Walk Around Lens

[michelestamps2]

I will be visiting the world for the first time this June for a full week (visiting all 4 parks). I am relatively new to the DSLR world (received Canon DSLR this past Christmas). Right now all I have is the kit lens and and an EF 75-300 f/4-5.6 (that also came with the camera as a promotion). While practicing using my camera, I have pretty much been sticking with the kit lens.

What would you suggest as my walk around lens. I am up to purchasing an additional lens for myself but have been holding back. I think my upcoming trip will be the perfect excuse to spend "a little" money

Michele

 

[Master Mason]

I will be visiting the world for the first time this June for a full week (visiting all 4 parks). I am relatively new to the DSLR world (received Canon DSLR this past Christmas). Right now all I have is the kit lens and and an EF 75-300 f/4-5.6 (that also came with the camera as a promotion). While practicing using my camera, I have pretty much been sticking with the kit lens.

What would you suggest as my walk around lens. I am up to purchasing an additional lens for myself but have been holding back. I think my upcoming trip will be the perfect excuse to spend "a little" money

Michele

I use a canon 24-70 f/2.8L for my walk around, however it is a little spendy. Sigma makes a nice alternative for about half the price. It is however a big lens. But to me it has a great range, and I love the f/2.8 though the range on it.

 

[zackiedawg]

Well I have what I think is the perfect walkaround lens, and would recommend it to anyone...so I'm recommending it!

18-250.

There are a few versions of this depending on the camera body you are using - mine's a Sony branded unit made by Tamron, and they are currently making an 18-270 version of this lens for other camera bodies. So that's one to look at. I believe Canon also has their own lens, something in the vicinity of 18-200, which would be very similar.

The convenience of having a single lens that can shoot from a very wide angle for buildings and closeups all the way to a strong telephoto for AK animals and such...well it really is the perfect walk-around lens. I've used it on a cruise and 4 trips to Disney so far, and it spends 90% + of the time on my camera, only rarely switching off for another lens for some specialty need.

There are going to be obvious compromises with a one-solution lens - they rarely will be precisely as sharp and fast as a dedicated prime or a much smaller range zoom - but I'd argue that the disadvantages are strongly outweighed by the advantages, and unless you're dealing with low light situations alot, you'll likely be using the lens in its sweet spot, which can deliver excellent sharpness and color.

Check out the Tamron 18-270, or the Canon 18-200 which may have even more advantages for your Canon body, since it is a stabilized lens.

 

[annnewjerz]

I don't have a Canon, but I do have a Nikon dSLR and use the 18-200mm VR walk-around lens and it seems that Canon's equivalent would be the Canon EF-S 18-200mm 1:3.5-5.6 IS.

While the walk-around lens isn't my favorite in terms of the IQ of the photos, it is my favorite in terms of convenience. On our trip to DC this past weekend I used my 18-200 the majority of the time and it reaffirmed the fact that it is a nice lens to have when you don't feel like carrying around 4 others to cover the focal length.

The lens looks like it goes for about $600 including shipping through Amazon.com.

Good luck!

 

[jann1033]

which kit lens do you have, the lens with or without IS? if you have the newer IS kit lens i would go with the 55-250 Is( mid $200) lens. the 75-300 you have is not reviewed very well (the other two are upper 8s to 9, the 75 is a 5out of ten). that way you would have a good lens to use from 18-250. you should be able to limit your lens changing depending on what you are planning on taking.( ie if you want a shot of the castle from the end of mainstr put on the kit) i would think you'd use the 18-50 most then the 250 for AK. i figure a vacation is only a week or two, get something you will want to use forever.
the other lenses mentioned look good as well and the build quality of the 55-250 isn't as good as the 18-200 but it's less than 1/2 the price( & rated really well which imo i'll take iq over build any day, haven't really seen any user reviews of the other lenses although i think the 270 got some good "news" reports when it came out if it'm thinking of the right lens). so if you want to spend $600+ you could probably pick up a low light sigma or tamron( ie 28-75 f2.8 around $400) zoom along with the 55-250 and spend the whole wad but have 3 lenses. none of the zooms mentioned give you good low light capability which you might want for anywhere dark( ie rides) if you have the old kit( no is) i probably would still go with the tamron and 55 just for the extra 50mmdistance( but that is just me, i love as much distance as i can get) and the low light capabilities

