Canon Lens Question

[bean bunny]

I am leaving soon for a Disney trip and have a Canon Rebel XS. Currently I have the kit lens 18-55, Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II, and the 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS Image Stabilizer. I'd like to take just one lens with me during the day for our days in the park. Do you have a suggestion which of these three is best for shots in the park? I love the crisp, clear photos I see from others and I'd love to get as close as I can with my camera and current skills Is there another (not super expensive) lens that would be great for park shots? In particular I'm taking the usual people photos, around the park photos, not really looking for one that takes great firework shots or anything like that right now. Any suggestions would be very appreciated!

 

[SrisonS]

With your current lenses, I'd probably go with the kit lens for most of the time, and the 55-250 for Animal Kingdom. I wouldn't take the 50mm by itself, unless you've already spent a day somewhere with it, and you've had no problems (like not being able to zoom or go wide). Maybe your style of shooting benefits from that 50mm . If anything, maybe you can get a little bag (like one for a small video camera) that'll just hold an extra lens. That's been my new preferred way to travel the parks now. A backpack is just too much in the Florida heat; considering my camera is hardly ever in it.

As for a good walkaround, I really like my Canon 18-135mm. The versatility is just great for Disney.

 

[kshark]

If you are set on only carrying one lens from your collection, I would take the 18-55. With the other lenses, you will miss being able to include much in the background to give the images a sense a place and there are some many great photo ops to include Disney's icons. The main thing you would be missing without a zoom are some close up shots of characters in parades/shows or the animals at Animal Kingdom.

If you are willing to spend a little money, you could rent an 18-200 which would be an excellent all around lens. It's a little slow, so dark rides would be tough and night shots will need a tripod, flash, or high ISO, but it is comparable to your current lens collection just with most of the focal length range rolled in to one lens...

Have fun!!!

 

[photo_chick]

From what you'd have I'd take the 18-55 with me and then like Srissons take the 55-250 when you go to AK if you want to shoot the animals. For day shots. At night I'd totally do just the 50mm.

I keep a 28-105 f/3.5-4.5 on my body at the parks most of the time and I find myself keeping things at the wide end. But we all shoot differently.

 

[MikeandReneePlus5]

are there more opinions on this?

I had been reading here and there that many like to shoot with just the 50mm. I am a flat out newbie. I only have the 18mm-55mm kit lens, and am about to add a 50mm f/1.8 (or maybe 35mm if I can find one for a low price) for super great portraits and low light.

I had been thinking maybe I could just bring the 50mm f/1.8 in the parks. If I understand correctly that will cover dark ride shots and portraits...but it sounds like it may be lacking for castle shots and landscapes and group photos etc.? why is that? can't I just shoot it higher f-stop...um, stopped down (I hope I got that right...I am still learning..how do you say you want to shoot at f/8..is that stopping down or do you say higher f-stop?)

PS I am not worried about zoom shots of animals and things too much...mostly just rides/portraits and basic group/landscape shots.

 

[photo_chick]

Which lens you use really depends on what you want to do and your style of shooting. I would not do Disney with just my 50mm the entire trip. There was a time I would have said otherwise, but my shooting style has changed. Also, a 50mm on a crop camera isn't going to be wide enough to get all of the character meals. I was barely able to get what I wanted with my 28mm this time at a couple. THe 50mm just doesn't have a wide enough field of view for some close up shots. Stopping down will help you get more depth of field, but it won't let you get more in the frame.

 

[MikeandReneePlus5]

Which lens you use really depends on what you want to do and your style of shooting. I would not do Disney with just my 50mm the entire trip. There was a time I would have said otherwise, but my shooting style has changed. Also, a 50mm on a crop camera isn't going to be wide enough to get all of the character meals. I was barely able to get what I wanted with my 28mm this time at a couple. THe 50mm just doesn't have a wide enough field of view for some close up shots. Stopping down will help you get more depth of field, but it won't let you get more in the frame.

When you say not wide enough for character meals do you mean that you would have to back up far to get everyone in the frame...and that is difficult in restaurants etc?

So shooting across a table with the kids and Mickey and Minnie....I may need something wider?

That makes sense, (if I understand correctly).

It does seem though that I can position my family in front of Spaceship Earth and get a nice shot with a 50mm if I stop it down. Is that accurate?

