Stumbling on a Life-Size Gundam in Tokyo (and What It Taught Me About Lens Choice)
Back in 2016, I was still relatively early in my photography journey- confident enough to start making strong decisions, but not yet experienced enough to think ahead about a lot of things. It was that year when I learned (the hard way), that it was a dumb idea to only bring prime lenses on my second trip to Tokyo- especially since I didn’t really know what kind of subjects or situations I’d run into.
Why I Packed All Primes for Tokyo
When it comes to travel photography, conventional wisdom says to bring a versatile zoom lens (like a 24–70mm) so you’re prepared for anything.
That’s not what I did. Instead, I took three primes:
Samyang 14mm f/2.8 ultra-wide
Nikon 50mm f/1.8
Tamron 90mm f/2.8 macro
Why? I didn’t know if I would get another chance to visit Japan (in fact, this particular trip wasn’t even planned), so I wanted to make sure I got the best-possible image quality. In my mind, this meant that only prime lenses would suffice, since another bit of conventional wisdom says that primes are better than zooms. And to be fair, those primes did work brilliantly- for the first few ours.
On the first morning of my trip, I used the 14mm while my friend and I explored Tsukiji Fish Market. The ultra-wide angle view was perfect for capturing the narrow alleys, organized chaos of vendors, and all the little details crammed into every corner. It was a perfect lens choice, as it helped tell the story of the place, and yielded images that make it feel like you’re there when you look at them.
And that’s about as far as I got without running into complications.
Stumbling Upon the RX-78-2
After leaving Tsukiji, we made our way to Odaiba, a man-made island in Tokyo Bay. We weren’t there for photos—we were just trying to buy Tokyo Disneyland tickets from the Disney Store inside DiverCity Plaza.
That’s when I saw it. Towering above us, seemingly out of nowhere, stood the RX-78-2 Gundam. Six stories tall, in all its mecha majesty.
For fans of anime, this is the Gundam—the OG mobile suit from the 1979 series that sparked Japan’s decades-long obsession with giant mechs. I’d read about the statue online, but never planned to visit it, and honestly had forgotten it even existed. But there it was, and I had my camera in hand. Naturally, I started shooting.
And that’s when the limitations of my gear hit me.
When Prime Lenses Fall Short
None of my lenses were really built to capture a subject like this. The 14mm was too wide—so wide that it distorted the statue in ways that weren’t flattering. The 50mm gave me a better perspective, but I had to stand far back just to frame the full height—and even then, the angles felt a little off. Ironically, the 90mm macro lens worked best because I could pick out details: the head, the chest plate, a hand posed against the sky.
But I couldn’t do what I really wanted to do: frame the whole statue cleanly in its environment, in a way that communicated its scale and grandeur.
The statue doesn’t actually lean forward. But when you use a 14mm lens, you get that effect.
What I learned was this- if you’re walking around without a specific objective in mind, you still have an objective; that of being ready for anything. And for that, you need a lens that can handle a wide range of the most likely scenarios.
What I Wish I Had Brought
A standard zoom like a 24–70mm (around 16-50mm on cropped-sensor cameras) would’ve been the perfect companion for this kind of day. It would’ve given me just enough wide to frame the whole Gundam cleanly (I would likely need to move back more, but not as much as the 50mm would require), and just enough reach to zoom in on the details. Plus, at the time of day I was shooting, I didn’t even need the added speed of f/1.8 and f/2.8 lenses, so just about any zoom lens would have been adequate. And while my Tamron 24-70mm is also a 2.8 lens, the truth is that even an inexpensive Nikon 28–80mm kit lens would’ve been more helpful than my fixed primes that day. For the unexpected, flexibility trumps image quality potential (though if your budget allows, definitely swing for a lens with a constant f/2.8 aperture- that will only add more flexibility to your kit).
The Bigger Lesson
Despite the frustration, I still had a blast trying to problem-solve. In the moment, it felt like a puzzle: How can I make the best images possible with what I have? And despite the quirkiness of the images, I don’t regret them. I walked away with a great memory, a valuable lesson, and even with the quirks, the images are still ones that I’m happy to share. The statue was also eventually replaced with a different model, so these images have a certain sentimental value as well.
Plus, this encounter led to another amazing experience- I ended up discovering the D1 Grand Prix, Japan’s premier drifting championship. But that’s a story for another post.
So what’s the bottom line? If you don’t have a specific subject in mind, your gear needs to be as flexible as your plans. Even if your zoom lens doesn’t give you the absolute best optical performance, the versatility far outweighs the tradeoff when you’re out exploring. It’s the difference between getting a good photo- or a so-so one ( or at worst, no photo at all).
My Go-To Travel Recommendation
If you’re looking for good walk-around lens, here is what I recommend:
For Full-Frame Cameras: The standard 24–70mm f/2.8 is a tried and true option. If you’re on a budget, there are a couple of third-party options from Sigma and Tamron or you can go for a similar focal range that starts at 28mm instead of 24mm.
For Crop Sensor Cameras: Look for something in the 16–55mm range. Focal ranges differ between brands and manufacturers, but anything in that ball-park will give you something close to the 24-70mm standard found on full-frame lenses. You could also just buy a 24-70 full-frame lens, but know that your crop sensor will produce images that are more equivalent to 35-105mm (depending on your camera brand’s crop factor).
Your Kit Lens: A lot of enthusiasts will scoff at this recommendation, but the truth is that modern kit lenses, while slow (meaning not as light-sensitive), they are still pretty good optically. Plus, they cover the right focal ranges, are lightweight, and relatively small compared to their more-pro counterparts.
And above all, just get out there and shoot. Because no matter how “wrong” your gear might seem, it’s still better to be out photographing with what you have than to sit at home do anything else.
