[Sandy Hancock]

Of the lenses you have, I would definitely take the DA16-85, DFA100WR and DA*300 - they will give you a creative option in any conditions. Even in summer you might get some rain in the Swiss mountains.

Buying a DA55-300PLM would save a lot of weight and space over the DA*300 though. Italy can be savagely hot and you'll appreciate a smaller bag.

I found the DA15 really useful in Italy when I was there last June.



I also got plenty of use from my 55-300.



I'm not sure I'd bother with the DA35 and DA70 as the focal lengths are already covered capably and you have another macro option.

There will be times when you'll miss a flash, given your body has none built in.

Two batteries should be plenty. Even with the smaller battery in my KP I never got close to running out of steam.

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Last edited by Sandy Hancock; 05-24-2018 at 05:54 PM.

[UserAccessDenied]

You have the 15, 35, and 70 (and 100? ) with you. You should either A) Time your lens swaps better, or B) Find a shot with what you have on the camera at the time.

Sometimes you can walk around with one lens, then re-walk around with another, looking for different shots.

If you truly bought the 16-85 specifically for the trip then you could leave your 15, 35 and 70 :-)

I had an 8-day vacation in New York City with only the 10-17 FE, 12-24 and 17-70. Of course that city is very compact but I only "wanted something longer" about once.

I was playing around with all my lenses last night and certainly felt the IQ from the DA35macro, DA70 and DA15 trumps the DA16-85.
I was primarily bringing the 16-85 for versatility and WR, but I guess if it's raining hard I will likely be doing something other than walking around outside, sightseeing...

And I really do like the DA70 at F2.4... I forgot how much I loved that lens... It's always in the bottom of the bag, but every time I break it out I am amazed at how infrequently I shoot with it!

I'm definitely bringing the DA15, the DA70 and the DFA100 w/ TC.
That gives me 140mm F4 at the telephoto end which I think is plenty, and wayyy lighter and more compact than the DA300.

So the real question is if I bring the 16-85, will I just be comfortable with it and shoot 90% of my images out of convenience rather than challenging myself to use the primes? Which ultimately leads to regretting the lower IQ when looking back through images thinking, "Well that was 72mm on the metadata... I should have just spent a few seconds to pop the DA70 on instead!"



I think if I decide to bring the DA35 as well, I will ultimately leave the 16-85 at home.
Funny since that purchase was made specifically for this trip!


Now if I could only find someone who wanted to trade their FA31 for my 16-85...

[Sandy Hancock]

Now if I could only find someone who wanted to trade their FA31 for my 16-85...

My FA31 also went to Italy

[Tord]

How exciting

That sure sounds like a lot of lenses to be taking, though, given that photography isn't your primary objective.

Do you really think you'll need something as long as the DA*300? That's a chunk of a lens, right there. I'd have thought you could easily get away with just the 16-85 and maybe the 100 macro. That should cover 99% of situations and scenes you'll want to capture.

I'd actually be inclined to take the flash rather than the additional lenses, as you'll almost certainly want to take some back-lit portraits of your wife and you'll need to fill in the shadows.

As for memory cards, it's better to have too many than too few, and bear in mind that one might fail when you least expect it to.

Lastly, if you have a compact camera with a reasonable focal length range, take that too - just in case the K-3II fails, or you drop it, or it gets stolen (all unlikely, but possible)... at least you'd be able to take some holiday snaps (smartphones are fine, but you're generally stuck with one or two focal lengths).

Have a great time!

I would definitely add the monopod and possibly leave the 35 at home (in my world, one macro is enough for a trip abroad), but bring along your fastest lens, as it might be a bit dark this time of the year. The 300, of course, the 15, of course, and possibly, the 16-85! That DA70 seems to be a nice addition, though.

Actually, I would say bring two camera bodies, first and foremost, and then the 300, and the 15 (lovely lens), plus one spare lens, say the DA70. And, I confess, I love sturdy monopods!

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Last edited by Tord; 09-26-2018 at 08:39 AM.

[UserAccessDenied]

I would definitely add the monopod and possibly leave the 35 at home (in my world, one macro is enough for a trip abroad), but bring along your fastest lens, as it might be a bit dark this time of the year. The 300, of course, the 15, of course, and possibly, the 16-85! That DA70 seems to be a nice addition, though.

Actually, I would say bring two camera bodies, first and foremost, and then the 300, and the 15 (lovely lens), plus one spare lens, say the DA70. And, I confess, I love sturdy monopods!

haha I will keep note the next time we make a trip like this!
We had a blast and I was happy leaving the DA*300 at home... Only one opportunity it was missed, but the rest of the time I appreciated not having to lug it around!


I do have a really nice carbon fiber Induro monopod.
That thing is a dream for using long lenses!

[UncleVanya]

haha I will keep note the next time we make a trip like this!
We had a blast and I was happy leaving the DA*300 at home... Only one opportunity it was missed, but the rest of the time I appreciated not having to lug it around!


I do have a really nice carbon fiber Induro monopod.
That thing is a dream for using long lenses!

What was the final kit you traveled with?