Finally ..."crop camera"...I have a Rebel T2i...I assume you mean here that the 50mm is really more like a 75mm due to the size of the CCD?

Still learning......many thanks for any answers.

 

[ChiSoxKeith]

You can get shots of characters and what not with the 50mm F/1.8. I had borrowed a 50mm f/1.4 last trip and had a blast with it. It just required that I move around instead of zooming in and out. Depth of field / focussing was also a bit tricky.

 

[Bstanley]

When you say not wide enough for character meals do you mean that you would have to back up far to get everyone in the frame...and that is difficult in restaurants etc?

So shooting across a table with the kids and Mickey and Minnie....I may need something wider?

Yes.

A 50mm lens has an angle of view of about 40 degrees when used on a Full Frame sensor camera (now just to show off that I still remember my trigonometry ). The width of that 40 degree field of view across a 3 foot table would be almost 5 feet.

But on a Crop sensor camera the angle of view of the 50mm is about 24 degrees. The width of that field of view across that same 3 foot table is less than 3 feet. Not really wide enough for more than a single person.

That's a big reason why 24 to 30mm lenses are popular items for Crop frame camera owners.

Taking pictures in the wide open spaces in front of Spaceship Earth is not going to be a problem - you just 'Zoom with your feet'.

Finally ..."crop camera"...I have a Rebel T2i...I assume you mean here that the 50mm is really more like a 75mm due to the size of the CCD?

Actually for Canon Crop frame cameras you use a 1.6 multiplier so a 50mm acts like an 80mm.

 

[Gianna'sPapa]

When you say not wide enough for character meals do you mean that you would have to back up far to get everyone in the frame...and that is difficult in restaurants etc?

So shooting across a table with the kids and Mickey and Minnie....I may need something wider?

That makes sense, (if I understand correctly).

It does seem though that I can position my family in front of Spaceship Earth and get a nice shot with a 50mm if I stop it down. Is that accurate?

Finally ..."crop camera"...I have a Rebel T2i...I assume you mean here that the 50mm is really more like a 75mm due to the size of the CCD?

Still learning......many thanks for any answers.

Yes you are correct. Sometimes it is difficult to back up in the restaurants due to the crowds and tables. I use a 28-70 f2.8 as my walkaround and that can get tight in the restaurants. With the outside crowds, it is sometimes difficult, but not impossible, to feet-zoom. That is why zoom lenses are so popular. By stopping down, if you mean opening the aperture lets say to 1.8, that would shorten the depth of field to cause the background to blur. If want the background to not be blurred then you would need to close down the aperture f8-f11, etc, to extend the depth of field. It just depends on the look you are trying to achieve. Personally, my style is I have my 28-70 for walkaround, my 70-200 f2.8 for AK and outside shows, 30mm f1.4 for dark rides. If I need something wider than the 28, I go with the 'kit' 18-55. Eventually, I would love to get a constant aperture UWA.

 

[MikeandReneePlus5]

Yes.

A 50mm lens has an angle of view of about 40 degrees when used on a Full Frame sensor camera (now just to show off that I still remember my trigonometry ). The width of that 40 degree field of view across a 3 foot table would be almost 5 feet.

But on a Crop sensor camera the angle of view of the 50mm is about 24 degrees. The width of that field of view across that same 3 foot table is less than 3 feet. Not really wide enough for more than a single person.

That's a big reason why 24 to 30mm lenses are popular items for Crop frame camera owners.

Taking pictures in the wide open spaces in front of Spaceship Earth is not going to be a problem - you just 'Zoom with your feet'.



Actually for Canon Crop frame cameras you use a 1.6 multiplier so a 50mm acts like an 80mm.

awesome thanks!

 

[MikeandReneePlus5]

Yes you are correct. Sometimes it is difficult to back up in the restaurants due to the crowds and tables. I use a 28-70 f2.8 as my walkaround and that can get tight in the restaurants. With the outside crowds, it is sometimes difficult, but not impossible, to feet-zoom. That is why zoom lenses are so popular. By stopping down, if you mean opening the aperture lets say to 1.8, that would shorten the depth of field to cause the background to blur. If want the background to not be blurred then you would need to close down the aperture f8-f11, etc, to extend the depth of field. It just depends on the look you are trying to achieve. Personally, my style is I have my 28-70 for walkaround, my 70-200 f2.8 for AK and outside shows, 30mm f1.4 for dark rides. If I need something wider than the 28, I go with the 'kit' 18-55. Eventually, I would love to get a constant aperture UWA.

many thanks. just a short while ago (like, last week ) most of what has been said here would be gibberish to me.

