Which lenses for travel kit?

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PCM-Madison

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#1
I am new to the forum, but from what I have read there is a great volume of knowledge and experience here. I am seeking advice on what other forum members find to be a great travel kit. I am an amateur, and a variety of subjects interest me including sports, wildlife, street photography, landscape, macro, etc. When I am shooting locally, I can choose the right lens for the job. When I am traveling, I compromise for weight and space. I have taken several trips with the Tamron 18-270mm F3.5-6.3 Di II VC lens as a do everything with one lens solution. This lens has some good features including great focal range, effective VC, good maximum magnification, and small size. However, limitations with overall IQ and focus speed have been more important as I have upgraded my camera from a Rebel XT (8 megapixel) to a 60D (18 megapixel). I also now own more high quality Canon lenses that put the Tamron to shame. I am looking for relatively light and compact multi-lens solutions that will improve the IQ and/or versatility of my travel photography kit.

My style of travel includes both travel to cities and outdoor/hiking/adventure trips with lots of wildlife. I usually fly. For trips under 1 week, I prefer to travel carry-on only so space is at a premium. Comments on bodies, lenses, bags, and other gear are all welcome. Upcoming trips will include Washington DC, Chicago, IL, and Ashville, NC. Comments on interesting photographic opportunities in those areas are also appreciated.

Thanks
Paul
 
#2
I'm probably the worst person to ask about this because when I travel light photography gear wise the list includes
5Dmk2
16-35 f2.8L
70-200 f2.8L
50mm f1.4
1.4 Teleconverter
a flash
and a tripod
plus some filters cable releases batteries chargers etc
 
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#3
wickidwombat said:
I'm probably the worst person to ask about this because when I travel light photography gear wise the list includes
5Dmk2
16-35 f2.8L
70-200 f2.8L
50mm f1.4
1.4 Teleconverter
a flash
and a tripod
plus some filters cable releases batteries chargers etc


I could take my 60D with the Canon 10-22mm (own it), 50mm f1.4 (own it), and 70-200mm F4 IS (own it). I am curious how much use you get out of the other items. I own an off-body flash and tripod/ballhead. I do not own a teleconverter. Also, do you miss the standard range focal lengths between 36 and 69mm?

Paul
Click to expand...
 
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#4
my feet cover the missing focal lengths so dont care really
50mm gives me a nice small lens that covers all low light use
tripod essential for landscapes / long exposures
I usually keep the flash and a gorillapod and a stofen omnibounce clip on difusser just incase i want to do some off camera lighting the gorillapod is super handy to set up a flash on quickly.
I have been considering if it is going over the top to keep a shootthrough umbrella in my tripod bag though I might try that on my next trip away incase i want to do an impromptue portrait shoot
the cheap ebay povery wizards are small and light and cheap so i take them i may take my yongnuo st-e2 copy next time instead so i have ettl and high speed sync though
i have the kenko DGX teleconvert it will work with any lens and is really small and light (much cheaper than the canon too nice for a little extra reach on the 70-200 if i need it)
 
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#5
wickidwombat said:
my feet cover the missing focal lengths so dont care really
50mm gives me a nice small lens that covers all low light use
tripod essential for landscapes / long exposures
I usually keep the flash and a gorillapod and a stofen omnibounce clip on difusser just incase i want to do some off camera lighting the gorillapod is super handy to set up a flash on quickly.
I have been considering if it is going over the top to keep a shootthrough umbrella in my tripod bag though I might try that on my next trip away incase i want to do an impromptue portrait shoot
the cheap ebay povery wizards are small and light and cheap so i take them i may take my yongnuo st-e2 copy next time instead so i have ettl and high speed sync though
i have the kenko DGX teleconvert it will work with any lens and is really small and light (much cheaper than the canon too nice for a little extra reach on the 70-200 if i need it)
Click to expand...

Thank you for the clarification. I thing your lens strategy could work well for me. I'm not certain the additional equipment will fit with my carry-on only travel strategy. I'll probably try this in stages during my upcoming trips.

Paul
 
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#6
I took the following gear on our last trip to Europe in July last year: 5D Mark II, 17-40 f/4L, 24-70 f/2.8L, 50 f/1.8 II and 70-200 f/4L. As we are having another trip shortly, I decided to check the focal lengths of the photos in Lightroom. 7% of the pics are on the 17-20mm range, 88% on 24-70mm range and 5% on 75-200mm range.
I'll leave the 17-40 lens behind this time and I'll use my feet to zoom if 24mm is not wide enough.
 
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#7
My travel kit is lighter than most.
40D body
17-40mm f4 as main lens 85% usage
28-135mm f3.5-5.6 (or 70-300 DO )
lens hood and filters for both
SD870 P&S with2 batteries (as a back up)
Canon 8 X25 IS binocular
3 baterries.
flash light, extra momory cards etc.
All fit in a NOVA 3 shoulder bag.
580EXII with diffuser, chargers in carry on.
This kit has gone to every continent with me.
 
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#8
For the OP requirements (this is an extreme solution):

1. Get a coat with BIG pockets
2. 60D in padded pouch in travel bag (plastic bag with body surrounded by clothing)
3. 18-55IS and 55-250IS in bags in pocket
4. battery charger, spare cards in pocket
5. on flash difuser in pocket
 
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#9
The NOVA 3 will be in a back pack. I still have 1/2 of the backpack for something else. The back pack is my "personal item" along with my 20 inch (European standard) roll on. My gear will be very well protected.
 
