Hiking and Biking in the Netherlands

 

22mm f/5.6

Do you have a favorite travel lens? I don't. For some time, I thought, the superzoom Nikon Z 24-200 would do the trick. After all, it was made for the purpose. But soon you notice that you are still missing photographic opportunities if you glue that lens to your camera. Moreover, it is definitely not the top lens for the Nikon Z system.

For one, it is not a fast lens. From 100mm onward, it only reaches f/6. Often, that is enough to isolate subjects when you can use the telephoto range. But you also need to stop down for optimal lens performance. When I compare the results to a 85mm at f/2.8, the difference is striking. Without the comparison, this long telephoto zoom is certainly good enough. But then, it is also not really long enough for wildlife, and not wide enough for interesting cityscapes.

Thus, I usually have taken the 24-70 f/4 or the 14-30 f/4 for zooms. The latter is more interesting, and interesting lenses make it more easy to get interesting results. Some would argue that one can get good pictures with a standard kit lens and good photographic skills too. And I agree. But I find that it often more spicy to avoid the standard range.

However, the 24-70 often satisfies, and it gives you the option to zoom in too.

24mm f/5.6

60mm f/5.6

For the small towns, the wider aspect is often rewarding.

14mm f/6.3

The ultra-wide is also good for interiors of churches or similar places.

16mm f/5.6

For museums or towns, I also prefer to take a fast prime, usually the 85mm f/1.8 which I had with me. It will make you want to carry a second, wider lens at times, however. But it is simply ready for the job when it comes to lower light and sharper details. This one is from the very interesting art museum in Groningen.

85mm f/5.6

One should admit that the isolation of subjects is mainly for portraits. I do not want to show those here. But I have an interesting experiment below. For that I took a Meike ring to get closer, and the short distance blows the background into blurriness easily.

43mm f/9

This is not a blog about travelling, but about photography. So, I selected the pictures from a photographic standpoint. But it must be added that the Netherland are a great country for biking. They have transformed most of their towns from car centric chaos to pleasant places for bikes and public transport. For me, this has a quality of life that you do not find in Germany.

20mm f/5.6

Let me finish with some interesting pictures from the trip.