17L TS-E vs. Zeiss 21mm vs. ??? for Toronto Honeymoon

I'll be leaving at the end of june for 7 days in Ontario for my honeymoon. We'll be staying in a cottage on Lake Ontario but will be going to Toronto for 2 full days during the week. I've decided I'm going to rent something for the trip and I'd like to get something really different. Obviously the FOV and tilt/shift of the 17L make it different, and the "Zeissness" of the 21mm makes it pretty different.

I'll be renting the lens for 12 days and will probably goof off with the lens during the rehearsal dinner and wedding reception, and then also have it for a 4th of July cookout before sending it back. On the trip I'll be using a tripod around the lake for sunrise/sunset shots and general landscapes. We'll be visiting wineries, Niagara Falls, castles, the CN Tower, The Royal Ontario Museum, and a lot of walking through both landscaped park areas, and downtown urban areas.

I'll also have my 24-70, 70-200, 100/2, and 180 macro with me on the trip, but will probably be taking only the rented lens and the 24-70 while I'm out in the city.

I would appreciate input from anyone with any knowledge of either lens, or suggestions for a different lens, or with experience shooting in or around the areas I'll be travelling.

For architectural shots, I'd want the Tilt Shift. For everything else, it's probably less necessary.

Any of the TS-E lenses are pretty hefty to carry around, unless you know you'll be needing them. They are practically solid metal.

I'm sure the Zeiss is fantastic, but I'm happy with my EF 20/2.8 USM. I don't know what the 12 day rental of the other lenses might cost... But heck the the 20/2.8 isn't all that expensive or would rent for less.

For the wedding pics you mentioned your 24-70/f2.8 AF lens will be fine but i do highly suggest renting the Zeiss 21/f2.8 ze for all your other time composed photos with the 5D MKII body.

Personally for these type of shooting trips i bring the Zeiss 21/f2.8 ze, Sigma 50/f1.4, & the 70-200MKII to be used with the 5D MKII and never need anything else. But thats just me.

Regards whatever your decision,

professoryeti wrote in post #12557672
I'll be leaving at the end of june for 7 days in Ontario for my honeymoon.

Congrats! But if it were me, I would take a smaller travel kit (1-2 lenses) and just focus on enjoying the moments with my new wife. This is one of those trips you both will look back on and hopefully cherish those times you stayed in bed instead of leaving early to shoot morning sun.

Heck, she's got years ahead of her to put up with you hauling the camera around, so why not make this about her?

Now if she's a photog too... 17L TS-E.

Teeth wrote in post #12558073
Now if she's a photog too... 17L TS-E.

Now we're talking! We've been together long enough that she knows the deal. The camera goes everywhere, and it usually stays out. Just last month I packed a light stand inside her luggage to San Francisco. She's a trooper. And lets be honest...when I said sunrise/sunset...I really meant sunset

Silverfox1 wrote in post #12557874
For the wedding pics you mentioned your 24-70/f2.8 AF lens will be fine but i do highly suggest renting the Zeiss 21/f2.8 ze for all your other time composed photos with the 5D MKII body.

Personally for these type of shooting trips i bring the Zeiss 21/f2.8 ze, Sigma 50/f1.4, & the 70-200MKII to be used with the 5D MKII and never need anything else. But thats just me.

Regards whatever your decision,

I won't really be shooting with responsibility at the wedding (it is my wedding after all). We have 3 shooters there, and I'm just looking to take really wacky/fun stuff on my own as I walk around all night with my family saying "will you put that camera away!"

Also, we're driving on the honeymoon and staying in our own private cabin, so there's no problem with me just throwing the Crumpler in the back of the car with a half-dozen lenses. I won't be taking them out every day, probably just the rental plus one other in a Tamrac backpack. So the weight/size/amount issues aren't really weighing on me. Just looking for the highest quality, most unique images I can get.

Haha, you're lucky. My wife never stops saying "will you put that camera away!".

Definitely go with the 17L if you're looking for exotic/exciting/differ​ent. It's a beast of a lens that's great for regular landscape and panorama use, and when you're in TO you'll be able to bend those buildings back into shape. Maybe even some miniture tilt-shift stuff from the CN Tower. I had a chance to use it on a friends camera a little while back and was astonished with both the front element and how much the tilt-shift impacted the focus plane.

Teeth wrote in post #12558187
Haha, you're lucky. My wife never stops saying "will you put that camera away!"

I am indeed, very lucky. She's not much of a photographer herself, but her family has a wonderful appreciation for the artform. Her grandfather was an enthusiast in the 50s 60s and 70s and I have (kind of) inherited Leica M3 and M5 bodies with a nice assortment of lenses, as well as a Hasselblad 500c, and a Rolleiflex twin-lens (which is actually my favorite to use). I'm definitely the "family" photographer for her side of the family and they don't even flinch when I go grab the 5D with a brick and a 580 and spend all evening chasing the kids around.

I'm leaning toward the 17L at this point, which is odd because I had the 21mm in my sights since the new year rolled around. I basically sent this same question to Lensrentals.com and they've been corresponding with me to help me make the choice.

Congratulations... good luck to you both
I have both lenses and live in Toronto so maybe my $0.02 will help.

The falls work well at about 28mm, 21 maybe but I think 17 might be just too wide. The winelands around Niagara-on-the-Lake will benefit from a wide view, especially if you get to the top of the escarpment.

A polarizer (82mm) works on the ZE 21, at least some of the time. This would particularly help to suppress reflections if you go up the CN tower and want to take photo's of the city from on high. (I don't know when it opens, but you might want to investigate this trip...)

Lastly, you might consider that the TS-E 17 has a very steep learning curve before you can master it. Unless you are already familiar with TS lenses, taking the 17 with you on a special trip might not be ideal.