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#11
24-70mm f/2.8 L USM + 70-300mm f/4-5.6 L IS USM (+ 10-22mm)

This covers all your required focal lengths with some relatively compact and great quality glass!

Using a crop body, you could ditch the 24-70 for a 15-85mm - then, even without the 10-22mm you'd have a two lens kit covering a 276mm focal length.

People don't give this 70-300mm enough credit, because of the variable aperture and memories of the old DO 70-300mm, but it is a great lens (with fantastic glass), and much more compact then any of the 2.8f 70-200mm lenses with or without a teleconverter.

Hey, if you even really need more reach over 300mm, whack on a kenko extender, your gonna get reasonable results, be it a bit hit and miss. :p
 
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#13
And to pack all your gear i'll highly recommand F-stop gear ! You can well protect your photo gear in ICU and still have a lot of space for non photo equipment :D

Take a look at the Loka (37 liters) and Tilopa BC (48 liters) backpacks...

I can't wait to get my Loka with shallow medium ICU :eek:
 
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#15
There are different types of travel, at least for me. The destination and the purpose of the trip determine the 'ideal' travel kit. For example, on a trip to see family, still living where I grew up, I know the locations, the people, and there won't be time for just going out shooting scenery. In those cases, my kit might be:

  • 5DII
  • EF 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6L IS
  • EF 35mm f/1.4L
  • Speedlite 430EX II
  • PowerShot S100

The superzoom does mean compromise from an IQ standpoint, although the 28-300L is arguably the best superzoom out there, most of the others are ok in the center but performance falls off rapidly away from the center. My 'normal' use for the 28-300mm is a one-lens solution for outings with the kids. I used to take the 24-105 + 70-200 II for that sort of thing, but not having to change lenses is a big plus.

However, if I'm going somewhere I've never been, I'm less willing to compromise. On a trip to China last year, my 'travel kit' consisted of:

  • 5DII
  • EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II
  • EF 24-105mm f/4L IS
  • TS-E 24mm f/3.5L II
  • EF 35mm f/1.4L
  • EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II
  • Speedlite 430EX II
  • PowerShot S95

I think the bottom line is that you should take the lenses you need for where you're going, and then figure out the best way to carry them. Of course, that line of thinking has resulted in me having more camera bags than my wife has purses. :eek:

I can say that I've considered getting the 70-300 L as well, mainly as a travel/day trip lens. I've used the 70-300 DO, and sold it because of the less than great IQ and the really bad zoom creep.

I can see several possible combinations that would make sense on FF, e.g. 24-70/2.8L + 70-200/2.8L IS II + 2x extender, 24-105/4L IS + 70-300L. On APS-C, I'd say the 17-55/2.8 IS + 70-200/2.8L IS II would be great.
 
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#16
My ideal travel kit on that level would be...

Canon EOS 60D
Canon EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM (not L build quality but very sharp, not a fast aperture but a perfect wide zoom range for a crop camera; light-weight also)
Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM (versatile supersharp L telezoom for anything 'tele').

These both fold up pretty neatly for their range (size-wise). With these two lenses you'd have the most versatility and great image quality, in a very portable package. For anything "extra" you could take a prime of choice for some low-light shooting at your favorite focal length.
 
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#18
Tijn said:
My ideal travel kit on that level would be...
Canon EOS 60D
Canon EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM (not L build quality but very sharp, not a fast aperture but a perfect wide zoom range for a crop camera; light-weight also)
Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM (versatile supersharp L telezoom for anything 'tele').
Click to expand...

* For zooms covering every mm: +1 for that. It is interesting - before I purchase anything, I read tons of reviews, and I always end up with exactly the gear I had the best feeling with when touching it in an electro market for the first time... like the 60D (vs Nikon D7000), 15-85 (vs. 17-55), 70-300L (vs 70-200L) ... I think for travel in contrast to a pro application, the most important thing is that everything "just fits" and "just works".

* However, I really think the description "travel" many people give is a bit thin. Are you doing a safari or bus tour with "photo stops" and have 1 minute to shoot every rock around you? Then a couple of zooms are for you. If not, I personally would go with some lighter, but high iq primes and walk around a bit to frame the picture. As Ken Rockwell said: Primes take better pictures because you don't just "zoom an shoot" but have to walk and think. And cropping is no problem, after all it's digitial.
 
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#19
The first two cities you mentioned both have strong architecture and great museums. DC has a lot of monuments and Chicago has a lot of great buildings, Millennium Park and the lakefront. A wide angle zoom, a fast prime and a tripod would be a good starting point.

I live in Chicago and would recommend the following as possible things/places to shoot:
1. Millennium Park, especially a sculpture named Cloud Gate which we locals refer to as the Bean
2. If you want a nice shot of the skyline from the lakefront, right by the Adler Planetarium is a great view of the lakefront / city
3. Willis Tower (formerly the Sears Tower) has sky decks that jet out a few feet on the 103rd floor -- great views of the city
4. If it is closer to spring, consider the architectural tour on the Chicago River
5. If you have any interest in shooting photos of Jellyfish, the Shedd Aquarium has a nice (but small) exhibit through May of jellyfish in tanks against very colorful backdrops
 
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