Trip to Vegas - Lens advice

[brainwerks]

Hi All,

My wife and I are going to Las Vegas in October and I was hoping for some help on what a good kit would be to walk around with all day. I was thinking it would be a great excuse to purchase a new lens! I have a couple of options:

1)Stay with what I have, carry around the 18-55, 50 f1.8, and 70-200 f4 in my Velocity 7 bag.

2) Stay with what I have, carry around the 18-55, 50 f1.8 and 28-135 IS

3) buy a nice wide angle (Sigma 12-24?, Canon 17-40?) and carry what is above.

4) buy a nice fast prime maybe 85 f1.8 or 135 f2 and a fisheye lens like the cheap Zenitar 16mm for some different shots.

What do you guys and gals think? I will just be walking around the strip, and downtown Vegas taking pictures of everything (think street photography, building shots, and maybe a few landscapes if we are out and about). I would like to stay light and fit everything I can into my Velocity 7 bag so we are talking the 20D plus maybe three lenses. I like my 28-135 for general pictures but it is not really wide enough or fast enough. My 70-200 is nice for the long stuff but would it really be necessary in Vegas?

Thanks for your help,

[kawter2]

I like the 85mm prime but i dont know that I would call it a walk arround lense, have you thought about a 35mm?

[Adam Hicks]

Hey Brainwerks I'll be there Oct. 7-10th with my wife... if you see another goofy guy walking around with a 20D and a 100-400l taking stealth pictures of pretty ladies while telling his wife he's shooting the architecture... it's me!

Adam

:twisted:

[roanjohn]

I like your first set up......kit lens, 50 f1.8 and 70-200 f4. This pretty much gets you coverage from 18 - 200 :-)

If you are happy with what the kit lens produces, then you're all set.

BUT!!!

If you're not..........

.................then maybe the 17-40 f4 L might be necessary!!!

............btw.............after the 17-40.........I never looked at my kit lens the same again...........(And this is a good thing). :-)

Ro1

[brainwerks]

I love the look of the 35mm 1.4 L but the $$$ is keeping me away right now. I have seen mixed reviews on the 35mm f2. Have you used it?

[brainwerks]

Adam,

Great concept!!! I think I will try the same thing and tell my wife I was interested in the buildings and the pretty women kept getting in the way. :lol:

[brainwerks]

roanjohn,

I think the kit lens is good for $100 lens. It takes decent snapshots and is a good lens stopped down. I keep looking at the 17-40 but I kept thinking to myself that maybe the Sigma 12-24 would work better for me? I don't know. I dont shoot wide everyday but...

Anybody else look at the 17-40 and think they would be better served up with something wider on a 1.6 crop?

[Vegas Poboy]

Since I'm a local & it sounds like you'll be hanging out on the strip most of the time, here is what I would do without spending the extra $$$ before you come.

Carry around the 18-55, 28-135 IS in the Velocity 7 bag
Leave the 28-135 on most of the time, I would still bring the 70-200 F/4 thats my favorite lens and no matter what I carry it but you may want to leave it in the Hotel till needed. I also have the V7 bag and everything should carry nicely. The 50mm is a good lens but unless you need the short DOF or going for very low light without the tripod you may never need it.
Enjoy and remember Casino's don't give away anything without expecting something back :twisted:

[nat869]

Cool!!! Vegas Baby, Vegas. I will be there too, for the Olympia show 10/28-10/30. Typically I am there shooting pics of Samantha, the fitness model I do stuff for. I have only a few lenses to choose from, but the 50mm and 28-105mm usm are the ones I use. I could see how the 17-40 would be nice, especially if there was a cool lightning storm. Not sure when you are going, but if you see another photographer with a beautiful blonde with drop dead gorgeous legs, say hi and snap some pics!! :lol:

[nosquare2003]

I love the look of the 35mm 1.4 L but the $$$ is keeping me away right now. I have seen mixed reviews on the 35mm f2. Have you used it?

I have the small 35/2 and no complaint. What are the "mixed" reviews? It's an old designed lens anyway.

[DocFrankenstein]

I'm in the same situation as you are... except i don't have the 28-135, but my 70-200 is a sigma.

I'd go for the wide angle zoom 17-40. That's next on my shopping list. When doing touristy stuff, I often find myself photographing architecture and not having wide enough angle.

And 17-55 is a turd anyways. 17-40 is must have, so use the trip as a good excuse :lol: