Camera for MNSSHP

[eeyore25]

Hello All,

I have been doing a ton of reseach and I am so confused on what to do and was hoping sonmene could give me a little advice.

We are going to WDW in 3 weeks and will be attending MNSSHP. We currently own a Canon 20D with a Canon 28-105 f/3.5 lense and a Sigma 70-300 lense. We have taken the 20D to the world for the last 3-5 years. We aren't sure if we want to take the 20D this year so I was looking at the Canon G9. I hear that camera is great for day light shots, but not so good with low light shots. So we are reconsidering.

Does anyone have any idea's on a wider, fairly inexpensive lense that we can buy for the 20D? I really want good pictures of MNSSHP, and I know the G9 won't perform the way I want it to. This is our first time to the halloween party, so I am sure I will be taking a ton of pictures.

Thanks in advance

Jamie

 

[webshark3]

Tip: Use the Disney Photogrpahers as much as possible too.

I had good luck with the 24mm f2.8 prime lens. Fast and still wide enough for almost anything there. It worked well for "darker" scenes, and great with light (Disney floats, etc.).

F1.8 would be even more flexible, but pricey (28mm).

Either way, it'll have a lot more to do with how you handle the scene than the actual lens.

 

[handicap18]

You should easily be able to get away with the 50mm f/1.8 ($80). Its not any different than Spectromagic.

I haven't done MNSSHP, but I have done MVMCP. I used my Sigma 30mm f/1.4 and liked it better than the 50mm f/1.8. I got great results and am very happy. I did use both during the parade. Shutter speeds weren't to much different, but the wider lens made for better compositions.

For other parts of the party you can use your 28-105mm and bring along a tripod for shots of the Castle and Hallo-Wishes. Using a high ISO and f/3.5 at the 28mm should do you well for quick stuff around the parks, but a tripod and a low ISO is better.

 

[ukcatfan]

I think three things should be on your list.

1. 50mm f/1.8
2. the new 18-55mm IS kit lens
3. a good tripod (unless you already have one)


You will need the f/1.8 for the low light shots where there is motion. There will also be many opportunities that do not have motion though. That is where the wideness and zooming of the kit lens will be nice. You will need a tripod for that though. It would also be more convenient to have a remote shutter release, but that would not be required.

 

[webshark3]

1. 50mm f/1.8
2. the new 18-55mm IS kit lens
3. a good tripod (unless you already have one)

Good list. I forgot about the IS lens. Small, flexible range, and stable shooting.

I'm not a fan of carrying around tripods (only mini for emergencies). But it's a trade-off.

 

[eeyore25]

Thanks for the information. What is the difference between the new 18-55mm lense from the old one? As you know the older 18-55 is known for producing really soft images. We were looking at the 17-55 but that is a little too pricey for me. Is there something out there with similar quality to the 17-55 only a little less pricey? The 24, 28 and 30 are great lenses, but we are looking for something a little wider than these.


Thanks again!

Jamie

 

[ukcatfan]

Thanks for the information. What is the difference between the new 18-55mm lense from the old one? As you know the older 18-55 is known for producing really soft images. We were looking at the 17-55 but that is a little too pricey for me. Is there something out there with similar quality to the 17-55 only a little less pricey? The 24, 28 and 30 are great lenses, but we are looking for something a little wider than these.


Thanks again!

Jamie

It is not going to be the best lens, but the IQ is supposed to have improved over the old one. I might have gone Canon if it was available when I bought. Remember that when you are taking shots of static subjects, you can hit the aperture sweet spot without worries.

 

[webshark3]

The new 18-55mm IS is Image stabilied. The old one isn't.

BTW, you won't find a cheaper 18mm lens for the price. Also, it's really sharp when stepped down to F8. It is soft wide open.

I was (pleasently) suprised to find that I could tell very little differnce between my kit lens and my primes and fast zoom when all were stepped down to F8.

 

[handicap18]

Tamron has a 17-50mm f/2.8 and Sigma has a 20-40mm f/2.8 (though I don't know how available this one is). The Tamron is pretty good and a lot less expensive than the Canon or Nikon's version.

Chances of finding a prime lens wider than 24mm is very tough (and expensive). Sigma has a 20mm f/1.8 for about $400, Canon has a 20mm f/2.8 that is about $420 and a 14mm f/2.8 for about $2000. Other than that your looking at fish eyes unless you want zoom lenses.

The trade off between say the Sigma 30mm f/1.8 vs the Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 is over 1 stop (1 1/3 stops actually) and zoom vs no zoom.