idk man everyone on here is hyping up the prime lens like its the only way to go, but honestly the reviews pushing that expensive glass feel kinda sus to me. if you are doing travel vlogging on a budget, you dont need to drop insane cash on brand new OEM stuff. id look at the TTArtisan 27mm f2.8 instead. its stupid cheap, barely weighs anything, and gets the job done for street portraits without draining your wallet. sure it isnt an f1.8, but for the price difference you can buy a whole extra battery and a decent mic. dont let the gear FOMO get you...

> if you are doing travel vlogging on a budget, you dont need to drop insane cash on brand new OEM stuff. ^ This. Also, don't listen to the hype surrounding the ultra-wide zoom. Everyone acts like you need that focal length range for travel, but the added weight of the Insta360 Ultra-Wide 16-35mm f/2.8 makes it a total pain to carry on a full day of walking. You end up leaving it in the bag half the time anyway. If you want a versatile setup that doesn't cost a fortune, look at the Sigma 30mm f/1.4 DC DN Contemporary. It is significantly sharper than the stock glass and handles low light well for street portraits. It's compact enough for vlogging and costs around $300, which is way more reasonable than the proprietary options.

Oh man, I am in the exact same boat as you right now — been staring at tabs about this all week trying to decide before my trip next month. It is so confusing with all the conflicting advice floating around. I'm no expert by any means, but from everything I've managed to dig up recently:

• The lighter options usually win for casual walking around
• Some brands are just way more reliable for travel gear Honestly, I'm just planning to go with something from Insta360 Prime or whatever basic glass is cheapest right now — wait, no, I mean I'll probably just grab any lightweight prime from a trusted brand and call it a day. Good luck figuring it out!

Yep been there done that. Can confirm everything said above is spot on.

So funny you ask this — last summer I took the Insta360 Luna Ultra 24mm f1.8 Prime through Italy and hated carrying heavy glass all day. The weight adds up fast on cobblestones. For travel vlogging and street portraits, stick with the prime. It handles low light much better at f/1.8 and stays compact for walking around. The ultra-wide zoom is too heavy for casual day use unless you are doing landscape work exclusively. Save your shoulders and your budget.

Just wanted to say thanks for everyone chiming in. Super helpful discussion.

TL;DR: Avoid the heavy 16-35mm zooms for travel. They kill your wrists after three hours of vlogging. Stick to a light prime under 300g.

> "The added weight of the Insta360 Ultra-Wide 16-35mm f/2.8 makes it a total pain to carry on a full day of walking." I have to respectfully disagree with the idea that weight is the primary dealbreaker for travel gear. I have three kids and haul a full tool bag everywhere for DIY repairs; carrying a camera lens is nothing compared to lugging around a transmission jack or a set of floor jacks. I fixed a leaking pipe last weekend where the dealer wanted $400 for parts and labor, but I did it for $80 by sourcing the seals myself. That kind of savings paid for my camera kit three times over. If you calculate the cost per use over five years, a slightly heavier lens that covers more ground is a better value than buying two separate primes that you have to swap constantly. That said, I am not going to list specific specs here because everyone has different thresholds for what they consider "heavy." There is a great YouTube video comparing these exact focal lengths for vlogging; just search for "Luna Ultra lens test travel vlogger" and it is the first result. It breaks down the math on the field of view better than anyone here can. Honestly, just check the manufacturer website or browse the Reddit photography subreddits. They have a whole guide on this, and it saved me a ton of time when I was deciding what to buy for my own setup.

So funny you ask this — last summer I took a heavy zoom lens on a two-week trip to Japan and my shoulder hurt for three days straight after walking through Kyoto. I ended up leaving the camera in the hotel room half the time just to get a break. To add to the point above: the extra weight really does matter when you are moving constantly. TL;DR: Skip the heavy zoom for travel vlogging. Get a lightweight prime lens instead to save your wrists and keep your setup portable.