feet), which makes it almost like a macro lens.

This lens is fun for me because it has similar properties to the 70-200mm, but it weighs nearly half as much, which will save your back and shoulders after a long day of walking around. This is a fun lens to spy on people from afar, if you are afraid of the straight-on street style encounters you get with the 50mm. This is actually a really interesting lens to do landscapes with if you have enough room. Look at this side-by-side comparison of basically the two same scenes, and look what the 135mm does to the mountains and landscape in the background. It really pulls them towards you, the viewer and truly implies the scope of the scene.

• The Three Essential Travel Photography Lenses: Conclusion

I hope these images and words have inspired you. It’s really fun to limit yourself to prime lenses and feel how they work (and don’t work) in various situations. Being that close to just a few lenses over a month of travel really allows you to get to know the equipment well. So now let’s see some travel photos you’ve taken with prime lenses!

Table of contents

Travel photography.

• 8 Ideas of What To Do With Your Vacation Photos
• What Skills do You Need to be a Travel Photographer?
• How to Capture the Essence of a Place – Travel Photography Tips
• 7 Tips to Make Travel Photography Interesting Again
• Avoid These 5 Major Mistakes Made By Travel Photographers
• Travel Photography – Do You Ask Permission Before, After Or Not At All?
• Travel Photographers Workflow – At Home and on the Road
• The Photo Critique: Travel Photo Edition
• 6 Reasons Why Your Travel Photos Don’t Look Like the Ones in Magazines
• The Fine Line Between Travel Photography and Having a family Vacation
• 10 Ways to Improve your Vacation Photos
• What is Your Biggest Travel Photography Challenge?
• 7 Travel Photography Hacks to Get You Going Places
• How to Use a Travel Photography Shot List to Come Home with Better Photos
• Why You Need To Be A Guerrilla Travel Photographer – And How To Become One
• How to Get the Most Out of a Travel Photography Location
• Travel Photography, Backpacking and Packing Light
• 6 of the Best Smartphone Apps for Travel and Landscape Photography
• How To Keep Camera Gear Safe While Traveling
• 5 Ways to Find Great Locations for Travel Photography
• 15 Tips for Protecting Your Images While Traveling
• Safety Tips for Travel Photographers (Particularly Women)
• Off Camera Flash for Your Travel Photography
• How to Use Natural Light in Travel Photography
• Photo Composition Tips from Bob Holmes – Composition in Travel Photos
• The Importance of People in your Travel Photos
• Create More Unique Travel Photos by Adding a Model
• 5 Lessons Learned Switching from DSLR to Mirrorless for Travel Photography
• How To Keep Your Batteries Charged While Traveling – Remote Location Edition
• 5 Tips For Travel With Only One Lens
• 5 Lessons Learned While Using a Kit Lens for Travel Photography
• 7 Tips for Using a Tripod in Landscape and Travel Photography
• The Best Fujifilm X-Series Kits for Travel Photography
• The First 10 Things You Need to Buy After Your Camera for Travel Photography
• Tiniest Interchangable Lens Micro Four Thirds Cameras for Travel with Amazing Quality
• Must Have Gear for Travel Photography Newbies
• Why Olympus Mirrorless Cameras are Top Notch for Travel Photography
• The Best Travel Photography Lenses: Our Top 12 Picks
• 5 Camera Bags That Every Travel Photographer Needs At Some Point
• A Travel Tripod that can Also Act as a Light Stand
• The iPad as a Photographer’s Travel Helper [a Review]
• 7 Non-Photography Items Which No Travel Photographer Should Leave Home Without
• 7 Reasons Why a Tripod is a Travel Photographer’s Best Friend
• Travel Photography Equipment – What To Pack?
• 10 Ways to Improve Your Travel Photography Portraits
• How to Plan and Take Killer Sunset Photos on Your Next Vacation
• Tips for Photographing Local Parks
• How to Find the Best Kinds of People to Photograph While Traveling
• 4 Ways To Make Better Street Portraits While Traveling
• How to Photograph People When Traveling
• How To Take More Creative Environmental Travel Portraits
• Photographing Signs – Travel Photography Tip
• Tips for Creating Better Documentary Travel Photos
• 6 Tips for How to be a Culturally Sensitive Travel Photographer
• Travel Photography Subjects: Old People
• How to Put the Fine Art into Travel Photography
• Travel Photography without the Travel – Going Local
• How to Tell Better Visual Stories with Travel Photography
• Create a Theme to Step Up Your Travel Photography
• Travel Photography ~ Think Outside The Postcard When Photographing Famous Landmarks
• Photographing Festivals and Events – Tips for Travel Photographers
• Video: Travel Photography Tips – Shoot with a Purpose
• 7 Reasons Why You Should Art Direct Your Travel Photography
• Buy Less Gear: Travel and Experience More
• Editorial Travel Photography – Telling the Story of a Location
• Travel Photography Subjects: Religion
• Travel Photography Subjects: Views
• Travel Photography Tips – Photographing the Coast
• Taking Photos in Busy Tourist Destinations with no People in the Shot
• How to Backup and Manage Your Photos When Traveling Without a Computer
• Tips for Creating a Killer Vacation Photo Book
• Photo Editing Workflow for Travel Photography
• How to Build a Travel Photography Portfolio
• How to Become a Professional Travel Photographer – Two Paths
• 11 Tips for Shooting Travel Stock Photography to Make Money
• How to Sell a Travel Story to a Magazine and Help Fund Your Travels
• 7 Realities That Hit Once You Become a Professional Travel Photographer
• Is a Career in Travel Photography Right for You?
• Travel Inspiration: Bali
• Canadian Travelogue – Introduction
• Travel Photography Inspiration Project: South Africa
• Travel Photography Inspiration Project: Thailand
• Canadian Travelogue – Newfoundland – Gros Morne National Park
• Travel Photography Inspiration Project: India
• Travel Photography Inspiration Project: Japan
• Travel Photography Inspiration Project: Kenya
• Travel Photography Inspiration Project: Morocco
• Travel Photography Inspiration Project: Vietnam
• An Interview With World Traveler Gary Arndt
• Interview: Oded Wagenstein – Author of Snapn Travel Guide and dPS Writer

