Lenses for Machu Picchu_

[Eric W]

I´m going to be in Peru for 10 days including 5 around Cuzco and Machu PIcchu. It´s not a wildlife photography trip, but I´d wondering if there any reason to bring my 180-600 mm for birds or distant landscapes.

 

[JAJohnson]

I had a trip planned there some years ago, but political unrest caused the gov’t to close the site and the access road. As it turned out, unexpected rain also caused problems during the days I was planning to be there.

In answer to your question, what I’ve been told is that wide angle lenses are going to be more useful. But I can image that a telephoto zoom might be good to have, perhaps. Of course, you’re going to want to minimize the amount of gear you take, so your question is a good one. What types of photos do you have in mind?

 

[Lee R]

I just went there a few months back and brought the 14-30S, 24-200 and 26/40mm 2.8/2.0 light primes for lower light use. The 28-400 would have been useful instead of the 24-200. I brought the Nikon Zf with me and used it in Lima, Cuzco, Macchu Pichu, Puno, and Arequipa.

I primarily used the zooms at Macchu Picchu and the sacred valley area, primes in the city as I didn’t have a camera bag and kept one on camera and one in a pocket. The Zf looking like an older film camera makes it look a bit less attractive than something with a huge lens on it.

Macchu Picchu was built with a love of stairs and the routes are time limited from entry to exit although it didn’t seem strictly enforced. I used the 14-30 the most there and only carried two lenses on the site that day. Weather was socked in fog the first hour and a half then it started to clear. I was the first in the gate at 6am on a Monday which helped stay ahead of the crowd the whole time. Once the fog broke it was quite a sight. Itll also be very high contrast lighting as the sun is intense there.

Carrying a heavy bag would not be much fun there and detract from the experience. Keep in mind the altitude which effects everyone differently but will make carrying weight worse on those hills.

Keep in mind there is a bag size limit and no tripods. Larger telephoto’s may also be deemed “professional gear” and require a fee or permit. So read up on the rules prior to packing for the trip.

 

[JAJohnson]

I just went there a few months back and brought the 14-30S, 24-200 and 26/40mm 2.8/2.0 light primes for lower light use. The 28-400 would have been useful instead of the 24-200. I brought the Nikon Zf with me and used it in Lima, Cuzco, Macchu Pichu, Puno, and Arequipa.

I primarily used the zooms at Macchu Picchu and the sacred valley area, primes in the city as I didn’t have a camera bag and kept one on camera and one in a pocket. The Zf looking like an older film camera makes it look a bit less attractive than something with a huge lens on it.

Macchu Picchu was built with a love of stairs and the routes are time limited from entry to exit although it didn’t seem strictly enforced. I used the 14-30 the most there and only carried two lenses on the site that day. Weather was socked in fog the first hour and a half then it started to clear. I was the first in the gate at 6am which helped stay ahead of the crowd the whole time. Once the fog broke it was quite a sight. Itll also be very high contrast lighting as the sun is intense there.

Carrying a heavy bag would not be much fun there and detract from the experience. Keep in mind the altitude which effects everyone differently but will make carrying weight worse on those hills.

Keep in mind there is a bag size limit and no tripods. Larger telephoto’s may also be deemed “professional gear” and require a fee or permit. So read up on the rules prior to packing for the trip.

Lee, these are beautiful photos. Thanks for sharing them!

 

[Eric W]

I had a trip planned there some years ago, but political unrest caused the gov’t to close the site and the access road. As it turned out, unexpected rain also caused problems during the days I was planning to be there.

In answer to your question, what I’ve been told is that wide angle lenses are going to be more useful. But I can image that a telephoto zoom might be good to have, perhaps. Of course, you’re going to want to minimize the amount of gear you take, so your question is a good one. What types of photos do you have in mind?

I was thinking of landscapes at Machu Picchu and city scapes elsewhere. Interiors of churches. I like to take "macro" photos of flowers with a lens that gets me wishing a foot or so, but close focusing not macro.

 

[Eric W]

I just went there a few months back and brought the 14-30S, 24-200 and 26/40mm 2.8/2.0 light primes for lower light use. The 28-400 would have been useful instead of the 24-200. I brought the Nikon Zf with me and used it in Lima, Cuzco, Macchu Pichu, Puno, and Arequipa.

I primarily used the zooms at Macchu Picchu and the sacred valley area, primes in the city as I didn’t have a camera bag and kept one on camera and one in a pocket. The Zf looking like an older film camera makes it look a bit less attractive than something with a huge lens on it.

Macchu Picchu was built with a love of stairs and the routes are time limited from entry to exit although it didn’t seem strictly enforced. I used the 14-30 the most there and only carried two lenses on the site that day. Weather was socked in fog the first hour and a half then it started to clear. I was the first in the gate at 6am on a Monday which helped stay ahead of the crowd the whole time. Once the fog broke it was quite a sight. Itll also be very high contrast lighting as the sun is intense there.

Carrying a heavy bag would not be much fun there and detract from the experience. Keep in mind the altitude which effects everyone differently but will make carrying weight worse on those hills.

Keep in mind there is a bag size limit and no tripods. Larger telephoto’s may also be deemed “professional gear” and require a fee or permit. So read up on the rules prior to packing for the trip.

I'd be more than happy to get some pictures like yours.

Are there any birds or other wildlife that might be worth the weight of the zoom telephoto?

Maybe bring a neutral density filter or polarizing filter? (I generally don't like the results with polarizing filters. They look artificial to me.)

I've also got an Olympus PEN EL-9 (mirrorless micro 4:3) that I bought for underwater photography, but have used for street photography because as with your Zf, it doesn't attract a lot of attention. The downside is that the quality is no where near as good as a Nikon Z.

 

[Lee R]

I'd be more than happy to get some pictures like yours.

Are there any birds or other wildlife that might be worth the weight of the zoom telephoto?

Maybe bring a neutral density filter or polarizing filter? (I generally don't like the results with polarizing filters. They look artificial to me.)

I've also got an Olympus PEN EL-9 (mirrorless micro 4:3) that I bought for underwater photography, but have used for street photography because as with your Zf, it doesn't attract a lot of attention. The downside is that the quality is no where near as good as a Nikon Z.

I did see some raptors and vicuña that would have been nice to have a 400mm reach for. But not a lot of wildlife as I was around people mostly and not in remote areas. A polarizing filter isn’t a bad idea for the harsher midday sun to take some of the reflection off, or shoot b/w.
You’ll have a lot of fun grabbing images there It’s a great country for photography.

I would not have used the 180-600 and it would have been a lot to carry around, but I was on the move all over the country so light was the priority. If you’re staying in one place and have time to leave it in a hotel and be able to get out somewhere with birds it would be fun. Lake Titicaca had a lot of waterfowl but not really anything close enough. The best area for that lens was in one of the Marriott hotels that was on a river and had a pathway close by, there was a fair amount of smaller birds and butterfly’s along the path.

The 28-400 would have been a great lens for the trip and better than the 24-200 imo for that extra reach. Even at F8.

Here’s a bit more variety from that trip for some ideas for you, I’m not sure what you like to shoot. There’s lots of Inca ruins around but there’s also a lot of people at those sites. Cusco had some cool street areas, the salt mines were neat to see as well near there and the agricultural ruin that’s sort of a terraced hole in the ground. It’s right next to one of the best restaurants in the world named mil.

 

[hef19898]

Those are great images! Thank you for sharing!