jim quist Loc: Missouri

My son is in the Air Force and stationed in Germany. Pretty excited about visiting him. We are shipping clothes etc to him ahead of time so we won’t be checking baggage. We want to have as little carry-on as possible. So here’s the question.

My wife and I want to travel with one camera and lens each. Both cameras are full frame. We have about every L series lens that Canon makes. I’m thinking the 17-40 and the 24-105 will cover all the architecture and landscape. I don’t know that a wider or longer lens would be helpful.

Anyone been there and know what lenses or focal length you wish you had with you?

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

I traveled to Germany twice, in 1983 and 1984. Nikon F and 50mm f/1.4 lens. When needed, I used sneaker zoom for composing.
--Bob

photoman022 Loc: Manchester CT USA

I was stationed in Germany (in the Army) from 1972-75. I am presently scanning my black and white 35mm negatives; I used fixed length lenses until I got a telephoto zoom my last year there; I find that my best photos were with my wide angle (28mm) lens and the telephoto. The telephoto (maxed out at 210mm) got me in close in places where I could not walk in closer. Once I got my wide angle lens I seldom used my 55mm.

Enjoy the trip, but, more importantly, enjoy your time with your son!

zug55 Loc: Naivasha, Kenya, and Austin, Texas

I have traveled to Germany for work once a year for a quarter century for stays of one to three months--except for 2020 and 2021. Twice in recent years I stayed for six months. I have had the opportunity to photograph in many parts of Germany.

My standard equipment is a full-frame Sony 24-105mm. I complement that with a Zeiss Batis 18mm prime. I think that you will be fine with your full-frame 17-40mm and 24-105mm lenses. Sometimes I take my Zeiss Batis 135mm as well as that focal length allows me to see things differently and to be playful, particularly in large cities. But this is matter of personal preference. You likely will take 90% of your shots with your 24-105mm lens--the perfect focal length for travel.

PS: Why ship your clothes separately? If you ship your clothes they can get lost too. Most airlines allow you to check one bag (50 lbs.) to Germany for free. I never take more than one checked bag (wheeled duffel bag) and a backpack for camera, laptop, and valuables even if I am on the road for half a year. I have flown internationally a lot and never have lost a bag. At a few occasions bags were misdirected but showed up a day or two later.

josquin1 Loc: Massachusetts

Having lived in Europe for 3 years what I would recommend for architecture shots is the Canon EF 16-35 F4 if you have it. The streets can be very narrow and you might need the extra wide angle. For detailed shots up high on Cathedrals maybe go up to 200mm. Their 100-300 mm would be perfect. Have a great trip.

Mike D. Loc: Crowley County, CO.

Here's a thought:

Take a spin down memory lane and see what focal length you have used most in the last few years.

Some time ago I decided that I wanted Nikon's "Holy Trinity" before I retire. In order to get some sense of how it was going to work, I spent some weeks going through a 2 tb backup that spanned approximately 3.5 decades.

As it turned out, a VAST majority of my landscapes were between 24-70mm so that was what I purchased first.

Only you can determine what your needs are but hopefully you will find a starting point.

RodeoMan Loc: St Joseph, Missouri

Jim, if you were faced with the same limitations here in Missouri, as to the number of cameras and lenses you could use considering the variety of subjects you would be recording what would be your choices. It does seem that the two lenses you are considering cover much of the same ground on the short end. Wouldn't there be an argument for choosing a normal to telephoto to capture that part of your experiences.

jdubu Loc: San Jose, CA

My main walking lenses when I was in France for a month, was the 16-35 IIL 2.8 and the 24-105 IIL 4. The 16-35 was primarily used for shooting indoors in low light and the 24-105 most everywhere else. I did bring a 24TSE lens for shooting shifted bracket landscapes. I shot 3 frame brackets indoors handheld with the 16-35 and processed them when I got back. I also brought a 50mm 1.4, but never used it.

Have fun on your trip, I think these 2 would be all you need. I shot all the interiors at 2.8 and high iso.

Our friends took us to many places north of Toulouse when we visited. I believe this church was in Montpezat-de-Quercy. The bracketed shot made it possible to capture the sun illumination through the rose window


This was at 16mm bracketed at St Cecille in Albi


And of course, Paris' St Chapelle is notoriously dark with bright stained glass