Recommended travel lens - Lumix GF2

[ja9_c]

Hello

Hoping to get some advice - I am new to the forum and to Lumix cameras!

I have recently purchased a Lumix GF2 with the standard kit (14mm and 14-42mm lens). I am looking for recommendation for a travel len that I can take on a trip of a lifetime (Brazil!). I don't want to miss anything!

Unfortuntely I have found the 14-42mm lens to be quite slow in fast moving situation (a recent bike race comes to mind) and not perform well under low situations - Has anyone else found this??

Any advice would be great!

Thanks in advance

 

[conglyjpham]

I'm also new here and I use the GF2 attached with the 20mm 1.7 lens. I find it a great combo to use while going on trips because of it's portability. It's a little bit thicker than your 14mm.

In good light, this combo will do great in taking any type of pictures. For action shots, I just need to be prepared and have a stable hand, otherwise I saw this would be the best single lens solution. The 25mm 1.4 is a bit more expensive for it's performance and it's not as portable.

Another thing to consider is the lack of EVF on the GF2. When the sun is bright and the LCD is reflective, I find myself shooting blind a lot.

Hope this helps :], how's your experience with the 14mm?

Edit: I forgot to mention that the 20mm 1.7 focuses slower than other lens such as your 14mm and 25mm, so this along with no EVF could mean you miss a shot entirely :[....

 

[dannat]

What kind of shooting do you want to do on your trip?

The 14-42 prob isn't designed for action shots, do you need any tele capabilities

 

[emrldwpn]

I've started using the Oly 45 1.8, the relatively fast aperture will help with shutter speed and the focal length is good for outdoors. Image quality is outstanding too.

 

[mattia]

The GF2 isn't really an action/sports camera. None of the MFT bodies are, not compared to equivalently priced DSLRs, although the E-M5 certainly isn't bad per se.

What are you going to be doing/seeing in Brazil? What are you most interested in photographically? Do you prefer wide-angle shots? Portraits? Low light? Animals?

There is no such thing as an 'ideal travel lens' that address every question you might have. I travel a fair bit, and I've figured out my personal favorite style of photography tends to involved moderate wide-angle and quite a lot of landscape. I'm also rediscovering the joys of an ultrawide perspective for cities, architecture and interiors. Landscapes I tend to shoot a little tighter and stitch in post, because that's how I 'see' them.

My standard travel kit pre-MFT for places without wildlife opportunities was always a 5D mark II and a 24-105L lens (divide by two for 'equivalent field of view in MFT), with a 35/1.4 and 50/1.4 or similar in the bag as well. Often added the 135/2.0, but that doesn't get much play when travelling. If wildlife was involved, the 100-400L got added.

If I were building an MFT kit based around the GF2 for travel, I would go with the 20/1.7 for low light and/or tiny camera situations, 14-42 for general all-round daylight shots. This would be minimalist and I would be missing wide-angle. For me, the 7-14 is without question the best MFT lens I currently have and I won't travel anywhere without it.

 

[slothead]

Gentlemen,
I too am new to the forum and will also be doing some travel (for which I also want the best set of lenses). My subject matter will be landscapes, and street scenes (in Venice, Greece and those environs). I have heard good things about the 20mm f/1.7, the 45/1.8 and the 75/1.8 (and also the 100-300, but I'm not expecting to use that in my travels).

I appreciate all the discussion so far here and will be watching for other suggestions here and in other threads that pertain to this subject.

 

[LowTEC]

For travel, I would use my 12-35. I really don't like the idea of swapping lenses when I can enjoy the trip experience

 

[danska]

I just got into m4/3 near the end of the May and received my camera two days before the trip. I feel like the trip helped me define what I wanted to shoot, which came down to mainly street and night photography. I only had the 14mm (came with the GX1) and picked up the PL25. I used the 25mm almost the entire time, the 14mm a bit when I wanted a wider view. Looking at my metadata, the 14mm was used for 100/1800 photos. With this combo I carried the camera on a neck strap with the 25 attached and the 14mm in my pocket. Worked really well for me and I was able to get a lot of indoor and low-light shots, I wouldn't have been able to with a kit lens. The 20mm Panasonic would do quite well also for what I wanted.

Ideally I would want a 7-14 or 9-18 if I did that trip again, or I went some place like Brazil! Wide would have been really nice for architecture and scenery. I didn't find myself wanting a longer focal length in most situations, but certainly the 12-35 would have probably done almost everything for me. Unfortunately the 7-14 and 12-35 are two of the most expensive lenses for this system, so I'm not sure you can budget those (maybe rent one?).

 

[CPWarner]

The 12-35 is very useful for travel, as it is a very versatile lens. I think that this in combination with a 7-14 and the soon to be released 35-100 will be an awesome travel kit. For a one lens solution, the Panasonic 14-140 is very good, and can be had for reasonable money on the. UT and sell.

 

[emirabal]

For travel, I would use my 12-35. I really don't like the idea of swapping lenses when I can enjoy the trip experience

Hit the nail right on the head, i took 2 lenses on my last trip and only used the 20mm because it was portable and i didnt want to mess up the mood of the trip. Didnt even bring my tripod, could i have used it a few times - yes - would i have made everyone annoyed and not enjoyed the moment - probably. In the end, if you want to take the trip AND take pics, listen to the advice of other trip goers who have used multiple lenses. If you want to enjoy the trip and take good shots, take the 20mm 1.7 (or 14mm in your case if you cant grab the 20mm).

 

[demiro]

You can also consider taking a few lenses but just selecting one for whatever activities are happening on a given day. Just make sure wherever you are storing your luggage/gear is secure.

 

[ja9_c]

Thanks all for your advice. Just to answer some questions - a lense for low light is key but also something for street shots and architecture (wide angle). Not looking for major telephoto ability although considering a zoom lens to avoid swapping lenses.

The 20/1.7 seems to be popular - How does this perform for action shots and low light? Compared to 14mm?

Zoom lens - What would you recommend out of the 9-18, 7-14 or 12-35?

 

[jonh918]

i have a GF5 w/ 14mm f2.5 and 20mm f1.7 both are a great combo.. For a trip i would bring 20mm f.17 & 7-14mm

-For me the 14mm f2.5 faster Af