Read more from our Cameras & Equipment category

built his photography business in Santa Barbara, CA and New York City, where he has shot over 140 weddings, countless head shots, and events for the past 9 years. Currently living in NY, he manages to travel abroad at least once a year and is up to 30 countries traveled. Published in the New York Times, Huffington Post, New York Times Magazine, featured in Santa Barbara Dining and Destinations Magazine, Cretus Mag, and San Diego Style Weddings magazine. You can connect with him on his blog and on instagram.

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Choosing The Right Lenses For Your Travel Photography

• Last updated Aug 11, 2024
• Difficulty Intemediate

• Category Travel

When it comes to choosing the right lens for travel photography, there are several factors to consider, including the type of travel, desired image quality, and weight constraints.

Different types of travel call for different lenses. For instance, a cultural trip to Europe's cathedrals and museums may require a kit lens, such as an 18-55mm, or an upgrade like an 18-200mm. A wildlife expedition demands a long-range zoom lens, such as a 100-400mm, to capture animals from a distance. Nature treks benefit from wide-angle zoom lenses, while nightlife photography requires lenses with a large aperture, like f/2.8 or faster.

Image quality is another key consideration. Prime lenses, which have no zoom capability, generally offer better image quality than zoom lenses. However, zoom lenses are more versatile and useful in a wider range of situations.

Weight and durability are also important factors when selecting a travel lens. Lenses that are lightweight, compact, and weather-sealed are ideal for travel photographers who need to move quickly and capture images in various environments.

Ultimately, the choice of lens depends on the photographer's specific needs and preferences. Some popular choices for travel photography include ultra-wide zoom lenses, do-it-all lenses like the 24-70mm, and telephoto lenses for landscape and wildlife photography.

What You'll Learn

Ultra-wide-angle lenses for landscapes, cityscapes and tight spaces, prime lenses for portraits and street photography, telephoto lenses for wildlife and detailed landscapes, lightweight, compact lenses for ease of travel, wide-aperture lenses for low-light conditions.

Ultra-wide-angle lenses are a must-have for anyone looking to capture breathtaking landscapes, cityscapes, and cramped interiors. These lenses offer a focal length of 35mm or shorter, allowing photographers to capture a wide field of view and fit more of the scene in the frame.

When it comes to landscape and cityscape photography, ultra-wide-angle lenses excel at showcasing expansive scenes, such as seascapes, mountain ranges, and urban environments. They are also ideal for creating environmental portraits, including subjects within the broader landscape, and making tight spaces, such as city streets or small rooms, feel more open and impressive.

One of the key advantages of ultra-wide-angle lenses is their ability to provide a deeper depth of field. This means that it is easier to get everything in focus, from the foreground to the horizon, without having to sacrifice sharpness. This is especially useful when capturing intricate details in landscapes or cityscapes.

