Low cost architecture lens

tattywelshie

tattywelshie

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Hi folks, I'm off to Berlin next month and want a good lens, for my 5D2, for snapping some of the amazing architecture there. I have a 24-70L and a 35L lens but wanted something slightly wider. I don't want to spend much, nothing more than £300 really, so wondered what you guys might recommend? I'm thinking a wide angle zoom would be good, but really not sure! Help! :)
 
I think your existing lenses will be fine for Berlin.
 
stevelmx5 said:
^^ As above. Alternatively, there's the Canon 17-40 F4 possibly?
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Only if you really want to scratch the new lens itch.

I could walk around Berlin all day and not feel the need to change from either my 23mm or 27mm (on Fuji crop, so the 35L should be perfect on a 5Dii).
 
My usual Berlin tips.. ;)

Alastair said:
There have been a few similar threads about Berlin, it's one of my favourite cities - hopefully going back for a couple of weeks later this year..

Summary of some personal top tips (based on summer visits) off the top of my head:
  • Book a dinner in the revolving restaurant of the Fernsehturm, fantastic experience and the food is excellent <- this is my #1 must do tip
  • The best view of the city is from the observation deck of Park Inn, Alexanderplatz. Walk straight through the foyer, take the lift to the top,follow the signs up a couple of flights of stairs. Wrap up warm,it's open air.
  • There's a small alley to the right of Hackesche Höfe that has some decent graffiti and an alternative art shop, cinema, cafe and bar
  • Kreuzkoelln (the border area between Kreuzberg and Neukoelln) is a fairly happening place that's worth an explore
  • Beelitz Heilstätten is s short train journey away, been a couple of years since I was last there but it's been an urbex legend for a decade - be very careful
  • Every underground station is visually unique, do look around you when using public transport as some of them are very pretty
  • Lots of films have been shot in Berlin, these provide some useful location inspiration
  • If Berliner Unterwelten (http://berliner-unterwelten.de/) are running tours whilst you're there they are very interesting - no photography though
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And see https://www.talkphotography.co.uk/threads/berlin-german-1st-time-visit.317572/
 
tattywelshie said:
Wow great tips, thanks so so much for that :) Think I might just take the 35 then and save some cash! :)
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How long are you going for? - it's one of my favourite cities, we keep going back as we've some very good friends living there.

Another tip I forgot (it's probably at the end of one of the links in the thread above) and something that catches a lot of visitors out.. when you get a public transport ticket you must validate it before use, this includes the weekend/weekly passes which need to be validated before their first use (the period their valid starts from the day they are stamped - stamp a 3-day ticket at 11pm on Friday and it's valid to midnight Sunday, Friday counts as the first day). If you're caught without a validated ticket there's a fine. Having an unvalidated ticket in your possession is no defence.


Grab a copy of Tip (www.tip-berlin.de) when you get to the city to find out whats on, looks like there's a William Klein exhibition at C/O Berlin (www.co-berlin.org/en/william-klein) starting at the end of April.. and if you're in the area the quirky Museum Der Dinge (Museum of Things) is worth a short visit (www.museumderdinge.de).
 
Alastair said:
How long are you going for? - it's one of my favourite cities, we keep going back as we've some very good friends living there.

Another tip I forgot (it's probably at the end of one of the links in the thread above) and something that catches a lot of visitors out.. when you get a public transport ticket you must validate it before use, this includes the weekend/weekly passes which need to be validated before their first use (the period their valid starts from the day they are stamped - stamp a 3-day ticket at 11pm on Friday and it's valid to midnight Sunday, Friday counts as the first day). If you're caught without a validated ticket there's a fine. Having an unvalidated ticket in your possession is no defence.


Grab a copy of Tip (www.tip-berlin.de) when you get to the city to find out whats on, looks like there's a William Klein exhibition at C/O Berlin (www.co-berlin.org/en/william-klein) starting at the end of April.. and if you're in the area the quirky Museum Der Dinge (Museum of Things) is worth a short visit (www.museumderdinge.de).
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We are going for 3 days, cant wait!!! Good shout re the validation thing, have been caught out in numerous cities with invalid tickets so don't want to add Berlin to that list lol

Will defo check out those links, they look great! I really want to check out some historical sites, have a massive interest in WW2! :)
 
If you have time before you go, you might be interested in reading The Ghosts of Berlin: Confronting German History in the Urban Landscape by Brian Ladd. Although it's starting to get out-of-date as Berlin reinvents its urban landscape, it's quite a thoughtful read about how Berlin has approached and dealt with the remains of the past - Wiemar, 1939-45, the cold war and unification. I often think Germany (and particularly Berlin) has a much healthier attitude to WW2 than the UK. With the never-ending redevelopment of Berlin they're constantly having to think about how to deal with the past. And sometimes they make some strange choices,e.g. rebuilding the imperial palace.
 
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