I am just planning a trip to Scotland, one of my favorite places on the Earth for doing landscape photography.  In fact, Scotland may host more landscape photographers than any country in the world. And for good reason, the scenery is simply stunning.

As usual, packing for a trip overseas involves thinking about what equipment will be required and getting serious about packing light.  Landscape photography involves hiking, and any extra weight can make a big difference at the end of the day.  And then there is also the problem of carrying camera equipment on board the aircraft, an issue that is becoming more and more of an issue for photographers.

So, at the top of my list is which lenses I should pack for use with my Canon 1Ds Mark II. And on this trip, I only want to pack two lenses.  Landscape photography will be my major interest, with wildlife photography second.

I have learned that it is a mistake to rely completely on a wide-angle lens when traveling.  There are just too many opportunities that one does not expect which require a decent telephoto lens.  As in Scotland, where one may happen upon Red Deer, or Seals on a beach, or a Sea Eagle.  So I must decide which telephoto to pack. And the choice will be between the 300mm f/4L IS and the 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L.  Opting for the 300mm means less weight, but one gives up the extra range of the 100-400mm and the flexibility of the zoom.  On the other hand, the 300mm f/4L IS is a very sharp lens, which rivals it larger sister the 300mm f/2.8L.  So here the choice is between less weight and sharpness of the lens, versus more weight and greater flexibility.

In the past, I have always packed my Canon 16-35mm f/2.8L when setting off for a landscape photography tour.  It was always there in my bag.  But recently, after going through hundreds of shots I have done with the Canon 24-105mm f/4L I found that more often than not, the 24-105mm was producing sharper images with less distortion that I have been getting with the 16-35mm.  Here is an example done with the 24-105mm at Grand Tetons National Park in Wyoming.

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And here is another shot done in the Galapagos Islands.  Yes, one can do wildlife photography with the lens, course a Galapagos Tortoise doesn’t run away when you approach, so you can get close

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And here is another shot done in Olympic National Park at Second Beach, Washington.

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So, I think that the 24-105mm will be my lens of choice for doing landscape photography on this trip.  Frankly, I think I will get better shots with it than with the 16-35mm despite the fact that I will be giving up some width.  And, with a decent tripod, one can always take two shots and blend them in Adobe CS3. Maybe, not in all situations.

Now the task is to decide which telephoto to pack.  And frankly, flexibility overrules anything else.  Thus, the 100-400mm will be in my camera bag.

So, two lenses, the 24-105mm and the 100-400mm.  I now have an extreme range from 24mm to 400mm, and with the two lenses and my 1Ds Mark II, hopefully I will return home with some decent shots.  And maybe, during the trip, my back won’t hurt at the end of the day.