Visiting Vienna with 24-70mm

 

There is a lot to visit and see in Vienna. My bones are still hurting from endless walks through the inner town, the museums and the parks. Before I get into a discussion about the lens I used, let me show you some pictures and talk about this beautiful town.

We had four days only, but we did see a lot. I suggest buying a Vienna ticket for each day using their app. Public transport works well in Vienna, and trains run frequently.

I also suggest doing a guided tour. We had one by a very knowledgeable guide starting from the Tourist info. You will appreciate the town a lot more after the tour.

Don't restrict yourself to the usual tourist stuff like a Fiaker ride or a visit to the Reitschule. For a show in the latter, you need a reservation far in advance. And I prefer walking to the former. Or taking pictures instead of sitting on the coach.

In Vienna, there are museums for each day of the year, it seems. We visited the Albertina, the Belvedere, and the Museum of Natural History. Museums are very crowded and during vacations might restrict access on the tickets to specific time slots.

You can also simply walk through the town and admire the mundane shops.

The inspiration of this post was to showcase the affordable and excellent Nikon Z 24-70 f/4. The f/2.8 version of this range is a lot better, but also four times as expensive and much bulkier. I don't even think of buying it. But if you use the Nikon Z for professional photography, is is the way to go. 

Let us restrict to the f/4 version, and use the 50mm f/1.8 if necessary. I did that only in the Albertina, but show only one image which might have been difficult with f/4.

Using the Nikon Z 50mm f/1.8 at f/2.8

Recently, I got into a discussion about prime lenses versus zooms. It's an old topic which was previously decided by the sub-par image quality of zooms. That, however, is a myth which is no longer true. Of course, zooms are usually slower and the one we are talking about here starts at f/4. But the image quality of the Nikon Z 24-70 f/4 holds very strongly against any prime, at least starting at f/5.6. In the center, f/4 is already excellent.

The other argument for primes is that it makes photographers "lazy", forcing to use the feet instead of the zoom ring. This argument is often accompanied by a mystical relation the photographer is said to develop with his 50mm view, or whatever prime he prefers. 

I don't buy this advice. Using a prime lens is too often holding me back. I like restrictions and simplify my life as much as I can. But it sounds "lazy" to me not to learn how and when to use a zoom. Even with a zoom, you are still capable of changing your position and to think about compositions. And to use one focal length only is just a scissor in your head.

I do know about the benefits of prime lenses in terms of image quality and object isolation. In fact, I selected the 50mm f/1.8 for the Albertina, expecting bad light and an opportunity to shine with some beautiful object isolation. But to be honest I am not sure if f/4 wouldn't have been good enough for the job, providing enough DOF for a meaningful image as in the image below, done at f/5.6 with the 24-70 in the Vienna Museum of Science.

We can also compensate slower apertures by higher ISO today. I usually don't use more than ISO1600. But sometimes, this is not enough. Moreover, an underexposed image like the one below needs to be enhanced which makes the noise level more like ISO3200. But that still works if you edit carefully.

In summary, I am very happy using the 24-70mm as my only lens. There are occasions when I would love to have a faster lens with me. But then, the light is usually not good to start with or I could isolate the subject by a longer focal length or getting closer. I admit that the superb image quality of the Nikon Z 50mm f/1.8 often lures me into grabbing for it. Often, I regret not having a wider lens with me.

Finally, go and visit this wonderful town!