But I think I get what you are saying.

For me...I'll probably get the 50mm f/1.8 because it can be had for $120 and I really want those great portrait/bokeh shots (and I do know the bokeh isn't the best on that lens, but it's $120 so I'll deal with it!). I will shoot with that mostly and the (kit lens 18-55mm when needed) for now and see how far this bug takes me before I plunk down any more $$ on lens like your 28-70mm etc.

Of course I will now also need a tripod after reading the firework thread...and maybe some filters...sighhhhh..and so it begins I guess.....

 

[photo_chick]

When you say not wide enough for character meals do you mean that you would have to back up far to get everyone in the frame...and that is difficult in restaurants etc?

So shooting across a table with the kids and Mickey and Minnie....I may need something wider?

That makes sense, (if I understand correctly).

It does seem though that I can position my family in front of Spaceship Earth and get a nice shot with a 50mm if I stop it down. Is that accurate?

Finally ..."crop camera"...I have a Rebel T2i...I assume you mean here that the 50mm is really more like a 75mm due to the size of the CCD?

Still learning......many thanks for any answers.

You'd have to back up with the 50mm, which is hard to do at some meals. It's a bigger issue when you're dealing with taller characters like Goofy and Tigger and short kids than it is when you're talking about shorter characters like Stitch and Mickey. I had to move a ways back to get Tigger with my kids when I was using my 28mm at CP.

The T2i doesn't have a CCD, it has a CMOS sensor, but yes, the crop changes the field of view since it only captures the middle portion of the image.

At Spaceship Earth and similar shots... stopping down will get you more depth of field, but remember that focal length and distance to subject also affect depth of field. It's not as simple as just stopping down. And you'll have to back up pretty far to get the whole thing in the shot... but it's totally doable. On Spaceship earth you'll need to be on the fountain side of it, not the gate side because you just can't back up far enough once inside the gates. I had trouble with my 28mm on that side.

But again, a lot of how you shoot and which lens you choose is personal choice and really depends on your style.

 

[cpbjgc]

I use my Sigma 17-70mm lens as my walk around lens at Disney. This thread got me curious to I just looked through my character meal (Crystal Palace and Akerhus) and other character pictures (mostly Epcot's Character Connection) and most were taken at 17mm, and none greater than 33mm. So wider would definitely seem to be better in those settings.

Just to give my 2 cents to the OP, I tend to carry 3 lenses (including the one on the camera) as I am the sherpa - I have a backpack camera bag so I can carry both my gear and ponchos/snacks/autograph books. On my light duty days, I have a small bag that fits one lens (usually a 30mm Sigma or my 11-16mm Tokina) and my camera with a lens attached.

Normally I am all for getting more/new lenses, however, given your gear list, you could probably manage carrying all of it (the 50mm is super light) with the right bag and you would be covered for all your potential shooting needs.

 

[mom2rtk]

Focal length is really just a matter of personal preference. When I got my first lens with 18 at the widest instead of the 28 I'd been using forever, I thought I'd died and gone to heaven! So that shows my preference for wider lenses.

You CAN always zoom with your feet. As others have said, that's really hard in a restaurant. But I also think it's really hard in the parks, since by the time you back up far enough, people will often walk between you and the subject(s) of your shot.

 

[Iwant2BAprincess]

With your current lenses, I'd probably go with the kit lens for most of the time, and the 55-250 for Animal Kingdom. I wouldn't take the 50mm by itself, unless you've already spent a day somewhere with it, and you've had no problems (like not being able to zoom or go wide). Maybe your style of shooting benefits from that 50mm . If anything, maybe you can get a little bag (like one for a small video camera) that'll just hold an extra lens. That's been my new preferred way to travel the parks now. A backpack is just too much in the Florida heat; considering my camera is hardly ever in it.

As for a good walkaround, I really like my Canon 18-135mm. The versatility is just great for Disney.

Ditto, I love the 18-135-I aquired it this spring after some research and it is a great all around, I also keep a 50mm/1.8 on hand and a 70-300 for AK-although I have been known to use it in some of the dark rides and make it work too.