[wjt]

Take everything i was going to leave my DA 35 ltd home but decided at the last minute to pack it... so glad i did it was my most used lens on my trip. I also have the DA 12-24 which is nice but it is a little bulky (i am thinking about selling it to buy the 15 ltd). I agree with goddo with the m50, a fast lens would have been handy inside, most notably in the catacombs.

[joakimfors]

I was in Paris last year, for a few days. I wasn't using Pentax at the time, but I don't believe that really matters

First off, you really need an ultra-wide. There were plenty of situations where there was very little space to move when trying to shoot, Paris is a crowded and crammed 'little' city
My usual workhorse (the CZ16-80) just wasn't wide enough... most of my shots from Paris were taken at 11mm. I would recommend the 12-24 but since you are interested in getting the 10-17, then I guess it would get the job done as well (if you ever get tired of all that... 'curviness', you can always defish in PP).
As for location suggestions... I think that viewing Paris from up on the Eiffel tower is overrated. I would recommend instead going to the Montparnasse tower and catch the sunset and the setting of the night there, you definitely won't regret it.
I could give more info, but I don't want to make this post too long. You could drop me a PM if you're interested though.


PS- my sets from Paris can be found here: Zenfolio | Cezar Litu | paris

Beautiful pictures!

Please make a public post here, even if it turns out to be a whole essay. I'm sure there are at least one other person who would love to find out.

[Lloydy]

I had a long weekend in Paris a few years ago by accident, we were supposed to be going to Istanbul, but it's a long and complicated story.

Not being prepared for Paris we missed out on a lot of things that I now want to go back and see, such as the cemetery at Le Pere Lachaise with it's spectacular mausoleums and statues. And it's the resting place of Jim Morrison and Oscar Wilde.

Pere-Lachaise Cemetery in Paris - Pere-Lachaise Cemetery Visitor's Guide - Paris Cemeteries

I like cemeteries, the memorials to the dead are so often another glimpse into their lives.

[cezarL]

Thank you!


OK... let's see...

One thing must be said first, to avoid any disappointment: if you're hoping to find the city as seen by Brassai or Doisneau... forget it Paris no longer has that special charm that was reeking out of their photographs, you'll find a metropole crowded with busy people and swarms of tourist (yes, there will be plenty of them, even this early in the year). I'm not saying there aren't bits and pieces left of the old city, but you'd need too much time to wander around the streets to discover them. Sad, but true.

Now...
Try to set up an 'action plan' before getting to Paris. Write down what you would like to see/visit, and spread them across the time you'll spend there. You mentioned it would be a weekend, I'm afraid that won't be enough, really, so you need to prioritize.

If you had plans to visit the Louvre, forget about it. Seeing everything they have there would take you a day at least (including the time you'll spend waiting to get in); plus, most of the interesting stuff they have there, you have already seen in pics/videos/documentaries. But do visit the museum on the outside, you'll surely have enough photo opportunities, even if you risk falling for the all-known postcard-shot, like I did (day-time is OK, evenings are better, IMHO)

Sacre Coeur is a must, especially if you can arrive there early in the morning, before the tourists arrive (ideally, you'd want to be there just before sunrise). They won't let you take photos inside (IIRC), but the outer architecture of the church demands to be photographed, plus you'll get a wonderful vista of the city.
Also, check out the area around the church, behind and to the east of it there are some wonderful little streets that aren't packed with tourists.

In the city centre, do enter Notre-Dame, you can take pics there. And while you're in the area, walk the streets around (very nice, although crowded), and do not miss a small church called Saite-Chapelle: it has some of the most beautiful stained glass in Europe (most people ignore it, after going to Notre-Dame). North of these two churches lie Place des Vosges and Le Marais, not-to-missed, IMHO.

On the South bank, there's the Quartier Latin area, with plenty of things to see as well, the Pantheon and La Sorbonne are connected by a lot of small streets, which could give you a nice experience. Eating at the small restaurants here is cheaper and better than in the more famous places, I'd say... but if you want to try such a place, maybe look up La Closerie Des Lilas, Hemingway's favourite restaurant.

