Some great feedback here, thanks for all of the comments and responses. To clarify, when on hols, I will usually only take one lens out with me, so although I took the 12-24, 17-70 and 55-300, I wouldn't have them all with me on any given day. The one I would definitely NOT use in tight spaces is the 12-24. Why? Because images can very easily end up with distortions, particularly on verticals and also there is a tendency with a wide angle lens to attempt to cram in as much as possible, which can result in busy looking shots that the eye doesn't easily rest upon. Another reason is that I think most people go for wide angle lenses in tight spaces, which can mean that we see a lot of similar looking images and I like to try and get something that's a bit different.

So this leaves the 17-70 and the 55-300. My preference is the 55-300, it just suits my style of shooting. I tend to look for patterns, textures, shapes, contrasting light etc. rather than trying to just capture a scene. The 55-300 is ideal for isolating sections and is also great for candid shots of people at distance. I also like the way that it compresses perspective, which can make shots down long streets particularly interesting, especially if the focus is on a subject in the short to mid-distance.

Here are three examples to illustrate what I mean, two of which have appeared on the Gallery in the last couple of days, all were shot in Mykonos Town which is famous for its tight labyrinth of Medieval streets.










Thanks again for the great feedback on this thread, any further thoughts and comments are welcomed.

BTW, I think the third one is shot with the Sigma 17-70, not the Pentax 55-300, but it still illustrates the point of shooting with a longer focal length in a tight space. I don't think the Sigma at 70mm is as sharp as the Pentax 55-300 would be when set at 70mm.

Regards
David

I've just been on holiday for 3 weeks, so apologies if I've not contributed much lately! However, whilst on hols I had an interesting conversation with a fellow tourist who was keen on photography. We met at a Restaurant in Sibenik, Croatia where we were having lunch. He noticed my camera (K-3) and also the lens attached to it. He asked what focal length the lens was and I told him. We then had an interesting discussion and disagreed about what our preferred lenses are when in tight spaces, such as narrow streets and old towns, e.g. the type of environment such as Mykonos Town in Greece, and Dubrovnik or Sibenik in Croatia. All of these towns are Medieval in origin and feature narrow, winding streets, overhanging buildings and steep inclines.

Anyway, my question is what type of lens do you prefer in such environments?

The choices are telephoto, standard or wide angle, my lenses on holiday were a 12-24, a 17-70 and a 55-300. Which one would you choose and why?

I will tell you my preference when you've had the opportunity to contribute your thoughts, but suffice to say the person I was speaking to told me outright I was using the wrong lens! I'll also post a couple of example images to illustrate why I use what I use.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts, I hope this stimulates some interesting discussion.

Regards
David

Excellent shots Derek, spiders are not easy as they require a lot of DOF.

Regards
David

Congratulations Barrie, well done!

Regards
David

Hi Jonathan

Welcome to the site ,hope you like it here.

Regards
David

A pretty excellent set all round, very impressive.

Regards
David

Just had to write a short post to draw attention to some recent images posted in the Gallery by several members. There are some belters posted in the last couple of days, if any of the members or visitors don't usually view the Gallery, I would recommend doing so to see the efforts of Autumnlight, DrOrloff, bwlchmawr, naestved, derek897, K10D and ArsenAl to name a few.

Please take the time to view and comment on these superb pictures.

Regards
David

I would recommend the 12-24. It's a truly excellent lens, not heavy, the only downside is the front element is rather large. There is no issue using it with filters, the only thing you have to be careful of is a polariser, to avoid banding in the sky, but that's true of any ultra-wide lens. If I go out with the intention of shooting landscapes, I never leave it behind.

Regards
David

Welcome to the site Dale, it doesn't matter where you are from, hope you learn a lot of useful tips for your venture into the land of the DSLR!

Regards
David

Would you not reconsider a 50-135 Derek? Best lens I have for what I would term 'general use', superb optically. I just wonder whether you had a duffer previously?

Regards
David