Jump to content

What DSLR lens to bring on a holiday?

izt_is
By izt_is
in Photography and Videography
 Share
Posted
Hi guys, help me out here

 

Just to start things off, been shooting with DSLRs for few years now, but still very much an amateur. I currently shoot with a Canon 70D

 

So going travelling around a few places in Europe in a few months. Previously whenever I traveled around I always took my trusty Canon 18-200mm lens, you know cause it's so convenient and I can reach everything at anytime with no need for lens changing.

 

But just over the last 4 months I have moved over to Canon's 35mm Prime f/2 IS and I am in love with the quality of shots I get with it especially the bokeh and the night shots thanks to the great aperture. Generally the focal length is fine cause on a crop sensor it is like shooting with a 50mm on a full frame. Another advantage is without having the different focal lengths available, I spend more time composing my shot than fiddling with the zoom on the lens which I admit I tend to do when I'm rocking the 18-200mm. Thing is I also find that I really like taking landscape photos so I with the 35mm I obviously have to work with what I have to create my own panoramas. 

 

Now just last month I got my Canon 10-18mm IS and hot damn, this is the Ultra Wide that I've been looking for. Needless to say, thanks to the f/4.5 it isn't great in low light situations without a tripod.

 

So the question (or tl;dr) what lenses do I rock for my next trip? Bring the 10-18mm and the 35mm and swap them around as necessary at the risk of getting sick of it and in the end sticking to just one of them lenses? OR stick it out with my tried and true 18-200mm which gives great images but they wouldn't always blow you away?

 

Appreciate all suggestions etc. 

 

Thanks guys. Love.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted

10-18 and 35mm. 

 

I too mainly shoot landscapes and find myself rarely zooming more than 35mm on my f2.8 24-85mm lens. The only times I find myself at the end of the spectrum (or on my 70-300mm lens) is when I'm shooting wildlife, which is pretty often (but thats irrelevant). 

PSU Tier List | CoC

Gaming Build | FreeNAS Server

Spoiler

i5-4690k || Seidon 240m || GTX780 ACX || MSI Z97s SLI Plus || 8GB 2400mhz || 250GB 840 Evo || 1TB WD Blue || H440 (Black/Blue) || Windows 10 Pro || Dell P2414H & BenQ XL2411Z || Ducky Shine Mini || Logitech G502 Proteus Core

Spoiler

FreeNAS 9.3 - Stable || Xeon E3 1230v2 || Supermicro X9SCM-F || 32GB Crucial ECC DDR3 || 3x4TB WD Red (JBOD) || SYBA SI-PEX40064 sata controller || Corsair CX500m || NZXT Source 210.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted

 

Hi guys, help me out here
 
Just to start things off, been shooting with DSLRs for few years now, but still very much an amateur. I currently shoot with a Canon 70D
 
So going travelling around a few places in Europe in a few months. Previously whenever I traveled around I always took my trusty Canon 18-200mm lens, you know cause it's so convenient and I can reach everything at anytime with no need for lens changing.
 
But just over the last 4 months I have moved over to Canon's 35mm Prime f/2 IS and I am in love with the quality of shots I get with it especially the bokeh and the night shots thanks to the great aperture. Generally the focal length is fine cause on a crop sensor it is like shooting with a 50mm on a full frame. Another advantage is without having the different focal lengths available, I spend more time composing my shot than fiddling with the zoom on the lens which I admit I tend to do when I'm rocking the 18-200mm. Thing is I also find that I really like taking landscape photos so I with the 35mm I obviously have to work with what I have to create my own panoramas. 
 
Now just last month I got my Canon 10-18mm IS and hot damn, this is the Ultra Wide that I've been looking for. Needless to say, thanks to the f/4.5 it isn't great in low light situations without a tripod.
 
So the question (or tl;dr) what lenses do I rock for my next trip? Bring the 10-18mm and the 35mm and swap them around as necessary at the risk of getting sick of it and in the end sticking to just one of them lenses? OR stick it out with my tried and true 18-200mm which gives great images but they wouldn't always blow you away?
 
Appreciate all suggestions etc. 
 
Thanks guys. Love.

 

 

I always bring a 50mm and a 28mm prime with me. Those two are always useful.

 

I'd bring your 35 at least and bring the 18-200.

The projects never end in my line of work.

CPU: Dual Xeon E5-2650v2 || GPU: Dual Quadro K5000 || Motherboard: Asus Z9PE-D8 || RAM: 64GB Corsair Vengeance || Monitors: Dual LG 34UM95, NEC MultiSync EA244UHD || Storage: Dual Samsung 850 Pro 256GB in Raid 0, 6x WD Re 4TB in Raid 1 || Sound: Xonar Essense STX (Mainly for Troubleshooting and listening test) || PSU: Corsair Ax1500i

CPU: Core i7 5820k @ 4.7GHz || GPU: Dual Titan X || Motherboard: Asus X99 Deluxe || RAM: 32GB Crucial Ballistix Sport || Monitors: MX299Q, 29UB65, LG 34UM95 || Storage: Dual Samsung 850 EVO 1 TB in Raid 0, Samsung 850 EVO 250GB, 2TB Toshiba scratch disk, 3TB Seagate Barracuda || PSU: EVGA 1000w PS Platinum

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted

I really need to start doing more daily photography rather than vacation photography....maybe then I could rationalize spending $2k on a lens... 

