what to take to New York

mazdaman

mazdaman

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Going to New York later this year and looking for some help from fellow TP members who vistied the big apple on lens choice. I have both full frame and crop Canons to choose from but unsure on which way to go based on my lens line up. I have the following lens and body line up. Only looking to take one body but which way to go?

Canon 6D
Canon 80D

Lenses
24-105L
40mm F2.8
85mm F1.8
10-18mm F4.5/5.6

I would like to travel with a two lens combo and am thinking Canon 6D +24-105 with the 85mm but not sure if the 24-105 is wide enough for New York so may add a 17-40 or 20-35 if the 24-105 is not wide enough. For the 80D 10-18 no issues here for width but would need to add a longer zoom from the 18mm end upwards so need some idea what would work for New York if the 6D combo is not deemed sufficent. So feel free to chip in with what worked for you in New York.

Thanks
 
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I went last year and I took 2 lenses 14-24mm and 24-120mm I found I would have been OK with just the 24-120mm FX
 
I went for my honeymoon last year and got by perfectly well with a 24-70 and an 18-35, i also had a fisheye which was useful in the city library and grand central station as the wide angle wasn't quite wide enough for those! I had a zoom with me too but truth be told only bothered with it on the river cruise for the statue of liberty. We walked for miles and miles and i must admit next time we go i will be taking a bit less kit out and about with me but part of the reason for taking so much last time was because our hotel was in the financial district so it was a ball ache to just pop back to the hotel to swap kit. Oh, and if you find a velbon carbon fibre monopod with a gorillapod ballhead in one of the cabs please let me know :(:mad:
 
On a holiday that isn't a dedicated photographic trip I'd take a quality camera with a standard wide aperture prime in the region of 35 to 50mm and a quality compact for the wider or longer stuff and more discrete good light stuff. Actually these days there are quality CSC's with very compact lenses so two quality CSC's, one with a zoom and the other with a prime, could be ok too rather than one CSC and a compact. Theses options interest me much more than a large DSLR and large zooms.
 
keeweeman said:
I went for my honeymoon last year and got by perfectly well with a 24-70 and an 18-35, i also had a fisheye which was useful in the city library and grand central station as the wide angle wasn't quite wide enough for those! I had a zoom with me too but truth be told only bothered with it on the river cruise for the statue of liberty. We walked for miles and miles and i must admit next time we go i will be taking a bit less kit out and about with me but part of the reason for taking so much last time was because our hotel was in the financial district so it was a ball ache to just pop back to the hotel to swap kit. Oh, and if you find a velbon carbon fibre monopod with a gorillapod ballhead in one of the cabs please let me know :(:mad:
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Ha left my gorrilpod in Prague last year so feel your pain
 
It was the monopod that was the kicker, had the strap on my wrist all day, got in the cab and took it off and just completely forgot to pick it up, 100 quid down the drain and it was a present off the wife too which didn't help
 
Honestly I would just bring your 10-24 and 24-105. You don't want a heavy bag, you'll be doing a LOT of walking [best way to see the city]

I brought a 24-70 and a150mm with me, and the only thing I felt missing was a wider angle. You won't use a longer zoom near as much.
 
I went in November. Take your 6d and 24-105L, its ideal. It light and doesn't take up much room.

I also had a Samyang 14mm which together with the 6d produced some great images, consider getting or hiring one to take (as your 10mm wont work with the 6d). Have a look at my thread for examples :) https://www.talkphotography.co.uk/threads/new-york.640803/

I also took an 85mm which actually worked very well for street stuff.

They all fitted in a small Lowepro messenger.
 
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odd jim said:
I went in November. Take your 6d and 24-105L, its ideal. It light and doesn't take up much room.

I also had a Samyang 14mm which together with the 6d produced some great images, consider getting or hiring one to take (as your 10mm wont work with the 6d). Have a look at my thread for examples :) https://www.talkphotography.co.uk/threads/new-york.640803/

I also took an 85mm which actually worked very well for street stuff.

They all fitted in a small Lowepro messenger.
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Hi Odd Jim

Nice work. did you find the 24-105 wide enough ? would prefer to take the 6D and a two lens combo its a question of will the 24-105 be wide enough if not what to go with 16-35 F4 or some other wide like the Samyang 14mm. I have the 85mm F1.8 which I may take. Would really appreciate your take on what worked well on your trip. I just want to bare kit but not miss out on the opportunities that the right lens combo will give me. My problem is I have both the 80D and the 6D and am one lens short no ultra wide for the 6D and no mid tele for the 80D beyond the 18mm

Places that I intend to go are are similar to yours Top of the Rock, highline park, Statue of liberty Central Park so what to cover as many options with just 2-3 lenses.
 
mazdaman said:
Hi Odd Jim

Nice work. did you find the 24-105 wide enough ? would prefer to take the 6D and a two lens combo its a question of will the 24-105 be wide enough if not what to go with 16-35 F4 or some other wide like the Samyang 14mm. I have the 85mm F1.8 which I may take. Would really appreciate your take on what worked well on your trip. I just want to bare kit but not miss out on the opportunities that the right lens combo will give me. My problem is I have both the 80D and the 6D and am one lens short no ultra wide for the 6D and no mid tele for the 80D beyond the 18mm

Places that I intend to go are are similar to yours Top of the Rock, highline park, Statue of liberty Central Park so what to cover as many options with just 2-3 lenses.
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Your 6d with the 24-105 will deal with most things TBH. I would recommend an ultra wide top as the opportunities for creative UWA stuff are too good to miss :)

Maybe look for a used 14mm Samyang? The 85mm is perfect for street stuff too. I did also bring a little 35mm f/2 but I didn't really use it much.

