Help with travel lens: I am traveling to Sicily with my wife on a two week tour and visiting her grandparent’s village I plan on taking my Olympus OM D E M 10 with the pancake 14-42...

latebloomer Loc: Topeka, KS

I am traveling to Sicily with my wife on a two week tour and visiting her grandparent’s village I plan on taking my Olympus OM D E M 10 with the pancake 14-42 lens. I am most familiar with my Nikon D7100’s and various lenses. I have used the Olympus for mostly social situations and family gatherings
My pictures will be snapshots and not art photos. My question, is there any need to take the 14-150 lens? I have not used it much since my use of the Olympus has been in social indoor situations.
The 14-150 is very small (3.5 in by 2 in) and light (plastic).
Your opinions and advice would be appreciated.

Cdouthitt Loc: Traverse City, MI

If it were me, I'd look to replace the 14-42 with a 12-32, but that's because I find 14mm not wide enough.

A small fast prime like a 15, 17, 20, or 25 would likely be my go to on the camera 80% of the time with the 12-32 as a backup for wider shooting. If you needed more reach an inexpensive sigma 60mm might do the trick or a kit 40-150mm. In most case I'd look into buying used at the m4/3 forum.

Leicaflex Loc: Cymru

You state your photography on this trip will be "snapshots" so I would take it,
in 35mm terms on a four thirds 28-300mm, a good range.
The lens itself is quite capable of producing good photos.
Enjoy your trip.

Morning Star Loc: West coast, North of the 49th N.

We returned from our annual holidays a week or two ago. We traveled by car, so taking extra lenses was no problem. Our photography "highlights": our son's farm, an air show, a weekend "camping" at a lakeside resort. The two lenses I ended up using were the 12-40mm and the 40-150mm with 1.4x TC. (My camera was the OM-D E-M1).
During the holiday period I never found myself in a situation where I was wishing for a longer (or shorter) lens.
Now, I can't speak for Sicily, I only know its shape from maps... But thinking of some photos I've seen from that part of the world, if the streets are indeed as narrow as they appear, yes, you may want to go with something shorter.

"camping" - the tent from days gone by has been replaced by a home on wheels with all the amenities from home, and sleeps nine! Even a dishwasher and an oven are not lacking!

jcboy3

latebloomer wrote:

I am traveling to Sicily with my wife on a two wee... (show quote)

If you had the 55-200 kit lens with the Nikon, did you use it often? If you did, then definitely take the 14-150; you will love the convenience of wide to telephoto coverage. I used the Panasonic 14-140 as a walkabout lens; let's me pick off architectural details, take portraits, etc.

The lens I would think about adding is the 9-18mm. Very small, ultra wide zoom...good for those narrow/tight street scenes. And good for the landscape vistas.

latebloomer Loc: Topeka, KS

Thank you for all the advice. I am more reassured about taking the 40 - 150. On my D7100's I mostly use a Tamron 16-300 and a macro 100. Sometimes I use a a 150 - 600, and occasionally a 11-16. What I most like about the 14-40 Olympus is the pancake lens feature. This is very small and easy to place on a Black Widow Spider. My hands are free and the camera/lens is very unobtrusive.

Cdouthitt Loc: Traverse City, MI

latebloomer wrote:

Thank you for all the advice. I am more reassured about taking the 40 - 150. On my D7100's I mostly use a Tamron 16-300 and a macro 100. Sometimes I use a a 150 - 600, and occasionally a 11-16. What I most like about the 14-40 Olympus is the pancake lens feature. This is very small and easy to place on a Black Widow Spider. My hands are free and the camera/lens is very unobtrusive.

That's the nice thing too about the 12-32...small and compact, but it is a collapsing lens.

and a direct comparison between the 14-42:

jcboy3

latebloomer wrote:

Thank you for all the advice. I am more reassured about taking the 40 - 150. On my D7100's I mostly use a Tamron 16-300 and a macro 100. Sometimes I use a a 150 - 600, and occasionally a 11-16. What I most like about the 14-40 Olympus is the pancake lens feature. This is very small and easy to place on a Black Widow Spider. My hands are free and the camera/lens is very unobtrusive.

I thought you were talking about the 14-150? That's the lens you originally mentioned (twice). I'm much less of a fan of the 40-150 for travel. I don't tend to shoot in that range often when I'm traveling, usually I just want to grab a quick tele shot, and then back to a more normal range. Whenever I shoot with telephoto zooms, I'll use a second camera.

Cdouthitt Loc: Traverse City, MI

jcboy3 wrote:

I thought you were talking about the 14-150? That's the lens you originally mentioned (twice). I'm much less of a fan of the 40-150 for travel. I don't tend to shoot in that range often when I'm traveling, usually I just want to grab a quick tele shot, and then back to a more normal range. Whenever I shoot with telephoto zooms, I'll use a second camera.

Agree... with the m4/3 format, I rarely need anything longer than my 75mm.

sb Loc: Florida's East Coast

I really like a slightly longer lens so that I can do people photos from a comfortable distance.

camerapapi Loc: Miami, Fl.

My experience has been that while traveling a good wide angle is a must. Perhaps for you the very good 14-42 kit lens is enough. I feel more comfortable using the 12-40 f2.8 and I am lately taking with me the body cap 9mm f8 in case I need a wider view.
I agree with others, rarely the 40-150 will find use because most of the time when visiting a city we are going to be shooting within a limited range of focal lengths. That lens is light and if you take it with you it will not be a burden but concentrate your efforts in learning if 14mm (28mm equivalent full frame) will be all you will need for wide angle shots.
Since you are going to be doing mostly snap shots it is very possible that the 14-40 kit lens will be all you need.

Jackdoor Loc: Huddersfield, Yorkshire.

latebloomer wrote:

I am traveling to Sicily with my wife on a two wee... (show quote)

Whatever other advice crops up here, please look at the 9mm Body Cap lens. A few hours playing with it and you'll be astonished by the results. Fixed at f8, and you move a little lever to focus, but it weighs next to nothing, and fits in a LOT of scenery, or indoors. Best £80 I ever spent!

phlash46 Loc: Westchester County, New York

Definitely take the 14-150! I will pm you with a link to a very long cruise where almost all the pics, except a few indoor/low light, were take with that lens and an EM-1)

Dan De Lion Loc: Montana

For me, the best lens for vacation travel is a 24 – 120 or its equivalent.

mas24 Loc: Southern CA

You could test all chosen lenses before you depart for Sicily. Especially the wide angle zooms.