“I’m going to visit [X]. What lens should I bring?”

[Colin Graham]

I'm going to the proctologist. Can I leave my pinhole at home?

Seriously, I've been here a few years and don't remember seeing many if any such threads.

[jp]

There's no need to ask the question.

Before traveling, I go poke around on Flickr and see what other people have shot of the destination and look at their exif data.

Answered very specific questions for me such as "is there enough light in Boston Gardens stadium for using a TLR with 400 film?"

it's also useful to observe how people photograph a particular place with one lens.

Or "what's been overdone for photos" at location [X].

[Mark Sawyer]

There's no need to ask the question...

There's a big need to ask the question. If you don't ask it, you may end up wishing you'd brought a different lens, and you'll have no one to blame but yourself.

I think the best approach is to have the person asking the question list all the lenses he or she owns, explain the strong and weak points of each lens, and what each one weighs. Then no matter what lenses they have, recommend they buy something else.

[Vaughn]

Questions, all questions, generate discussion; which is why we are here. So don't take it all too seriously and allow yourself to be amused, entertained and perhaps even enlightened!

[Heroique]

If you don’t ask [which lens to bring], you may end up wishing you’d brought a different lens, and you’ll have no one to blame but yourself.

This was too funny for my own good!

It changes everything:

I will now post the dreaded question before each and every trip – and remain forever blameless for any unfortunate choice of lens!

[Steve Smith]

What is the best sort of question to ask on a forum?


Steve.

[Ed Kelsey]

Lens X

[Drew Wiley]

People really have such distinct differences in perception and composition that choice
of focal lengths is more related to disposition than subject matter, unless you're doing
a commercial shoot where the angle of view is mandated by the client. I tend to like
a very narrow perspective and travel virtually everywhere which a choice of long lenses, and maybe only one token "normal" or wide-angle option. But another photographer who sometimes backpacks with me sees the world completely differently,
and his ideal kit contains only wide and extreme-wide lenses relative to format. Even
aiming at the same "scene" we each automatically gravitate toward completely
different lenses. For the younger generation, choice of lenses will almost be an
unknown concept. Looking at those BB-lens cell phone shots, the closeup of a human
face looks just as much cute big-nosed as the closeup portrait of our pet squirrel!

[BrianShaw]

Have exceptions already come to mind? If so, please share them with us...

Nope.

[E. von Hoegh]

"I'm going to visit [X]. What lens should I bring?"

Which.