Additionally, ultra-wide-angle lenses offer unique creative opportunities. For example, fish-eye lenses, a type of ultra-wide-angle lens, provide a distinct, circular, distorted look with a full 180-degree field of view. These lenses can add an element of fun and whimsy to travel photos, making them stand out from the typical straight shots of buildings or natural landmarks.

When choosing an ultra-wide-angle lens, it's important to consider the specific focal length that suits your needs. Focal lengths under 16mm are considered ultra-wide and are often used in specialist circumstances, such as astrophotography. For landscape photography, the sweet spot tends to be between 16mm and 24mm, providing a wide perspective without the extreme distortion associated with fish-eye lenses.

It's worth noting that while ultra-wide-angle lenses excel at capturing vast scenes, they may not be the best choice for certain types of photography. For example, portrait photographers typically prefer longer focal lengths to avoid the unflattering distortion that can occur with wider lenses.

In conclusion, ultra-wide-angle lenses are an essential tool for anyone looking to capture stunning landscapes, cityscapes, or tight interior spaces. They provide a unique perspective, showcase expansive scenes, and offer a deeper depth of field, making them a versatile addition to any photographer's kit, especially when travelling to new and scenic locations.

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When it comes to prime lenses for portraits and street photography, there are a few key factors to consider. Firstly, the focal length of the lens will determine the angle of view and the level of compression in your images. Secondly, the maximum aperture of the lens will affect the amount of light it can let in and the depth of field that can be achieved. Here are some specific lenses that are well-suited for portraits and street photography:

35mm lenses:

While some photographers argue that 35mm is too wide for portraits, it can be excellent for family portraits or creating unique compositions. The Canon 35mm f/1.4L USM is a popular choice for Canon users, offering a wide field of view and impressive image quality. For Nikon DX format sensors, the AF-S DX NIKKOR 35mm f/1.8G is a great option at a reasonable price.

50mm lenses:

50mm lenses are highly versatile and strike a balanced "middle-area" focal length, making them a favourite among many portrait photographers. The Canon EF 50mm f/1.2L USM offers an extremely large aperture for a narrow depth of field, while the Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 50mm f/1.8G provides excellent background blur and natural depth of field at a more affordable price.

85mm lenses:

85mm is often considered the perfect lens size for portraits, offering a flattering perspective and a good working distance from your subject. The Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM is a classic choice for both beginner and professional photographers, while the Sony FE 85mm f/1.8 offers impressive image quality and compact design for Sony camera owners.

In addition to these options, there are also zoom lenses available that cover a range of focal lengths, such as the Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS III USM and the Tamron SP 70-200mm F/2.8 Di VC USD G2, which offer flexibility and convenience for portrait photographers.

U4U Travel: Exploring Abroad

When it comes to travelling, the type of trip you're going on will determine the best lenses to take with you. If you're going on a wildlife expedition, you'll need a long-range zoom lens to capture those far-off shots. A 100-400mm lens is ideal, but if you want something more lightweight, a 70-300mm lens will often be long enough.

If you're going on a nature trek, you'll want a wide-angle zoom lens, and perhaps something that will get you out to a medium telephoto of about 200mm. If you're going to be in a rainforest, a really long zoom will be difficult as rainforests tend to be dark.

For wildlife photography, you'll want a telephoto lens that will allow you to get close to the animals without disturbing them. You want as much telephoto reach as you can get – ideally more than 300mm. This can mean a little shopping around to find the right lens for you.

• Nikkor AF-S 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR
• Canon RF 100-400mm f/5.6-8 IS USM
• Canon RF 800mm f/11 IS STM
• Sigma 100-400mm f/5-6.3 DG DN OS Contemporary
• Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM
• Panasonic Lumix G Vario 100-300mm f/4-5.6 II Power OIS
• Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM | S
• Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS
• Tamron 18-400mm f/3.5-6.3 Di II VC HLD
• Fujinon XF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR
• Sony FE 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 GM OSS
• Tamron 50-400mm f/4.5-6.3 Di III VC VXD

The Ultimate Guide to Dressing for Travel in South America

When it comes to choosing the right lenses for travel photography, there are a few key factors to consider: the type of camera you have, the weight and size of the lens, the focal length, and the aperture. Here are some recommendations for lightweight, compact lenses that will make your travels easier:

Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM

The "nifty fifty", as it's affectionately called, is a fantastic prime lens that offers great image quality and versatility. With a weight of only 5.64 oz/160 g and dimensions of 2.72” x 1.54”, it's extremely lightweight and compact, making it perfect for travel. It has a fast aperture of f/1.8, allowing for low-light photography and smooth bokeh. It's also very affordable, usually priced at around $100, making it an excellent choice for travellers on a budget.

