Best lens to bring to the parks

[maranara]

Hi! We're planning my daughter's first trip to Disney...and all I can think about is how much fun I'm going to have taking pictures of everything! I'm planning on bringing my DSLR with us (Canon T3i) but don't want to fool with multiple lenses. What do you all suggest? I own a few, but I also have a birthday coming up and I'm pretty sure a lens is on DH's short list for gift ideas anyways. THANKS!

 

[havoc315]

There are several "all in one" lenses, that fall in the 18-270, 18-300, etc, range. The image quality of these lenses are not the best... they are poor in low light, and they are heavy. But they do let you get a wide range of different shot types, without ever having to change lenses. The reason people do change lenses, is to use the best quality lens for the right situation.
But those "all in one" lenses can produce some adequate shots, especially if you are outdoors in goodlight. You will not be taking any dark ride shots with that lens, and I wouldn't expect great photos indoors at all. But outdoors in bright sunlight, you can get some very good photos with any lens/camera (including an iphone).

 

[mom2rtk]

95% of my shots in the park have always been with a 2.8 mid-range zoom. My favorite was the Canon 17-55 f/2.8. IQ is excellent and the low light abilities are much better than with a standard kit lens.

Now that I have a full frame camera, I tend to go with the Tamron 24-70 f/2.8.

 

[maranara]

Yeah - I can't convince my husband to carry extra lenses since we'll be sharing backpack carrying duties. We live in Virginia so we go to Busch Gardens several times a year and I've stopped carrying multiple lenses there for the same reason. I love my 55-250 but it just gets heavy.

 

[mom2rtk]

Yeah - I can't convince my husband to carry extra lenses since we'll be sharing backpack carrying duties. We live in Virginia so we go to Busch Gardens several times a year and I've stopped carrying multiple lenses there for the same reason. I love my 55-250 but it just gets heavy.

If you think the 55-250 is heavy, I highly suggest not buying any more lenses without actually picking them up and trying them out. That one is on the light end of the spectrum. Definitely forget about the 2.8 lenses I was talking about.

If you value light, I would suggest maybe a prime. (maybe a 35mm or 50mm?)

 

[havoc315]

Yeah - I can't convince my husband to carry extra lenses since we'll be sharing backpack carrying duties. We live in Virginia so we go to Busch Gardens several times a year and I've stopped carrying multiple lenses there for the same reason. I love my 55-250 but it just gets heavy.

I join in what mom2rk was saying. The 18-300 type lenses will be much bigger and heavier than your 55-250.

You need to consider what TYPES of shots you want to get, as your highest priority. Understanding that there will be shots you can't get.
Take a prime like a 35/1.8 lens --- It is small, compact. It will keep your load down. It will have EXCEPTIONAL quality. It will let you take dark ride shots. It will let you shoot indoors and outdoors. It will be an ok focal length for people shots. You can take some landscapes...
But you can't take super wide landscapes. There will be times you are tempted to back up, and can't back up far enough. You can't take telephoto shots. You won't be able to shoot stage shows from the distance, you won't be able to shoot wildlife at the Animal Kingdom safari.
So in terms of picking your lens, you need to consider 3 things primarily:
1 -- What type of shooting is your priority. What types of shots are you willing to sacrifice.
2-- What size are you comfortable with.
3-- price.

 

[maranara]

I have a couple of prime lenses that I love - especially my 50mm - so I'm totally good with not having the ability to zoom in & out. I'm really looking to capture pictures of my daughter. I get frustrated sometimes with my 50mm (and even my 35mm) that I can't back up enough to get her in the shot with a character/ride/etc. Carrying a second prime lens wouldn't be a huge deal since they're much smaller/lighter (and I'm planning on carrying my 55-250 the day we do AK so I can get some better animal shots) but I would like to keep my bag as light as possible. I would also like to have to think as little about it as possible.

 

[sharona]

My favorite all around vacation lens is the Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4 DC Macro OS HSM. I find it perfect for WDW and the majority of my shots were with that lens even though I had others with me. For AK, if you want animal shots you'll need more reach and you'll have to really bump up the ISO on the dark rides but if you are looking for an all in one and you plan to buy something new - that would be my recommendation.

 

[maranara]

My favorite all around vacation lens is the Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4 DC Macro OS HSM. I find it perfect for WDW and the majority of my shots were with that lens even though I had others with me. For AK, if you want animal shots you'll need more reach and you'll have to really bump up the ISO on the dark rides but if you are looking for an all in one and you plan to buy something new - that would be my recommendation.

THANKS! That's also totally in my price range. I'm hoping to convince DH that I should buy one NOW so I can practice at Busch Gardens.

 

[k5jm]

I normally take the Canon 24-105L F4 as my "swiss army knife." But there are many days I take just my Sigma F1.4 50mm. I will be at WDW Friday and will probably just take my Canon SL1 with the 40mm F2.8 pancake lens and travel light this weekend (at least Friday, anyways. The 6D and camera bag the rest of the weekend)

 

[maranara]

I normally take the Canon 24-105L F4 as my "swiss army knife." But there are many days I take just my Sigma F1.4 50mm. I will be at WDW Friday and will probably just take my Canon SL1 with the 40mm F2.8 pancake lens and travel light this weekend (at least Friday, anyways. The 6D and camera bag the rest of the weekend)

Thanks! Do you find that you can get character pictures with your 50mm lens? My 50mm is far and away my favorite lens - I love the pictures it takes and it's so lightweight! But if we're meeting characters I'm guessing it's nearly impossible to back up enough to get the character and my kiddo into the picture. Or maybe not? Of course, the 40mm lens is on my short list for my birthday at the end of the month already...perhaps I'll just ask DH for that and be good to go.

