Upgrade & Travel Advice

[ABG]

I'm lucky enough to be heading to Europe for the first time in a few weeks time and am looking for some advice from fellow forum members.

My girlfriend has worked as a tour guide operator in Italy for about 10 years (mainly in Rome), so I'm pretty confident she'll be able to show me the must see sites. We'll be in Europe for a total of 4 weeks and apart from Italy, we're also thinking of travelling through France for about a week. What are the places you think are the must see destinations given the time constraints we face?

I'm also thinking of upgrading my equipment, which at the moment consists of my trusty D70, 18-70 kit lens, 50mm 1.8, 70-210 f4-5.6, SB800 and Slik Master Deluxe tripod (heavy, but rock solid) and various other bric a brac. I'm more than happy with the quality of the photos I get with my current gear, with the notable exception of low light photography. Unfortunately, I'm expecting to take numerous photos in less than optimal lighting conditions while we're away. I want to limit my spend to about $2.5K and think it would make sense to stay with Nikon given my investment in Nikon gear. I want to keep the D70 as a back up body.

At the moment, I'm considering the D90, D300, or the D700. If I get the D90, that leaves me some extra spending money on glass. Here, I'm thinking of the Tokina 11-16 f2.8 to cover the ultra-wide side of things. If I get this, then I'll also consider selling the kit lens and buy some 2.8 glass - either the Nikon 35-70, or a third party lens, like the Tammy 28-70. The D700 is obviously a bit of a stretch budget wise.

What would you be looking at if you were in my shoes? What gear should I pack with me? Should I look at an 18-200 and sell it when I get back? And where am I best buying my gear (locally, then claiming back the GST; duty free locally, or duty free OS)?

I know that's a lot of questions, but I want to give this a lot of thought so I'm not kicking myself in a couple of months for not thinking of something, that in hindsight, is obvious. Thanks in advance for your greatly appreciated advice.

[Mr Darcy]

I think the 18-200 is an absolutely brilliant travel lens, but as you are aware, not the fastest kid on the block. Odds are this will be the only lens you use.
Not familiar with the Tokina, but all reports say it is great. Maybe add a fast prime as well, say a 50 1.8, or even 1.4 for those low light situations. Carry your body, a couple of lenses and a CPL. and LOTS of cards. Some form of backup is handy for the cards too. This could be a computer or one of the specialised drives (a lot smaller, but pricey). Don't delete the info on the cards though until you have at least two other copies.

Oh and don't forget a spare battery and a charger with the right wall adapter.

[gstark]

Hi Andrew ...

Ok, will you be going to places in Italy apart from Roma? Consider Maranello ... you'll enjoy the museum, but also wander down to the end of the street, and have a peek over the fence. If you hear a sound that's like mosquitoes buzzing around ...

From Maranello, head to the west coast: Pisa - then travel north into Le Cinque Terre. Monterosso Al Mare is the place to go, find yourself somewhere cheap to stay for a couple of nights; you won't want to leave.

France ... Paris, obviously: take in the Dali Museum in Montmartre. Walk along the banks of the Seine, and just soak up the atmosphere. Head to Riems and learn how to remove the top of a champagne bottle with a sabre.

Visit the local markets and set yourselves up with a picnic from the local fare: goat's cheese, a selection of pates, some terrines of ... whatever ... a fresh baguette, a bottle of something local.

That picnic can also be had on the TGV when traveling to and from Paris.

Le Mans and Monaco races are also held in May; check calendars and dates, and see what you can arrange.

On the camera .. I'd probably be inclined to get the D90. Grab the 18-200, the new AF-S 35mm DX, and the Sigma 10-20, and you'll be set to cover just about anything you want. The 35 is nice and fast, both optically and in terms of focus speed. We have one here for review at the moment, and it's truly a magic fit on the D60, and on the D90 it will be equally at home.

[aim54x]

On the camera .. I'd probably be inclined to get the D90. Grab the 18-200, the new AF-S 35mm DX, and the Sigma 10-20, and you'll be set to cover just about anything you want. The 35 is nice and fast, both optically and in terms of focus speed. We have one here for review at the moment, and it's truly a magic fit on the D60, and on the D90 it will be equally at home.

I'd be inclined to say go with the D90 + 18-105 + Tokina 11-16 + 50 1.8 (or the 35 1.8 ). Even this will be a stretch on your 2.5K budget though.

[Glen]

Hi Andrew, I always think less is better for travelling. I would get take one of the newer cameras because of the better high iso capability (unfamiliar with how the D90 is, others are obviously good), the 18-200 and a fast 30 or 35mm lens. Three items so less to think about.

