Which lenses for Vietnam and Cambodia?

digital

Suspended / Banned
Messages
1,180
Edit My Images
No
We'll be visiting the 'usual' sights so am looking for advice on which lenses to take for my 5D3 and 7D2.

The choices are from:
Sigma 12-24
Canon 24-10
Canon28-300
Sigma 150-600
 
I did Vietnam with a 28-300 on FF and it was ideal as a lot of the classic landscapes need a bit longer than 105mm.

For Cambodia you will want the UWA for Angkor Watt.

So I would just take the 5D3, the two lenses above and a fast prime. For me, when travelling you want quick versatility without having to change lenses so a superzoom always works well, it's about capturing the moment, not ultimate IQ.
 
Thanks. 5D3, 12-24 and 28-300 it will be (I don't have a prime, fast or otherwise!).
 
I wandered around in the north east recently with 50 1.4 on my FF camera. It was quite liberating and my feet were the zoom. It didn't help with the heron that decided to turn up but I didn't really care. :D
 
I haven't been to those places only Thailand but if they're anything similar I'd say that a fast prime is a very good thing to have for low light and night time shooting. I'd also pack cleaning cloths for cleaning the lenses in the high humidity and possibly also a rocket and sensor cleaning gear and if possible some means of checking the shots and/or the sensor if you're likely to be changing lenses or have a camera that's otherwise susceptible to bunnies.

For me a 35 or 50mm f1.x would be all I'd want on a quality camera but I'd also take a quality compact for the longer and wider shots in good light.
 
Last edited:
The 50mm 1.4 is what I have and is lovely! But if money is an issue before a holiday. The 1.8 version can be had for under £100. At that price it offer great images! And the length on ff is perfect for market and street shots.
 
Lovely shots but... unless I knew I'd have literally no idea where in the world either was taken. I suppose it depends vastly on what you want to achieve. Your shots are stunning and as a part of a folder of shots with others showing context or as stand alone shots...beautiful.

The 50mm 1.4 is what I have and is lovely! But if money is an issue before a holiday. The 1.8 version can be had for under £100. At that price it offer great images! And the length on ff is perfect for market and street shots.

Yup but personally I may tend towards 35mm but I could live with 50 :D
 
Whichever you can find at a good price 2nd hand! Then, if you decide that 50mm isn't for you (although the f/1.4 may well come in more handy than you think it will) you should be able to sell it on at little or no loss.

FWIW, I'd go the 12-24, 28-300 and fast 50 route for lightness.
 
If you want a good wife view of a Ankor Wat then 24 will be enough.

Get there really early, about 2 hours before your tuk tuk driver suggests, it gets rammed early, take a tripod if you go really early. About 4 hours wait is worth it.
 
If you want a cheap prime for the bag get the canon 50mm STM smaller lighter cheaper and more robust than the f1.4 which is soft and lacking in contrast wide open!

Back on topic I'd take the 5d and 24-105mm having been to both your destinations with a crop body and sigma 17-70mm the only time I wanted longer was sunsets and I found it wide enough.
 
I admire your dedication for considering taking both a 5d and a 7d and lenses! :)
 
I would concur with the advice above about picking up a 50mm prime for low-light situations.

I would also seriously consider bringing a back-up camera, possibly a high-quality compact. I was on a trip in Vienna earlier this year and on the first day I dropped my Olympus E-M5 and broke the screen. The camera still worked, but if not I would still have been able to fall back on my Sony RX100; I've used the MkI, III, and IV, all of which yield excellent results.
 
Thanks for the advice, but we travel a lot and learned the hard way that cameras can fail when, right at the end of a trip to Antarctica and Iguazu Falls, both cameras failed. Now, we always have plenty of cameras of one description or other with us. In Antarctica recently we had eight: my 5D3 and 7D2, my wife's 70D, a Panasonic TZ60, a GoPro, a Ricoh Theta S and two smartphones! All but the 7D2 will be going to Vietnam.

As for a 50mm prime, I've got a Sigma 50mm 1.4 being delivered tomorrow.
 
Back
Top