 

[k5jm]

Thanks! Do you find that you can get character pictures with your 50mm lens? My 50mm is far and away my favorite lens - I love the pictures it takes and it's so lightweight! But if we're meeting characters I'm guessing it's nearly impossible to back up enough to get the character and my kiddo into the picture. Or maybe not? Of course, the 40mm lens is on my short list for my birthday at the end of the month already...perhaps I'll just ask DH for that and be good to go.

On a T3i, I would look at getting a 30mm or 35mm lens. The 40mm would work as well.

http://www.amazon.com/YONGNUO-YN35mm-F2-Lens-Wide-Angle/dp/B00W4Z82ZO
http://www.amazon.com/Sigma-30mm-Canon-Digital-Cameras/dp/B0007U0GZM

The 50mm on the T3i is the equivalent of using an 80mm lens.

 

[OKW Lover]

I've almost always used my 18-200 for general park photography. I find I'm typically on the long end of that zoom while at DAK and shooting across Epcot WS. In the other parks I'm typically in the 35-90 range. Of course there are always those "other" shots where I wish I had a different lens. Biggest drawback of this zoom is the max f-stop is ~3.5. Not great for dark shots and a challenge if you're into depth of field shots.

I've traveled with @WebmasterMike and he has always gotten some great shots with his equipment (and most importantly his great eye for composition). We've been side-by-side in some cases and he consistently gets the better shot. So I guess that's a way of saying that maybe the first paragraph of this response shouldn't be considered to heavily.

 

[OKW Lover]

Thanks! Do you find that you can get character pictures with your 50mm lens? My 50mm is far and away my favorite lens - I love the pictures it takes and it's so lightweight! But if we're meeting characters I'm guessing it's nearly impossible to back up enough to get the character and my kiddo into the picture.

I've got a 35mm prime lens (I shoot Nikon, currently a D5300 so this is a "crop" sensor) and find that often its not "wide" enough.

 

[mom2rtk]

I've almost always used my 18-200 for general park photography. I find I'm typically on the long end of that zoom while at DAK and shooting across Epcot WS. In the other parks I'm typically in the 35-90 range. Of course there are always those "other" shots where I wish I had a different lens. Biggest drawback of this zoom is the max f-stop is ~3.5. Not great for dark shots and a challenge if you're into depth of field shots.

I've traveled with @WebmasterMike and he has always gotten some great shots with his equipment (and most importantly his great eye for composition). We've been side-by-side in some cases and he consistently gets the better shot. So I guess that's a way of saying that maybe the first paragraph of this response shouldn't be considered to heavily.

LOL, I like the honesty.

Mike's 24-105 is an L lens, so I'm not surprised he gets better shots. I've used the all in one lenses and they have a lot going for them in terms of convenience, but do give up some IQ to get there. It's a balance we all struggle to find.

I've grown to love my 24-105 a lot over the last 18 months I've had it.

 

[k5jm]

I've traveled with @WebmasterMike and he has always gotten some great shots with his equipment (and most importantly his great eye for composition). We've been side-by-side in some cases and he consistently gets the better shot. So I guess that's a way of saying that maybe the first paragraph of this response shouldn't be considered to heavily.

Jeff gets some pretty awesome shots, himself. Otherwise, I would never have any good profile pics.

 

[bob100]

Mike's 24-105 is an L lens, so I'm not surprised he gets better shots. I've used the all in one lenses and they have a lot going for them in terms of convenience, but do give up some IQ to get there. It's a balance we all struggle to find.

I've grown to love my 24-105 a lot over the last 18 months I've had it.

the 24-105 f/4 is a nice 'kit' lens, maybe not the best for the OP if they want a lightweight lens on a crop model


www.flickr.com/photos/mmirrorless

 

[CMDTA]

I bring a 28 - 270 and a 35mm 1.4f. If I had to pick between the two the 35mm 1.4f wins. I can crop the photos to simulate zoom and the 1.4f works wonders in the dark.

 

[Docsknotinn]

Some one mentioned the 17-55 f2.8 IS upthread which is a great lens on APS-C. If you have a FF body then my favorite for the park is the 35 f2IS. I recently switched to an a6000 from Canon so this will by my first year going mirrorless. It's light but I already miss Canon.

 

[mom2rtk]

Some one mentioned the 17-55 f2.8 IS upthread which is a great lens on APS-C. If you have a FF body then my favorite for the park is the 35 f2IS. I recently switched to an a6000 from Canon so this will by my first year going mirrorless. It's light but I already miss Canon.

That Canon 17-55 f/2.8 is a spectacular lens, but if the OP didn't like carrying her 55-250, she probably won't like carrying that one either.