Which DSLR lenses to carry on a motorcycle trip?

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Nikon Autofocus - Zoom Lenses $265
28-200 F3.5-5.6 D INTERNAL FOCUS (72) (NOT FOR N8008S) WITH HOOD, CAPS, 35MM SLR AUTO FOCUS ZOOM WIDE ANGLE LENS

I have a D200, Nikkor 18-200 VR, and Tokina 12-24. I see what you guys are saying about the 18-200 being great for everything but it is pretty huge, as well as the camera itself. I pack hideously light and ride a supersport so there isn't much room to stuff a bunch of junk. Any suggestions on a smaller footprint lens that will get it done while being rugged?

Thoughts on getting away with a fixed 35mm or 50mm?

You could easily get away with either, but of course it depends on the type of photography you'd like to do.

As for which of the two, personally I'd go for the 35/2 especially for the D200, but one of my friends swears by her 50/1.8. (We both do professional photography work.)

I carry a ton of gear & lenses, but the best camera to always carry around is actually a high-quality point & shoot, like the Canon G11.

The thing about contemporary zoom lenses is that they can be sharp out of the box. After getting banged around and suffering form vibrations, they tend to lose sharpness over time. They can also just plain fall apart. Seriously.

By carrying gear on a motorcycle, you are subjecting equipment to a lot of vibrations. (Aircraft does this as well.)

If you can, I would suggest using fixed lenses.

Fixed lenses tend to be sharper and faster than zooms. You can also get them used for a lot less money than new. IMO, one of the reasons to use a Nikon camera is for the plethora of used prime lenses that can be found for not a lot of money.

I get asked this quite a bit! I did a blog post on what I carry a while back.

I've got that same Tokina wide angle 2.8 you've got. It's killer, though it's not often you really need something that wide.

Other than that I use a 28mm 2.8 an 85mm 1.8 and that's it.
That's short on the telephoto end, but from Canada to Panama I've been happy with my photos. The 28mm lives on my D200 and does well for most situations.

I've never been a fan of those one-lens-does-it-all superzooms. They're just too damn slow (3.5-5.6? Blech...) And because they zoom externally with those telescoping plastic tubes, they tend to collect dirt and motorcycle grit inside and start grinding.

I take my Tokina 12-24mm F/4 and either the 50mm f/1.8 or the 70-210. I've taken the 80-200mm f/2.8 but it was just too big and I hardly used the longer lens.

For lighter trips, I just take two primes: 24mm f/2.8 and 50mm. An 85mm f/1.8 would be excellent but I don't have one so I make due with the 50.

On my last trip I stripped things way down -- didn't bring the DSLR at all. Instead, I brought the Panasonic Lumix GF-1 I got over the winter, with 20mm f1.7 prime lens (40mm equivalent). Its compactness was really nice, and its output is right up there with the various non-full-frame DSLRs in terms of quality (results can be seen in my WV/NC/TN/VA ride report linked below -- the blurrier shots, mostly on-bike, were taken with a different camera, so ignore those).

It was refreshing to shoot everything with a fast prime lens. Zooms are convenient, but there's just something about shooting with a prime.

--mark

mmmmm, GF-1 is next on the list for sure

I do love shooting with primes. "What if the picture doesn't fit?!" they cry. Walk back or forward dammit!

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/antontrax/4366444305/" title="Way out West-0466 by antontrax, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4070/4366444305_f3ec2cd5f5_b.jpg" width="681" height="1024" alt="Way out West-0466" /></a>

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/antontrax/4173385812/" title="Way out West-3689 by antontrax, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2488/4173385812_89cb2e09c6.jpg" width="500" height="352" alt="Way out West-3689" /></a>


<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/antontrax/3961390932/" title="Way out West-0148 by antontrax, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2493/3961390932_2826de6af3_b.jpg" width="1024" height="685" alt="Way out West-0148" /></a>

^Those are really nice pictures. I am humbled.

When I can make myself lug the D1h, I usually only take the old 50mm. Acts like a short portrait lens on the DSLR, and it's fast and small. Much sharper than a short zoom (especially those cheapy kit lenses) and takes the beating from the TE610. It also forces you to pay attention to perspective. You can always move to get the comp you want. My ex used to call me the human zoom.

Not a MC pic, but one with the 50mm on the old D1h.

I like the 35mm on a APS-C but don't think it's wide enough so I use a 24mm f/2.8 instead and usually carry the 50mm along since it gives me enough reach for most moto-trip shots.

I have a D300 but recently bought a D1H for CHEAP and really love it. Nice to see I'm not the only one using a dinosaur

Of the lenses you have and to bring only one, although I am not a fan of kit lenses, your kit lens should cover most of your photographic needs. Otherwise, stujamur makes a good suggestion, if you are so inclined to purchase a new lens it is not a bad choice for your intended purpose.

Ya, I think I paid $200 for my old D1h. It's a big brute but built like a tank. It's much better than the original D1. I had one of those back when it was the hot thing (paid like $1800 for a used one! :eek1 ) and the color wasn't very good. Took a lot of photoshop work.