Southwest trip lens suggestions sought by someone who takes too much: My wife and I are going on a trip in Southern Utah, Northern Arizona - red rock country, canyons, etc. I usually...

robertneger

My wife and I are going on a trip in Southern Utah, Northern Arizona - red rock country, canyons, etc.
I usually take far too much on these trips.
My camera bodies are a D7000 and D810 (I take them both for backup and to give me more reach with the Dx body.
What lenses should a 75 year old with a wife who often complains about the quality of gear.
My question is what would you take for this trip??
Thank you,
Robert E.

rwww80a Loc: Hampton, NH

A photo friend.

wdross Loc: Castle Rock, Colorado

robertneger wrote:

My wife and I are going on a trip in Southern Utah, Northern Arizona - red rock country, canyons, etc.
I usually take far too much on these trips.
My camera bodies are a D7000 and D810 (I take them both for backup and to give me more reach with the Dx body.
What lenses should a 75 year old with a wife who often complains about the quality of gear.
My question is what would you take for this trip??
Thank you,
Robert E.

Rent an OM-1 with a 12-100 f4 Pro IS lens. If you can, rent a 72mm Kaesemann polarizer too. About 2.7 pounds, weatherproof, 6.5 stops of image stabilization, and 24-200 angle of view in 35mm terms. Nothing else needed except charger and chips.

DWU2 Loc: Phoenix Arizona area

robertneger wrote:

My wife and I are going on a trip in Southern Utah, Northern Arizona - red rock country, canyons, etc.
I usually take far too much on these trips.
My camera bodies are a D7000 and D810 (I take them both for backup and to give me more reach with the Dx body.
What lenses should a 75 year old with a wife who often complains about the quality of gear.
My question is what would you take for this trip??
Thank you,
Robert E.

Did you mean to say, "who often complains about the quantity of gear"?

UTMike Loc: South Jordan, UT

The country through which you will travel is well captured with a wide angle lens. I use a 24 - 70, but if you have a 24 - 105 or similar I think that you will be happy.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

UTMike wrote:

The country through which you will travel is well captured with a wide angle lens. I use a 24 - 70, but if you have a 24 - 105 or similar I think that you will be happy.

Agreed. Our OP doesn't need both cameras on the trip. Just the D810 and a general 24-105 ish is all. If determined for more, also the 16-35 and 70-200. Or just the wide and long and skip the 24-105 middle. My Utah trips typically are 16-35, 50 and 70-200.

Hip Coyote

I leave the suggestions on this gear to others. (I am a m43 user so different set up.) But, I just read something from someone who shoots the Grand Canyon a lot...they said avoid wide angle. They use more normal focal lengths and stitch / panorama together. I had not thought of that. But that makes sense...sometimes wide angle does looks...well, wide angle.

jim quist Loc: Missouri

If my wife complained about the quality of the gear I would go buy a little pocket camera to take and leave the rest at home.

wdross Loc: Castle Rock, Colorado

CHG_CANON wrote:

Agreed. Our OP doesn't need both cameras on the trip. Just the D810 and a general 24-105 ish is all. If determined for more, also the 16-35 and 70-200. Or just the wide and long and skip the 24-105 middle. My Utah trips typically are 16-35, 50 and 70-200.

Good setup. You go just a little wider that I do with my single lens. I need to take my 7-14 (14-28 in 35mm angle) to get to what you have.

IDguy Loc: Idaho

I travel there several times a year. Here is what I take:

Z6 w 24-200 and 14-30

Z 50 with kit 16-50 and 50-250

Nikon 200-500 with FTZ. Usually used on the Z50 for critters.

What I use depends on the situation. Usually the Z6 and 14-30 for landscapes. Z50 and 200-500 for critters. Z50 with 16-50 for hiking. Will carry 50-250 if critters likely. The 24-200 resides on the Z6 most of the time.

mwsilvers Loc: Central New Jersey

jim quist wrote:

If my wife complained about the quality of the gear I would go buy a little pocket camera to take and leave the rest at home.

The Sony RX100 is a good, although expensive choice for that.

AGO

How much you take depends on how much your wife can carry.

ELNikkor

2 years ago I took 3 lenses on that trip. I only used one, my 24-120 f4 Nikon lens on my D750. The 20mm, and 70-300 stayed in the bag. (Except, took one shot of a rainbow with the 20.)

ppkwhat Loc: Gibsonton, FL

robertneger wrote:

My wife and I are going on a trip in Southern Utah, Northern Arizona - red rock country, canyons, etc.
I usually take far too much on these trips.
My camera bodies are a D7000 and D810 (I take them both for backup and to give me more reach with the Dx body.
What lenses should a 75 year old with a wife who often complains about the quality of gear.
My question is what would you take for this trip??
Thank you,
Robert E.

Robert, I have carry on my trips the Nikon 28-300mm attached to my D-810. You can place the same lens on your D7000 and have a cropped results that lens provides, i.e. "longer range". Then you will have a nice trip and a non complaining happy wife

bbrown5154 Loc: Baltimore, MD

robertneger wrote:

My wife and I are going on a trip in Southern Utah, Northern Arizona - red rock country, canyons, etc.
I usually take far too much on these trips.
My camera bodies are a D7000 and D810 (I take them both for backup and to give me more reach with the Dx body.
What lenses should a 75 year old with a wife who often complains about the quality of gear.
My question is what would you take for this trip??
Thank you,
Robert E.

I've done Kenab and Page and Monument Valley and If it was me I would go with the D810 and if you have the kit lens that came with it (I think the one that came with my D750 is very good) and a Prime wide angle.