Which parks need a 70-300?

[uncool]

Hello, I will hitting all the parks next week. My main lens is a Tamron 17-50 (Canon 40D body). I also have the nifty-fifty and a Sigma 70-300.

Which parks actually need the reach of a 70-300? I will be the family pack mule so switching out lenses will not be particularly convenient. However if I am better off with it, I'll bring it everywhere.

 

[Iwant2BAprincess]

we usually end up using our 300 at AK-definately for the safari, MK to upclose the castle shows, and have used it at HS for the Beauty and the beast show as well but not much else that I can remember there. Have fun!

 

[WillowBelle]

I have a 100-300 and the ONLY park I take it to is AK for the safari. When we went to Nemo, we made sure that we were in line early enough to get pretty "close" and I used the nifty-50 since it was dark -

Just slightly off center:

 

[uncool]

Great Nemo shot WillowBelle.

So far this is good news. I was hoping I could get away with just the 17-50 (and probably the 50). It just seems every time I put on the 70-300 I need/want to shoot something close.

Can I keep the 70-300 on for the whole AK Safari or are there sections I will need the width of 17mm?

 

[boBQuincy]

The easy answer is "all of them". I have used a 70-200 in all of the parks to select a certain composition or to "get close" to the subject. Sure, the extra reach comes in handy at AK but it can also be useful for closeups of performers at shows (like the castle forecourt or Studios streetmosphere) and the long lens can give a different look when shooting across World Showcase lagoon.

Remember though that the lens does not change perspective, only the subject position does that.

 

[WillowBelle]

I would think that you could get away with the 70-300 the entire time on the safari......

This guy was RIGHT up at the truck:

Further away, yet still pretty wide (for a 100-300)

The only issue I had on the safari with that lens, is that it's so heavy and the ride is so bumpy it's VERY hard (for me at least) to get a bunch of pics in focus....of course, I am no pro.

 

[mom2rtk]

Since it was SO hot on our trip last Sept/Oct, I tried to get away with my shorter/lighter lens whenever possible. So I left the telephoto in the room when we did DHS. Oops..... I forgot about the Indiana Jones show..... My shots from 50mm just didn't quite cut it....

 

[WillowBelle]

I could also see where it could come in handy at the Lights,Motor,Action show at DHS. We didn't do that one last time, so I'd forgotten about "needing" the longer lens there.

 

[xipetotec]

The last time I went to WDW, I had had my new XTi for a few months ( came with a 70-300 as an extra lens ). I was so looking forward to using it, and really only ended up using it at AK. And for a few shots at Epcot from across the World Showcase Lagoon.

 

[WDWFigment]

I agree with Bob's "all of them" answer. There have been many subjects where I've switched from the 11mm end of my Tokina to the 200mm end of my 18-200. It's all about what you're looking to accomplish.

 

[AndrewWG]

I guess the question to ask yourself is "what do I normally shoot?" If the answer is mainly family and some closer subjects, then pack lightly. If you tend to shoot every darned thing in every park like most of us here, then you should certainly bring it to every park. Personally, I don't find a lot of use for it anywhere but at AK (for multiple things, not just Safari) but I do lug it around in all the parks and it has come in handy on occasion in all 4 of them.

 

[Evad]

I used my 70-300 in all the parks. It's great lens for getting all the little details that Disney has all over their parks. Using this lens has made look everywhere. I seen a lot of details that one would normally miss.





It also allows you shoot over people from a distance, as in this shot...

 

[jpeka65844]

I would also say ALL OF THEM; but I'm not an expert. I'm wishing for a 55-250 for my birthday and there were moments in ALL parks where I found myself wishing "I wish I had that lens!!!!"

If you can carry it, BRING IT!!!!

 

[handicap18]

Depending on your shooting style, you can easily use a 70-300mm in all the parks.

I mostly use mine at AK and DHS. At AK, my 70-300mm stays on my camera most of the time. At DHS, I've used it for B&tB, Lights Motor Action and Indiana Jones and also for Fantasmic.

At MK, I've used it for up close detail pics of the Castle and a few other things. I don't think I've used it at EPCOT, though for the music shows I'd prefer to use a longer lens. Probably a 70-200mm f/2.8 would be best.

 

[WDWFigment]

Since I don't think I articulated my point well with my initial post, I wanted to further emphasize that a 70-300 can be used on any subject! I think it can be really limiting to one's photography to only view lenses in terms of reach (i.e. something is far away, so I go long). Using focal length and your feet (although as I just learned from Bob, Mark, and others, your feet are the cause! ), you can totally change how your subject looks. Here is an example:


11mm


200mm

The first image illustrates one of my favorite type of photos, something I've dubbed "wide angle closeups" (there probably is a proper term, I don't know). I go as close as I can to the subject (often running into it as the lens makes me misjudge distance) in an attempt to either distort it or make it more compelling. The second technique is called perspective compression, and I can't quite articulate what it does, suffice to say, it makes the distant background appear larger and not quite so distant (someone else can supplement/correct my explanation, but I think you get the idea).

Anyway, my point is that you shouldn't just look at lenses in terms of reach. You can really open up things by using a lens in a situation you normally wouldn't. Maybe that's just me, though?