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01-31-2018, 02:03 PM - 1 Like   #16
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Too much advice all ready. However few have mentioned that it depends on your itinerary. I've seen a lot of Iceland images and very rarely do they appear to be using longer telephoto lenses. However often they use very wide lenses for the various interesting places inside caves and the like. You probably won't do anything too wild with a child along but the idea seems to be, wide is best. If I had your kit I would first consider taking my DA15 (never leave home without it) and DA20-50. That's it. However, yes there is always a however, I tend to agree with others here that when traveling with others you don't want to be switching lenses. Also, when travelling anywhere there is an increased risk of loss from dropping or even theft (albeit minimal in Iceland). So, in reality I wouldn't want to lose my best lenses. I therefore would take the 16-50 that you have converted. Its been a staple to a lot of photographers over the years. If it is damaged, which is unlikely as it is weather resistant, then you got it at a good price so the loss is small. You will make your family happy and you will always have a great zoom range.

As others have said, don't forget to enjoy the vacation. It's easy to spend so much time taking photos that you miss out on the experience of being there.

01-31-2018, 03:11 PM - 1 Like   #17
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For my Antarctic trip I purchased a 17-135. It provided good results in challenging weather conditions. While my primes would have done better, they could have been destroyed and changing lenses wasn't really on.
The Arctic is on my bucket list
Hope you have a great family trip
01-31-2018, 03:31 PM - 2 Likes   #18
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As I often combine bicycling with photography, and then in need of very compact carrying, looking at what you have I recognize some of my gear. I highly recommend the DA 20-40mm and DA 15mm Limiteds along with your DA 55-300mm PLM with your KP. The F 50mm f/1.7 is quite small, so you might consider packing it for some very low-light situations.
01-31-2018, 03:58 PM   #19
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QuoteOriginally posted by Bui Quote
Lenses to bring to Iceland trip.
For a trip like that... the simple answer is all of them.

01-31-2018, 04:20 PM   #20
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I basically had the same lenses you have a couple years ago on a road trip to the Grand Canyon but had a K30 and K50. There was so much dirt blown into the air from the stampedes of people and strong wind, i never changed lenses. The K30 had my DA*16-50 and K50 had the DA55-300, i too 90% of my images with the K30/ DA*16-50. Don't take to many lenses, you will drive yourself crazy trying to decide what lens to use and miss half of Iceland's beauty!
01-31-2018, 05:35 PM   #21
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QuoteOriginally posted by derelict Quote
Wow, will you have time to see anything? You are going to miss your vacation because you are too busy trying to take photos and switch lenses. Me, I would bring the 21 and the 55-300. Nothing else. 21 for wide end landscapes (and back up if you need a wider framing) and the 55-300 for everything else.
I agree to a point. The OP has a DA 40 Limited and I would take that along. The DA 21 & 40 Limiteds and the 55-300 PLM are a remarkably compact kit that will cover nearly all situations. Space permitting, I might also recommend adding the DA 15 Limited.
01-31-2018, 07:41 PM   #22
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My go to kit for travelling internationally has always been the DA 15, FA 31, and DA 18-135. I very rarely bring anything else.

We've been to Iceland four times now (more to come soon) and I found that the DA 15 lived on my K-3, except for anywhere close to water. That is when the DA 18-135 came into play. The FA 31 gets used for museums, low light, and city life. I cheat though, because my wife brings her 18-55, DA 35 2.4 and my 55-300 ... which she "forgot", which was too bad for all the eagles, seals, and swans, and ptarmigans we ended up seeing.

If I had the kit that OP has, I would probaby do the 15, 20-40, and 70. The only other thing would be the 55-300 if outdoor nature is going to be a part of the trip (as it should be).


P.S. WR is very important and do not go too close to the ocean

02-01-2018, 01:22 AM   #23
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QuoteOriginally posted by Na Horuk Quote
Well you have a really nice collection. The problem will be that you will have too many lenses with you

I agree with this.
But check the weather. If it will be raining the whole time, focus on WR stuff. If not, bring primes. If you will go on trips to see landscapes, bring wide angle. If you will be in mountains, looking for elves, bring telephoto. If you will meet lots of people, bring portrait lens.

Edit: I am a wide shooter, so I would probably leave the 55-300mm at the hotel most of the time. On my trips I usually carry a kit of lenses: 14mm, 21mm, 40mm, 100mm. No zooms, nothing beyond 100mm. It works for me, but it depends on your objectives, goals
I have to admit I had a bit of LBA last year, so I purchased a lens every 2 months, although used. I've stopped now, not counting the (used) 55-300.

Bringing all DA limiteds and the 55-300 would be to much, at most I have to leave 2 primes out, that's why the question I've never been to Iceland, and what I found on the Internet is the weather is very unpredictable, no way to check ahead, and also most of scenes are from distance, hence the need for a telephoto lens. Like you I shot mostly wide, and 70 has been my longest lens for a long time, but I'm eager to try the 55-300 for new perspective and experience.

I would love to try an FA* or FA Ltd someday but for now they're absolutely out of my budget.

---------- Post added 02-01-18 at 01:26 AM ----------

QuoteOriginally posted by UncleVanya Quote
Having a 2.5 year old along I would go with simple. My trip to England and France made with two teens, my wife, her dad, and her mentally challenged brother was an occasion where I took a Panasonic LX-7 only. Conversely I took a DSLR on a previous trip.

Bear in mind your significant others patience level...