Sigma 17-50mm f/2.8 EX DC OS HSM

This lens is a great alternative to the Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM if you're looking for something more affordable. It offers similar features such as a fast aperture of f/2.8, image stabilisation, and solid optical performance. The Sigma 17-50mm is slightly lighter, weighing 1.24 lb/565 g, and has dimensions of 3.3” x 3.6”. It's a great choice if you want a lightweight and compact lens without compromising on quality.

Canon EF-S 10-18mm f/4.5-5.6 IS STM

If you're looking for an ultra-wide-angle lens for your EF-S mount Canon camera, the Canon EF-S 10-18mm is an excellent choice. With a weight of just 8.47 oz/240 g and dimensions of 2.94” x 2.83”, it's incredibly portable and perfect for travel. It offers a wide focal length range of 10-18mm (16-28.8mm full-frame equivalent), making it great for landscape and interior photography. It also has image stabilisation, which helps compensate for camera shake. While the plastic construction may not be as durable as some other lenses, it's a fantastic choice for its price and portability.

Fujifilm 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 WR LM R OIS

This lens is a great choice for Fujifilm X-mount cameras. With a weight of just under 500g and a compact design, it's easy to carry around during your travels. It offers a versatile focal length range of 18-135mm (27-206mm full-frame equivalent), making it suitable for various shooting situations. It also has a fast and quiet autofocus system, a 5-stop image stabiliser, and weather-resistant construction. While corner sharpness may be slightly lacking at the ends of the zoom range, it's still an impressive lens for its size and weight.

Panasonic Lumix G Vario 14-140mm f/3.5-5.6 II ASPH Power OIS

For Micro Four Thirds cameras, the Panasonic Lumix G Vario 14-140mm is an excellent choice. Weighing just 265g, it's incredibly lightweight and compact, making it perfect for travel. It offers a 10x zoom range with a focal length of 14-140mm (28-280mm full-frame equivalent), giving you a lot of versatility. It also has a fast autofocus system and a 4-stop optical image stabiliser. While it may not match the sharpness of prime lenses, it delivers impressive image quality for its size and weight.

Finding the Perfect Sleeping Arrangements for Traveling Electricians

When travelling, you may encounter low-light conditions, such as at night or in a dark forest. In such situations, a wide-aperture lens will be your best friend.

Wide-aperture lenses are great for low-light photography because they let in more light, which means that the shutter doesn't have to stay open for as long. This results in less chance of blur from camera shake, which can spoil images. A wide aperture also helps to freeze the movement of subjects, which is especially useful when photographing moving subjects like people or animals.

When choosing a wide-aperture lens for low-light conditions, look for lenses with a maximum aperture of f/2.8 or faster. Lenses with a maximum aperture of f/1.4 or f/1.8 are ideal and will deliver stunning results in low-light settings.

• Canon 50mm 1.4: This lens is extremely cost-effective given the quality it delivers. It is one of Canon's most popular lenses and is a great choice for low-light photography.
• Voigtlander 17.5mm 0.95: With an aperture of f/0.95, this lens can practically see in the dark and is perfect for extreme low-light situations. It is a popular choice for the Micro Four Thirds format.
• Sigma 18-35mm 1.8: This is the fastest DSLR parfocal zoom lens on the market, with a maximum aperture of f/1.8. It is an excellent choice if you need the flexibility of a zoom lens while shooting in low-light conditions.
• Rokinon Cine 35mm 1.5: This lens produces gorgeous images and is fantastic in low light. It is set up as a cinema lens, making it a great choice for videographers.
• Zeiss 50mm 1.4: Zeiss is known for making some of the best lenses in the world, and this lens is no exception. It delivers unprecedented image quality and is built to last, making it a worthwhile investment.
• SLR Magic 25mm 0.95: This lens is one of the fastest 25mm lenses available, with a maximum aperture of f/0.95. It is perfect for shooting in very low light conditions and will be your best friend when there is almost no light available.
• Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM: This lens offers excellent value for money and is a great choice for Canon DSLR users. It enables you to get better shots than the average kit lens in low-light conditions without breaking the bank.
• Nikon AF-S DX 35mm f/1.8 G: This lens is a good choice for Nikon DSLR users. It has a focal length of 35mm, which is equivalent to a 50mm lens on an APS-C format camera, making it ideal for capturing natural-looking images.
• Sigma 35mm f1.4 DG HSM Art: This lens delivers superb image quality, even when used wide open. It is available for Sony E-mount and L-mount cameras and is a fantastic choice for low-light photography.
• Fujinon XF56mmF1.2 R: This lens allows for an aperture that is 3.5 stops wider than the XF18-55mmF2.8-4 R LM OIS lens, letting in 3.5 times more light. It transforms a troublesome 1/10 sec shutter speed into a very usable 1/125 sec, making it ideal for low-light conditions.

