Which 3 lenses to rent for vac - Wldlfe and Ldscapes mostly...

[Ottor]

Going to the Left Coast in May - I'm going to rent 3 lenses that, if planned right, will cover most of my shooting needs... I have a Canon XSI with only the 2 kit lenses... I like the 18-55 IS that already came with the camera, but want to supplement that one with 3 others.. I'd like a Wide angle - beginnning at about 10mm; A Zoom that would pick up from the 55mm going out to about 150-200; and a superduperzoom that really gets out there for wildlife.. (400/500/600mm?)

My wife sz get the best, cuz I don't have to buy them, just rent for about 10 days...

Best suggestions for image quality and, if needed, lower light ... Which would you rent for those needs ??

Oh, was looking at LensRentals.com - but if yu have a better site, I'd be open....

tks,

[OsmosisStudios]

10-20 and 100-400 would be my best suggestions. It leaves you with a gap between 55 and 100, but you could fill that with an 85 prime.

[Raoul Isidro]

Originally Posted by OsmosisStudios

10-20 and 100-400 would be my best suggestions. It leaves you with a gap between 55 and 100, but you could fill that with an 85 prime.

I like that idea of filling a gap with a prime.

[inkista]

+1 for 10-22 and 100-400L.

A 500mm or 600mm lens is quite a difficult prospect to master in a week, particularly if you've never shot with a supertelephoto before. The 100-400L will have IS to help you out, and it's light enough so that you can still shoot with it handheld for long periods of time, unlike the 500L or 600L. As it is, the 100-400 may be a helluva lot larger/heavier than you're expecting.

If you do go for a 500 or 600 lens, I'd recommend making sure you're renting a heavy enough tripod and a Wimberly head to go with it.

[BCampbell]

400mm on the corp bodies is huge. Effectively 640mm.

I'd suggest, on top of the 100-400, pick up a 1.4 or 2.0x extender if they're compatible with the lens. That gives you a few more options while really getting out there for wildlife.

[inkista]

Originally Posted by BCampbell

I'd suggest, on top of the 100-400, pick up a 1.4 or 2.0x extender if they're compatible with the lens. ...

The Canons aren't. And I wouldn't recommend it with a zoom lens, like the 100-400, and certainly not a 2x.

The reasons are that a TC robs you of sharpness and maximum aperture. And once the max. aperture on a lens goes past f/8, most dSLR Canon bodies will stop autofocusing (I think the 1-series cameras may be able to AF at f/8, but that's about it). A 2x tc robs you of TWO stops. A 1.4x only robs you of one.

The problem with the 100-400L is that @400mm, the max. aperture is f/5.6. Once you put a 1.4x tc on it, you're at f/8 and your camera stops autofocusing (this is why the Canon tcs will only work with f/4 lenses or faster). If you get a non-reporting tc, or you tape over the contacts, you can still autofocus, but the performance will be... non-optimal. I have a 400 f/5.6L and a Tamron 1.4x non-reporting TC I use in combination, and it nearly always chatters and hunts and won't lock if the bird is backlit, and it's definitely slower to AF than without the tc. It's a problematic combination.

If you're experienced using a 400mm lens, then adding a TC is ok. But if you're brand new to it, you'll be having a hard enough time getting accustomed to the weight/bulk of such a large lens (basically, you mount the camera body onto the lens, not the other way around), and all the accompanying handholding technique adjustments.

Just my take on it, but I'm a slow learner.

[Quo Fan]

I went to California with a rented 17-40 f4 L, 100-400 f4.5-5.6 L and a 50mm f1.8 on my 30D. I shot the San Diego Wild Animal Park with mostly the 17-40, Old Town San Diego with the 17-40, and surfing with the 100-400.

I rented my lens from BorrowLenses.com - Camera Rental and Canon/Nikon Lens Rental for 2 weeks, even though I was only going for 1 week. That gave me time to get used to the lens, and so I would have time after my trip so I wouldn't have to send it back the day I returned.