Looking For Advice On Lens

[Stitch_Is_King]

Heading back to the world in November and recently took up the hobby of DSLR photography. I have a Canon Rebel T2i with the 18-55mm kit lens. I know there is really no perfect do it all lens but what I was looking for is advice on what would be a good multipurpose lens to take with us on this trip. I would probably rent the lens and opposed to purchasing one outright to give me the chance to see if I really like it.

I know Canon has an 18-135mm and an 18-200mm. Would I be happy with one of those or is there something else I should be considering? Looking to be doing a bit of photography at night with the fireworks and the shows at MVMCP. Thanks in advance for the advice.

 

[jenf22]

I am by no means a photographer, but I take a ton of pictures. I bought the Tamron 18-270 lens last year before our 8-night Disney trip for my T2i. I took over 4000 pictures with it and was very pleased. It got me all the ranges I wanted without having to carry other lenses. It's not as good as Canon glass (as I'm sure MANY people will tell you), but I really liked only having one lens to worry about (I do have 3 other Canon lenses). One minor annoyance with this lens is you turn it opposite of the Canon lenses to zoom in and out. Good luck!

 

[Gianna'sPapa]

For fireworks almost any lens will work as long as it is stabilized with a tripod. All-in-ones (18-135, 18-200, 18-250, 18-270, etc.) will work for the majority of situations and are very convenient. Some of those suffer from lens creep, but there are fixes to help with that. If your goal is not to have to change lenses and you forgo dark rides and very low light (handheld) situations then they are excellent. If you go with an all-in-one then I recommend you have at least a 200mm zoom. This zoom is for AK and outside shows in front of the castle. You will find there is always a tradeoff when it comes to lenses. When you get into the lowlight situations (especially with movement) then you may need a large aperture lens (f2.8). The tradeoff? Weight and size. Some lowlight situations can be offset by the use of high ISO settings. I don't shoot Canon so I don't know the highest usable ISO of the T2i. Of course, the tradeoff there is noise. If you want to shoot the dark rides that is a specialty of its own. The hardest (for me) was always Peter Pan. I did get some usable shots from my last trip, but it took 12800 ISO and f1.4. IMHO, the gold standard for dark rides is the Sigma 30mm f1.4. It really depends on what you want to shoot and your expectations. As long as you shoot within the envelope that the lens was designed for, you won't be disappointed.

 

[SrisonS]

The Canon 18-135 is my main lens, and I love it. And it's a great zoom range for being able to capture a lot of things at Disney. It's even good at Animal Kingdom, where the zoom is pretty much needed (unless you need a super tight shot).

 

[MikeandReneePlus5]

If you do go with th 18-135 just buy it from Best Buy. They have a 30 day return policy. If you don't like it, you aren't out the rental money.

Maybe rent a 10-22mm to have some fun with wide angle shots here and there. That's what I want to do next time.

 

[bob100]

Heading back to the world in November and recently took up the hobby of DSLR photography. I have a Canon Rebel T2i with the 18-55mm kit lens. I know there is really no perfect do it all lens but what I was looking for is advice on what would be a good multipurpose lens to take with us on this trip. I would probably rent the lens and opposed to purchasing one outright to give me the chance to see if I really like it.

I know Canon has an 18-135mm and an 18-200mm. Would I be happy with one of those or is there something else I should be considering? Looking to be doing a bit of photography at night with the fireworks and the shows at MVMCP. Thanks in advance for the advice.

both of those lens are good but others prefer a larger aperture lens for night shots (17-55 2.8, 50mm 1.8, 30mm 1.4, etc.) others like wide angles - lots of choices!
since you have plenty of time do some more research, using only one lens is good for travel but you may not get other shots that you like

 

[Frantasmic]

For general outdoor stuff, I'd look at 24-70 or 24-105 L. I rented the later last weekend and fell in love. You would need another lens for dark rides

 

[KCmike]

I have the 18-135IS and it is an ok kit lens. The range is nice and I find that I don't switch out to the 55-250IS very much anymore. You can pick one up on Amazon for $321 right now! Usually its $399 on the Canon used site. That's a great deal.

If your going to rent a lens then stay with your kit lens and go fun. Rent the 10-22 ultra wide angle lens or maybe an "L" series lens.

 

[Stitch_Is_King]

Thank you everyone for the advice thus far. I think I am leaning toward the Canon 18-135 at this point although I do like the idea of renting an "L" lens as well to try out.

I wonder if DW realizes what she has created by encouraging me to take up DSLR photography as a new hobby.

 

[handicap18]

I have the Nikon version of the 18-135mm and really liked its focal range for Disney. Worked out very well (till I dropped it and broke it).

Since then I prefer the faster glass and have the 24-70mm f/2.8, but thats expensive stuff. With budget in mind, I do like the 18-135mm. A buddy of mine that shoots Canon swears by his 24-105mm f/4 L. Loves the IQ and its versatility. He prefers it over the 24-70mm f/2.8. Thats going to cost you a bunch more, so that might be something to think about down the road if your "hobby" becomes more serious.

Have fun!