Maintaining Your Progress: Tips for Keeping Your Gains While Traveling

Frequently asked questions.

A fisheye lens, a 50mm, and a 135mm (or similar telephoto) lens.

The ultra-wide zoom lens, the "do-it-all" lens, and the telephoto lens.

The Sigma 17mm F4 DG DN | Contemporary and the Sigma 50mm F2 DG DN | Contemporary lenses.

A 24-70mm lens.

The Sigma 17mm F4 and the Sigma 50mm F2 DG DN | Contemporary lenses.

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Best Lens for travel?

• Thread starter Gman
• Start date Mar 18, 2023
• Mar 18, 2023

Hello all! I don't post here often, but Im getting back into photography with my D7100. I have a trip to Europe planned and wanted to bring my camera with me. As of now I have a 35mm prime and the 18-140 kit lens. Will these guys do the job? Or should I make another purchase for my trip? Any recommendations would be appreciated. Thanks!  

Depends what you like shooting. I spent a few weeks in Belgium and Amsterdam prior to Covid and took my D850 and a 16-35. It was all the kit I needed.  

I plan to do landscape or street photography more than anything  

For general use the 18-140 + 35 make a nice 2-lens kit. The 18-140 as the GP lens, and the 35 as the low light indoor lens.​ Beyond that is specific needs of that trip. Example - If you KNOW you are going to shoot wildlife at distance, then you would bring a LONG lens. - If you plan to take wide shots, then you bring a super wide. However, you can stitch shots from the 18-140.  

My 16-35 was a f/2.8 lens, so your 35 prime may be a useful companion too, especially for late in the day and interior shots. My trip was not a photo-specific trip, but rather photography was an adjunct at best. Still I came home with over 1000 decent shots.  

For Europe, I prefer something wider than a 35 on a DX mount. Understand that Nick's 16-35's equivalent FOV on a DX would be something like 10-23 which is significantly different from your 18-140 on the wide end. For street scenes (particularly in Europe) and interiors, I'd just want something wider than a 35 on DX. There's the Nikon AF-P DX Nikkor 10-20mm F4.5-5.6G VR which you should be able to find used at a good discount. It is slower than your 18-140 but between the VR and some of the more advanced noise reduction programs, you can get more than acceptable images at relatively high ISO's.  

MNglass said: For Europe, I prefer something wider than a 35 on a DX mount. Understand that Nick's 16-35's equivalent FOV on a DX would be something like 10-23 which is significantly different from your 18-140 on the wide end. For street scenes (particularly in Europe) and interiors, I'd just want something wider than a 35 on DX. There's the Nikon AF-P DX Nikkor 10-20mm F4.5-5.6G VR which you should be able to find used at a good discount. It is slower than your 18-140 but between the VR and some of the more advanced noise reduction programs, you can get more than acceptable images at relatively high ISO's. Click to expand...

A good friend went to europe and took a 16-80. He said it worked well for all his photos. He was using a D500.  

• Mar 21, 2023

Gman said: Hello all! I don't post here often, but Im getting back into photography with my D7100. I have a trip to Europe planned and wanted to bring my camera with me. As of now I have a 35mm prime and the 18-140 kit lens. Will these guys do the job? Or should I make another purchase for my trip? Any recommendations would be appreciated. Thanks! Click to expand...

I think the 18-140 has you covered for almost everything for daylight shooting. Since you're shooting dx your at roughly 28-200mm, do you really need longer? Need wider... step back 15 feet. My suggestion...as others have said pick up a really fast lens for interior and night shots. You're not going to be able to use flash most places inside and your going to be inside a lot. The 35mm 1.8 G is small, light and dirt cheap used.  

As for the FAST prime. I normally would go with a wide or moderate wide, since I figure you are going to be indoors. But Nikon does NOT make a FAST DX wide, only the normal 35/1.8. So you are stuck with that. So, learn to stitch. I've had to do that, when my wide was not wide enough.  

califlefty said: I think the 18-140 has you covered for almost everything for daylight shooting. Since you're shooting dx your at roughly 28-200mm, do you really need longer? Need wider... step back 15 feet. My suggestion...as others have said pick up a really fast lens for interior and night shots. You're not going to be able to use flash most places inside and your going to be inside a lot. The 35mm 1.8 G is small, light and dirt cheap used. Click to expand...

