The girlfriend and I are off down to London for the day on Saturday for a bit of a wonder round and to take some photos. I'm unsure what lens(es) take take with me though.
There's a catch though. I can only book out two Canon lenses from the uni at a time (and any amount of Nikons (with an adaptor), so from the list of the canon and nikon lenses, what lenses would be best for general shooting in London?
I plan on taking the Canon 28-300 as that's a nice versatile lens, allowing for scenery shots and a decent zoom for close ups.
I was also thinking of taking a fast prime, like the 85 1.2 or one of the 50mm. I already own a 50mm 1.8, is it worth taking one of the 50mm 1.2 or 1.4s?
@jasonparrish i didn't even know there was a Canon 28-300!
You sir are a very luck guy to have those lenses available.
I would take the 50mm you already have.
It hunts a lot for focus, but that's already yours.
And the kit lens will do you fine since you don't have a wider angle available.
If you don't take at least a 18mm with you, you will miss the oportunity to capture scenery well.
I guess rarely you would use a tele.
Usually on travel people do landscapes.
@jasonparrish I have a Canon 50mm f/1.2L and it is the primary lens I use for all street photography. It is a phenomenal lens. Very fast, sharp focus and at f/1.2 it's fast enough for almost every condition. The only other thing I'd consider beyond that is something in the 10-20mm range if that's available to you. That will provide the wide angle you're missing for cityscape type shots.
Unfortunately, I can't get the 50mm 1.2 for this weekend, it's booked out. The 50mm 1.4 (both Canon and Nikon) are available. I already have the 1.8, but is it worth getting the 1.4 out instead?
@jasonparrish Yes, the 1.4 is a superior lens from a focus and sharpness perspective.
I have the 24-70 f/2.8L and it's a fantastic lens. Very fast focus, and the image is extremely crisp. My concern for London is that, with a 1.6 crop, you have the angle equivalent of a 38mm lens at the short end. I think you're going to want something wider if you plan on shooting buildings downtown. Even the 18mm is still a 28mm equivalent. For wide angle, I use a 16-35mm on a full-frame camera. The 1.6 crop equivalent to that lens is the 10-20mm. The difference between the 18 and 24 is certainly significant if you have a need for wide angle.
@hollandcrew I think Al may have the best solution. Grab the 24-105 for walking around, and see if you can pickup a really wide angle for cityscape shots.
just for you to know...
I just bought the 50mm f1.4 because i was very disappointed with the focus hunting of the 50mm f1.8.
Give it a thought. If that is an issue, rent it and test it.
50mm f1.4 is awesome.
And yes, every 1mm in a wide angle does a big impact.
A much more significant impact for instance than you would have in a tele, say 100 to 101mm.
I wouldn't carry a 300mm around, but I guess I don't like carrying heavy things! It would be very rare to use it unless you found some wildlife in a park or something.
I would take the 28-300 as long as you had plenty of light as the 600d is not great with higher ISO.
If you need a faster lens I would use the 24-70 F2.8. It is easier to take a few steps closer and it is to not get the shot because you didnt take a fast lens.
NOTE: As mick mentioned these are both heavy lens so if you are going to be carrying them for a period of time and are not used to it, it might be an issue.
I would go for a fast lens and a wide angle.. you basically dont need a super telephoto lens unless you want to shoot the tip of buildings or what Mick mentioned above.
I have a decent camera rucksack and so can carry about 4 medium size lenses at one with me, but I have no changed my lens bookings... Instead of the 28-300, I've booked the Canon 28-105 and the Nikon 50mm 1.4. I'm possibly going to book out either the Canon or Nikon 24-70mm later today once I see how much room I have/how heavy everything is.
@jasonparrish I would take the Canon 24mm f/1.4 and the 70-200.
The 50mm 1.4 would be another good choice but if your limited to just 2 then my first two would be a great combo. This is practically the combo I use for street photography. The Canon 85mm f/1.2 is terribly slow for anything besides portrait so dont even bother taking that.
Just make sure you get a nice wide angle lens since your on a crop body and a telephoto as well. Good luck.