PSU Tier List | CoC

Gaming Build | FreeNAS Server

Spoiler

i5-4690k || Seidon 240m || GTX780 ACX || MSI Z97s SLI Plus || 8GB 2400mhz || 250GB 840 Evo || 1TB WD Blue || H440 (Black/Blue) || Windows 10 Pro || Dell P2414H & BenQ XL2411Z || Ducky Shine Mini || Logitech G502 Proteus Core

Spoiler

FreeNAS 9.3 - Stable || Xeon E3 1230v2 || Supermicro X9SCM-F || 32GB Crucial ECC DDR3 || 3x4TB WD Red (JBOD) || SYBA SI-PEX40064 sata controller || Corsair CX500m || NZXT Source 210.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted
  • Author

I really need to start doing more daily photography rather than vacation photography....maybe then I could rationalize spending $2k on a lens... 

 

Wow. 2k and no IS even? L lens though. This would have been perfect for me with the f/2.8 ):

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted

Wow. 2k and no IS even? L lens though. This would have been perfect for me with the f/2.8 ):

Well, I wouldn't be getting that one. 

 

I'd be getting the F2.8 70-200mm Nikkor (or the 80-200F2.8 for quite a bit less). For wildlife I could really use that F2.8 @ 200m to get some really nice shots that I just can't get with my 70-300mm f4.5-5.6. But then I also lose 100mm of reach, which is often very necessary, and at 16mp I find I sometimes get a very grainy picture if I crop it enough...

PSU Tier List | CoC

Gaming Build | FreeNAS Server

Spoiler

i5-4690k || Seidon 240m || GTX780 ACX || MSI Z97s SLI Plus || 8GB 2400mhz || 250GB 840 Evo || 1TB WD Blue || H440 (Black/Blue) || Windows 10 Pro || Dell P2414H & BenQ XL2411Z || Ducky Shine Mini || Logitech G502 Proteus Core

Spoiler

FreeNAS 9.3 - Stable || Xeon E3 1230v2 || Supermicro X9SCM-F || 32GB Crucial ECC DDR3 || 3x4TB WD Red (JBOD) || SYBA SI-PEX40064 sata controller || Corsair CX500m || NZXT Source 210.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted

I went away last year, taking a 35mm or time and a 70 - 300mm thinking it should cover what I wanted. While I was there I was kicking myself for not taking my 10-18mm, hell even the 18-55mm kit lens would have been a better choice looking back.

CPU: I5-4440 / MOBO: Gigabyte GA-Z87-DS3H / RAM: G.Skill ripjaws 2x4GB / Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 128gb SSD, 1TB WD HDD / PSU: Corsair CX500M / Case: Xigmatek Aquila / Monitor: Dell U2414H

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted

Wow. 2k and no IS even? L lens though. This would have been perfect for me with the f/2.8 ):

 

These don't have telephoto range but they do have fast apertures and IS for hand held shooting.

 

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000EW8074/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=2B9W3MB3SPQFA&coliid=I28P0R9QMZ4EMQ

 

http://www.amazon.com/Sigma-17-50mm-2-8-Aperture-Canon/dp/B003A6H27K/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1423431765&sr=8-1&keywords=sigma+17-50

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted

Instead of worrying about hardware, tell us what you're shooting. Indoors? Outdoors? Buildings? People? Close? Far? Incognito? Blatant?

 

Having a big honking lens when shooting indoors in a crowd does not make a whole lot of sense. Trying to capture cathedrals with a 200mm lens, the same. Another issue, which is a drag, is keeping your shit together. Pickpockets abound and all that lovely equipment is a target. Keeping it compact and simple makes your life a lot easier. It's a vacation after all. You don't need more stress.

 

If it was me, I'd drop the zooms entirely and stick with the 35mm. It will always been on the camera, available and should give you the balance for almost everything you will want to shoot. Have a spare charged battery and another card in your pocket and you're ready to go! No bag, no fuss.

Sir William of Orange: Corsair 230T - Rebel Orange, 4690K, GA-97X SOC, 16gb Dom Plats 1866C9,  2 MX100 256gb, Seagate 2tb Desktop, EVGA Supernova 750-G2, Be Quiet! Dark Rock 3, DK 9008 keyboard, Pioneer BR drive. Yeah, on board graphics - deal with it!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted

I keep my 35 on my camera almost all the time.  I cant get every shot perfect but I can get enough.  The clarity of the Nikon 35 1.8 is head and shoulders above my 18-55 and 55-200

01010010 01101111 01100010  01001101 01100001 01100011 01010010 01100001 01100101

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted

I'm tend to favor primes, so I would say take the 35 and ultra wide combo. I only have to post some pictures once you're back from your trip.

CPU AMD Ryzen 2700 X / Motherboard  / RAM 4 x 4GB  / GPU Zotac 1080Ti Amp Edition / Case Fractal Design Meshify C / Storage Samsung 850 PRO / 1TB WD Black & 2TB WD Green / PSU / Cooling Noctua / Keyboard Ducky Shine 2 / Mouse Logitech G700 / Sound O2 Amp/DAC & Audioengine A5+ speakers

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted
  • Author

 

Wow that Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM would be great but damn that cost...and I already got my 35 prime ant 10-18mm.

 

Oh well, looks like I will try out this vacation with the 35 Prime and the ultra wide. I'll see how the switching goes between the lenses.

Thanks for all the great opinions guys!!

 

Love.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted

skip the 18-200, and maybe get a sigma 18-35 1.8, or just use wideangle and 35mm

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing Photography and Videography

×