willy6419

2 days each, Havana Cienfuegos and Santiago de Cuba.

Any special tips, or must see places? people, street scenes. landscapes.

I'll be using the D750 (or D500), probably mostly with a 24-70. Might take the 50 (very light) and a TC 1.4 just for a little extra reach, but?? Not likely take the 70-200 or 300.

Any special warnings?

whwiden

Nao bar upstairs in Havana for lunch or dinner. A wider lens than 24mm for the narrow street scenes.

http://depthoffieldproductions.com/gallery_2019001/gallery_2019001_index.shtml

Stardust Loc: Central Illinois

People are very proud to show their particular talents if you show interest and friendliness. Cuba was one of the best places I took my wife because there was nothing to spend money on. <grin> Obviously all the old cars on the street - look closely and you will see multi models & brands cobbled together.

daldds Loc: NYC

In Havana, you can spend a lot of time at the Malecón, the sea wall. People are very friendly, many speak English (it’s the tourist language and Cuba has been open to tourism for decades, just not from the US), and like that you take photos of them and their children. You will not be considered a pedophile when you take photos of children.
I never needed a telephoto lens; most of my shots were slightly wide angle or very wide angle. Keep a flash on your camera to use as a fill-in.

They have a lot of jokes about Trump, and have many messages for him.

The only warning is not to take photos of soldiers or government buildings.

daldds Loc: NYC

In Havana, you can spend a lot of time at the Malecón, the sea wall. People are very friendly, many speak English (it’s the tourist language and Cuba has been open to tourism for decades, just not from the US), and like that you take photos of them and their children. You will not be considered a pedophile when you take photos of children.
I never needed a telephoto lens; most of my shots were slightly wide angle or very wide angle. Keep a flash on your camera to use as a fill-in.

They have a lot of jokes about Trump, and have many messages for him.

The only warning is not to take photos of soldiers or government buildings.

traderjohn Loc: New York City

"They have a lot of jokes about Trump, and have many messages for him." Thats BS

daldds Loc: NYC

Wish it were BS. As an American born before WWII, it was painfully embarrassing. So my statement meant to advise... for him or against him, if you discuss politics, that’s what you’ll get.

traderjohn Loc: New York City

Don't care when you were born. I think this is all your political belief. You had to throw it in.

cliodiver

I was in Havana last October on a cruise ship. Very scenic city. Look for churches they will have their bells in front on sidewalk. Canons are repurposed as street bollards. Lots of music throughout city so musicians are great photo ops. Ask before taking. Watch out for youngs ladies selling flowers in traditional dress. They wil run up and kiss you then want money. You can take photos but you'll have to pay. There are two currencies. You have to change dollars to pesos . These are tourist monies eighty cents to dollar. Some places will take our dollar but very leery. Add to do not take is police officers. Place to go is "original" Sloppy Joes. Still decorated as it was in the fifties. Great shots to be had. Have a mojito and a Cuban sloppy joe. So good. People are very nice. Have a great time.

GeorgeK Loc: NNJ

Cienfuegos is known for fabulous sunsets and it will not disappoint. If you have the time, Trinidad is a short distance from Cienfuegos and worth the trip to walk the old streets or visit a former sugar plantation.

joseph premanandan

i spent 10 days in Cuba few years ago. i took my Fuji X-T1 mirrorless camera with me because it is versatile . besides spending time in Havana, go to the country side with beautiful landscapes.meet the people there and with their permission, take photos of them and they are very friendly. don't forget to take the photo of the fortress in Havana and visit Hemingways house.Enjoy the cuban food and have a good time.

ronichas Loc: Long Island

I love Cuba, have been there twice. I am co-leading a photo tour there next January. We will go to Vinales, Havana and Trinidad. It is a beautiful country, the people are so happy to see Americans.
It is a safe country, the food is great. Enjoy!

via the lens Loc: Northern California, near Yosemite NP

Hi,
I spent 10 days in Havana last December. I was told it was very safe and it did seem to be safe, although, at times, I was a bit leery about wondering the streets alone. Everyone was very nice, very polite. Several times people asked me to take their photo. A couple of times we were invited inside the homes of people who saw us wandering through the neighborhood. This was a street photography workshop so our focus was on the streets of Havana. I used a Nikon D500 and a Nikon Z7. I processed 285 images and of those images the majority were taken with either the 24-120 or the Z7 24-70. I did, however, take 59 images with the 70-200. It all depends on your intent with the trip as to what lens you take. Have fun. You can see my Cuba images on my website.

Allen K

I've been to Cuba three times over a 12 year period (Havana, west to Pinar del Rio and east as far as Trinidad; Santiago de Cuba is next on my list). Great photos ops abound in Havana Vieja, if you can get past the crowds. The old ladies wearing bridal gowns and smoking big cigars are the equivalent of the naked painted ladies here in NYC's Times Square: they are performers and expect to be tipped. Within Havana Vieja, Plaza de Armas (with its square surrounded by book and poster art stalls), Plaza de La Catedral, Plaza Vieja, a long stroll along the wide, engaging Prado (passing by the Capital building and the Museum of Fine Arts - a must visit!) and Parque Central offer great photo ops. The Prado eventually leads to the Malecon, overlooking the Florida Straits, with a great shot of El Morro across the harbor entrance (probably the only instance where a longer lens would be nice). Most Cubans spend the hot evenings hanging around the Malecon.

Behind the Capitol building lies Habana Centro, where Havana's working class lives. It's funky, with buildings in various stages of decay, but very safe and offers great opportunities to photograph the real life of Los Habaneros. Most tours there will include a visit of Barrio Chino (not much to see, and the food is unremarkable) or Callejon de Hamel, a short, vibrant street filled with graffiti and street art (great visit).

Vedado was the upper- and upper middle-class areas developed in pre-Revolution Havana. Many of the diplomatic missions are based there. There is also the Hotel Nacional (a must see, though NOT must-stay, hotel). Nearby are some of the best jazz clubs in Cuba, as well as the small park on La Rampa (Calle 23) housing Coppelia, where people of Havana bring their children, friends and lovers to savor the best ice cream in Cuba. Great ice cream and great photo ops (one place where you definitely want to stand on the tourist line. Ice cream is more expensive on that line, but the wait is far shorter).

As far as equipment, the wider the lens the better. Cuba runs on the same electrical current as the U.S., but bring a three-prong to two-prong adaptor (it's not only the cars that are of 1950s vintage). Electrical outages can occur w/o warning; keep batteries charged (and bring as many batteries and SD cards as you can; camera supplies can be hard to obtain). Also extra lens filters for your DSLR (circular polarizer and ND filters most useful). An external power stick and a power clip for your cell phone are good items to have.

Okay. ¡Tenga un gran viaje!

stuparr935 Loc: Dallas, Texas area

Got back from a week (actually only 4 full days of shooting and seeing sights) in Havana using my Nikon 24-70 f2.8 on my D810 body. Got great cars and whatever my wife wanted me to record without wanting another lens. I don’t really think you need more than one lens down there unless the Cuban government let’s shoot their country for a money paying client or stock sales... (Well, maybe a small ‘bridge’ camera.. just a thought...!