Trip to Iceland and lenses to take.

[pic-pop]

I am planning a trip to Iceland. The lenses I have are as follows: Zeiss 18mm Batic, Zeiss 85mm Batic, Zeiss 35mm 1.4, Zeiss F4 24-70 Zoom and Sony 70-300mmZoom

 I would appreciate any help with lenses to take with.

Thanks Jerry

[Colorado]

I would take two cameras one with the 18mm and one with the 70-300mm. You might want the 35mm  along just in case. I just got back from Iceland in June and brought a 24 to 70 2.8 on my A7rII and found it at 24mm most of the time and wishing for a little more from time to time. I also had my A77II with a 70 to 200 2.8.  I used the cameras at about a 60 to 40 split. Loved not having to change lenses. If you do not have a 2nd camera you might consider renting one.  Have A great time.

[pic-pop]

Thank you Colorado. I only have the one  camera an A7Rll. You mention the 18 so would you consider the following 18, 24-70 and the 70-300. I would consider the 35 for night photos as well as day shots. I would consider leaving the 24-70 home if the 18 to 35 has enough coverage. I was contemplating selling the 24-70 and buying the 24 Batis in its place.

[Gilgenberg]

this is very subjective.....

 

i don´t know if you going for shooting or holiday / work

 

so thinking.........(as an example):

 

i would take the 35mm .............and a 50mm because it is my fav focal length

 

but it depends much on your way of shooting and how you like your lenses

 

i personally don´t like zoom lenses, makes me crazy 

 

for me it is better to see in focal length, like 50mm or wide as 35, 85mm is to long for me so 70mm would be better for the way i look at things

 

so in my case, beside i don´t like zooms, the 24-70 would give me all i need and i have only 1 lens and no need to change lenses and cleaning the sensor all the time

 

 

so if you like your Zeiss zoom i would recommend to take only your zoom

 

 

 

 

i personally would add 1 good small prime, like the sonnar 35 2.8 or the 55mm 1.8 or a adapted 50mm 1.4/2 manual lens, but it is not in your arsenal ....(maybe the 18 would be good for lanscape in iceland)

 

 

if you like your 35mm 1.4 and it is not to bulky for you..... on the end i would recommend you to take the 35mm  and the 24-70 ,

 

 

but changing lenses is a problem some times

 

not easy........................... but i find to have to many lenses is distracting

[FantomeP]

I'm planning to go over there too, in May. I'm currently pondering wheter i should buy a voigtlander 12mm or not for this special vacation

Imho, your batis 18mm will be a must have for landscapes, and the 70-300 could be usefull for the fauna. The rest should be up to your bag and shoulders capacities, and what focal you're the most confortable with (35mm ? 50mm ? 85mm ?)... A compact 50mm could be interesting to fill the gap between 18 and 70, if you have to travel light.

[Zé De Boni]

With all those dream lenses you already have you should have a second body. It is unwise to travel just with one body. Well, for an active photographer it is insane to  rely just on one camera anywhere.

Best if the second body is the same as your main (actually they form a pair with no main actor). As an alternative, an A6300 with the kit lens may be a good companion to your expensive set. You may fit your long OSS Zoom on it and have a narrower frame option. It would be a nice pair to your A7RII and the 24-70mm GM for an all purpose stroll or tour. The cheaper camera with the kit wide angle zoom may be useful, for instance, when you go close to a volcano rim or fumes, or by the sea surf, where you don't want to miss a different shot, not risking your more expensive stuff.

On my trips I usually take more lenses and cameras than needed for just a day work. That depends on how much weight I may carry on the move. Everyday (or night) I get out with a set chosen for the kind of subjects or situations that I will face. I try to be ready for the different picture opportunities without the need to change lenses on spot. The rest of my equipment is safe in my hotel room. If you can carry all them (as when you are driving), keep the additional pieces in a wheather sealed bag.

I agree that the 18 will be great for landscapes. When you are using it, then your second body may have the 24-70 or the 35. Whatever, don't forget your tripod, cable or remote release, and explore the twilight and night sky. 

[pic-pop]

Thank you for your input. I really don't want a second camera. I plan to take as little equipment as possible. The two essential lenses are the 18 and the 70-300 zoom. The question now is do i go for the 35 1.4 which is a great lens or the F4 24-70

[Colorado]

Just some insight. I went to Iceland with my Brother-in -law. (He is a big Canon guy) When we were discussing equipment before the trip. I informed him I was taking two bodies and he stated he had planned on taking only one... Well he followed my lead and brought two and was so so glad he did for several reasons. 1: The convenience of not have to change lenses. 2: Wind. Iceland is windy! We all know the last thing you want to be doing is post dust spot removal. 3: Rain. There is almost a 100% chance you will encounter the wet environment of Iceland and with it almost always blowing the rain will not just be limited to the vertical direction. 4: Depending on you filter inventory you may want to have two different setups while taking shots of the hundreds of foss (falls in English)

Given the Icelandic landscape, (Wide open, almost no trees) both while taking my shots with my 24 to 70 and in post, many times I caught myself thinking I wish I could of gotten a little wider shot.

