Do I need a telephoto lens?

[Jedimike]

Hi all!

I'm a newbie photographer that just bought a Canon Eos T3i Rebel with a 28 - 135 mm IS lens. I bought this camera now so that I could practice with it before going on vacation to Disneyworld this Christmas. This is a good lens for taking pictures of the kids when they're playing in the backyard, but I'm wondering if I need more zoom, something up to a 250 mm or 300 mm lens to get good scenic shots of the kids in front of the Castle, the Epcot ball, etc?

Advice plz?

Thanks!

-Mike

 

[chinchiller]

Like I posted in your other thread:

I've got a 250 and, honestly, I almost never use it. We actually just got back from Washington DC and never even touched the 250; the 135 was perfect for the trip, even with all of the landscape, monument, and firework shots.

 

[Experiment_626]

I think you'll find a majority here would be more likely to recommend that you look into a wide-angle rather than telephoto, especially for the shots you mention. I rarely go longer than about 70 mmm at WDW, and I spend most of my time at 20 mm and wider when I'm there. There certainly are interesting photos to be had with a longer lens, but for me, the majority of the interesting shots come through a wide-angle lens.

I'm not familiar with Canon offerings specifically, so I'll let someone else handle that.

Scott

 

[chinchiller]

I think you'll find a majority here would be more likely to recommend that you look into a wide-angle rather than telephoto...

This, however, I will second.

 

[zackiedawg]

Indeed, you likely don't need a telephoto - at least if your photography is primarily scenic, travel, kids, family, etc. Wider angles will be better, and with your 28-135mm lens you've got more than enough reach to 'zoom in' a bit on your kids for some candid shots.

I am a huge telephoto fan, and have quite a few lenses with bigger reach - including 200mm, 300mm, and 500mm lenses...plus teleconverters - my biggest reach combo is 1000mm, plus the crop factor of my camera. So I'm definitely a telephoto user, and need them more than any other lens. But not at Disney, and certainly not for my basic travel/family shots. If you get into sports photography, wildlife photography, bird photography, etc, then you start to 'need' telephotos and really long reach, but until then, you're fine sticking with the wider end.

 

[traylorc]

In my opinion, the real benefit for telephoto at WDW would be if you were hoping to grab some pictures of some of the animals at Animal Kingdom. AK is a place where the extra reach would be nice, and that is the only reason I am bringing my telephoto + teleconverter.

For the type of shots the OP wants, I agree with the recommendations of a wide angle lens. I would also recommend some fast prime lens for dark ride shots. I plan on bringing my 50mm f/1.4 & 85mm f/1.4 to see if I can get some decent POTC shots.

 

[photo_chick]

It totally depends on how you shoot. I keep a 28-105 on my camera most of the time at WDW. It is a great walkaround focal range for me. The only time I pulled out something longer this last trip was at AK.

 

[vickxo]

I have to agree with mostly everyone here, the best option for disney is a faster wider lens, i prefer the prime lenses 30mm f/1.4, 50mm f/1.8 and 85mm f/1.8 i don't think when it comes to family shots id want any closer you want great portraits of your kids but you also want to be able to see where they are.

 

[zackiedawg]

Even at AK, though I admit to bringing my 18-250mm and even my 300mm F4 along to AK, it's surprising how rarely you ever need it. In fact, I have very rarely ever felt that at 300mm I didn't have enough telephoto, and in a few cases where I restricted myself to my 300mm prime, found I was often too close to get the animal in frame. A few shots worked perfectly with the 300mm F4, no teleconverter needed, but most of the time a variable zoom, like an 18-250mm is best, so you can zoom in or out through a wide range as needed, and rarely even need the 200mm end. Some ideas of wildlife shooting that was at 140mm or less at AK:

135mm:

135mm:

140mm:

100mm:

90mm:

120mm:

135mm:

55mm:

I am a wildlife and bird photographer, but at AK, surprisingly I rarely need more than 150mm.

 

[Jedimike]

Thanks all for the input. I appreciate everyone taking the time to respond!!