[jddwoods]

Hello All

I am looking for some suggestions of what lenses I should bring for an upcoming trip to France. We will be spending 9 days on a tour through France from Paris to Nice. Then we will be spending three days on our own in Paris. My camera is a K-3. My available lenses are as follows:
* Zooms DA 16-85 and 55-300 PLM
* Primes SMC DA 15, 21, 35 macro Limiteds and HD DA 40 Limited or FA 50mm f1.7
As far as I know I do not think the PLM will be necessary as I do not anticipate any wildlife/telephoto opportunities on this trip. Image quality is not a consideration with my lenses, they are all equivalent to my eyes. My big question is whether a kit of small primes would be lighter and easier to manipulate, especially in Paris, than the largish 16-85 zoom. On the other hand the DA 16-85 size and weight may be offset by its versatility. Any thoughts, especially from those familiar with photography in Paris as well as other parts of France would be appreciated.
To keep things light I will be carrying my kit in a Domke F803 satchel bag. This can handle the K-3, the two zooms, a spare battery and one prime. Alternatively it can handle the K-3 and 4 of the primes plus the spare battery.

Thanks,

John

[ehrwien]

All I know is that when I've been in Paris I shot the Eiffel Tower from everywhere in the city. Do you plan on going up onto the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, ... visit the Louvre? There are several vantage points where you'll have a nice view of the city. On top of Montmarte / in front of Sacre Coeur, La Defense... I think the PLM may be valuable for some "condensed perspective" shots down from La Defense, from the Trocadero down to the Eiffel Tower, along the Champs Elysées... or just details of Notre Dame, or from a vantage point, across the Seine... the SMC 15 could be nice for some star burst pictures of the Eiffel Tower / the city at night... I'd definitely take the 16-85 just for versatility. What you'd be missing then (taking 15, 16-85 and 55-300) would be a low light option... no more space for the FA 50/1.7 in the bag?

[Wasp]

I would take the 16-85, 55-300 and 50 as a safe choice. Not too heavy and they cover all the angles. A telephoto has lots of uses besides wildlife.


Or if you want to walk on the wild side, take only the 15 and 40. It will force you to think about shots.

[MaineNative]

I typically take my 16-85, DA 21 and 55-300 on overseas trips (plus my DA 10-17). I don’t use the 55-300 unless I’m taking pictures of wildlife or going to a daytime concert. I love the 21 mm.

Having something small like the DA 21, DA 35 or DA 40 is good for being less obtrusive walking around compared to the 16-85. Often I will put on my DA 21 when I am going out to dinner and want a smaller set-up but don’t want to leave my camera behind.

Night shots of the Eiffel Tower are great. I took a night cruise on the Seine and loved it! Too bad about Norte Dame... I took probably a hundred photos inside and outside. Versailles is also worth the train ride if you have time. Lots of opportunities for a wide-angle lens. Have fun!

[Sandy Hancock]

With the two zooms and the DA21 as your stealthy street lens, you'd set. I'm sure you could squeeze in the DA40 as well. Paris is a fascinating town to just watch people going about their business.













And finally, a couple with the 55-300

[aslyfox]

my suggestion

take plenty of batteries and battery chargers

do you have the battery grip and AA tray for your K 3 ?

[hcc]

You already received good advice.

You may be interested to check the post: Primes in Paris - PentaxForums.com.

In 2013, I used the K-7 with the DA15mm Ltd and Voigtlander Nokton 58mm f1.4. I would to the same with my K-3 nowadays.

Hope that the comment may help.

[TwoUptons]

I’d take the 15 and the 16-85.

After that, either the 21, 40, or the 50, depending on your mood. But just one of them.

Last time I was in Paris, I took a MX with a 24-35, a 50, and a 135. I never used the 135, but my only other complaint was that the 24-35 wasn’t quite wide enough for the Arc de Triomphe without standing in traffic... which you shouldn’t do

-Eric

[C_Jones]

I would recommend the 16-85 and whichever prime you find you are most comfortable with. If you have a portable tripod, the options you may get with it might be valuable.

[stillshot2]

I wouldn't bring the 55-300. My most used lens when I travel are wide angles up to 35mm max. I once brought a 50mm for low light but ended up not even touching it. Love my 15mm the most though when traveling!

[LOU16]

I just got back from a 14 day tour of France(3 days in Paris) Nice was also included, and I only took 2 lens, a 18-135 and 55-300. I took over 2000 shots and never needed to take the 18-135 off the camera. Based on my experience I think you will be satisfied in taking your 16-85 and DA 15 when you need a little wider lens for street shots.

[NZUnicorn]

I do not think Paris is as tight as some other places in Europe. Some of the streets are quite wide, and there is plenty of space around the Seine. So 16mm should be wide enough. And 85mm should be wide enough for most purposes.

I would take 16-85mm, being a good and very convenient lens.

I would also take either a 21mm or both a 15mm and a 40mm. This would provide backup, and give you the option of sometimes leaving the zoom behind and having a much smaller, lighter kit.

[Sandy Hancock]

My earlier post was just about people. For the other stuff around Paris I used everything from the DA10-17 through the DA*11-18, DA15, Ricoh GRIII, DFA28-105, DA21, FA31, DA*55, FA77 and FA135 to the DA55-300PLM. With Crop and Full Frame bodies.

I don't understand why anyone would want to travel to such a destination with only two lenses

[timb64]

I did ten weeks around Asia with just a 16-85 on my K5ii (and a Sony RX100 as backup).It avoided the need for lens changes in what was often a more camera hostile environment than Paris but I never felt I needed anything else in terms of range or low light capability.

As others have said though,perhaps also take your favourite prime.

Have a great trip and share the results with us.

[Martin KP]

With the two zooms and the DA21 as your stealthy street lens, you'd set. I'm sure you could squeeze in the DA40 as well. Paris is a fascinating town to just watch people going about their business.













And finally, a couple with the 55-300

Nice shots, thanks for sharing