The best camera lenses for travel photography

There are many types of camera lenses available on the market, but which ones are the best for travel photography? Most of the lenses come at a high price point and the choice needs to be made wisely. Depending on your photography style and niche, you may want to take a close look at the effects you can obtain with different gear.

The factors to consider before picking the lenses for travel photography:

-Weight: The weight and size of your camera bag is of a huge importance. Although it may be the last factor you consider when picking the travel gear- simply think of the luggage you will have to carry on your back all through your adventures. Considering that many travel photographers carry not just cameras, but also drones, laptops and chargers- the weight of the gear can add up very quickly. For this reason, it's worth considering what is really essential when gearing up.

-Lens speed: The speed of your lens depends on it's aperture and is indicated by the number which usually appears after 'f' on the lens itself. The lower the number, the more light the lens allows in.  As the light hits your image sensor, it also speeds up the shutter. The lower the light, the slower the shutter. This also has a huge impact on the quality of your images as the slow shutter means blurry and grainy outcome.

As a traveller you will face low-light situations quite often and for this reason you should add a fast lens to your wish list.

-Versatility: As every trip is different, you need to estimate what your biggest photography focus is. If you're going on the safari, you want telephoto gear. If you're exploring caves you may find the wide aperture helpful. Knowing your purpose is a way to succeed in choosing your perfect camera lens. Remember to think of your purchase as a long-time investment. As these are not cheap- you do want to make a wise and thoughtful decision.

-Price: Although many people think that buying a camera body is an end to all photography expenses- it's just the beginning. Camera lenses can hugely vary in price and in fact, they can turn out more expensive than the body itself. However, choosing the professional and quality lens can be an investment for years.

Let's explore travellers' favourite lenses and compare the differences between them!

WIDE-ANGLE AND ZOOM LENSES

If you're considering buying a lens which will be very universal, you should probably think of wide-angle or zoom lenses. This type of lens will allow you to fit more objects into the frame while using lesser space. Wide angle lenses, whether prime or zoom, are perfect for capturing landscapes and properties. They come very handy for everyone passionate about architecture and hotel photography.

These are the wide interior and exterior shots on 16-35mm f2.8

18-55mm- Usually, the DSLR cameras come with a Kit lens, most commonly the 18-55 mm which covers the range from moderate wide angle to short telephoto view. Usually, the beginners stick to this universal lens before they switch to more expensive gear.

24-70mm- Another lens which is considered perfect for a traveller's camera bag. Although this one comes at a much higher price than a standard kit, it's perfect for everyone who wants to capture wide landscapes without the strong visual distortion, aka the fish-eye effect.

18-105mm or 18-200mm are slightly wider and cheaper alternatives to 24-70 and offer a better zoom range. These are considered to be the perfect holiday lenses.

16-35mm- If your budget is higher, the 16-35 mm is a lens you would like to consider for sharp, fine-detailed shots. The final images are perfectly wide with small visual distortions when shot on 16mm. Investing in this lens will surely bring you a long-lasting satisfaction.

70-200mm- Do you have a spare budget and space in your camera bag? If you answer 'yes' to both, you may want to take a look at the lens that professionals love. This versatile lens provides a great range of focal lengths and is a workhorse which can handle anything from portraits to landscapes and architecture photography. It's perfect for wildlife spotting as it's incredibly fast and allows you to capture detailed shots as well as wider scenes without wasting the time for a lens swap.

PRIME LENSES

First of all- what is a prime lens?

A prime lens is a fixed focal lens, which doesn't give you the possibility to zoom in or out. The biggest advantages of prime over zoom lenses is better image quality, sharpness, more affordable prices and wider apertures which isolate the object and get more light in. This means that the lenses with relevant aperture will allow you to work in harsh light conditions. If you don't like additional lightning, you should choose the aperture from 1.2 to 1.8.

Although many travel photographers do mostly landscapes, my selection of prime lenses is for those who love portraits and details.

The top prime lenses you can use for travel photography:

35mm- A versatile lens which is the equivalent of the vision that human eyes see. 35mm is a perfect lens to tell the whole story- what, who, when, where and why. It's wide enough to capture the entire scene and landscape and perfectly short to isolate an object. This lens is many travellers' favourite, especially when it comes to portrait photography. Since travel photography is not all about capturing landscapes- 35mm will get you the most beautiful creamy portraits and closeups.

50mm- This lens is a must-have in every photographer's gear bag. It's incredibly versatile and perfect for low-light photography. 50mm is one of the most affordable, yet professional gear. The quality of images shot on 50mm can be compared to the results achieved with top of the range equipment. Another huge advantage of 50mm is its size. It's small, light and easy to carry which means that you can easily pack it in your bag. Just like 35mm, this lens is perfect for portraits and details. The very high speed and wide aperture can also provide shallow depth of field. This gives you a huge creative scope to blur out backgrounds and focus attention on your main subject.

85mm- Although many will call it a perfect lens for wedding photographers, 85mm is your best choice for travel portrait photography too. If your portfolio is focused on people , this lens will give you the sharpness, incredible quality and the unreal bokeh you've been wishing to get for a while. Even though 85mm 1.2 comes at a rather high price point, it's an investment for decades if you're a passionate portrait photographer.

24mm and 14mm- These professional wide angle prime lenses will help you get the best quality and sharp shots. 

Now, let's jump into the comparison of images taken on different prime and zoom lenses.

1. The first image is taken on a wide zoom lens 16-35mm f2.8. The second image is on 35mm f1.4.

2. The first image is taken on a 85mm f1.2. The second image is on 50mm f1.8.

3. The first image is taken on a 35mm f1.4. The second image is on 24-70mm f2.8.

4. The first image is taken on a 35mm f1.4. The second image is on 85mm f1.2.

5. The final comparison is of the prime lenses: from the left- 35mm f1.4, 50mm f1.8, 85mm f1.2