DilemmaI wi

I will be traveling to Rome pre cruise and then med. cruise. my question is I have Nikon D5300 with 18/55 lens, 70/300 lens and my son has loaned me his Nikon 18/200 lens. Do i lug all of these to europe or my thinking is just taking the 18/200 which should suffice in most cases. To Lug or not to lug that is the question.;p

Honestly for the sake of convenience and security, you'd probably do fine with just the 18-200mm lens. The 18-55mm kit is an average lens and the 18-200mm should be at least as good within that range, plus give you a lot more reach when needed. It's not a 'wildlife' lens, and wouldn't be quite as good for the distant stuff, but with that cruise and itinerary, you probably won't often need that extra reach...and honestly, may not even need to go up to 200mm that often.

With the theft commonplace throughout Europe and notably in Italy, probably best to avoid carrying a camera bag and camera - easier to keep your grip on one camera with lens attached, strapped firmly around a wrist rather than your neck, and always held a bit in front of you against your body rather than out to the side and hanging down.

Now, if you want more flexibility for the cruise itself, you could always bring the lenses with you, but leave them back at the hotel when walking around Rome, just bringing the 18-200mm, and when on the ship, you'd have the flexibility to pull out the other lenses for certain scenarios - like the 18-55mm when you want to go light, or the 70-300mm if you see something interesting a little farther off.

Thank you Zakiedawg i think that is excellent advice. I appreciate it.

I am aware of the dangers in Europe as far as pickpockets go. :):)

Hey Zackiedawg i checked out your photo gallery. Pics are awesome.

I live in Pompono Beach. My friend Sal goes up there I think. Is that Del Rey. Again thanks for the input. Have a Great Day

Thanks Dave. I live in Boca, and my primary spots for birding and wildlife are at parks on the Delray/Boynton border...as well as a few spots farther west on occasion.

For this trip, given what you have the 18-200 should be pretty good unless you are really looking for architectural detail, etc. With only one body, the 70-300 will be bulky and a pain to switch, maybe take it on board and keep it for ship to shore shots.. One thing I might consider is renting a 1.6-2x converter, that's easy enough to carry if you spot something you really want to zoom in on.

Whilst there are certain places where the chance of theft is greater (eg Barcelona for particular reasons) theft is not commonplace throughout Europe. At least in Europe if you do find yourself unfortunately to suffer theft you are unlikely to be shot! Most of Europe has no more and probably less chance of theft than the US.

One way of minimising the risk is not to obviously stand out as a tourist. Regrettably some Americans can be prone to this. It’s less about the camera than the clothing and attitude, the wallet in the back pocket, the baseball cap, etc. Having travelled independently in Europe, India, USA, Middle East and South America, the only place I left the big camera and lenses at home was Rio, on the advice of my son who was living there and I was visiting. However, I took and used a quality compact without problems. Of course, wherever you are you need to be vigilant and aware, whether in your home town or travelling.

The 18-200 is a fairly slow lens with distortion especially at the wide angle end. If you have a daypack then consider leaving it at home and dropping the spare lens, safe in a soft case, into your daypack.

I didn’t want the weight of my Nikon on my shoulder during an extended trip round India, so switched to a much lighter Fuji mirrorless - at the time the XT-1 was top of the range. There were many advantages, the quality of shot was every bit as good, and my Nikon hasn’t left home since.

Thank you Paul S and Loonbeam good advise and I appreciate the input. Looking forward to posting the results in September when i return.

I had the 18-200 and used it on a D200 and D7000. For vacation purposes, it's perfectly adequate. Considering the lenses you own already, I agree completely with Zackiedawg. Borrow that 18-200 and leave your lenses at home. Having one lens is SUPREMELY convenient when traveling.

My feeling is that Rome is notorious for pick pockets, amongst other touristy annoyances. Yes, in the US, you're more likely to just get shot or mugged rather than being pick pocketed. But, with just one lens, like Zackie said, you can just keep it around your neck and keep a firm grip on it. If that's all you have, even if they nick your camera bag, there shouldn't be anything in it. Assuming you take precautions against pick pocketing of course. Things like keeping only the minimum number of credit cards, travel wallets (the kind that goes under your clothes), keeping cash and stuff separate so if they scope you out and hit one pocket, you don't lose it all, etc.

Thank you Gambit.. Enjoy your day

Joining the crowd!

Unless you take pictures when the lights are extremely low, a f3.5-5.6mm lens such as the Nikon 18-200mm should take care of the majority of your shots.

You can always use Lightroom, Picture Perfect, Photolemur etc for extremely low-light interiors!