Grand Canyon and Arizona Trip

[crazyme5kids]

We are going in July, and I want to purchase a zoom or telephoto lens. I'd like some recommendations please. I have a Canon Rebel. I can spend up to around $1600, give or take. Any suggestions?

 

[Frantasmic]

You have several options.

What do you want to use the lens for AFTER your trip? Would you like a telephoto that takes good pictures indoors (gyms, stages, etc) or would you like one that is used more outdoors?

There are several options depending mostly on what you will use it for mostly.

If you will use it mostly for outdoor purposes, you could get by with an f4.0 lens without image stabilization and get more reach.

If you are wanting to use it indoors, you probably will need f2.8 with image stabilization (in which case you can spend a lot more).

Some options:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/162616-USA/Canon_2577A002AA_100_400mm_f_4_5_5_6L_IS_USM.html

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/732106-USA/Canon_4426B002_EF_70_300mm_f_4_5_6L_IS.html

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/91680-USA/Canon_2569A004_70_200mm_f_2_8L_USM_Autofocus.html

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/457678-USA/Canon_1258B002AA_EF_70_200mm_f_4L_IS.html

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/129188-USA/Canon_2530A004_Telephoto_EF_300mm_f_4_0L.html

The sigma 70-200 is good to look at too.

 

[photo_chick]

$1600 does give you a lot of options. What lenses do you have? Where are they coming up short for you? Knowing those things can help point you in the direction of some lenses that might meet your needs.

 

[gokenin]

OK am I the only one when the original poster mentioned that he was going to the grand canyon and AZ thought you need a wide angle zoom first of all? instead he is being offered lens that start at 70mm

 

[crazyme5kids]

Sorry, letting you know what I have would be helpful wouldn't it? I have the 18-55mm kit lens which I rarely use, I don't like it. I have a Canon 100mm macro, a Canon 17-40mm and the Tokina 11-16.

As far as what I will be doing with it after the Grand Canyon, mainly outdoors, only a little indoor stuff.

I like to shoot manuel. I will use a tripod but prefer not to. I am still what I consider a beginner, improving, but a long way to go. Oh, and I like heavier lenses. Hope this info helps to get a feel for what might work/suit me best.

Thanks for the input so far!

 

[disneyfaninaz]

I just got back from the canyon, I used my 18-55 most of all, hardly ever needed my 300 zoom. Only with wildlife.

 

[crazyme5kids]

Thank you for the advice so far! disneyfaninaz based on your reply, I'm now rethinking the wisdom of getting a zoom/telephoto. Maybe I should wait awhile to get the lense I really want (the 70-200mm f2.8L).

 

[mom2rtk]

So where all are you going? We've been to the southwest a number of times. If I can make ONE suggestion........ check this out in Page, AZ. Your Tokina will suit the bill quite nicely here........ We've seen a lot of the sights in the Southwest, but Horseshoe Bend was our hands down favorite. It will take your breath away.

My trip report from last summer is linked in my signature. There are a lot of photos from the area there.

 

[crazyme5kids]

Oh my god! That is a stunning photo! We are flying into Vegas on a Sat., staying 1 night then heading over to the Hoover Dam on our way to the Grand Canyon. Staying 2 nights (Sun. & Mon.) at the Grand Canyon. We have to be in Tucson for late in the afternoon on Wed. At this point, my husband wants to stay Tues., Wed. and Thurs. in Tucson. He wants to go to Tombstone, yeah I know tourist trap. We have to be at Fort Huachuca on Thurs. Fly home Friday.

We could go to Page and then head down toward Tucson, and stay somewhere else on Tuesday night. How much time would you suggest spending there?

 

[mom2rtk]

Oh my god! That is a stunning photo! We are flying into Vegas on a Sat., staying 1 night then heading over to the Hoover Dam on our way to the Grand Canyon. Staying 2 nights (Sun. & Mon.) at the Grand Canyon. We have to be in Tucson for late in the afternoon on Wed. At this point, my husband wants to stay Tues., Wed. and Thurs. in Tucson. He wants to go to Tombstone, yeah I know tourist trap. We have to be at Fort Huachuca on Thurs. Fly home Friday.