So - 6d, 24-105 and 14mm [emoji3]
 
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I took my 1DX 17-40, 135L and 35L

Used mostly the 17-40 for the skyline but found myself with the 35 on a lot too.
 
I'd personally take the 6d with a 17-40 at leave the rest. Reading through I'm sure you're more confused now than when you started.
 
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When I went a couple of years ago I only had a Panasonic Lumix G6 with a 14-45mm which works out to be similar to 28-90mm in FF terms and I found it was never wide enough for me. Would love to go again with something that's equivalent to FF 16-18mm wide
 
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Having study Odd jims New york photos the 24-105 gives a good amount of flexibility and the Samyung/Irix ultra wide or the 16-35mm covers in my opinion quite a lot of options. I have also consider my fellow travellers have no interest in photography so I need to be able to shot on the move.

Odd Jim what filters did you use with your Samyang as I need to factor in a filter option, my current filters will cover the 24-105 (Hi tech)
 
mazdaman said:
Having study Odd jims New york photos the 24-105 gives a good amount of flexibility and the Samyung/Irix ultra wide or the 16-35mm covers in my opinion quite a lot of options. I have also consider my fellow travellers have no interest in photography so I need to be able to shot on the move.

Odd Jim what filters did you use with your Samyang as I need to factor in a filter option, my current filters will cover the 24-105 (Hi tech)
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None! The problem with the 14mm Samyang (and other FF UWA's) is that the front element is so big and the FOV so wide, the filters are huge!
 
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rjbell said:
Yes I'm sure I would miss some shots but I'd be on holiday first taking photos second. I wouldn't want to lug lenses around.
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As was I when I went, its not a real issue really.

In fact, when I was travelling in 2015 I just took a Sony RX 100 which I just put in my pocket, but oddly I'm more comfortable with a DSLR and a couple of lenses in a good bag than a small but weighty (relatively speaking) compact swinging around in my pocket (wearing lightweight walking trousers). Also the bag is useful for other things.

A 6d with the 24-105L is a great travel combo (just returned from touring Australia with mine :) )
 
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I went for new year. Used the 24-105 on a 5D mk3 all the time, it's plenty wide enough. Possibly less than 10 shots with a wide angle.
Good walking shoes are a must and travelling light. I'd suggest a small additional battery pack to charge your phone if you use it for maps etc or the occasional panoramic

164803851.jpg

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robinsslee said:
I'm heading to NYC in March so my list would be 5D3, 50mm, 100-400mm and either 14mm or 16-35mm
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Why the 100-400?

So you've about 1Kg weight for the body, 650g for the 16-35, 300g for the 50mm 1.4 and 1.5kg for the 100-400, plus what, 1kg for the backpack/bag, so call it 5-6kg at a rough estimate you'd be carrying around. We walked around 9-10 miles a day
Some other thoughts:
There's several tourist places don't allow backpacks so you'd have to put it in a locker.
Whilst we were there (ok New Year) but people at our hotel had items stolen from their camera backpacks whilst being worn, pick pockets etc
It can get quite crowded in places, Grand Central, queuing for the ferries, on the subway
 
Byker28i said:
Why the 100-400?

So you've about 1Kg weight for the body, 650g for the 16-35, 300g for the 50mm 1.4 and 1.5kg for the 100-400, plus what, 1kg for the backpack/bag, so call it 5-6kg at a rough estimate you'd be carrying around. We walked around 9-10 miles a day
Some other thoughts:
There's several tourist places don't allow backpacks so you'd have to put it in a locker.
Whilst we were there (ok New Year) but people at our hotel had items stolen from their camera backpacks whilst being worn, pick pockets etc
It can get quite crowded in places, Grand Central, queuing for the ferries, on the subway
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This is true, I too was questioning the 100-400!

However, NY is generally a very safe place, it's certainly safer and more secure in Manhatten than any city I've ever been to, with a huge police presence. Back packs were allowed In all the main touristy places (such as the Empire State etc) but were subject to airport style security and X-rays.
 
Byker28i said:
Why the 100-400?

So you've about 1Kg weight for the body, 650g for the 16-35, 300g for the 50mm 1.4 and 1.5kg for the 100-400, plus what, 1kg for the backpack/bag, so call it 5-6kg at a rough estimate you'd be carrying around. We walked around 9-10 miles a day
Some other thoughts:
There's several tourist places don't allow backpacks so you'd have to put it in a locker.
Whilst we were there (ok New Year) but people at our hotel had items stolen from their camera backpacks whilst being worn, pick pockets etc
It can get quite crowded in places, Grand Central, queuing for the ferries, on the subway
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I don't really mind the weight and if I do I've moved on to something extremely light.