i do use my 28-135 a lot, mainly cause it's one of only 4 working lenses i have at this moment ... and one is the old kit, which is not good, one is a fisheye, the other a 50mm: so not much of a "decision" needed rotfl:. but imo the 28-70 wouldn't be a bad walk around lens. i rarely need to shoot much wider( or can't back up a bit) and 70 on a 1.6 crop isn't a bad range. if i am planning on shooting wider i just take a number of shots with a wider lens then switch lenses. calls for a little more planning but it's not that much of a pain. i've actually enjoyed using my just 50mm for a full day a few times although at smaller aps. it's good enough to crop a lot and still be sharp.

 

[Angrypenguin]

After recently coming back from the world, I ended up carrying my Sigma 18-200 around 90% of the time on my Rebel. The other 10% of the time I was using the nifty fifty. The Image Quality is on the Sigma 18-200 is good, but for convenience it can't be beat! You can check out my flickr for shots (in my sig) if it'll help you make your decision.

Ironically I'm going to sell it though. Let me know if you're interested, I'll give you a DIS discount! I've got a 24-105 f/4 coming my way

 

[GrillMouster]

Odds are that you have a crop-sensor body. The 24-70 has an ideal range for a walkaround lens on a full-frame camera, but IMHO it's widest angle would still be just slightly too long for me on a crop-sensor body. Besides, it's an expensive pro lens and it may be too early for you to make such a purchase at this point. For a walkaround zoom lens on a crop-body, I recommend something that starts around 17 or 18mm. As for how long it should be on the far end, that depends on your shooting style (but the 18-200 is a good range...you'll probably dump your other lenses for it). It's generally better to shoot too wide than too narrow, because you can "zoom in" by cropping, but you can't "zoom out". Yeah, you could step back to get a wider angle, but sometimes you can't physically go any further back without hopping a fence, knocking down a wall, or tredging in water. In a place like Disney going further back can mean that your picture of the Stave Church at Epcot would become a picture of a hundred tourists (with the roof of church visible in the background).

 

[Suburbanmom]

I also use a 24-70mm f/2.8 as my walk around lens.

 

[madge]

I have the Canon 28-105mm f/3.5-4.5 zoom:

http://www.amazon.com/Canon-EF-28-1...1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1239225159&sr=8-1

I'm notsomuch on all the technicalities .. but it has a nice zoom and isn't heavy. I'm pleased with the pictures I get with it.

 

[boBQuincy]

The kit lens is pretty good for a walkaround, there are faster/sharper lenses but for now you may just want to supplement what you have with some more range. Canon's 10-22 does that on the wide end and their 55-250 takes care of the long end.

I carry a 24-105 for a walkaround but without the 10-22 it is somewhat restrictive when it comes to getting the wide photos.

 

[Angrypenguin]

boBQuincy,

Are you happy with the 10-22? I have a 24-105 coming and was wondering if I should get the 10-22 to complement it.

 

[boBQuincy]

boBQuincy,

Are you happy with the 10-22? I have a 24-105 coming and was wondering if I should get the 10-22 to complement it.

Very Happy! It is a perfect complement to the 24-105, which is a great lens but just a little long for a 1.6x sensor.

 

[MassJester]

I use the 24mm-105mm as my walk around lense. I carry the 10mm-22mm, but use it less frequently all the time. I have the 28mm 1.8 coming this week, and I will likely put that in the bag over the 10mm-22mm.

I used the 50mm 1.4 for fireworks last time, but on a crop camera it wasn't wide enough for me.

The question is, can I make good use of the 100mm-400mm...

 

[cpbjgc]

My walk around is a 17-70mm F2.8-4.5 DC MACRO which I use on my Canon XTi. It provides a good range, its sharp and versatile. Once you have a wider low end on your walk around lens, you may be surprised how often you use it and how you miss it when it's not there!

I always found that checking out actual shots helped me in deciding on a lens, so here are some samples with this lens:

70mm

17mm (handheld at night)

And a couple from the World