General purpose zoom for honeymoon

[alexturton]

I'm heading on my honeymoon in April to Mauritius for 2 weeks.

At home, I shoot 5d mk iii and generally with primes (24L, 35, 50L, 85L, 100L macro and soon to have 135L).

I'm thinking of not taking any of those and just buying a general purpose zoom so that:

a) Im carrying less stuff (so my new wife doesn't kill me for taking so much stuff), and
b) I can focus on enjoying my honeymoon and taking snaps rather than worrying about having the right lens on (so my new wife doesn't kill me for taking so much stuff).

I could just take the 24, 50 and 135 + an extension ring and that would cover most scenarios. However on a general walk about I'd still be carrying 3 lenses.

I'm sure this has been covered before (somewhere) but I think my options are:

The canon 24-70 ii feels too expensive to justify.
The canon 24-70 f4 doesn't feel exciting enough (70mm @ f4) to warrant £1000.
The canon 24-105 f4 could be a reliable choice but its dated and I worry about sharpness and sample variation.
I like the look / idea of the tamron, but the stories I hear about AF inconcistency (not MFA) worry me.

So I'm kind of leaning towards the sigma 24-105 f4. But I've owned the old sigma 24-70 f2.8 in the past and found the AF to be unreliable and the bokeh to be unattractive. But I could save a bit of cash and buy a used canon 24-105 f4.

But does anyone have any good opinion (or bad opinions) of the sigma 24-105? and/or any decent and definative review sites? and/or does anyone have an opinion on whether the canon 24-105 would be a better bet?

And/or any other suggestions that I haven't considered?

Your time is always appreciated.
Thanks all
Alex

 

[Albi86]

The new Sigma 24-105 seems a good lens.

Otherwise buy the 24-70/4 L second hand. I got mine for 700€. At this price it's a reasonable purchase. Same as you, I didn't feel like investing 500-600€ in the 24-105 L.

 

[Sanaraken]

You might get disappointed getting the Canon 24-105. Since you have all those prime. For me I would be okay in just bringing the 24L or 35mm and 100L. I also consider getting the 24-70 2.8II. So you dont get disappointed on the image quality you take.

 

[privatebydesign]

G1X MkII, this is what it is made for.

 

[jprusa]

You might get disappointed getting the Canon 24-105. Since you have all those prime. For me I would be okay in just bringing the 24L or 35mm and 100L. I also consider getting the 24-70 2.8II. So you dont get disappointed on the image quality you take.

I agree .

 

[moocowe]

G1X MkII, this is what it is made for.

I'd use my honeymoon as an excuse to buy a Fujifilm X-E1 kit with 18-55mm f/2.8-4 since they're under £700.

 

[privatebydesign]

G1X MkII, this is what it is made for.

I'd use my honeymoon as an excuse to buy a Fujifilm X-E1 kit with 18-55mm f/2.8-4 since they're under £700.

I'd use my honeymoon for anything but photography.............

 

[moocowe]

G1X MkII, this is what it is made for.

I'd use my honeymoon as an excuse to buy a Fujifilm X-E1 kit with 18-55mm f/2.8-4 since they're under £700.

I'd use my honeymoon for anything but photography.............

Good point.

 

[hgraf]

Get an SL1 body and a Tamron 18-270. As an alternative a mirrorless camera with a couple zooms.

I know you said you're worried about quality, but do you need the ultimate in quality and sharpness? Do you need the super low light ability of full frame, or the high frame rates?

You're on your honeymoon, this isn't a paid gig. Personally I'd concentrate on it being a honeymoon and time to relax. The quality of every entry level DSLR or mirrorless camera will be more then good enough for pretty much anything you'll be shooting. Keep it small, keep it light, keep it simple, and enjoy yourself, that's my 2 cents.

TTYL

 

[seekthedragon]

I took a 24-70 II to my honeymoon, it matches the L primes in terms of image quality. It served me great, although weight was a little issue when we climbed the Triglav. Other solution may be the Tamron 24-70 f2.8 VC.

 

[ablearcher]

I would take 35 and 100 along and forget the "all purpose" zooms all together.

 

[sjschall]

. . . You're on your honeymoon, this isn't a paid gig. Personally I'd concentrate on it being a honeymoon and time to relax. The quality of every entry level DSLR or mirrorless camera will be more then good enough for pretty much anything you'll be shooting. Keep it small, keep it light, keep it simple, and enjoy yourself, that's my 2 cents.

I like this advice. Have you thought about taking your 60D and a lightweight zoom over the 5D?

