Flying to Dubai: Which lens should I buy

[e17paul]

Early next year I will be flying to Sydney with a fuel stop at Dubai. I have been to Sydney before, but the fuel stop was at Singapore.

Can anyone who knows that journey recommend a suitable lens for capturing the Dubai skyline on the descent and then the climb back into the sky? Would a telephoto be best, or would the number of supertall buildings and their proximity mean that a wider lens is better?

I will have my 100D(SL1) about my person with one lens mounted. All other equipment including my 6D and 70-300L will be securely stowed in the overhead locker.

I have 24 IS and 50 macro to choose from, but would consider buying a one of the STM pancakes or 55-250STM before the trip.

I'm assuming that Qantas will be reasonably tolererant about wearing a a small camera about my person in addition to the overhead locker allowance. A pancake and SL1 combo would fit in a coat pocket if need be. Can anyone confirm my thoughts from their experience?

 

[tan oak]

I will also be visiting Dubai early next year. Given that the airliner is always moving your EF24mm f/2.8 IS lens may be your best bet to minimize blur. You can always crop wide angle images to eliminate the less interesting parts of each image.

 

[zim]

The best I've taken out of an aircraft window was even wider than 24, an 18-55IS kit lens would be as good and flexible as anything, I assume you will be landing in bright daylight and have a window seat forward of the wing!

 

[elkatro]

Dubai is about cityscape and street photography. Most of the time, I use 6D+24-105 for cityscape and general purpose, and EOS M+22 for street.

 

[Hjalmarg1]

An UWA lens is a must for Dubai. 24mm focal lenght is OK in full frame but sometimes a lens like the 16-35mm f4L IS would be your best friend.
When travelling to Dubai I have used the 15-85mm lens on my 7D and/or the 24-70mm on my 5D3, so your 24-105mm lens + 6D should be ok.
For street photo your 24mm f2.8 IS + SL1 would be fine.

 

[scotia]

I have flown into and out of DXB several times. It is often dark flying in, and Burj al Arab and Burj Khalifa have been distant buildings through a haze even in daylight. The buildings around the airport have been low rise and uninspiring - I have not even bothered to get my compact out of my pocket (where it travels because of Emirates' strict weight requirements for cabin baggage).

 

[Vivid Color]

I assume from your question that you are only asking about shooting from your seat in the plane and not on the street. Although it will cut some light, I would suggest having a CPL at the ready as the glare off the window of the plane might need to be controlled. I also think the 18-55 kit lens might be a good one for this type of shooting as I think you'll want to be wider than 24mm. You are generally allowed one carry-on bag and one personal item bag so the personal item bag can include your camera plus lens plus CPL and it goes under the seat in front of you. I think the bigger issue might be whether the airline has an issue with people taking pictures inside of the plane or out of the plane (this was the case in DC after 9/11, but it seems to have changed), so that's why I wouldn't wear the camera around my neck but stick it in my personal item bag.

 

[axtstern]

If you fly emirates you probably know that they allow you to arrange for a 24h stop over without adding $$ to the flight Price.

In case that you have time on the ground, any UWA Zoom should do the trick but be Aware of the climate. My Sigma 18-35 1.8 was a pain in Dubai because every Change from air conditioned inside to outside resulted in condensation inside and outside of the lens. Cheaper more plastic using lenses did not suffer this fate.

A cheap way of getting interesting Pictures is taking one of the pink Family taxies and choosing either the time arround dusk or dawn for the trip.

If you like to use shallow DOF consider to bring a proper ND

Close to the place with the Water Fountain Spectacle is a Monument of a cat made from black Stone. Huge black Stone cat against an almost unlit black Background but with enough ilumination for the AF to work. Nice place to test for yourself if you are happy with the Sensor of your Canon.

PS please forgive the spelling mistakes, writing English while using a German spellchecker on Auto gives Stange results...

 

[scotia]

You are generally allowed one carry-on bag and one personal item bag so the personal item bag can include your camera plus lens plus CPL and it goes under the seat in front of you.

If you are flying Emirates (also watch if it is an Emirates codeshare) in economy you are limited to one item of luggage weighing no more than 7 kg (it might be different if flying from the US, but this is certainly the limit for the flights I have taken). I have also found them to be strict in enforcing these limits; this is how I have discovered just how many lenses and items of kit will fit into the pockets of a jacket....

 

[sanj]

Iphone. Am serious.