Question #3: About Travel Lenses

Q: "Hello Valerie, I see that you are a frequent traveller to France, and your photos are beautiful! Thus you seem like the perfect person to ask my question. We are leaving for Paris next week, and I'm wondering what lens you would suggest as an all-around to go with my Nikon d90? I have a 28-200mm 3.5-5.6, 50mm 1.8 and a 35-105mm 3.5-4.5. I love street photography, but also would like to try some interesting Eiffel Tower shots, etc. Merci!" Dianna M.

A: "Another great question, and one that I get asked often! Many would answer that the travel lens of choice, in the selection that you gave me above, is the 28-200mm. It is true that it will give you the range you need to shoot pretty much anything during your travels. Many of my photo workshop participants choose to travel with a similar lens so that they don't need to change lenses during the photo walks. Depending on how long you are staying, this may be the lens of choice. If you have a few days, I would highly recommend walking for a day or two with the 50mm only. I give that advice to my students and, when they do, they often shoot their best images on those days. Limiting yourself to a fixed focal length lens will make you think more, it will slow you down and you will take better care at composing, you will also be more creative in your framing. 50mm is also a great choice for street photography. A faster lens will also allow you to photograph indoors without a tripod and it will serve as a great food photography lens when you eat at those wonderful Parisian Bistros. Your back will also thank you for traveling lighter for part of your trip. I hope this helps. Bon voyage!"

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