Travelling with a DSLR

[emmajane]

Hi All,

I need your help!! My partner and I are planning a trip to Europe for 6 weeks in July and i want to organise which lens' ill be taking with me.

We are going on an organised tour amd I was planning on travelling extremely light. This is due to not wanting to have to deal with sore shoulders from a heavy backpack and the inconvenience of having to try to quickly unload a bag to get all my gear out when a photographic opportunity presents itself. I have therefore purchased a RS-WI Black Rapid Strap (love it!!) and im looking at the Lowepro Passport Sling for easy access for when i dont feel comfortable walking around with the camera on show.

I own and plan on taking my Canon 450D and taking this chance to upgrade to a 24-105mm F4. I would love to upgrade to full frame in the future and have read that this is a good walkaround lens. I also wanted to take my 50mm II F1.8 incase of low light situations and places indoors where flash is not permitted. Other then that im not planning on taking much else photography wise (except batteries, memory cards, charges, filters etc) Im hoping to be shooting landscapes, portaits and architecture, all the regular things when travelling.

My question is, as the 450D has a cropped sensor, do you think the 24-105mm and 50mm will be a good match, or can you suggest a better lens choice? I'm worried that the 24-105mm wont be wide enought.

[RichardTaylor]

I own a 24-105 and a 350D, 40D & 5D and have 3 vacations in Europe.
.
I feel it the 24-105 is a very good lens.
On a 5D it a great travel lens, mainly because if the IS & focal length range, however on a 450D, especially in European cities and building interiors to will be too long.

Alternatives would be - however they won't be suitable if you go full frame;
(1) it's EF-S equivalent Canon EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM
(2) Or even the kit lens Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II
(3) Or Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM (I own one of these and while it is not a great lens it does make a OK travel lens) if you can pick one up for a reasonable price.
(4) Or something like a Tamron SP AF 17-50mm f/2.8 XR Di II LD.

[Canon Bob]

For around AUD$ 50, you should be able to pick up an 18-55 kit lens....weighs next to nothing but could help you out on the occasions when the 24mm is too long.

Bob

[emmajane]

Thanks guys!!

I already own the 18-55, but didn't really think of it as an option!

[Preeb]

The only downside is that at the wide end of the 24-105 you will only be getting about 38mm effective coverage. From my experiences in Italy, I don't feel that is enough. for some of the architectural photos you will be wanting. Church interiors with natural light - sometimes you won't be able to get far enough away even to properly compose the exterior shots. Palaces, castles, monasteries, etc. can be a problem too.

That said, I'd just take along the 18-55 if that's the best you can do to get down to 28mm effective. Just have it along when you are visiting those types of places. It's small and lightweight.

[emmajane]

Thanks Rick, by the sounds of it, taking the 18-55 as a third lens is the best option. I would hate to look back after the trip and wish I had brought it when I missed some great shots.

[drr0b]

I just got the EF-S 15-85 IS USM as a walkabout lens, and an upgrade to my kit 18-55 mm lens. I've been very impressed with the improved image quality, so if you don't mind the EF-S mount, then this could be an option; it is equivalent to 24-135mm full frame, a very nice range. At f//3.5-5.6, it's not particularly fast, but July is going to be pretty sunny, so you could get some wonderful shots!

You can tell the difference in quality even from the file sizes: my compressed DNG files are around 20-30% bigger with the 15-85 than with the 18-55, reflecting all the extra detail .

[emmajane]

Thanks for the recommendation, the 15-85 has a great review on The Digital Picture. I think I'll be seriously considering this one. Also looking at 17-55 f/2.8 but worried about the focal length or lack there of.

Too many choices lol!!

[drr0b]

Hey emmajane,
I was torn between the 17-55/2.8 and the 15-85 for months! I made a post here last April or May asking people about their experience with the 17-55!

I ended up with the 15-85 because I thought that the zoom range was a more useful upgrade than the wider aperture. I bought it on the strength of that digital picture review, and haven't been disappointed . I can't help you with your choice though :P!

[drr0b]

Hey emmajane,
I was torn between the 17-55/2.8 and the 15-85 for months! I made a post here last March asking people about their experience with the 17-55! Here is the thread, with some example images:
Does anyone have any experience with the EF-S 17-55mm/2.8?



I ended up with the 15-85 because I thought that the zoom range was a more useful upgrade than the wider aperture. I bought it on the strength of that digital picture review, and haven't been disappointed . I can't help you with your choice though :P!