Lens for Norway

[JTPAIN]

Hey there,

I am going on a cross-country skiing expedition to Norway this easter and need the availability of one, allround lens - preferably something with a reasonable short end, but a pretty large long end as well. Needs to be relatively light (so no f2.8 70-20mm IS II please) as i will be carrying everything in a rucksack. Also, the lens should be able to cope with some pretty cold weather, as norway, is norway, and no doubt it will be pretty freakin' cold.

Am stuck myself, on what lens, but perhaps you can help?

[Viggo]

Hey there,

I am going on a cross-country skiing expedition to Norway this easter and need the availability of one, allround lens - preferably something with a reasonable short end, but a pretty large long end as well. Needs to be relatively light (so no f2.8 70-20mm IS II please) as i will be carrying everything in a rucksack. Also, the lens should be able to cope with some pretty cold weather, as norway, is norway, and no doubt it will be pretty freakin' cold.

Am stuck myself, on what lens, but perhaps you can help?

Er du fra Norge og snakker norsk?

I would recommend the 24-105, but it depends on what body you are using, I would def go for the 24-105 for a FF camera, and maybe even for a crop cam due to the weather resistance.

If you can live without weathersealing a wide-range lens I kind of like is the 15-85, not useless like the 18-200's, but actually pretty good, and 15 at the wideend is a lot wider than 18.

You're anyways in luck, it's not very cold here now, between -5 and -14 celcius. We normally have -20 to -25 now.

And easter is spring time!

[well_dunno]

Canon 28-300
Tamron 18-270
Sigma/Tamron 18-200

These come to my mind. Image quality is going to be sacrificed though...

Are you on APS-C/H or FF?

[JTPAIN]

I probably should learn the lingo before i go out!!

i'll probably be using an APS-C

what do you think of the tamron 18-270mm?

[xROELOFx]

i would not recommend a lens with such long range. the image quality will be pretty poor!
i think it's better to get 2 lenses with a smaller range, for example a 17-55 and a 70-200 (or 70-300).

[Viggo]

Just to give you an idea of what the range does to IQ:

http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/ISO-12233-Sample-Crops.aspx?Lens=687&Camera=453&Sample=0&FLI=3&API=0&LensComp=493&CameraComp=474&SampleComp=0&FLIComp=7&APIComp=1

Use mouseover to compare, and keep in mind that the 70-200 is 2,8 while the Tamron is at 6,3, and that the corners of the Tamron is shown here on a crop body while the 70-200 is on fullframe.

[Quasimodo]

If I were you (I am Norwegian) I would go for quality glass, and wide. The nature in Norway invites to panoramic shots, and if you only bring one lens I would go for the 16-35mm F2.8L II, and if you can manage to carry it, I would also bring the 70-200mm F2.8L IS II USM.  Those two together will give you a great reach. If you are going up north in Norway where you can be able to see whales and Eagles, I would probably bring the 2 x extender  mk III too (which on a 1.6 crop body like yours would give you an effective reach of 200 x 2 = 400 x 1.6 = 640mm

I know that I am asking you to carry a lot, and I am not sure where you are from. But if this is the one time in Norway I would guess that you will be amazed by the nature (without being too self centered here:)

[well_dunno]

I probably should learn the lingo before i go out!!

i'll probably be using an APS-C

what do you think of the tamron 18-270mm?

IQ is going to suffer with that lens (also with any of the 18-200) , but if you can take only one lens with you the range might mean getting the shot or not getting the shot... 24-105 does not have the same reach but it's a very good lens. I would take two lenses in your shoes, 24-105 + 70-300 IS (L if you have the lens or the budget). IS is going to come handy in cold IMHO...

You can find a review of Tamron 18-270 here http://www.photozone.de/canon-eos/412-tamron_18270_3563vc_canon

[well_dunno]

But if this is the one time in Norway I would guess that you will be amazed by the nature (without being too self centered here:)

I spent a few weeks in northern Norway and I can confirm that you are not being self-centered it is special...

[Tijn]

Get a 60D crop camera for one... Not as weathersealed as the 7D, but weather resistant nonetheless (which is nice). More importantly, it has a "decent plastic" body rather than an alloy one. In cold weather, metal is freezing to the touch. You might want to stay away from it.

For a lens, there's not much weathersealed for the wide end of the zoom for crop cameras. Also, there are few if any lenses that cover all the range in one lens, without significantly sacrificing image quality. Also, weathersealed lenses usually have a metal build.

You'll have to compromise something. Either you get the whole range in one lens and image quality is somewhat compromised; or you get better image quality but you take two lenses instead of one, or you skip out on some of the range. And if you want the best image quality, you're probably taking a metal lens (which although usually weather resistant, will be cold in subzero temperatures).

The Canon EF-S 15-85 f/3.5-5.6 IS is a nice wide range crop lens. Not weathersealed, not heavy, decent wide end, very good image quality throughout its range (and it has IS). But it won't do real tele shots. You could take a second lens for that, or skip on it.

The Canon EF 70-300 (L) IS would make a nice addition for tele range. The non-L is lighter, plastic and a "step down" on pretty much every aspect - sharpness, contrast, focus speed, build quality, price... Still decent enough image quality on a crop camera though. The L version is incredibly sharp with good contrast. It's heavier, pricier and metal. It will work nicely with a weathersealed body though (but you'd still lack weathersealing on the wide zoom lens).

The Canon EF-S 18-200 f/3.5-5.6 IS is a lens that covers a nice wide range with IS. Image quality is ok, but not as good as the other lenses I mentioned. Only take this if you are willing to compromise on image quality, and can really only take one lens.

I'm not very up to date with superzooms. Generally I'm very sceptical of their IQ, especially from other manufacturers. It's always some sort of compromise.

Concerning the 24-105L, I'd stay away from it if you're taking a crop camera. You can't get wide shots with that on a crop camera without taking another lens, and then you'd have two lenses while still not having any far tele range zoom.

[well_dunno]

Concerning the 24-105L, I'd stay away from it if you're taking a crop camera. You can't get wide shots with that on a crop camera without taking another lens, and then you'd have two lenses while still not having any far tele range zoom.

That's a good point, 24 mm will be only moderately wide on an aps-c.

[Caps18]

You will need a lens to get as wide as you can get. 

[Kernuak]

I often see comments about the 24-105 not being wide enough on a crop camera. The fact is, not everyone likes to shoot really wide anyway, it doesn't always suit their individual style. Also, it doesn't always suit the landscape. Sometimes with mountains when you shoot wide, you lose the impact. At Easter, the light is improving, and spring birds will have arrived, so telephoto may be more advantageous. You won't be able to get any close-ups with the 24-105, but you may be able to get some nice environmental shots with the animals in their natural surroundings. It probably depends on what part of Norway you're visiting, as to the best lens. I found that when I visited Tromsø a couple of months ago, my 24mm lens was too wide on a full frame and would also have been on a crop too (apart from the northern lights). I found myself reaching for the 50mm more often than not, with some shots on the 135mm. I didn't use the 24-105 much, but that was because I went for quality instead. Likewise in Oslo when I lived there, it's been a while, but I can't think of many areas where wider than 24 would be useful, even if you wanted to take architecture, most wide-angle zooms would give too much distortion for the type of buildings found in Norway. The one place that I have been where a wider angle would be useful is Bergen. That said, there are a lot of places in Norway I haven't been to, so native Norwegians would bethe best to advise, relative to the type of terrain, in combination with the knowledge of where you're visiting. If you need to shoot wider, you also have the option of stitched panoramas if you're taking a tripod.

[well_dunno]

Nice approach Kernuak! +1