[radar]

Andrew,

less is more when you travel At the end of the 4 weeks, you will be tired of carrying the gear. Remember that you can easily take a few pano shots that you stitch together when you get back home. The 35mm would be perfect for that and with the 18-200, you just have to decide on a DX camera, likely the D90. Having video is also a bonus.

As to buying locally, ECS is hard to beat these days for Nikon gear. They also carry Sigma and Tamron. That way, you also get Australian warranty for your gear. http://www.cameras.net.au/

As for France, I love the area around Beaune, in the middle of the Burgendy wine region, great town, great wines. Loved spending time renting a bicycle and cycling around the vineyards. There is a great cycle rental shop close to the centre and the owner has lots of useful info on vineyards to visit.

You can take the TGV direct to Beaune or via Dijon.

http://www.beaune-burgundy.com/

The Dordogne region is also gorgeous, lots to do, visit, eat, drink. The Loire valley with its chateaux is also great.

If you want ideas on where to take photos in Paris or around Italy, have a look at this photographer's galleries. He's from Melbourne, he has some great stuff. http://www.magichourtravelscapes.com/

Bon Voyage,

André

[ABG]

Thanks for all the replies guys, and thanks also to everyone who rang with kind offers of loaning various bits and pieces. It's definitely a great community here.

Greg, I'll be taking a notebook along with me as well as a DVD burner to make sure I've got my photos backed up appropriately before wiping any cards. I'll invest in some new cards before I leave too, as I've only got two 4GB cards and one 2GB card. Of course, if I go with the D90, then I need to start from scratch with SD cards. I'll also grab a spare battery as per your suggestion.

Gary, a very rough itinerary sees us start in Rome, go to Orvieto, Siena, Florence, Ravenna, Trieste, Udine, Padova, Maranello (you knew that had to be in there, right?), Milan, Lake Como, Turin, France (itinerary to be determined here), Monaco, San Remo, La Spezia (or Monterosso Al Mare as you suggest), Pisa, back to Rome, Naples, Palermo, Positano and finish in Rome. There's a possibility we may also go to Sicily. Unfortunately, Le Mans and Monaco F1 are being run outside the time we'll be in Europe, despite a last minute call to Bernie to see if he'd re-schedule. I'm also very tempted to drive a little further north to a little track called the Nordschleife... A good mate is driving there in this year's 24 hour.

I picked up a D90 today for the first time and it feels considerably smaller than the D70. Am I just imagining this, or is it really smaller? The D300 felt much better, and obviously considerably more robust, and is possibly the way I'll end up going. Sounds like the 18-200 is pretty much the unanimous choice for travel and I'll combine that with either a 10-20 or 11-16 and my 50 1.8. As everone has suggested, best if I keep things compact and lightweight. I might also buy a cheap, lightweight tripod when I get to Italy.

Andre, thanks for the links and travel recommendations for France. Magic Hour certainly has some fantastic shots for inspiration. I popped into ECS today and their pricing certainly looks sharp.

Speaking of pricing, does anyone know whether I can buy local stock duty free, and would there be much of a saving in doing so?

[BullcreekBob]

For travelling you'll want the D90, 18-200mm and your 50mm f/1.8 for low light and night shots.

When you return you'll think about better glass than the 18-200 and indeed many or even most other lenses will give better image quality. BUT for travelling and travelling fairly light the 18-200 is an awesome lens and will have the flexibility to do a pretty good job in a great variety of situations. It really is the best one lens travelling kit.

[radar]

Speaking of pricing, does anyone know whether I can buy local stock duty free, and would there be much of a saving in doing so?

If you buy within 30 days of departure, you can claim the GST at the airport. Do a search for TRS on these forums, plenty of discussions on the subject. I've used the scheme at the end of last year when I got a Canon G10, worked very nicely.

cheers,

André

[bwhatnall]

Defenitly go for a wide angle/telephoto lens, i know tamron just released a 18-350 thats meant to be exceptional, and keeping your weight down that way is great. Dont take duplicates of lenses if you have them, say a 60mm macro and a 105mm macro, might be useful in the studio, but when your weight restricted, its not worth it. And lots of memory cards and 3 batteries at the least

[aim54x]

Defenitly go for a wide angle/telephoto lens, i know tamron just released a 18-350 thats meant to be exceptional, and keeping your weight down that way is great. Dont take duplicates of lenses if you have them, say a 60mm macro and a 105mm macro, might be useful in the studio, but when your weight restricted, its not worth it. And lots of memory cards and 3 batteries at the least

18-350??? The longest zoom that Tamron makes is the 18-270VC to my knowledge, and that is meant to be as good as the Nikkor 18-200 in terms of distortions and aberrations but with the slow focus speed of a micro motor (as slow as a screwdriver lens)