I would think the 15, 20-40/or/16-50, 55-300, and 70 would cover everything. But I think "everything" is too much. I don't think the 16-50 is a good substitute for the 15, if you take pictures where flare could be a problem (sunrise/set, etc). I also don't know if the telephoto is needed. My short list would be, 15, 16-50, 70. The 20-40 might be a good choice but the speed and greater range means less lens changes and more photo ops.
Thanks for the advice. I'm also afraid of overthinking about gears, bringing too many and forget the essence of enjoying the time and place with my family. Hence the option of bringing only the 16-50 and 55-300 and no more. But in this case perharp trading the 16-50 for a 16-85 is even more interesting?

Last edited by Bui; 02-01-2018 at 01:27 AM.
02-01-2018, 03:29 AM   #24
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QuoteOriginally posted by robjmitchell Quote
Go play with your new 16-50/2.8 and see if it delivers the image quality you like. Its the only lens that covers both landscape and Portrait. If its good enough add in either the 15 or 21ltd to cover shooting into the sun situations. Then take either the 70 or telezoom for the long end.

If you dont like the 16-50 then its simple, take 15, 20-40, 70 and telezoom.
The 16-50 has been with for not so long, only 2 outings, but the IQ is good. I like the photos from the 20-40 better, it is more compact, balance and limited range. The 16-50 has better range and speed, but a bit worse IQ and much more bulkier. I'm still considering
02-01-2018, 05:41 AM   #25
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I'll be in Iceland (and have my own similar thread around here somewhere) in June. I'll have wife, and two boys aged 9 and 11 along. I think my kit will probably be the K-3II, the 15, 40, 55-300, and renting a 16-85 for anytime it's wet. And I'll find a way to put my old K-30 in luggage somewhere just as a backup. I'd hate to have something happen to the only body I brought on a trip like this.
02-01-2018, 02:43 PM - 1 Like   #26
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My 2 cents; I went to Iceland in August 2015 with my wife and 2 teenage sons, K-r and 18-55 and 55-300, those being what I had at the time. I've just run the stats on my images (pulled all the info from the EXIFs with a little Python script...), and I got
  • 55-300 covered over 50% of my shots, though we did go whale watching where you bang off a lot of duff shots from far away...
  • 20-40 would have covered another 30%
  • About 11% were <20mm, might have been more had I had the 12-24 at the time
  • only about 10% were between 40 and 55mm, mostly at the short end
  • almost none were at 70mm
So the above choices of 15. 20-40, 70, 55-300 would look very sensible. You could omit the 70 as it's covered by the 55-300, but it's within budget. You might find you'd use the 21 more than the 40, but both are covered by the 20-40, and it depends on your personal style (I tend to tele, for preference).

As to WR, again, see above. We were lucky, it never rained for long, but as noted waterfalls, geysers and the sea all contain water and throw it at you in more-or-less unpredictable ways, so prudence is probably indicated...

Cheers

Jonathan
02-05-2018, 03:38 AM   #27
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QuoteOriginally posted by Glen Quote
Too much advice all ready. However few have mentioned that it depends on your itinerary. I've seen a lot of Iceland images and very rarely do they appear to be using longer telephoto lenses. However often they use very wide lenses for the various interesting places inside caves and the like. You probably won't do anything too wild with a child along but the idea seems to be, wide is best. If I had your kit I would first consider taking my DA15 (never leave home without it) and DA20-50. That's it. However, yes there is always a however, I tend to agree with others here that when traveling with others you don't want to be switching lenses. Also, when travelling anywhere there is an increased risk of loss from dropping or even theft (albeit minimal in Iceland). So, in reality I wouldn't want to lose my best lenses. I therefore would take the 16-50 that you have converted. Its been a staple to a lot of photographers over the years. If it is damaged, which is unlikely as it is weather resistant, then you got it at a good price so the loss is small. You will make your family happy and you will always have a great zoom range.

As others have said, don't forget to enjoy the vacation. It's easy to spend so much time taking photos that you miss out on the experience of being there.
You're right. The initial plan was based on some general research and articles I found on the Internet, where they said there would be some interesting wildlife in Iceland (birds, whales, puffins), I've never done wildlife, but I would love to take some puffin photos. Also they said many landscape were in distance, that a telephoto lens would help to retain the most detail possible (avoiding heavy cropping). I still have more than 2 months until the trip and I haven't figured out the itinerary yet. But with a little girl, I don't think we will drive too far, or do too much hiking. We will based on Reykjavik, and visit the area around it (like 200km maximum).

Of course this is the only-gear-concern question, I will try to enjoy the time with my family and not lose their patience with photography. But if I return from it without some decent photos I would be very disappointed :-)
03-05-2018, 01:19 AM   #28
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I'm going to Iceland in October, so I'm glad I found this thread! I'm planning on bringing my K-1, D-FA 28-105mm, DA* 200mm, and my FA 43mm limited. I'm expecting to use my 28-105mm about 90% of the time.

I'm debating whether I should bring my FA 20-35mm for caves. It's pretty lightweight, but it's not weather proof.
03-05-2018, 01:32 AM   #29
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DA15 (for starbursts, shooting into the sun, and extra width if you *really* need it)
DA*16-50 as your workhorse
DA70 for special portraits and when the extra speed/IQ is essential
HD55-300PLM for reach

Game over.
03-05-2018, 12:43 PM   #30
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Never been to Iceland, though it’s a dream to ride a motorcycle around the country. One small comment—a lot of comments assume that landscape photography = wide angle, and 80-90% of the time that is true, but sometimes you’re in a place where the interesting geographic feature is a ways away and you need something long to frame it, so I would definitely have the 55-300 along as well. Aside from that I agree with the comments 15, 20-40, 70, 55-300. Maybe the 50/1.7 if there is space
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