Then there's La Defense, of course, La Grande Arche and La Cheminée de Moretti spring to mind right now I would visit this part of Paris in the afternoon, maybe even wait for the sunset around the Arch (if that doesn't mean giving up Montparnasse Tower evening).

I didn't mention the Eiffel Tower or The Triumph Arch, beacause everyone knows them, but these shouldn't be missed either. Reserve an afternoon for them, maybe a long walk like... L'Arc De Triomphe - La Tour Eiffel - Ecole Militaire - Hotel Des Invalides - Champs Elysees - Jardin Des Tuileries to end up at the Louvre in the evening?

Bois de Boulogne didn't do much for me, perhaps it is nicer in autumn, but in spring... there's no point in waisting your time there.
The Catacombs... only if you insist on visiting, but you'll need at least an F2 lens to shoot there handheld (and it's rather difficult to set up a tripod, with all those tourists). Same goes for the cemeteries (Montparnasse, Pere-Lachaise), unless you must say hello to Jim Morrisson, of course

I know it's a long list so far, but if you'll have any time left, maybe you'd enjoy a walk along Canal Saint Martin. This is something we planned to do, but later found out we ran out of time, mostly because of the lack of proper planning. Again, I must stress out the importance of careful planning! My biggest regret about our Paris holiday was never making it to a meeting with a fellow photographer, a Parisian whom I had met on a Minolta forum (again, because of less-than-wonderful planning).
Oh... he's shooting Pentax too, now, btw



I almost forgot. There's a website with quite a few tour suggestions around Paris, you might find it useful (sorry, I can't seem to find a link for the English version, just French): Promenades dans le Paris Insolite - Promenades Paris Inconnu - Paris Insolite
Check out at least Parcours 2 - Vieux Paris, if possible.



Well.. that's about it for now. If I can remember something else, I'll come back

[joakimfors]

Thank you for the very good advice! I'll show it to my SO who is coming with me… she loves to plan stuff.

Now I just have to decide if 18 mm on the kit-lens will be wide enough (doesn't seem like it) or if I should spend some on a (U)WA lens and in that case: which one. The DA 10-17, Sigma 10-20 and DA 15 are all contenders with different strengths and weaknesses which makes it very hard to decide.

[cezarL]

One thing I forgot: I assume you already have a hotel booked, but if not... I would recommend something around Place D'Italie. It may not be in the heart of the city, but it's very well connected to... well, anything, via subway.

Now I just have to decide if 18 mm on the kit-lens will be wide enough (doesn't seem like it) or if I should spend some on a (U)WA lens and in that case: which one. The DA 10-17, Sigma 10-20 and DA 15 are all contenders with different strengths and weaknesses which makes it very hard to decide.

For what it's worth, I have ordered (and should receive tomorrow or the day after) a DA15mm. While it may not be all that wide, its compactness was just what I was looking for (and it does have excellent IQ, of course)

I've never been fond of Sigma (too many reports of focusing gear stripping with Sony, and other QC issues).
The Pentax 12-24 would seem the perfect replacement for my 11-18 with Sony, but it's a bit over my budget.
I think Tamron makes the 11-18 with a K-mount too, but I wouldn't recommend it for architecture (to my eyes, it's not sharp enough at the borders, not even at F11). But I am keeping an A100 and Sony 11-18 (Tamron rebadge) for now, at least until Tokina decides to release that 11-16 in K-mount

The 10-17... that's an interesting lens. I had a lot of fun with a 16mm Fisheye on Sony, but I never did defishing myself. If you think you'd be OK with that, then you get a very good lens (based on the reviews I've read) which serves two purposes: Fisheye and 'somewhat' regular ultrawide (with the added time spent in PP for defishing).

[Ira]

The FOOD what???? You are kidding of course?

It's called New York sarcasm, even though I haven't lived there in 16 years.

[sterretje]

As you only have a weekend, just don't try to do the whole city. I prefer to stay around one place at a time and walk around, taste the atmosphere and take photos. But I know I will go back and back and back and ... and each time pick a different area.