Which lens?

[lizhop]

I am going to New York in the summer and I was wondering which lens I should bring with me when I am out on the town sight seeing. I have a Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Lens, a Canon EF 55-200mm f/4.5-5.6 II and the Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS kit lens my Canon Rebel XS came with. I will be taking a mix of street and city scape photos and I am just curious which lens would be the best one to have on me as I don't want to lug all 3 around the entire time.

Thanks in advance for the advise.

[shocellist]

That's a really hard question to answer! I feel like every one of those lenses could be useful during your trip. I've used each of those lenses (my 18-55 was the old, non-IS version, and I'm not sure if I had the first or second version of the 55-200), and I think each one serves a very different purpose.

As much as I love (love, love, love!!!) the 50mm f/1.8, you might find this one to be the least helpful on your trip, unless you're going to be spending all day photographing. This one would be the best for taking composed, thought-out shots, but you might miss opportunities because of the lack of zoom.
The 18-55mm will be great for wider angle shots, as well as decently zoomed in shots (55mm on your crop sensor isn't bad). It's a very versatile lens.
The 55-200mm I find to be the least useful. It has a slow and clunky autofocus, and a long minimum focus distance (something like 4 feet if I can remember correctly). It'll only be useful at a distance, and probably not good for scenes in general.

Changing lenses on the go is a hassle and can be scary at times (if you're on a bustling street, someone might bump into you or worse). It's really up to you what you bring and leave at home (I personally wouldn't want to miss an opportunity, so all three would be in my bag)... I honestly can't say that one of the three will be less useful than the others. Sorry!

[ArmySoldier777]

The 18-55 is going to be useful when you're wanting to capture an entire scene, which can be a great thing in a busy city.

The 50mm is going to be good for low light conditions

The 55-250 is going to be good for taking portraits from far away or capturing anything else that you really want to bring focus to but can't get closer.


I can't really say that there would be a Best lens to use... I think if I had to prioritize it, I'd say 1) The 18-55, 2)55-250, 3)50mm. I only put the 50 last since the focal length is already covered by the 18-55. However, it's still on the list due to it's much much larger aperture. I know that probably doesn't help a whole lot lol. But you can kinda figure out which lens you should take out depending on time of day and what you feel like shooting. I'd say the 18-55 is probably going to be the most useful during the day.

[lizhop]

Thanks so much for your help! I am thinking I might just stick with 18-55 on the camera most times and possibly keeping the 50 on me as a back up!

[inkista]

I think if I had to prioritize it, I'd say 1) The 18-55, 2)55-250, 3)50mm. I only put the 50 last since the focal length is already covered by the 18-55. ....

Actually, I'd prioritize a little differently; I'm with Lizzy: 1) 18-55, 2) 50/1.8 II, and 3) 55-250 IS.

That's because in NYC, I'd be taking shots inside buildings as much as outside them. And having an extra lens I can just stuff into a jacket pocket, rather than requiring a camera bag to tote about would be a priority. The 55-250 IS won't fit in a jacket pocket. The 18-55 and the 50/1.8 II do. And a telephoto makes you a lot more conspicuous than a smaller lens. But I'm a crazy-mad mostly-prime shooter. I also shot with nothing but a 50/1.8 prime on my Olympus OM-10 for over 20 years, so I'm used to running around with it a lot.

But it does depend on what and how you think you're going to be shooting.

[ArmySoldier777]

Actually, I'd prioritize a little differently; I'm with Lizzy: 1) 18-55, 2) 50/1.8 II, and 3) 55-250 IS.

That's because in NYC, I'd be taking shots inside buildings as much as outside them. And having an extra lens I can just stuff into a jacket pocket, rather than requiring a camera bag to tote about would be a priority. The 55-250 IS won't fit in a jacket pocket. The 18-55 and the 50/1.8 II do. And a telephoto makes you a lot more conspicuous than a smaller lens. But I'm a crazy-mad mostly-prime shooter. I also shot with nothing but a 50/1.8 prime on my Olympus OM-10 for over 20 years, so I'm used to running around with it a lot.

But it does depend on what and how you think you're going to be shooting.

Good points I'm definitely a fan of my prime, I'd say my 50 is on my camera 90% of the time. The only time I pull out my 55-250 is if I'm people watching from afar, or if I'm shooting wildlife. But I tried to think about how most people prefer Not to use primes over their zooms . I hadn't even thought about shooting indoors either.