Basel to Amsterdam: I will be going on a Viking River Cruise from Basel to Amsterdam this fall. I have a FF canon. My every day lens is a 24-105. Will that be wide enough for photos of...

terpfan Loc: central coast, California

I will be going on a Viking River Cruise from Basel to Amsterdam this fall. I have a FF canon. My every day lens is a 24-105. Will that be wide enough for photos of the Cologne cathedral or should I rent/buy the 16-35 F4? Is it worth taking my 70-300 for photos from the ship? Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

PixelStan77 Loc: Vermont/Chicago

terpfan wrote:

I will be going on a Viking River Cruise from Basel to Amsterdam this fall. I have a FF canon. My every day lens is a 24-105. Will that be wide enough for photos of the Cologne cathedral or should I rent/buy the 16-35 F4? Is it worth taking my 70-300 for photos from the ship? Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

I would take your 24-105 and 70-300. My sense is your 24 should work for the Cologne Cathedral. Have fun and create some awesome images.

Keldon Loc: Yukon, B.C.

The only close view you get of the cathedral is from the rear by/on the river, every other angle you're hemmed in by buildings so it will be difficult getting a full shot of it.
If you're not afraid of heights and your knees can handle it, be sure to climb the steeple. There are actually two but you're on;t allowed up the left hand one. Wonderful views of the Flying Butresses and gargoyles etc.

terpfan Loc: central coast, California

I generally don't do heights well, should I avoid the climb?

johneccles Loc: Leyland UK

Your 24-105 should be OK for cathedral shots from the river, but if you go into the square near the station you will have a problem as it is surrounded by tall buildings, you will also need to get your timing right as the sun will create a problem most of the day and all you will get is a silhouette. The Bahnhofplatz is always popular with tourists so be prepared for that.
Have a great trip.

billmck Loc: Central KY

I’ve done that trip at Christmas. My best shot of the Cathedral was at 18mm, and I still didn’t get it all.

Wickspics Loc: Detroits Northwest Side. Cody High School.

For me I used a 24-105 in Venice, but the trip your going on, if you can afford it, take a 16-35 with you. Extra width might come in handy sometimes. ( Not Heavy )

Kishka Loc: Grafton, WI

Most of the ascent is in a narrow circular tower with enough room for one person traffic both ways. Large gear bags can be cumbersome if it's not on your back. The last portion is in a cages section of alternating stairs. the viewing portion is quite spacious but heavily fenced in with small openings in the fence. My Ricoh GR has a small lens so it didn't hinder my view.

(Download)

Dan Mc Loc: NM

There is a lot, lot more to the cathedral that the towers!!! Catch the treasury if you can. I lived near there and made dozens of visits...always amazing!!

Keldon Loc: Yukon, B.C.

If you don't like heights then no, don't do the climb.

terpfan wrote:

I generally don't do heights well, should I avoid the climb?

RolandDieter

That cruise leaves Koln fairly late at night. Be sure to be outside and get great night shots of the cathedral. You will want the 70 - 300mm for that. There are other stops on the cruise where you may or may not want 16mm ... it would depend on how you want the shot ... but the 16 won't be necessary, although I did sometimes (but rarely) use my extreme wide angles.

JohnD3 Loc: Raleigh, NC

I did the same trip a couple years ago, used my Nikon 18-200 as my lens for the entire trip. My recollection is that I was not able to get the entire cathedral in a single exterior shot; however, I was able to get some excellent detail (was using a D80 at the time, wish I could go back with my current D7100). Interior was very dark, so my lens limited my ability to capture light; might consider a collapsible monopod (don't recall if it would be allowed), did get some decent shots of the stained glass windows.
One of the highlights of our evening was taking the evening beer tour (added cost), didn't think I would get into pigs knuckle but it was great.
While going through the section of the Rhine with all the castles I found my 18-200 to be excellent; however, your 70-300 would also do very well in that situation. That will be an area with your greatest photo opportunities, fantastic vistas.
Enjoy your trip. We are planning on going back to do the Amsterdam to Budapest; so we would repeat some of those areas.

David in Dallas Loc: Dallas, Texas, USA

I also have been to the Köln Cathedral several times. My only lens is the 18-200VR2 zoom and I was barely able to bet a full frontal view with it. I was able to make a side view panorama by stitching 3 photos together:

Cathedral pano by David Casteel, on Flickr

Toolking Loc: Pacific Northwest

We've travelled extensively in that area in the past 10 years. Just for grins I did an analysis of focal length of 700+ pictures and 65% were between 35mm and 70mm with 80% of those at or close to 70mm. The last trip and on the upcoming one this fall I'll be using a 28-300 and a 50mm 1.4.
have a great trip.

speters Loc: Grangeville/Idaho

terpfan wrote:

I will be going on a Viking River Cruise from Basel to Amsterdam this fall. I have a FF canon. My every day lens is a 24-105. Will that be wide enough for photos of the Cologne cathedral or should I rent/buy the 16-35 F4? Is it worth taking my 70-300 for photos from the ship? Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

You know how your lenses behave on your camera, so you should be the one that can answer your questions!