 

[alexturton]

I agree with a lot of the sentiment here. I can't bring myself to use crop after buying my 5d. So my 60d is just gathering dust. So I'm not convinced i like the idea of buying a gen zoom for that.

I don't like compact system cams so that doesn't sound like a good idea for me.

I think I agree with the comments re I'd be disappointed with an f4 lens.

Think that leaves me with canon 24 70ii or just go with a few primes and keep my rx100 handy to fill in the edges where neccesary. Light and simple sounds good

The truth is my photography is my hobby and I get a lot of relaxation from it. I can't sit and read on a beach like a normal person

 

[tron]

Get the Canon 24-70 2.8 II. This is one in a lifetime chance to justify buying an expensive lens. You do not want to get many prime lenses so as to enjoy your honeymoon with your wife and at the same time you will get very sharp pictures: 2 birds with one stone ;D

 

[waelelgendy]

On my honeymoon I travelled with my 5DIII, 17-40L, 35L, 135L, and extenders. I can't tell I had troubles carrying this around all day, as I've been a professional athlete for some long time of my life, but maybe others may feel the weight after few hours.
Anyway, if I had your gear, I would pick the 24L and the 100L for a 2 lens setup. If your wife enjoys being photographed, you may consider adding the 50L, or replacing the 100L with the 85L, and have your 2 lens setup to be the 24L and 85L.
If spending money on extra stuff won't bother you, then go for the Fuji X system and leave your Canon gear at home. As I'm not really that rich, I prefered to make use of what I have, and save the money to be spent during the trip itself.

Good luck, and congrats!

 

[Old Shooter]

I agree with a lot of the sentiment here. I can't bring myself to use crop after buying my 5d. So my 60d is just gathering dust. So I'm not convinced i like the idea of buying a gen zoom for that.

I don't like compact system cams so that doesn't sound like a good idea for me.

I think I agree with the comments re I'd be disappointed with an f4 lens.

Think that leaves me with canon 24 70ii or just go with a few primes and keep my rx100 handy to fill in the edges where neccesary. Light and simple sounds good

The truth is my photography is my hobby and I get a lot of relaxation from it. I can't sit and read on a beach like a normal person

Your 5DIII and the 24-70II are like bread and butter - they just go together... You can carry one lens and get a lot of great shots... That being said, I would drop that shorty-forty in my pocket - I love what it does on my 5DIII...

 

[No Mayo]

I recommend that you don't think of this as photographing your honeymoon, but rather photographing your bride on her honeymoon. Focussing on her will guarantee great shots that everyone will cherish. I would take the 85L and the 24L (to capture her in the environment). If I were to purchase a one lens solution it would definitely be the 24-70LII. I have it (and a large selection of L primes) and I am quite happy with the quality. I would not be happy with anything slower than 2.8. Congratulations to you!

 

[Gert Arijs]

I would invest in a 17-40. So take the 17-40 and the 100 is my advice. Not too havy, very multi-purpose.

In fact I wanted to suggest a crop body with superzoom, ie Tamron 18-270mm. Since quality is a serious issue, it's a tough descision...

 

[digital paradise]

Just get her some stuff from Victoria's Secret and you will have all the zoom you need . I noticed a few things about the 24-105. I had that lens for about 6 years and did me very well. A good sharp lens that has a nice range.

I never liked it at 24mm on a FF. Pretty bad for distortions and CA. I know this can be corrected but the outsides, especially people never looked right. I was looking for a WA lens and the 24-70II came out. Still has a bit of distortion and CA but no where near as much.

I decided to sell the 24-105 and get the 24-70 II. Love the IQ. Miss the range and IS of the 105 but no where as much as I thought I would. For that price I think it should have been included. If I had unlimited money I would have kept the 105 as a walkaround but today I would not part with my 24-70. It is not a 24 TSE but is a formidable landscape lens

24mm @ 2.8

28mm @ 5.6

 

[ahsanford]

It all depends on what you shoot, but I'll take the minority position: get the Canon 24-70 F/4 IS.

The upsides are numerous: IS, light, compact, sharp, weather-sealed, and has the 0.7x Macro mode.

It's a killer travel lens, all things considered. Yes, you lose a stop over the Canon 24-70 2.8 II, but it's so much lighter to carry around, and IS + Macro have been quite useful for me.

But if speed really is vital for how and what you shoot, you should be shooting with primes. If you are one of those folks who slams it fully open all the time, even with a 2.8 zoom you'll wish you could open it up more...

- A