Looking for goals for your next trips? You are in the right place. The time to select the equipment to face your next great vacation adventure can be more complicated than you imagine. The big unknown is: travel comfortable and light or carry all the equipment? Before trying to answer the previous question, you need to ask yourself an even more important one: What kind of photographs do you hope to take? In this sense, I would like to help you with this complete guide with tips, tricks and a lot of inspiration for your travel photographs.
When it comes to preparing your photographic backpack for a trip, there are many scenarios and possibilities that you may come across, so taking some time to think about what photographs you want to find when you return will be essential.
That is why, in today’s article, I have prepared a list of the main aspects that you should pay attention to, if you want to travel comfortably but, at the same time, without missing any great photos.
But if you need more generic information, in this lens buying guide we tell you what you should keep in mind when buying one and we leave you our best recommendations.
What would you want it for…?
Although it is true that, when preparing the backpack, it may tempt you to carry an arsenal of objectives with you to be “covered” in any situation, this may not be the most practical and convenient (especially for your back).
Keep in mind that the more you load your backpack with objectives and accessories, the heavier the trip will become and, believe me, after a few hours walking in the sun, you will want to leave the team in the middle of nowhere 😉 .
For a photographer like you, as important as defining the destination or the hotel where you stay, it must be defining what type of photographs you hope to obtain throughout this new adventure. Taking pictures in a big cosmopolitan city is not the same as taking them in the middle of a tropical forest or on the slopes of a mountain range.
That is why the key to any great choice is: good research and careful planning.
Depending on the destination you are going to visit, you should evaluate what are the photographic possibilities that it offers you in order to be able to choose the ideal objectives to achieve your next great series of photographs.
But, for this, you need to know what the ideal objective is for each of the situations you may come across.
wide angle
Types of lens according to focal length
The focal length of your lens not only indicates the “level of closeness” you can get when taking a photograph, but also, depending on the focal length you plan to use, your photographs will change. perspective, angle of view, depth of field, and framing each of them.
Choosing between one focal length or another will depend on what kind of pictures do you want to take more than the distance you will be from your subjects or objects to be portrayed. That is why, if any of the terms mentioned are unknown to you and you do not know what they mean, the following article on how to use the focal length of your lens to achieve splendid compositions will be of pearls for you.
As a review, here is a brief description of the different types of lenses that you may come across and their ideal use:
- super wide angle: These types of lenses have a focal length that ranges from 8 to 18 millimeters and will allow you to cover an angle of vision between 100 and 180 degrees or even more. The most extreme of these lenses will allow you to look at the world from a “Fish Eye”. If you want to take panoramic photos or leave everyone speechless with an impressive photograph taken with a fisheye, do not hesitate to take one of these lenses with you.
- Wide Angle: are those lenses whose focal length ranges from 18 to 35 millimeters and that cover a viewing angle of between 100 and 60 degrees. If you are planning to go out and shoot some great landscapes, a wide-angle lens is one of the essential ingredients that every landscape photography needs.
- Standard: These are all those lenses whose focal length ranges from 35 to 65 millimeters and which cover a viewing angle of 60 to 35 degrees. These types of lenses are ideal for taking “social” or portrait photographs. If you plan to take many photos of your partner, your children or your friends sharing unique moments, take a standard lens with you. Do you want to meet the king of these? I present to you the 50mm f/1.4.
- Short TV: These lenses are those whose focal length varies between 65 and 135 millimeters, that is, their angle of view will be approximately 35 and 18 degrees, respectively. These types of lenses have the problem of being halfway: they are somewhat “long” to use in social photography and somewhat “short” to photograph targets at a great distance.
- Telephoto lenses: These lenses cover an angle of view of 18 to 8 degrees, which means that their focal length varies between 135 and 300 mm. These types of lenses are ideal for photographing distant subjects and also for compressing perspective in an image. If you are planning to take an action and adventure trip, a telephoto lens will be essential if you do not want to miss any detail.
- Super telephoto lenses: the focal length of these lenses is almost extreme; You can find them in 400, 600 and even 1200 and, unless you plan to do sports photography, birds in flight or astrophotography (with the risk of ending up in the physiotherapist to fix your back), you will not need one of them.
