Going to Greece. What lens do I take? I just got my first DSLR, a NIKON 3400D with 2 kit lenses, AF-P DX NIKKOR 18-55mm, f3.5 - 5.6G VR and AF-P DX NIKKOR 70 - 300 mm f4.5

dm6869

I just got my first DSLR, a NIKON 3400D with 2 kit lenses, AF-P DX NIKKOR 18-55mm, f3.5 - 5.6G VR and AF-P DX NIKKOR 70 - 300 mm f4.5 - 6.3 ED. I am a novice and trying to learn as much as possible before my husband and I travel to Greece in Sept. for 2 1/2 weeks. We will be travelling lightly as we have several ports of call and don't want to get bogged down with too much to carry. I am planning on taking this camera as well as my Olympus TG4 point and shoot. My dilemma. I only want to take one lens with me for the DSLR. I will not have a tripod, but I want to take pictures of the beautiful scenery. There are some beautiful monasteries in the distance that I will want to take photos of as well as beautiful sunsets. I plan on taking tons of photos. Which lens would work the best for me? And if there is one that would work better for me, (not too expensive) what would that be? Is there anything other "must have" attachments I should take?

russjc001 Loc: South Carolina

I know this is not the answer you are looking for but I would take both. Most of your scenic shots will want to be wide angle. On our trips the majority of my pictures were with a 16-35 wide zoom. My 70-200 was used when I wanted to bring something of interest closer or taking panos. I also pack a travel tripod in my suitcase.

SueScott Loc: Hammondsville, Ohio

I would suggest springing for a Tamron 18-400mm lens. At $649 it is fairly affordable and will cover all focal lengths you need without the hassle of changing lenses. I took mine along with two other lenses on a recent trip to Scotland and used it the vast majority of the time there. It will be my only lens on future trips. Have a wonderful trip to Greece!

Hal81 Loc: Bucks County, Pa.

Take all you have. You will wish you had the one you left behind.

Bill_de Loc: US

https://www.google.com/search?q=what+lens+for+a+greece+vacation&rls=com.microsoft:en-US:IE-Address&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&sourceid=ie7&rlz=1I7ADFA_enUS433&gws_rd=ssl

Strodav Loc: Houston, Tx

Had a similar dilemma for a Disney World trip. Did not want to take a lot of bulk and weight and did not want to carry and be switching multiple lenses, so I picked up a Tamron 18-400mm f/3.5-6.3. It's wide enough for landscapes and long enough to get in close at distance as well as gives you a lot of flexibility with perspective. I wish it were a bit faster, but I only had to bump up the ISO a couple of times and still got very good results. If you don't want to buy a new lens, I'd go with the 18-55mm as 70-300mm is a bit long for landscapes especially with the DX body.

d3200prime

Take the 18-55. Case closed.

tripsy76 Loc: Northshore, MA

I have two brothers who shoot on Nikon that stayed on the cheaper side and bought the Nikon 18-300 as an all in one. Here is a link

https://www.amazon.com/Nikon-18-300mm-3-5-6-3G-Vibration-Reduction/dp/B00JKUPRF4/?tag=bhnikonlensaw-20

One of them also uses a 35 f1.8 for low light indoor and to have an easy to carry lens.

There are some amazing Nikon lenses that are much more expensive (and worth it) but I’ve seen some really nice results out of these. And it keeps your kit smallish.

Enjoy your trip!

Steve DeMott Loc: St. Louis, Missouri (Oakville area)

dm6869 wrote:

I just got my first DSLR, a NIKON 3400D with 2 kit... (show quote)

I have the same setup and when we went to Scotland I bought a slingbag. https://www.amazon.com/Altura-Photo-Backpack-Mirrorless-Cameras/dp/B00PV0IEDY.
It's small, light weight & will hold camera with lens, extra lens and a few filters in the larger compartment. The smaller compartment will hold a lot of small gadgets, passports, currency ect. You probably won't use the longer lens very much, but you'll be glad you have it when needed.

Hope this helps
**Steve

SueScott Loc: Hammondsville, Ohio

d3200prime wrote:

Take the 18-55. Case closed.

Not a bad idea - if the lens has good resolution an image can be cropped to approximate a longer focal length. I'm able to do that with my Nikon 17-55 f/2.8 and results are very good - only drawback of this lens is that it doesn't have VR but that can be overcome with higher shutter speed.

Stardust Loc: Central Illinois

By ports of call, assuming you are on a ship for a large part of your trip. If that is correct and having just done Athens and the Greek Isles two years ago, I would STRONGLY recommend you take both lens. Many photo ops from the ship (pulling in and out of the islands) and on land for the long lens, but many narrow streets, paths, etc when on land that the wider lens will be needed. When out & about, leave your back-up camera on the ship, clean out the extra weight from all the stuff in your purse or let your husband carry the extra lens. <grin>

AndyH Loc: Massachusetts and New Hampshire

russjc001 wrote:

I know this is not the answer you are looking for but I would take both. Most of your scenic shots will want to be wide angle. On our trips the majority of my pictures were with a 16-35 wide zoom. My 70-200 was used when I wanted to bring something of interest closer or taking panos. I also pack a travel tripod in my suitcase.

I agree. There must be something else you can leave at home. You will not get a second shot at many of these opportunities.

Andy

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

SueScott wrote:

I would suggest springing for a Tamron 18-400mm lens. At $649 it is fairly affordable and will cover all focal lengths you need without the hassle of changing lenses. I took mine along with two other lenses on a recent trip to Scotland and used it the vast majority of the time there. It will be my only lens on future trips. Have a wonderful trip to Greece!

hobbit123 Loc: Brisbane, Australia

d3200prime wrote:

Take the 18-55. Case closed.

I agree. I did Santorini last year with my D3100 and 18 - 55mm and I was very pleased with the shots I got. I never felt short of a lens.

WJShaheen Loc: Gold Canyon, AZ

I haven't had a chance to take my D7500 out on any traveling yet but wonder what everyone would think of the 18-140mm DX for this lady's trip?