Help! Goin on vacation & I need a new lens

[Chelsea6889]

Ok so in August I'm goin to New York & Niagara Falls. I have a canon 30D & im still using my old 25-90 film rebel lens. I REALLY NEED a new one. I was thinking about the Canon EF 28-200mm f/3.5-5.6 Is this a good lens to invest in or is there a different lens that would be better for me? Please help me out! Thank Yall

[OSURico112]

what kind of stuff do you like to shoot? A telephoto would probably be nice but as I haven't owned a 28-200, I don't really know how it performs. What's your budget range? I'd say go with a 70-200 f/4 if you have the money, a wide angle lens would also be nice for new york city in some closed in spaces but it all depends on what you want to shoot.

[Chelsea6889]

I like to shoot scenic stuff mainly. I just graduated so I have quite a bit of graduation money so I can spend up to $800 or $1000

[OSURico112]

the 70-200 f/4L is a fantastic telephoto lens, it'll run you around $500. Other than that you could look from something in the 18-70 range. The 18-55 kit lens while not being a tremendous lens produces acceptable results and can be had pretty cheap. It also depends how serious you plan on getting about photography. The 70-200 would make a great investment, it holds its value well and is considered one of the best quality for price lenses. Hopefully some others will offer their opinions too.

[Chelsea6889]

Do u recommend the one with image stabilization?

[Tsmith]

The Canon 17-40 f/4L would be an excellent all purpose lens for your trip in my opinion. BuyDig.com has it for $613 + Free Shipping through 7-16-07. Really don't know how much you'd use the telephoto lens, maybe people shots on the streets?

[DizzyV6P]

IS would be over your budget. NYC has a LOT of tall buildings and something wide is essential. To keep within your budget, you can go for a Tamron 17-50 f/2.8, Kit Lens, or go Ultra-Wide w/ a Sigma 10-20mm or Tokina 12-24 f/4.

The Canon 17-40 f/4L would also be good, but if you are going to take a lot of indoor shots, you'll want something like an f/2.8. The Canon 17-55 F/2.8 IS runs about $900 which is also over your budget ;)

I'm also not sure what value the 70-200 F/4L would bring on your trip since NYC is pretty cramped w/ lots of tall buildings and Niagra Falls is just one big ultra wide angle heaven. UNLESS of course you are trying to take a picture of the guy going over the falls in a barrel;)

[Tony-S]

I like to shoot scenic stuff mainly. I just graduated so I have quite a bit of graduation money so I can spend up to $800 or $1000

A nice travel kit for that money would be a Sigma 10-20 ultrawide angle ($475) and their new 18-200 optical stabilized lens ($550). But if you want a decent kit for other purposes, perhaps the 10-20, the Sigma 17-70 ($325) and the Sigma 70-300 APO macro ($190).

[sk8rdi16]

I am in the same position. I am going out west AZ, CO, and just got my 70-200 f4L. I love this lens! It's my first lens besides the XTi kit lens. But as said above, NYC is cramped, and the big white tele would attract unwanted attention.

[Tony-S]

I am in the same position. I am going out west AZ, CO, and just got my 70-200 f4L. I love this lens! It's my first lens besides the XTi kit lens. But as said above, NYC is cramped, and the big white tele would attract unwanted attention.

I suspect Big White Teles are all over the place in NYC. Sort of like cabs...

[LotsToLearn]

I'd agree with something wide and not telephoto. Especially if it's most specifically for your trip and then for your scenic stuff afterwards. I went to The Falls with my 17-40 and it was great so I'd suggest that or the similar faster Tamron 17-50 version.

[SuzyView]

If you have more landscapes to capture than telephoto, the 17-40 is excellent. That was my first L and I was not disappointed. I went on a trip to UT and shot a lot of landscapes that trip and the lens performed better than I could have imagined. Now that I have the 70-200 f4, another great lens, those two are what I would take for a trip if I were concerned about weight, especially. I think depending on what you shoot, the $600 for the 17-40 would not be wasted on the 30D. Another lens you may consider is the 28-105 II. That is a very nice inexpensive lens that does a good job, much better than the slow one you have currently.

[00silvergt]

Chelsea, I agree with the other poster about needing a wide angle for city shots, I use the Sigma 10-20, it is in your budget and has great IQ.

[prime80]

The EF-S 17-55 f/2.8IS would just fit in your budget. You'd not have telephoto coverage, but you'd have arguably the best walk-around lens available for the 30D. Another option would be the Tamron 17-50/Sigma 18-50/Sigma 17-70 + Canon 70-200 f/4L. You should be able to barely squeeze that into your budget and get more focal length covered.