Kinda wish I'd brought my 55-250mm with me... seeing as this trip is somewhat impromptu I don't have the time to go get it... to be honest though, reckon I'd only use it to shoot squirrels and I think I have enough squirrel photos...
Lenses chosen and booked out ready for tomorrow! I have the Canon 24-105, Nikon 24-70 and the Nikon 50mm 1.4. I'll also have my Tamron 70-300 and my Canon 18-55.
I should have a decent enough range to get a wide variety of shots. Thank you all for the advice.
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You sir are a very luck guy to have those lenses available.
I would take the 50mm you already have.
It hunts a lot for focus, but that's already yours.
And the kit lens will do you fine since you don't have a wider angle available.
If you don't take at least a 18mm with you, you will miss the oportunity to capture scenery well.
I guess rarely you would use a tele.
Usually on travel people do landscapes.
Unfortunately, I can't get the 50mm 1.2 for this weekend, it's booked out. The 50mm 1.4 (both Canon and Nikon) are available. I already have the 1.8, but is it worth getting the 1.4 out instead?
I already have the canon 18-55, but would it be a good idea to take a faster, but slightly less wide lens such as the 24-70 2.8 or 24mm 1.4? Looking at a comparison chart like this - http://snapsort.com/learn/lens/focal-length/images/15mm-wide-angle-vancouver-cityscape.jpg - seems to suggest that the difference between 18 and 24mm is quite significant.
By the end of my project, I'm aiming to be able to make these decisions quite easily. I suppose it's just experience to know what lens I'd need when.
Thanks
I have the 24-70 f/2.8L and it's a fantastic lens. Very fast focus, and the image is extremely crisp. My concern for London is that, with a 1.6 crop, you have the angle equivalent of a 38mm lens at the short end. I think you're going to want something wider if you plan on shooting buildings downtown. Even the 18mm is still a 28mm equivalent. For wide angle, I use a 16-35mm on a full-frame camera. The 1.6 crop equivalent to that lens is the 10-20mm. The difference between the 18 and 24 is certainly significant if you have a need for wide angle.
@hollandcrew I think Al may have the best solution. Grab the 24-105 for walking around, and see if you can pickup a really wide angle for cityscape shots.
just for you to know...
I just bought the 50mm f1.4 because i was very disappointed with the focus hunting of the 50mm f1.8.
Give it a thought. If that is an issue, rent it and test it.
50mm f1.4 is awesome.
And yes, every 1mm in a wide angle does a big impact.
A much more significant impact for instance than you would have in a tele, say 100 to 101mm.
I'm definitely going to take the 50mm 1.4 with me, but I'm trying to choose between the 24-70 and the 24-105. Any particular arguments for either one?
From what I've heard, I'm either deciding between a stop faster or slightly more reach... I'm edging towards to 24-105 at the moment.
Just watched this video which, to be honest, didn't help me decide, but was good to see the comparisons. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTlsoTYImjM
I'll also have the 18-55 kit lens with me, and quite possibly the tamron 70-300.
If you need a faster lens I would use the 24-70 F2.8. It is easier to take a few steps closer and it is to not get the shot because you didnt take a fast lens.
NOTE: As mick mentioned these are both heavy lens so if you are going to be carrying them for a period of time and are not used to it, it might be an issue.
I have a decent camera rucksack and so can carry about 4 medium size lenses at one with me, but I have no changed my lens bookings... Instead of the 28-300, I've booked the Canon 28-105 and the Nikon 50mm 1.4. I'm possibly going to book out either the Canon or Nikon 24-70mm later today once I see how much room I have/how heavy everything is.
The 50mm 1.4 would be another good choice but if your limited to just 2 then my first two would be a great combo. This is practically the combo I use for street photography. The Canon 85mm f/1.2 is terribly slow for anything besides portrait so dont even bother taking that.
Just make sure you get a nice wide angle lens since your on a crop body and a telephoto as well. Good luck.
I should have a decent enough range to get a wide variety of shots. Thank you all for the advice.