We could go to Page and then head down toward Tucson, and stay somewhere else on Tuesday night. How much time would you suggest spending there?

Thanks!

There isn't much to DO in the area. So it won't take long. But you do have to hike a bit to see it. Don't let that scare you. I'm not a big hiker, but from the moment I saw this in a photo, I knew I had to see it. I'm thinking it might be 1 3/4 miles round trip. I doubt we stopped there more than 45 minutes to an hour (including the hike).

Glen Canyon Dam and the historic Navajo bridge are also fairly close by (I think... it was a year ago... and we covered a LOT of ground).

We've never done Tucson or Tombstone. We've mostly done the National Parks. (Arches, Canyonlands, Zion, etc.)

I hope you'll post your pics here when you get back. I honestly can just never get enough of that area.

 

[mom2rtk]

Can you believe in 4 big road trips west, we have still never seen the Hoover Dam? LOL! It's been on the itinerary each time, but we keep running behind and skipping it. It seems perfect for the Tokina though, don't you think?

Do pack lots of water in your car. And keep the tank topped off when you can. We got stopped on the highway heading into Vegas one trip and they were doing road work and we stopped.......... for 2 1/2 hours........ with no explanation or idea of how long we'd be there. I'm a weenie in the heat, so I kept the car running. After all, we thought we'd be going again ANY moment....... and we watched the car thermometer rise to 126.

Even so....... it's still an awesome place to visit.

Be sure to catch both sunrise and sunset at the Grand Canyon if you can. The mid-day sun is really hazy and not pretty to photograph.

 

[crazyme5kids]

I love to hike, just did an 8 mile run/hike on Sat., mainly hiking though. We were at the Grand Canyon many, many years ago, but it was in late Sept., early Oct., so the weather was beautiful. I plan on getting a small cooler when we are in Vegas to stock up on water for the car ride. I'm going to look at your trip reports over the next few days.

It's funny, but when I was a kid we traveled out west and to the northwest and Canada a few times. My father would take a month off from work. We never went to the Grand Canyon. We would ask, and his reply was, "It's just a big hole in the ground." . Our trips were a lot like a National Lampoon movie. Our family has had many laughs over the years about our trips that's for sure. Good times and good memories.

 

[ssuriano]

Thank you for the advice so far! disneyfaninaz based on your reply, I'm now rethinking the wisdom of getting a zoom/telephoto. Maybe I should wait awhile to get the lense I really want (the 70-200mm f2.8L).

I love my 70-200mm! Unless you plan on using Image Stabilization it's not worth the extra money, you can save the cash and get a decent tripod for far less than the cost of upgrading to the IS version. I say if you can swing it get a 70-200mm f2.8L non-IS, you will LOVE it.

 

[My2Girls66]

I have been to AZ 3 times in late July/early August to visit a good friend of mine who lived in Phoenix on our 1st trip, then moved north to Dewey on our 2nd and 3rd trips.
On our last trip we stopped in Tombstone. Not a lot to see and knowing what I know now I probably wouldn't go hours out of my way to see it, if I was passing through it would be worth a quick stop. There is the worlds largest rose bush, a petting farm, the Boothill Graveyard. We took a side trip from Tombstone and drove down to Bisbee and did the mine tour. That was pretty cool. Literally, also. It was darn chilly down in that mine! On the way back north we stopped at Saguaro National Park(in or near Tuscon) and the Sonora Desert Museum. Both worth a stop in my opinion.
As far as lenses, I didn't have my ultrawide at the time. My 18-135mm was used mostly.
If you are interested- the first pages are Tombstone, Bisbee, Saguaro Nat. Park and the Desert Museum. Toward the end is the Grand Canyon, in the middle somewhere is Out of Africa, which is an animal park that has a lot of rescued big cats. We make a stop there every trip.
http://susancw.smugmug.com/Travel/Arizona-2009/9187588_3NpRm#649466482_9VPrf

Enjoy your trip!
Btw....my kids call the Grand Canyon the big hole in the ground. Everytime I'd see a cool photo spot- I would hear, 'Mom you have enough pictures of the big hole in the ground!' They did think it was way cool the 1st 10 minutes we were there though.

