Photo_Buff Loc: San Francisco Bay Area

Have been to DC many times, but never with a DSLR. Will be mainly outdoor, Capitol Mall, Arlington, no tripod. Have the triad, 14-24, 24-70, and 70-200, w/ tc 2. Any other siggestions, please?

wetreed

I apologize to everyone who might be sick of me posting this, but if I were you I would go out and get a Tamron 18-400. You won’t have to change lenses at all. This lens will cover every focal length you will need and do it with the highest possible picture quality. Once you use you will never take it off.

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

Looks like your ready to photograph DC. The 14-24 might give great perspectives of the Washington Monument and Vietnam War Memorial, that lens allows you to find unique angles using foreground and background. For instance, shooting the Vietnam War Memorial I would get close to the smallest end of it and lay on the ground to include the whole scar of the memorial. The isolation of the LOST PATROL in the Korean Conflict Memorial could be done nicely with the 70-200 are even the 14-24 or the 24-70.
But I must be truthful here, personally I think your taking some very heavy and expensive gear to the Mall and Arlington. If your not shooting professionally I would suggest the Nikon 18-200. But you did not mention your camera, I am assuming it is a full frame because if it is not then you wasted some money on the big 3 Nikon lenses.
In that case I would use the 18-300 full frame or the new third party wonder, the 18-400 would do everything for you.
Also, on the Mall there are folks that will mark you so to speak because of your gear. You will have to be aware and careful with your gear if you take all three lenses.
Again, the problem is that you will be changing lenses often to get correct perspectives and that could take away from getting the shot you want. When you start worrying about what lens I loose a sense of being one with the environment. That's why on trips it's nice sometimes to limit yourself to one lens. As you move around your subject using one lens can bring your images together quicker and your flow is much more natural.
So, to sum it up, trip photography, in my opinion, is better done with one all purpose lens than three heavy and expensive ones. And, using three lenses gets even more problematic if your in a group, no one wants to wait constantly for you to move along with the group. They may not say it to you, but they are thinking it.
My favorite travel camera is the Sony HX90V with the 24-720 mm Zeiss lens. I have used it on the Mall with great results. And everyone left me alone and I got all the shots I wanted.

danniepolley

Where may I see some of the images from your lense?

xt2 Loc: British Columbia, Canada

OK, you know the city well. You apparently know your lenses well. Other than some fast indoor 50MM or less you obviously have it covered don't ya?

chasgroh Loc: Buena Park, CA

I'm sure it's a nice lens, but...my main lens for DC, on an FX body, was a 24-70 f2.8. I *needed* that f2.8 many times when inside various buildings. I don't think variable f-stop lensing is a good choice for such a vast project, so the Tamron 18-400, *if* I owned one, would stay home. I did find uses for my 70-200 f2.8, particularly for outside pageantry events and artwork (I made two trips in two successive years, year two I took it into the Udvar-Hazy portion of the Air and Space Museum and had great success shooting tighter "pieces" of the aircraft). But the main walk-around, for me, was my trusty 24-70 f2.8.

toxdoc42

Take a tripod, DC at night is Ana ingot beautiful, and thankfully, a bit cooler. You will want photos of the monuments all lit up at their grandest.

Strodav Loc: Houston, Tx

Another vote for the Tamron 18-400mm f/3.5-6.3 when you want to use your dslr and keep it light. The quality is very good for the versatility this lens gives you. Now, if size and weight are not an issue, I'd take my Sigma 10-20mm f/3.5, Tamron 24-70mm f/2.8, Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8, normal prime 35mm f/1.8 and a 1.4x tele-converter for a D500. By the time you add a tripod, speedlight, filters, spare battery and bottle of water, you are walking around with a very heavy photo backpack.

chasgroh Loc: Buena Park, CA

...I was told by a local not to bring a tripod, they might not even be allowed. Well, I rarely use one anyway so that wasn't much of an issue. There's a publication called "The World is Your Tripod"...I kinda got the point without reading it.
All these are either hand held, or the camera is propped somehow by a solid object, or it is resting on something and I'm using the timer.

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Photo_Buff Loc: San Francisco Bay Area

Thanks to all of you for your replies, great suggestions, and quality images. For travel, three big lenses is definitely a bit of a strain. I've been advised to take just one lens for travel. Having just recovered from a hernia operation, I'm really listening now. I'm in the San Francisco Bay area, so am keenly aware of showing off pricey equipment. I was lucky to acquire a D850 last spring, so I'm loaded up with some pretty expensive kit. I'm going for the Annual Korean and Cold War Government Briefings. I had an uncle that was MIA during the Chosin Reservoir retreat almost 70 years ago. Thanks for the suggestions on perspective of the Korean War Memorial and Vietnam War Monument. I dodged that bullet.

Photo_Buff Loc: San Francisco Bay Area

I have a 50mm f1.4 that continually amazes me as to how versatile it is. I just started trying to hand hold a 105mm f1.4. I have to run up the ISO to get enough shutter speed to minimize the hand shake. Framing is so much easier with the zoom lenses. I was able to unearth my Rand McNally Metro Guide to D.C., and perused the Points of Interest. I really don't know the town that well. There is so much to see.

mikeroetex Loc: Lafayette, LA

Would be less sick if you ever posted a photo produced by this wonder lens... just saying.

martinfisherphoto Loc: Lake Placid Florida

I don't want to sound like a Total jerk, but you have thousands of dollars of money invested in equipment, maybe you can afford to hire a local photographer, or join a local club to help you realize what you already have. Your fully covered with what you have. I would start by using one lens at a time, this will teach you what the lens limitations are and what purposes they serve..

Fotomacher Loc: Toronto

Third party lenses with variable apertures will not ever have the “highest possible picture quality”. Convenient, yes. Ends there.

MarciaES

I used the Tamron 18-400 lens on a trip to Alaska in June & absolutely loved it. Took care of the landscapes (and there were many!!) and brought those caribou and moose up close.