• Mar 26, 2023

My experience has been that we usually take when traveling more than we need. I bet your 18-40 will take the majority of the images. The 35mm lens will compliment your zoom very nicely. Chances are excellent those are the only two lenses you need.  

For my APS-C I have kept two lenses, 35mm and a Sigma 18-250. These are the ones I travelled with.  

I have done a lot of travel around the world over the past 20 years and I've found that with a DX camera I was best served by the old 16-85 DX and then its successor, the 16-80 f/2.8-4.0. For FX I like the equivalent focal length lens, the 24-120 f/4. The 18-140 covers a wider range at the long end, but 16mm at the wide end is significantly wider. Besides, the AF-S 16-80 is better optically than the 18-140.  

Palouse said: Depends what you like shooting. I spent a few weeks in Belgium and Amsterdam prior to Covid and took my D850 and a 16-35. It was all the kit I needed. Click to expand...

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The Best 35mm Film For Still Life Photography In 2024

People may get a little caught up on which 35mm camera they should buy or which lenses are essential to their arsenal , as both are necessary to take your skills to the next level. However, what is arguably more important is selecting the right 35mm film to go inside that camera.

Films differ from each other in their film grain, color production, and light sensitivity, and if you take a picture of the same thing with 10 different films, you are going to get 10 wildly different pictures. You probably are not going to use the same film to shoot a pastural landscape as you are a person's portrait in a studio. When it comes to still life photography, the answer for what film you should use is a little complicated.

People shoot still life pictures in a wide variety of ways. You could be shooting in a controlled studio environment or outside on a sunny day. You could want to shoot in color or black and white. You could want to get the most naturalistic colors imaginable or use the trappings of still life to push the artifice in a creative way. Whatever still life style you want to employ, there is a film out there for you. Based on my own experience with film and the opinions of other publications and photographers, here are six different films you'll want to check out for your still life photography.

Kodak Portra

The first 35mm film on the list is arguably the most popular professional grade celluloid out there: Kodak Portra. The reason why this has become such a coveted film in recent years is due in large part to its color production. In fact, apps like VSCO have even made digital Kodak filters to try and replicate its retro look .

The Kodak Portra 400 , in particular, has an ISO speed that makes it an incredibly versatile film stock, as you are able to produce fine grain images in spaces with a lot of light or even some lower light situations as well. This would allow you to really capture things in their natural element in still life photography, particularly if you don't have control over the environment you are shooting.

If you do have that control and are shooting in a studio, then the Kodak Portra 160 may be the better option for you. This is a slower film, which means it requires more light to get proper exposure of the image. The photos can be stellar, and you still get that terrific naturalistic color and an even finer grain. No matter which Kodak Portra stock you decide to get, you may be paying a slight premium on it. Because it's become so popular, stock is limited, and prices have risen to around $70-75 for five rolls.

Kodak Ektar 100

While the next Kodak film doesn't get quite as much love as the Portra, it is still a fantastic film stock. Personally, the  Kodak Ektar 100 is the stock I use most often in my life. Like the Portra, this is also a color negative film, but the properties of it are quite a bit different than the previous entry on the list.

First off, the Ektar has an even lower ISO of 100, so you may need just a bit more light to get your pristine still life images, though you will be getting an even finer grain. Beyond that, the images seem a bit less natural than Portra's. The images it produces tend to be more high contrast, which can make for striking shadows, and the colors are more saturated. Overall, there is a slight blueish tint that bathes the image, but for warmer colors like red within the frame, the saturation really makes those pop against that tint.

In terms of still life photography, these vibrant colors can deliver a punch to your photographs that the Portra just cannot produce. If naturalism is your goal, the Kodak Ektar 100 may frustrate you, but if you want that life to pop, you can get three rolls for $49.95.

Lomography 100

For the last color negative film on the list, we are going to go with something that is a little more forgiving when it comes to purchase price, but nonetheless still provides the ability to capture incredibly striking images. The third entry here is the Lomography 100 . If the coloration of the Ektar 100 was a bit too wild for you, then this film stock should be more in line with your idea of color production.

Rather than the blueish tint, the Lomography 100 produces very warm images overall. This has lead many photographers and publications to call the look of the film "retro" or "nostalgic." While that may be the case if one is using it for shots of people or landscapes in particular, that may not be true when it comes to still life photography. The colors instead will amplify the precision of this style of work and make it leap out at the viewer.