 

[My2Girls66]

Oh and something my girlfriend tells me. I-17, that runs from north to south, is the only route that goes north to south. If there is an accident, you can be sitting there for hours. It is very hot and dry so you want to make sure you have plenty to drink in your car.

 

[mom2rtk]

I love to hike, just did an 8 mile run/hike on Sat., mainly hiking though. We were at the Grand Canyon many, many years ago, but it was in late Sept., early Oct., so the weather was beautiful. I plan on getting a small cooler when we are in Vegas to stock up on water for the car ride. I'm going to look at your trip reports over the next few days.

It's funny, but when I was a kid we traveled out west and to the northwest and Canada a few times. My father would take a month off from work. We never went to the Grand Canyon. We would ask, and his reply was, "It's just a big hole in the ground." . Our trips were a lot like a National Lampoon movie. Our family has had many laughs over the years about our trips that's for sure. Good times and good memories.

Then the hike to Horseshoe Bend won't be a problem for you. Now, if you could find a way to get to Moab, UT, there's another hike with a big payoff at the end.....

I did enjoy the Grand Canyon, despite it just being a big hole in the ground. But honestly, I liked some of the other parks down there better. It just frustrated me that after a few shots, they all seemed to look alike! Still, it is quite an inspiring hole in the ground, so well worth seeing!

 

[pjacobi]

From the rim of the Grand Canyon, there is lots of light and the focus point is at infinity. A photo from a $10,000 professional camera is going to look very close to the same photo taken with a $100 P/S camera.

If you want to appreciate the Canyon as more than just a "big hole" you need to hike to the Phantom Ranch at the bottom of the Canyon. This requires lots of effort and an abundance of caution.

It's too bad that most people spend only a few minutes at the rim, then head back to the slots machines in Vegas.


-Paul

 

[mom2rtk]

From the rim of the Grand Canyon, there is lots of light and the focus point is at infinity. A photo from a $10,000 professional camera is going to look very close to the same photo taken with a $100 P/S camera.

If you want to appreciate the Canyon as more than just a "big hole" you need to hike to the Phantom Ranch at the bottom of the Canyon. This requires lots of effort and an abundance of caution.

It's too bad that most people spend only a few minutes at the rim, then head back to the slots machines in Vegas.


-Paul

I really wish I had it in me to get down into the canyon. But alas, I know myself well enough not to even try!

We first visited in 05. We took the Grand Canyon railroad. I ended up really disliking the experience because of the time frame it imposed. Just a couple hours on the South rim in the mid-day haze then gone or the train would leave without us.

Last summer we booked a cabin on the North Rim. Not as busy, not as touristy. And I could sit experience both sunrise and sunset. I enjoyed it much more.

I love taking pictures of scenic landscapes. Too bad that usually requires so much work to get there!

 

[My2Girls66]

From the rim of the Grand Canyon, there is lots of light and the focus point is at infinity. A photo from a $10,000 professional camera is going to look very close to the same photo taken with a $100 P/S camera.

If you want to appreciate the Canyon as more than just a "big hole" you need to hike to the Phantom Ranch at the bottom of the Canyon. This requires lots of effort and an abundance of caution.

It's too bad that most people spend only a few minutes at the rim, then head back to the slots machines in Vegas.


-Paul

My DH and I plan on hiking it one day. He hasn't been yet and there is no way my kids were hiking down. Too hot and rattlesnake warnings. I had a hard enough time getting them to AZ after they watched a show on the dangerous critters they have out there.

 

[mom2rtk]

My DH and I plan on hiking it one day. He hasn't been yet and there is no way my kids were hiking down. Too hot and rattlesnake warnings. I had a hard enough time getting them to AZ after they watched a show on the dangerous critters they have out there.

That should be awesome! Be sure to post your pictures back here!