John N Loc: HP14 3QF Stokenchurch, UK

24-105 and a monopod. Many Churches will let you use them inside.

Jimmy T Loc: Virginia

steve49 Loc: massachusetts

You can get great photos with either lens.
Pick one and go with it.

miked46 Loc: Winter Springs, Florida

for 90% the 24-70 will be best, around the towns, inside the cathedrals, it would be better to have the faster lens.

I have both, but for my last trip I had just the 24-70

davidrb Loc: Half way there on the 45th Parallel

Yes it is. Barcelona will offer you a chance to go back in time. The age of buildings in Europe is wonderful for photographers, everything is very old and ornate, and permanent. While America is steel and glass Europe is stone and masonry and stained-glass windows. The f/2.8 will not only offer better light-capturing but it will AF much better in low light situations. Tripods may be banned where you are and low light is the situation you need to address. Aperture and ISO will be your best friends. You will sacrifice 35mm of reach so plan accordingly, no bull fights from afar! Years ago when I travelled Spain was my favorite country to visit. The people were very friendly and the mid-day siesta is the greatest invention since sliced bread. Go and enjoy, and shoot anything that moves.

stuparr935 Loc: Dallas, Texas area

Been to Barcelona about a year ago with my travel go-to 37-300 Nikon on my D810 and the only time I REALY wanted my 24-70 f2.8 was standing in front of the ‘mind blowing’ Sacra Familia cathedral. So the MOST important mm is on the wide side. The long side is nice to get enough as you can, but DON’T let the wide side get ANY HIGHER than 24mm. Else you will be stitching photos until Christmas... there is enough scaffolding in the out side of this incredible cathedral to keep you in Post for a while. This structure is magnificent and you’ll need a couple hours , maybe, on the outside. We never made it inside, as there is usually several hours or more wait time to get inside. Worth the wait if you can . Planning ahead will help with this one. And a wide angle will be better shooting the Gaudi architecture and civic designs in the neighborhoods he did... good luck and post some of you best Familia and Gaudi images....!

johntaylor333

I would also consider the 24-70 f/4L. It is less expensive, lighter and has a 'macro' function (actually 0.7X, but very useful if you like to photograph flowers, insects, etc.)

dsmeltz Loc: Philadelphia

I would go with the 24-70 for the 2.8 as well. The extra speed will come in handy for indoor and low light shots. I have trouble finding a use for the 70-105 part of the range that cannot be accommodated by cropping later. Having a few long shots you need to crop is better than not capturing some of the low light and indoor shots at all.

timbuktutraveler

I went to Barcelona in December---take the 24-105 lens

Here are some tips: Make all reservations to go into buildings in advance ONLINE
1. To see Segrada Familia - make the first reservation of the day 9am if you can. It gets very crowded.
2. Don't miss the Palau de la Musica.(Music Palace) - go first thing in the morning about 9am (reservation) on a weekday if you can and you will have very few other tourists at that time.
It is an architectural masterpiece, especially the interior. ALSO 5 minutes walk is the Santa Caterina
Market. My favorite indoor Market. Don't miss it!
3. Buy a multi-day transportation pass for the city. You will save money and a lot of time.
4. See the Musee d'Art de Catalunya - a magnificant museum up on a hill!
5 Great Place to eat lunch - the 9th floor of El Cortes Ingles Department Store at the Place de Catalunya
has a great inexpensive lunch, great salad bar & entrees in a lovely dining room with wonderful views of the city from their huge windows. Also the Place de Catalunya(PC) is in my opinion the best area to stay in. I stayed at the lovely Hotel Denit right off the place. The Place is central to everything in Barcelona and has a tourist info bureau right in front of El Cortes Ingles.
6 Really good Chocolate - Xocolates Fargas - Carrer del Pi . Since 1827. From PC walk down Las Ramblas
to Portaferrissa. Left on Portaferrissa to Carrer del Pi. Right on Carrer del Pi and down a few hundred feet to Xcolates on the left.
7. Very good - Dinner Restaurant - Ciudad Condal - 18 Rambla de Catalunya (RdL) RdL is not Las Ramblas. It does also however start at PC. Walk up RdL on the right hand side from PC until you come to an inersection. Look straight ahead- and across the street you will see a green awning. That's it!
Dinner usually starts in Spain about 8pm weekdays,9pm weekends.
7. From PC walk the entire Las Ramblas all the way to the water. Stop at all the sights and go to the large market la Boqueria.
8. The above is the tip of the iceberg. Lot's more to see ie: Picasso Museum, Cathedral etc.
Enjoy the city and the experience. Though I took many pictures, I made the experience and joy of being there more important than getting a photo all the time.
Regards,
Larry

rmorrison1116 Loc: Near Valley Forge, Pennsylvania

If you want to lessen the burden of carrying a DSLR and lenses but still want great images, I suggest you ditch the DSLR for the trip and get a good quality point and shoot camera. There are times when I want versatility but carrying my 5D mk IV and lenses is not an option. That's when I bring either my G1X III or my SX60HS or both. For you I recommend the SX70HS. It's the upgrade to the SX60HS and a better camera; I haven't had the need to buy one yet, but I will. The G1X III has a 24 megapixel APS-C sensor and around a 24-70 equivalent lens. It's a really nice camera capable of excellent quality images, but it's a little short in the reach category. The SX70HS is a super zoom with an equivalent range of 21 to 1365 mm, and it has a 20 megapixel sensor. It also has a built in flash and does 4K. It's smaller than a DSLR but not too small and it's lighter than a DSLR and it's capable of producing excellent quality images and, is easy to use. Think about it; this may be the better solution to the lens question.

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

Of those 2 options I did choose the 24-105mm L.
Gives me far more focal length versatility and to me that is far more important. IS makes up for the aperture as I am not shooting action in low light.
In fact IS was the primary determining factor and no regrets. It has not been to Barcelona but has traveled extensively and has done a masterful job and I would have sorely missed the 105mm over the f2.8 every time.
You want details and can't stand on a 40' ladder the longer length makes a huge difference.

RolandDieter

For most if not all you will be shooting you will want some depth of field and f/4 is fine. And you will find you need the reach of the longer zoom. I've been to Europe several times, and I would never limit myself when it comse to zoom range other than 200mm is about all you will ever need. Take the 24-105, but add a wider lens if you can.

chfrus

Probably the same lens you use on any trip. What makes Europe diferent than China, England or Arizona?

Scruples Loc: Brooklyn, New York

I'm P okay with my 28-135mm lens as my prime. The 24-70mm sounds like a good lens but I haven't purchased one yet. If you are considering photographing architecture, consider a tilt shift lens. It will correct for parallax and keep all the vertical lines on a building from looking like they are falling forward or backward
You well also need a great tripod as well

Haydon

I agree with this. Also the 24-70 has less distortion at 24 mm which may or may not be flattering to architecture. A full stop of light can make a difference in dimly lit scenes and at night. The 2.8 offers more subject separation than the F4. Coupled with the great ISO of the 5DIV, it will be a winning combination.