Yet another Which Lenses for Travel kit thread

Hi all,

I intend to do some traveling in the near future. This will involve a drive across a significant portion of the US, including the Texas panhandle up through Yellowstone. The primary reason for the drive is shuttling a vehicle from point A to B, but I want to take the time to take photos along the way (e.g. landscapes/wildlife in Yellowstone). At the end of the trip there will be social/urban photo opportunities. I will be flying for the return journey.

I've been shuffling the possible equipment combinations I would like to take. My current sig has my equipment, plus I have a 17-40L on the way. But since sigs change, I'll list out my main selections, and reasoning for possible selection. I think I want to take both bodies, as explained:

Bodies:
5DII
T3i

Main group of Lenses:
100-400 (wildlife on T3i, took good shots of Rockies last year)
17-40 (landscapes on 5DII, good urban lens for T3i)
15-85 EF-S (walkaround on T3i)

Other lenses to consider:
100 macro (how much macro will I really want to do, though?)
24L II (for nice background blur/bokeh and low-light situations)
85 1.8 (for nice background blur/bokeh and low-light situations, tighter FoV than 24L)

I also have a Gorillapod coming in anticipation of shots where I want a long exposure but don't need a full tripod set-up. Also bringing my flash, batteries, chargers, yadda yadda yadda.

While we are driving, the "load" of lenses will not be an issue, but the flight back, and just the general hassle of carrying stuff I won't use, means I would like to pare it down to the essentials.

I really want to exercise the 5DII+17-40 combo on landscapes, but the T3i+100-400 is my go-to wildlife set-up. Should I consider taking just one body? If I take just the 5DII, the weight savings of not bringing the T3i seems negligible, especially if it stays attached to the 100-400 90% of the time.

Opinions and feedback appreciated.

shinksma

I would not leave the 17-55 works great for a walk arround

On your way to Yellowstone, make sure you go through Jackson Hole/Grand Tetons. In particular try to be at Schwabacher Landing at sunrise, then a quick trip over to Mormon Row, then Snake River Overlook or Oxbow Bend. The leaves will be turning soon so you can do some awesome stuff. Use Google Images and search the names I provided, you'll see what I mean.

When I was there last summer (3rd trip), the Sigma 17-50 rarely left the mount of my 60D. I did catch some eagles and a moose with a zoom but only twice did that lens get mounted. In the spring, I would take a macro due to the flowers coming into bloom. Late September it may not be necessary.

Take both bodies (i would only take the 5Dii but if you don't mind a little more weight), the 100-400, 17-40, and the 24L II (the 85 would fill the gap between 40 - 100 but i think the 24 is more practical). You can then for majoirty of the time leave the 17-40 on the 5Dii for landscapes/walkabout and the 100-400 on the T3i for wildlife.

My 2p/2c worth

It seems that there are a lot of different possibilities as you mention wildlife, landscape, urban, social...

For these uses, I would take 5D2 + 17-40 for landscape and urban, T3i + 100-400 for wildlife. I would also bring a prime for the social shots, depending on what you mean by social...

Thanks for the suggestions everyone.

sebr, by "social" I mean hanging out with friends and family over dinner either at a home or restaurant, you know, the inevitable group photos that no-one wants me to take while I'm taking them ("Just let us eat, stop playing with your stupid camera!") but later on everyone would regret if they didn't exist ("Oh, wow, this shot is the last time we all got together. I miss Billy-Bob.").

It's times like this, where I'm trying to pare down my lens set for travel, that I feel like I've complicated things too much by getting a 5DII. Things were so uncomplicated with just the T3i and the excellent set of lenses I have for it. Well, not really...

Right now I'm going with 17-40, 100-400, 24L, and 17-55 for lightweight walkaround (when I want to leave the rest of the gear somewhere safe but we go out for dinner, etc).

The next question is: after I return from the trip, do I get a 24-105 or a 24-70 (mk I, not the uber-expensive mk II) for my next lens...because you know I need to fill that void between 40 and 100 on the 5DII.

Sigh, why can't I just collect stamps or something...

:p

shinksma

Practice packing your bags, especially what will be carried on the airplane. One body, one wide lens and the 100-400 (??) might be all you want to carry. I would probably go with the T3i, 15-85 and if packing room permitted the 100-400 lens.

I love the 24-105 lens. You probably would, too. Notice, I am using a crop camera. The extra focal length is much more important than having an f/2.8 lens, FOR ME.

We are rapidly approaching snow season. Travel in Yellowstone can change suddenly. You might not need that 100-400 for wildlife shots. Copied from Yellowstone:

2012 Fall Road Closures:
•October 9-Roads close to the public at Tower Fall to Canyon Jct. and Long Lake via Beartooth Pass to the Montana Stateline. (GATES CLOSE AT 8 A.M.).
•November 5-all park roads closed to the public at 8 a.m. except from the North Entrance to Upper Mammoth Terrace, and Mammoth via Tower Junction to Northeast Entrance. Cooke City via Colter Pass to the Long Lake gate is not maintained for wheeled vehicle travel.

Fall weather is unpredictable; roads may be closed temporarily by snow or other weather conditions. Snow tires or chains may be required. Please Note: The section of the Beartooth Highway (Highway 212), between the junction of Highway 296 and Red Lodge, Montana, closes in winter on a schedule determined by amount of snowfall. Travel between Red Lodge and the Northeast Entrance is not possible on Highway 212 until it opens again in the spring.

For Yellowstone, having two bodies can be very beneficial. In past trips, I only had a single body. While driving around, I would keep my 100-400L mounted, and every time we stopped and I wanted to take a landscape shot, I had to change lenses twice -- once to the 17-55mm for the landscape shot, then back to the 100-400L when returning to the car. The logic there is that a mountain or waterfall will wait for you to change lenses, but a bear or wolf will not.

This is one of the primary reasons for me adding a 2nd body. I've been to Yellowstone 5 times, and plan on many more visits there and to Glacier N.P.

As Craig mentioned, though, be very aware of the road closures within Yellowstone as autumn approaches. The entire park is at high elevation, and roads can close due to snow at any time. Eventually, as the season ends, only the road from the north entrance at Gardiner to the northeast entrance will be open, and the only way in and out of the park will be via that entrance at Gardiner.