[pic-pop]

Thanks again Colorado will look into buying or renting a body. When were you there .

Jerry

[Colorado]

May 27th to June 5th. Did the full Ring Road with a couple of excursions. We averaged five plus miles a day of hiking and were just shy of 2000 miles of driving for the trip. The trip beat all my expectations. Great experience.

 

PS. lensrentals.com is worth checking out. (If you're in the States...)

[alastc]

I went to Iceland a few years ago when I had a fairly full canon setup (14, 24-70, 70-200, 2x extender).

https://flickr.com/photos/10338784@N02/sets/72157644944162728

 

I think most pics were at the 24mm end of my standard zoom.

 

These days I would use the 21mm Loxia, a 35 or 50mm and the 70-300 or 70-200+extender.

That's for landscapes, around town type stuff, and wildlife.

 

If I had your lenses I would take the 24-70 as backup, but have the 18 (on the A7R2), 35 and 70-300 (on the A6300) in your day bag.

[Guest all8]

I spent 4 days in the western fjords, rained the _whole_ time, middle part was nice and dry, even sunny for a few hours. Herring Museum was awesome.

 

Batis 18 would be a good choice, and the 35. Perhaps the 85 because its light and weather sealed. Take some plastic bags for the camera, taped to the lens, otherwise the camera will get wet if you try to use it.

 

A Ricoh GR or RX 10/100 style camera would be handy.

[Kilsort]

I've been in February and in April. Driving to Akkureyri in April can be fun, on the mountain as they call it. The weather can shift very rapidly but it can in Ireland too where I worked and lived for a while. If I had a choice I would still go there in the "off season" since car rental is much cheaper and the roads are less travelled. Water droplets/spray can as mentioned be an issue. I liked heavy ND filters both times I went. Wide is better than tele, at least when you aren't aiming for birds, and besides birds the wildlife is ..scarce.

 

is kind of obligatory too.

[oneand0]

I second the second body thing before you go, even if you rent one. It would be absolutely a show stopper and heart dropper, if something happened to your only body. If I had to pick off of your shelf, I would take the 18mm, 24-70, and 70-300 and call it a trip.

 

I normally take a bunch of lenses when I go away domestically, but this time I just brought three lenses ranging (16-35, 55, and 70-200). Never have felt the need to have anything more than that below 16mm or above 200. I'm very pleased with the lenses I brought, and still shooting with them in Iceland right now. Will attach a shot I got yesterday at 16mm, and if I had an 18mm, I would have been just as pleased. My first time here and love this place, definitely coming back. I'm excited for you. Message me if you want and I will tell what I have figured out about this place so far, although I'm just a rookie here.

 

Okay I will post the shot in Landscape section of this forum, as I don't see a button to click on for photos posted here in this topic.

[pic-pop]

kilsort thank you for your beautiful video. I really enjoyed it along with the music. oneandO I would appreciate any help you can offer

Jerry

[JimmyD]

I would strongly join those who have recommended taking a second body.  I also support the idea of you taking your Batis 18 and Sony FE 70-300 lenses.  But if I were going I would take your Sony/Zeiss 35 1.4 instead of the Sony/Zeiss 24-70.  My experience, like many, many others, with the Sony/Zeiss 24-70 was soft corners.  Very sharp in the center, so fine for people shots or as general purpose walk-about, but not acceptable IMHO for landscapes.  Have a great trip!

[pic-pop]

Great shot oneand0 thank you

[senar]

Your shooting style may be different, but when I was in Iceland I found that I used my 16-35mm 90% of the time with the majority of that around 16mm. So your 18mm may be the most useful there to capture as much of the landscapes and waterfalls as possible.  There may be a few times when you may want to have a 70-200 for an abstract or bird shot, but I found mid-range less important as you can walk very close (dangerously close sometimes) to the edges of waterfalls, ice chunks on the beach, and even the horses.

[pic-pop]

Yes I will be using my 18 the most. next I expect to use my 300 and will take my 35 as a walk around instead of my 24 to 70. what is your thinking

[flashbulb]

I was in Iceland over New Years and like  Senar, ended up using the 16-35mm 90% of the time.  It was often snowing / drizzling and the 7r2 got through it all without protection; there was actual snow build up on the camera after a short time of walking about but no issues.  A faster lens would be useful for dark indoor situations.