Originally posted by victormeldrew If I was going to Japan, I would be thinking more about how many new lenses to bring back with me!
LOL! That would have been true enough for me as well a few years ago. However, there's little to nothing missing in my current lens collection...
I might check out some glass for my Q though, if any can be found... For now I only have the 01 standard prime.
---------- Post added 08-08-17 at 13:42 ----------
Originally posted by Sandy Hancock We're steaming away from Fukuoka on a cruise ship as I type. My kit on this trip is for the K-1 (DFA15-30, FA31, DA*55, FA77, DFA100WR, DA*300), but I reckon your chosen three lens kit is pretty close to perfect for a crop system.
Great kit!! I was actually considering an all prime kit at some point. On the wide end my three wide Samyangs would be great (10/2.8, 16/2 & 24/1.4), complemented by the three FA ltds and the Samyang 135/2 for the tele work. However, I might have to act quick in some of the crowded places, so I've reluctantly decided on zooms after all... The primes will remain my preferred kit for short "local" trips in Europe.
Originally posted by Sandy Hancock If weight and space are not an issue, adding the FA*300 would be brilliant - I have used my DA*300 a lot already on this trip, but I'm mainly here to see my daughter perform on the ship. The prime's combination of quality and speed has given me results which my 55-300 could not even approach.
Doesn't seem to be similar to what I will be shooting. We will see some dance performances, but in relatively small venues where the DA*50-135 should suffice IMHO.
Originally posted by Sandy Hancock I wouldn't take both the 8-16 and 10-17. I had both for a while but opted to keep just the fisheye - at 10mm it is wider than the Sigma at 8mm, even when de-fished, and it is more flare resistant. The Sigma is a very fine lens though.
I see what you mean. Both lenses are very different to me though. For eye level photography I prefer a rectilinear UWA, and the Sigma is very nice optically. BTW, I tend to avoid the extreme wide end because distortions get too extreme for my taste most of the time.
The fact that I'm considering taking the DA10-17 may sound strange when I tell you I'm not much of a fan of the fisheye effect. OTOH, fisheye looks much more natural to me when shooting 90° up or down and I can imagine doing some straight-up photography in Tokyo. Another application might be the modern art and architecture on Naoshima.
Tx for your thoughts!!
Wim
---------- Post added 08-08-17 at 13:52 ----------
Originally posted by Mike L I'm currently considering the same thing for a trip to Japan in December. This won't be my first time and I won't be covering as much ground as you.
You're right, our current planning does seem very full, but we're in Japan for about 3,5 weeks.
Originally posted by Mike L I think your standard kit will cover almost everything. If your not going with wildlife in mind, I'd leave the FA*300 at home and take the DA35 macro (I prefer this over the FA50 because it is more compact and perhaps more versatile). Though the fisheye could add an interesting perspective to the cityscapes.
That's what I was considering the DA10-17 for. The DA35/2.8 could indeed double for a compact standard, for which the FA50/2.8's FoV is a bit too strict. Actually, I often take my camera with me for an evening stroll, and having just a prime on the camera makes for a more comfortable setup hanging onto my shoulder. I do prefer my standard prime a tad wider (around 24mm). My favourite lens at that FL is the Samyang 24/1.4, but that's a tank... I might dig up my DA21/3.2 and throw that in the bag as well though.
Come to think of it: DA10-17 + DA21 + DA35 macro should still take less space than the FA*300/4.5...
Originally posted by Mike L I'll definitely be taking my Sigma 8-16 and DA*16-50 to cover the cityscapes and landscapes. I'm also planning a visit to the snow monkeys at Yudanaka so I'm tossing up between the DA50-200 which is versatile and smaller or the F*300 better IQ and more reach.
We're giving the snow monkeys a miss. Couldn't fit that into that planning of ours...
From what I've seen, I'm sure 200mm might suffice to get good shots, though 300mm could yield some really great close-ups.
Tx!!
Wim