[UserAccessDenied]

What was the final kit you traveled with?

K-3ii, DA15, DA35 macro, DA70, DA16-85, DFA 100mm WR + 1.4xTC, Mini tripod, 3 batteries, Wasabi charger, 64GB + (2) 32GB SD cards, iPad mini4 with SD card reader and LRcc to transfer images while abroad.

It worked out very well!

The 1.4xTC stayed attached to the DFA 100 the entire time and it was cumbersome and heavy on hikes, but I got the following photo with this combo.

If I did it again, I'd probably leave the 16-85 and the DFA100+1.4xTC at home. They just weighed me down. (I did not get decent images from that lens around 20mm and that was the focal length I was missing in the primes...).
I had no problem changing lenses on the trains, on the trails, in the hotel, restaurants, etc.

And honestly most of my shots were taken with either the DA35 macro or the DA70...

I will say, the best purchase before the trip was this bag:Thule Aspect DSLR Shoulder Bag (Large, Black) 3203409 B&H Photo

I guess I bought one of the last ones before it was discontinued.. It held everything listed above with ease.
I did a 5 mile hike one day, 3500 ft vertical, over a 3 hour period with all my gear and felt fine. Also had a waterbottle and a bag of trail mix in the bag. Fantastic piece of equipment for that kind of trip!


All in all, it was incredible and I can't wait to go back to Switzerland!

Attached Images

 

[pres589]

Glad the trip went well.

Rehashing old news, what would you go with if you could do it again? Sounds like DA 15, DA 35, DA 70? Anything else? Like any lens for the camera you brought; a DA 20-40? 16-50? 18-135? F 28?

[UserAccessDenied]

Glad the trip went well.

Rehashing old news, what would you go with if you could do it again? Sounds like DA 15, DA 35, DA 70? Anything else? Like any lens for the camera you brought; a DA 20-40? 16-50? 18-135? F 28?

15/35/70 would be ideal, though no WR... And it certainly rained a few times on us...

That said, I'm not taking many pictures in the rain, so as long as I have confidence in the bag my gear would be good.

I'd probably leave it at that!
Maybe swap the 35 macro for an FA 31 if funds allowed it haha.
Also swap the K-3ii for a KP if funds allowed me to own both cameras...

[MarkJerling]

As you have already had plenty of advice, I'll just add:

Enjoy your trip! Remember that coffee in Italy is an espresso and is drunk standing up.

When you say "power converter" do you mean a plug adapter? Your charger will accept input voltages from 110 - 240V.

[UserAccessDenied]

As you have already had plenty of advice, I'll just add:

Enjoy your trip! Remember that coffee in Italy is an espresso and is drunk standing up.

When you say "power converter" do you mean a plug adapter? Your charger will accept input voltages from 110 - 240V.

Thanks!
Though we are already home.. trip was in June.
But I'll definitely be referencing this thread for future trips, even if it does take 10 years to fund another vacation like this hahah

[MarkJerling]

Thanks!
Though we are already home.. trip was in June.
But I'll definitely be referencing this thread for future trips, even if it does take 10 years to fund another vacation like this hahah

Aha! Sorry!

[UncleVanya]

You have the 15, 35, and 70 (and 100? ) with you. You should either A) Time your lens swaps better, or B) Find a shot with what you have on the camera at the time.

Sometimes you can walk around with one lens, then re-walk around with another, looking for different shots.

If you truly bought the 16-85 specifically for the trip then you could leave your 15, 35 and 70 :-)

I had an 8-day vacation in New York City with only the 10-17 FE, 12-24 and 17-70. Of course that city is very compact but I only "wanted something longer" about once.

Given what we know now about what worked this was sage advice. I certainly would have expected the 16-85 to get more use. I'm glad to know the 15-35-70 combo really sang. I carry the 15/40/70 sometimes for myself. I have the FA 31 and FA 77 and the kit sometimes becomes 15/31/77 but for that trip 15/35/70 seems like a good choice.

[UserAccessDenied]

Given what we know now about what worked this was sage advice. I certainly would have expected the 16-85 to get more use. I'm glad to know the 15-35-70 combo really sang. I carry the 15/40/70 sometimes for myself. I have the FA 31 and FA 77 and the kit sometimes becomes 15/31/77 but for that trip 15/35/70 seems like a good choice.

The 15/35/70 is certainly the budget choice as well!


I feel like that needs to be a Pentax catch phrase...

What should I bring?
15/35/70...

It seriously is a three-lens-prime-mega-combo, and can be found for under $1000 used, if not cheaper.
Wide angle, normal, macro, portrait, street, landscape...

[UncleVanya]

The 15/35/70 is certainly the budget choice as well!


I feel like that needs to be a Pentax catch phrase...

What should I bring?
15/35/70...

It seriously is a three-lens-prime-mega-combo, and can be found for under $1000 used, if not cheaper.
Wide angle, normal, macro, portrait, street, landscape...

I've avoided the 35, partially because I've got too many lenses nearly that focal length. 31, 35 f2, 40... But also as a macro missed focus can be painfully slow when used as a normal lens.