[bagtagsell]

Tamron 17-50 is a great lens and I highly recommend it. You can find it for $375-400 used.

[Chelsea6889]

Thank yall very much, this is really helpin me out!

[Chelsea6889]

So I found this Tamron DI-II SP AF17-50mm Zoom Lens @ Sigma 4 Less for like $383. Is this the lens yall were talking about??

[prime80]

Yep...then spend the rest on a 70-200 f/4L and you're all set with a great kit! You can find used ones in the marketplace here routinely for $450-500. It's a great lens and worth every penny.

[kahren]

in NY you will want something wide, canon 10-22 and the cheap 50 1.8 (for occasional head and shoulders portraits) would be a good pair. or you can look at the new sigma 18-200 OS for something all around, but 18 might not be enough for some of the things you will come across in NY.

[00silvergt]

in NY you will want something wide, canon 10-22 and the cheap 50 1.8 (for occasional head and shoulders portraits) would be a good pair. or you can look at the new sigma 18-200 OS for something all around, but 18 might not be enough for some of the things you will come across in NY.


Or save a buck or two on the Sigma 10-20. :lol::lol: I must admit I don't miss the 1/2 a stop difference or the 2mm in focal length in the long end. I do enjoy the pouch and petal hood it comes with though. ;) Which was missing in the Canon 10-22. Maybe the dealer misplaced it?;)

[DerekI]

Hey, get the 18-200OS , I highly recommend it for walk-around stuff when you have no time swapping lenses over .

But please check focus accuracy carefully at a shop, my current copy is ok but I am sending it back to Sigma to fix MF problem ; when I use MF for a while(let's say 10 munites or more) , then , AF does not get activated until I turn my camera off for a while).

The lens focuses fast and accurately when you get a decent copy and sharper than the kit or the non OS model .

Also, I notice that this lens has no stange Sigma color like the 17-70 or 70-300(urine color like tint).

[DerekI]

Oh forgot the OS is quite powerful , I say it is more effective than that of the Canon 28-135 IS or 70-300IS.

[nicksan]

Niagra Falls vs. NYC. What a contrast.

For NYC, having a UWA like the 10-22 might be fun...It might also be fun to use at the falls to get sweeping landscape shots...nice!

However after the trip is finished you might see limited use out of that one.

So you need to decide on that and also whether you want a 1 lens or 2 lens lineup.

If you want just 1 lens, and want to go "all out", then I would put up the EF-S 17-55 f2.8 IS lens as a candidate. $900+ yes. But f2.8 and 3 stop IS just ooozes kick-butt walkaround lens. That's a lens you will keep for a while. It's that good!

If you shoot mostly in sunlight, then the IS wouldn't be too crucial though and if you want a 2 lens lineup then you can throw that idea out the window.

You could get a Tamron in the 17-5x range and fill the long end out with something like a Canon 70-300 IS where the IS might come more into play. That would put you around the $1000 mark.

You might want to consider for after the trip too...are you going to use the lens/lenses you are going to get after the trip? (such as the 10-22?)

Man I wish I had my gear when I went to the falls a few years ago!

Good luck!

[RichNY]

An ultra wide will be your best bet for shooting both the falls and around the city. I don't agree that you'll see limitted use with an ultra wide lens after your trip though- it is a very versatile piece of glass. Personally I wouldn't bother with a telephoto lens; if you were to purchase a second lens I'd go with a Canon 17-55 or Tamrom 17-50 f/2.8. You are going to want something reasonably fast for indoor shots in the city.

All of these travel PICTURES (http://web.mac.com/rjverlaque/iWeb/Site/Switzerland.html) in Europe were taken with the Canon 10-22 (with the exception of the conductor image in Austria which was taken with the 17-55IS).

[Familiaphoto]

I agree with prime80, go with the 17-55 IS. It is a great lens and will give you a great deal of versitility for your trip.

[radiohead1075]

in NY you will want something wide, canon 10-22 and the cheap 50 1.8 (for occasional head and shoulders portraits) would be a good pair. or you can look at the new sigma 18-200 OS for something all around, but 18 might not be enough for some of the things you will come across in NY.

This sounds like the perfect combo for the original poster.

Whether you buy Canon or Sigma, I would suggest definitely getting a wide angle for your trip. To me, a telephoto would be somewhat useless for the places you'll be visiting.