Please note that the focal lengths above are the respective ones for a full frame or full sensor format, so if you have a cropped sensor (APS-C) or smaller camera, you will need to calculate the effective focal length for is. How to do it? It is very easy, in the following article you will find the relationship between focal length and crop factor.
What kind of photographs do you plan to take?
As a summary, here is a diagram that will help you better understand the different types of objectives and what type of situations they were designed for so that, when you are planning your next trips, you can choose which one to take and which one to leave:
Fixed or variable focal lengths?
Fixed Focal Lenses They are those that, as their name indicates, do not allow the focal length for which they were designed to be varied. On the other hand, variable focal length lenses allow a greater distance to be covered by moving the position of the lenses and varying the focal length.
The main advantage of fixed focal lenses is that their optical quality is superior to those of variable focal length, which will translate into sharper photographs with fewer aberrations and, as they are built with fewer moving parts, they are more resistant and robust, but very light.
In addition, they are usually much brighter than those with variable focal length, which will allow you to take better shots in low light conditions and at the same time, by working with more open diaphragms (f/1.4, f/1.8, f/2.8), you will be able to get more unfocused backgrounds.
Variable focal or “zoom” lenses Their main advantage is their great versatility and comfort, since they allow you to adjust the frame without moving. These types of lenses may be essential for certain types of photographs where you require a greater focal range, such as nature or sports photography.
In addition, by bringing together a large number of focal ranges in a single lens, you avoid constantly exchanging lenses in your camera, gaining speed and avoiding bumps and dust on the lenses and on the sensor of your camera. Its main disadvantage is its price (since it is usually considerably higher than those with a fixed focal length) and that, having a much greater number of moving parts, they are more fragile in the event of any blow or accident.
Front: fixed focal lengths. Back: Variable Focals
The challenge: If you are an intrepid photographer who loves challenges, you can choose to use only fixed focal lenses for your trips. You will have more limitations than working with a single varifocal lens, but it can be an excellent opportunity for you to train your ingenuity when taking your photos.
Recommended Lenses for Travel
Choosing a lens for travel is a very personal decision, it will depend a lot on the type of photography you like to do, or on your way of working as a photographer. However, I want to leave you with some objectives to guide you in your search, which I am aware is not always easy 😉
Fixed goals recommended for trips
A fixed lens can mark a before and after in your way of conceiving photography. So I recommend that you lose your fear and take a look at them.
50mm f/1.4 lens
If you want a lightweight lens with spectacular sharpness and brightness at an incredible price, I recommend the King of Lenses without any hesitation. Its focal length makes it super versatile, it has an incredible blur, and it weighs quite little, without a doubt an ideal travel companion.
Got it for NikonCanyon or sony.
A cheaper option that will also give you very good results is the Prince of objectives; the 50mm f/1.8.
Got it for NikonSony or Canon.
35mm f/1.4 fixed lens
The 35mm has a little more angle than the 50mm, for photographs with a more documentary or street focus. If this is more your style, it is a success 🙂 .
Depending on the brand you will find it in an aperture of f/1.4 of/1.8. Here you can find it for NikonCanyonFujior Sony.
If you doubt between 35mm or 50mm, this article will help you. The million dollar question, 35mm or 50mm?
24mm f/1.4 fixed lens
An ideal fixed lens for landscape, very bright, sharp and with a good angle.
You have it in version «pancake» for Canon (reviewed here) with a spectacular aperture of f/2.8. Here are some other “pancake” targets you may be interested in.
From the Sigma brand you have this 24mm f/1.4 for Nikon or Canon. We review it here in case you want to take a look.
Or in an f/2.8 version for Nikon that lighter and somewhat less luminous which is not bad either.
Recommended zoom lenses for your trips
If you opt more for a zoom lens, these are the lenses that we recommend the most:
17-50mm f/2.8 Zoom Lens
A lens that includes very interesting focal lengths such as the wide angle, 35mm or 50mm. It also has a good diaphragm opening and a great value for money.
You got it from Tamron brandssigma.
Zoom lens 55-200mm
If you are looking for a zoom that moves from a normal focal length to a telephoto type, this focal range can be a very interesting option. These lenses are usually less luminous…