The Lomography 100 does not feature quite as fine a grain as the Kodak film stocks, and there is some detail that can get lost in the shadowier parts of the image. However, neither of these are necessarily drawbacks and would make for rather unique still life photographs. Lomography sells a pack of three rolls for $35.90.

Fujichrome Provia 100F

Color negative film means that when you take a picture, a negative is produced, and it is not until a positive is printed that you see the photograph. Color negative film is the most common type of 35mm out there, and while it may be the most accessible and easiest to get developed, there are other types of film stocks that can produce very different — but exciting — results for a photographer. For example, color reversal film stock, also known as slide film, immediately produces a positive image, so you can see your photo on the celluloid. If you watched Season 2 of the HBO show "Euphoria" and were struck by its vibrancy, that is due in large part to it being shot on color reversal film.

Your best bet for color reversal stock is going to be the FujiChrome Provia 100F from FujiFilm. While still quite saturated, the color temperature tends to lean on the cooler side with a more balanced look across the image. Reversal stock is more susceptible to blowing out highlights and crushing blacks, but in a well lit, controlled environment for still life photography, you can get some truly stunning images that no color negative film is ever going to be able to replicate. FujiChrome Provia 100F is definitely not cheap though, and a single roll can cost you nearly $30. You might want to experiment with this film before you commit to a large order.

Kodak T-Max 100

You can also choose to shoot your work in black and white, and many photographers will shoot exclusively in that format. Luckily, there are many available quality black-and-white film stocks out there. For the first one on this list, we need to go back to the celluloid king, Kodak, which produces T-Max 100 film .

Like the color Kodak film stocks mentioned earlier, the T-Max 100 is another modern, very fine grain stock. Another huge plus is that it is incredibly detailed, which is extra important when working with monochromatic images. The T-Max 100 is so good at capturing distinct shadows and highlights, especially when you are in a controlled studio setting. That is what makes this such a great black-and-white film for carefully constructed still life photography.

Compared to its color counterparts, the T-Max 100 is also more affordable. You can get five rolls for $64.95, and if you are content with 24 exposures per roll instead of 36, you can cut that price down even more to $54.75. Kodak also makes a T-Max 400 stock if you want a faster speed film.

Ilford Delta

While Kodak may be the overall celluloid king, there is one other company you should be looking at if you are dead set on using black-and-white 35mm film for your photography work: Ilford. While the company has dabbled in color here and there over its nearly 150-year history, the focus of its celluloid production has always been more geared toward the monochromatic aesthetic. The type of black-and-white film with the widest range of uses has to be the Ilford Delta line of film.

While the Delta does have a 3200 ISO model, the ones you should be looking at for still life photography are the 100 and 400 ISO films, as that high ISO one is meant for incredibly low-light situations, and light should not be that much of an issue in a controlled still life setting . These are fine grain films that deliver a good deal of detail and sharpness, though the 400 can make the grain more noticeable if even moderately overexposed. Ilford makes another 400 ISO film called HP5 Plus that is quite popular, but the Delta is the better option for the finer grain, producing a more professional look with greater sharpness.

These Ilford Delta films also cost less than the aforementioned Kodak black-and-white film. You can get a three-pack of Delta 100s for $39.85, and a three-pack of the 400 for $39.74.

Why these 35mm films were chosen

Although film photography is overall on the downturn compared to the pre-digital days, there are still a large number of films out there to choose from. We wanted to make sure each kind of 35mm film that are available was represented, which is why color negative, color reversal, and black-and-white films all are featured. Because we are focused on still life photography, we also selected films that tended to have lower ISOs, as higher ISO ones are not necessarily ideal for well-lit, controlled photography like still life.

To determine which films were the best of the best for this setting, we consulted reviews of film stocks from a variety of photographers and publications such as McSween Photography, Mr. Leica, Analogue Wonderland, Caterina Maina Photography, Analog Cafe, Casual Photophile, Blue Moon Camera and Machine, and more. 

Also taken into account was my own personal experience shooting various 35mm film stocks and determining which would be most useful in a still life setting. We also wanted to make sure there were various brands and pricing options included. Once all of that was taken into consideration, these six 35mm film stocks were selected.

Recommended

Pro Tips for Choosing a Vintage Camera

There's just something about the timeless, gorgeous quality of vintage cameras that makes almost any picture super special. Getting that experience is actually a lot easier than you might think, and it's completely worth the investment of a little time and money. You can find a totally shootable and super lovely vintage camera system that's perfect for your needs.