100-400mm is one of my most used lens be it in wildlife it landscape. I do not wish to miss the opportunity when I need it. I'll be smart if I were to walk 10 million steps then weight reduction is necessary. Of I forgot to mention I will be our from the city for a few days.

As for the thief, just be aware of your surroundings and be alert.
 
odd jim said:
This is true, I too was questioning the 100-400!

However, NY is generally a very safe place, it's certainly safer and more secure in Manhatten than any city I've ever been to, with a huge police presence. Back packs were allowed In all the main touristy places (such as the Empire State etc) but were subject to airport style security and X-rays.
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There were no backpacks allowed in the Memorial Museum, Statue of Liberty, Barclays Centre, Moma, one of the other museums I can't for the life of me remember which - sorry.
Everywhere else there's often bag searches in place, as above airport security type, not just a bloke looking in your bag.

We didn't have issues, but some other tourists in our city did, but that may have been because it was New Year.

As for the 100-400, I guess you could join the others in central park... :D
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Byker28i said:
There were no backpacks allowed in the Memorial Museum, Statue of Liberty, Barclays Centre, Moma, one of the other museums I can't for the life of me remember which - sorry.
Everywhere else there's often bag searches in place, as above airport security type, not just a bloke looking in your bag.

We didn't have issues, but some other tourists in our city did, but that may have been because it was New Year.

As for the 100-400, I guess you could join the others in central park... :D
164803895.jpg
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Maybe it was New Years, there were people with back packs in the 9/11 museum, Statue of Liberty etc, but I know they did have enhanced security for new year. There may have been some profiling involved too!
 
Oh and what to take to New York - Money and lots of it. It's the most expensive place I've been to in the US for food and drink and everyone expects a 20% tip now.
 
Byker28i said:
Bloody Foreigners ! :D
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Dont worry when we are post EU we are going back and reclaim the colonies. I keep telling one of my colleagues in the States we have some unfinished business and build your wall down the Atlantic coast.It will take more than chucking tea in the sea to stops the Brits this time!
 
Cool - great eating place if you're in Halem is the Red Rooster - 310 Lenox Ave opposite 125th st station
http://www.redroosterharlem.com/
Popular, stylish comfort food eatery with creative cooking from celeb chef Marcus Samuelsson.
 
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I'm going in two days.

Wasn't planned enough in advance as I was thinking about getting a SH 10-22 to go on my 600d. As it is, I can't decide between a 'better lens' or a more useful lens.

I've recently bought a Tamron 24-70 2.8 which has the advantage of better optics and low(er) light capability, but my default 'walking about' lens was my Sigma 18-250. This would cover off pretty much everything (and is much lighter), but I already know the lens isn't as good.
 
How about take nothing, just rent the kit you need at B&H when you get there? I will agree it is very tiring with lots of walking if you don't use the subway, and it is always the wider lenses that will be of more use…its very built up!.

Eating…its like everywhere, just knowing the places to go, some even in Manhattan are very reasonable. Its like London, its having the knowledge! Ask around at your hotel, some of the staff will know the best places, where do they go? But probably best not asking those on a commission to get you a booking.
 
I took my Nikon D750 with 20mm, 50mm and 85mm primes. PLus my Fuji X100T which was 35mm equiv. The Fuji and the 20mm got the most use, 20mm for the wide stuff but the 35mm as that's a great length. The 50mm rarely got used and the 85 was more useful than I had thought. Definatley a case for having something like a 70-200 or similar. But, 80% at a guess) were shot using 20mm/35mm
 
I went last December with my EM1 and 12-40mm f2.8 (24-80mm eq) and that was pretty much all I needed. I did take the 40-150mm too (80-300mm eq) but it wasn't needed. I took a couple of shots with it from the top of the World Trade Centre and Empire State but I kinda did that just because I had it with me, I wouldn't have been disappointed or regretted it had I not had it on me.

Here's my shots from that trip

https://www.talkphotography.co.uk/t...istmas-2017-sorry-extremely-pic-heavy.668785/
 
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Update from my visit last year, knowing the fact that I am not doing any wildlife so I have abandoned the 100-400mm idea and took 70-200mm instead. The only tower I did was One World Observatory and skipped the Empire States or Rockefeller Tower. The lens I bought was 16-35mm, 24-105mm and 70-200mm only. Have posted some images on both my Flickr and Instagram account.
 
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robinsslee said:
Update from my visit last year, knowing the fact that I am not doing any wildlife so I have abandoned the 100-400mm idea and took 70-200mm instead. The only tower I did was One World Observatory and skipped the Empire States or Rockefeller Tower. The lens I bought was 16-35mm, 24-105mm and 70-200mm only. Have posted some images on both my Flickr and Instagram account.
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Just had a look at your NY pics, very nice. You had some great light (y). Really like the shot from (I assume) the helicopter.
 
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