[ncallender]

This is sort of urgent - I'm going on a trip to europe in the next few days and want to bring a pretty small kit with me. I'm going to try a first for me and just take 2 small primes. It's going to be a k7 and da 21 so far. I've the option to take either the fa50 1.4 or the da70. I'm mostly going to be shooting opportunistically and will be with family, so it's not a dedicated photo trip (hence the reason to travel really light). I'll be in both country and city.

So, which one out of the two would you take and why - I can't decide! :-)

[twitch]

Is an extra 150g really going to weigh you down that much ? You can't just pack all 3?

I'd take the DA21 & DA70 if I had to restrict myself to 2 lenses of those 3.

[john5100]

Tough choice but I would say the 70mm so that you cab get some good detail shots. The 21 gives you some wide angle and the 70 will give you the reach.

[Danny Delcambre]

Most small and light lens is DA 40mm ltd pancake. Smile.

[dgaies]

Most small and light lens is DA 40mm ltd pancake. Smile.

I'm assuming the OP has to choose between the 21, 50 and 70.

[SpecialK]

21 and 70.

[Clicker]

My personal preference is always "wide", so that means add the 50 to the 21, 70 might be just too long for a "family" outing. the 50 is long enough intimate potraits and inside with choice lighting with 1.4 and the 21 can serve as the daily all-around lens.

[Rondec]

I would prefer the DA 70 to complement the DA 21. FA 50 is a little slower to focus and I just don't like rendering on it quite as well as the DA 70. On the other hand it is 1 and 1/2 stops faster, which could come in handy at times. I guess I'd throw the question back at you. Which focal length do you like better?

[Marc Sabatella]

For me, it's about focal length first. Either you prefer 50mm or 70mm for your short telephoto usage. I prefer 70mm. I think a 21 & 70 would make a great combo, although I'd be a bit concerned about 21 not being wide enough.

[ncallender]

I think I'm going to go with the 70 this time. It should prove to be a fun trip, and I think these two ultimately complement me quite well. Thanks for all the comments. It's fun to get a small, QUALITY, travel kit put together that is a joy to use instead of getting in the way. I'll find out if I like this setup over my previous setup (18-50 f/2.8 and 100 f/2.8 macro, which is a pretty great combo as well).

[twitch]

FWIW if I had to go with only 2 of my own primes to a city I hadn't been before wanting to do travel photography, I'd pack my DA15 & FA31.

[yusuf]

This is sort of urgent - I'm going on a trip to europe in the next few days and want to bring a pretty small kit with me. I'm going to try a first for me and just take 2 small primes. It's going to be a k7 and da 21 so far. I've the option to take either the fa50 1.4 or the da70. I'm mostly going to be shooting opportunistically and will be with family, so it's not a dedicated photo trip (hence the reason to travel really light). I'll be in both country and city.

So, which one out of the two would you take and why - I can't decide! :-)

I would suggest FA50, I found my FA77 a bit long for street shots.

[Andi Lo]

Just bring all three. I'd probably have the 21 on most of the time, with the 70 next. I'd use the 50 only when i need the f1.4

[hcc]

Let me bring some thought-provoking input. Why do you want to bring 2 primes? Why don't you take one prime and one body only?

I travel worldwide several times per year and I prefer (by far) to travel with 1 body and one lens only. No lens swapping, no extra bag for the lens(es), no hard choice between lenses. After a number of experiences, I came to the conclusion that the best combos are:
1 body + DA18-250mm or
1 body + FA31mm f1.8 Ltd.

The later choice (FA31mm) is my preference of travelling light with a prime and it is relevant to this thread. The focal length of the FA31mm is perfect: neither too wide nor too narrow. The lens is fast (f1.8) and works nicely in low lights. IQ is outstanding. An excellent compromise IMHO.

Food for thoughts...

Let me bring some thought-provoking input. Why do you want to bring 2 primes? Why don't you take one prime and one body only?

I travel worldwide several times per year and I prefer (by far) to travel with 1 body and one lens only. No lens swapping, no extra bag for the lens(es), no hard choice between lenses. After a number of experiences, I came to the conclusion that the best combos are:
1 body + DA18-250mm or
1 body + FA31mm f1.8 Ltd.

The later choice (FA31mm) is my preference of travelling light with a prime and it is relevant to this thread. The focal length of the FA31mm is perfect: neither too wide nor too narrow. The lens is fast (f1.8) and works nicely in low lights. IQ is outstanding. An excellent compromise IMHO.

Food for thoughts...

This is an older post I read, that had no follow up, and i thought it should. I just want to say that in the era of super-zooms, this is a unique perspective and one I tend to support. Probably my best travel photography experience was with my sony a700, a 35/f2 and a 135/2.8. That's all I had, and I was more creative and got better rendering than any other trip. There was one time I wished I had longer, and I mean a lot longer for some off-short shots of an island full of seals. Oh well, I'm still here alive. The other was I wanted something wider for some indoor shots at a concert. I still got some shots and in fact it wasn't the best venue to take shots anyway. This is a whole zoom vs prime discussion, but hey, this is Pentax.

So, just one lens? Hmm, I can't argue with the normal 30 range.

I'm thinking that an ideal two-lens setup would be the DA21 and DA70. Something wide-ish and something long-ish. Primes make you visualize, and you simply accept that this is the 'view' through which you'll see your scenes. Anyhow, I thought it was worth responding to this uncommon approach to things.