I shoot antique and vintage cameras every day, and there are a few things I look for when choosing a camera. And let me tell you, I love my cameras. If you're just getting into film photography or are thinking about trying out a new format or camera system, these tips can help you find your new favorite creative tool.

Before You Pick a Vintage Camera

Before anyone picks a vintage camera , they need to know how into this they're going to be. There are people who take great pictures who aren't super into photography. And there are people (like me) who obsess about photography. Your involvement level is definitely going to affect a bunch of stuff.

• Budget - If you're doing this as a casual hobby, you won't want to spend a ton of money on gear. If you're doing it as a career or significant part of your life, your budget may be higher.
• Film - Most vintage cameras shoot film, but they shoot different kinds of film. Many shoot 35mm, which isn't terribly expensive ($6 or so for a cheap roll). Others shoot more expensive medium-format or large-format film.
• Complexity - A vintage camera with interchangeable lenses will give you the most options, but it might not be what you want if you're just doing this as a fun alternative to your phone. In that case, a point-and-shoot might be more your style.

Related: 10 Old Cameras Worth a Lot of Money

Need to Know About that film... You have some options when getting it developed. You can do it yourself (easier than you might think) or drop it off at a lab. Then you or the lab will scan the film so you can share it online.

Four Factors I Consider When Choosing a Vintage Camera

There's no wrong answer when it comes to cameras, as long as you have one that works for your needs. But this is the process I use to pick a camera I can fall in love with.

What Is This Camera's Purpose?

Sometimes you need a camera for travel, so it should be light and compact and not overly complicated. Other times, you want to get really into the process and slow way down with your photos, and that can mean a camera with lots of lenses.

What Kind of Shape Is This Camera In?

Some vintage cameras come down through the years looking almost new. Others look super beat-up and worn but still function beautifully. And some don't work at all. Before I buy, I always make sure the camera has been recently checked and works the way I expect it to.

Can I Get Film for It?

Believe it or not, you can get film for most old cameras. It's super easy to find 35mm, 120, and sheet film at most camera shops and online. However, some vintage cameras shoot film that isn't made anymore. There are a few companies that recut or reroll other types of film so you can shoot it in these old cameras, but that's more expensive. I stick to film I can find easily.

Do I Love This Camera?

A camera is a tool, but it's also more than that. You have a creative relationship with it. So think about how the camera feels in your hands and how it affects your experience of taking pictures. If you love it and it has features you need, chances are it's the camera for you.

Where I Buy Vintage Cameras

You can find old camera lots of places, but they aren't all the same as far as your shopping experience. I've bought cameras at antique shops, from online auctions or sellers, and from camera stores. Each option has some pros and cons.

• Antique shops or thrift shops - These are great for getting a good deal on a fairly simple camera system, but I don't recommend getting anything complex this way. If it doesn't work, there's usually no return policy.
• Online - If you get super into photography, there are some vintage cameras that are just really hard to find anywhere but on eBay or from sellers online. I buy quite a few things this way, but I've also had some bad experiences with cameras or shutters that just didn't work properly.
• Used camera stores - Used camera stores are my favorite place to buy old cameras, because many of them have great return policies (often six months). I have returned cameras or had them fixed for free with no hassle at all at places like KEH and UsedPhotoPro .

Three Cameras I Own and Recommend

I shoot all kinds of camera, and some of them are very finicky and not really something most people would enjoy shooting. However, I do have a few cameras I think almost everyone would love.

This is a 35mm film camera that uses autofocus lenses, which means it's kind of perfect for sticking in your bag and shooting moving subjects like kids or pets. It's also pretty cheap and sells for under $200 with a decent lens. It's a good starter film camera, and it's useful even if you've been shooting a long time.

If you're into something a little more mechanical but that will do everything you want, the Nikon FM is pretty awesome. It's also a 35mm film camera, but it doesn't have autofocus. It's tiny, and you can use a huge selection of lenses on it. It's great for travel because it weighs so little and is super versatile. They sell for about $300 with a lens.

This medium format camera uses 120 film and operates almost like a giant 35mm camera. It's easy to use and fun to shoot. It has a dramatic sounding shutter that is super loud. There's no autofocus, but it's easy to manually focus once you get used to it. The image quality is stunning, and you can get lots of different lenses for it. This camera sells for around $1,200 with a really nice lens.

Take Pictures You Love With Vintage Cameras

If you're not sure what vintage camera to choose, take some time to ask friends or other photographers what they like. Chances are, if it's a good camera for someone else, it could be a good camera for you, too. Then buy it from a reputable place and practice with it a ton. Pretty soon, you'll be taking pictures you love.