What do I bring on a Florida Gulf Coast vacation?

Jason, sending you an email with some ideas...

I would take 6D, 17-40L and 24-105L. You will have a good walking aroung lens and for your landscapes and wide angle you will be set.

cutwater wrote in post #17389491
Jason, sending you an email with some ideas...

Thanks Kent!

poldenburg wrote in post #17392208
I would take 6D, 17-40L and 24-105L. You will have a good walking aroung lens and for your landscapes and wide angle you will be set.

I'm definitely bringing those two. I still think I'd be kicking myself if I didn't bring a prime. I use my primes 99% of the time when they're available to me. I'm also thinking I will bring the t4i and 55-250 now. So much for traveling light!

Traveling light?......always a tough one for me.
17-40 L, 24-105 L and a prime of your choice....sounds like a plan.
Why do I see a Canon 70-200 f/4 L IS in your future...............

Nick5 wrote in post #17392953
Why do I see a Canon 70-200 f/4 L IS in your future...............

How...how did you know? I've been thinking about selling the 50mm f1.4, 40mm and 55-250mm to fund the purchase. Actually, I'm between the 70-200 f4 IS and the 200mm f2.8L. I'm a prime guy anyway...but I'm guessing the 70-200 would be way more practical.

Has anyone said sunscreen yet?

I'd vote for the 24-105 and one prime, in my case I'd choose the 35.

Think about a short trip out to Myakka River State Park. Out east midway between Venice and Sarasota. Probably the best chance of getting some shots of alligators while you're here. Lots of trails and birding opportunities, canopy walks, etc. Cool old Florida vibe as well.
Take the 50-250. It's light and is capable of producing some high quality images.

^ +1 Myakka is where all the Cobb family goes (well, all except Brian - he's a college nerd).... love that boy!

I've been searching around for a thread like this, I'm heading to Florida soon and was wondering the same thing. I spent many vacations in Venice as a kid, I love that area. This time I'll be staying just south of Orlando, with a couple day trips to the west coast, including a visit to the aquarium in Tampa. We have similar gear and I'm thinking of bringing the 17-40 and 70-200... and maybe the Sigma 35 for evenings when we go out for dinner and stuff. I'd love to bring the 100 macro for the aquarium, but I'm trying to pack light so...

Have you finalized your pack list?

JoseCanseco wrote in post #17440107
I've been searching around for a thread like this, I'm heading to Florida soon and was wondering the same thing. I spent many vacations in Venice as a kid, I love that area. This time I'll be staying just south of Orlando, with a couple day trips to the west coast, including a visit to the aquarium in Tampa. We have similar gear and I'm thinking of bringing the 17-40 and 70-200... and maybe the Sigma 35 for evenings when we go out for dinner and stuff. I'd love to bring the 100 macro for the aquarium, but I'm trying to pack light so...

Have you finalized your pack list?

Look at that, we do have pretty similar kits. I think I have finalized the pack list. Since I started this thread I've sold the 55-250 STM, so there goes my telephoto zoom.

It was hard to come to terms with, but I'm going to leave the fast primes at home. Like someone mentioned here, when you're on vacation, you're more interested in the background than you are completely blowing it out. At the same time, while some advise to leave as much gear home as possible, taking photos is part of the vacation for me. I love taking pictures, especially in new places. So why not be prepared?

So here's the plan: I have a messenger bag with space for 1 body, 3 lenses and my computer (note to self: I need to get some insurance coverage before I leave). I'm going to bring the 17-40L, 24-105L, and rent a 70-300L for the week. I'm also packing a small bag so I can carry just one camera/lens at a time when I want to. The 17-40L will come to the beach, the 70-300L will come on the nature/wildlife walks, and the 24-105L will do everything else.

That all said, I could completely change my mind by the time March 17th comes around. I'll keep ya posted . What are you thinking of bringing?

chexjc wrote in post #17442121
So here's the plan: I have a messenger bag with space for 1 body, 3 lenses and my computer (note to self: I need to get some insurance coverage before I leave). I'm going to bring the 17-40L, 24-105L, and rent a 70-300L for the week. I'm also packing a small bag so I can carry just one camera/lens at a time when I want to. The 17-40L will come to the beach, the 70-300L will come on the nature/wildlife walks, and the 24-105L will do everything else.

That all said, I could completely change my mind by the time March 17th comes around. I'll keep ya posted . What are you thinking of bringing?

Heya,

Really that should more than cover it. You probably won't even need the 24-105 if you really are taking the ultrawide and telephoto along. Again, I do this often and I seem to never care for 50, 85, etc. I tend to go from ultrawide to wide to 200mm and longer with very little between.

For the dark florida canopy if you're going to areas that are covered, the faster the better, even with the 6D's ISO. I have a 200 F2.8L prime for this here in Florida. Still pushing ISO's high to keep a fast shutter because moving birds and wildlife in canopy cover is quite dark even mid-day.

These days, when I go out to the beach and birding here in Florida, I generally carry a messenger bag with a 650D + 10-22 and/or 200 F2.8L on one side for the beach/scenery and very low light canopy covered areas, and a 1D2 + 150-600 for my wildlife/birding in decent light.

Just a thought!

Very best,

chexjc wrote in post #17442121
So here's the plan: I have a messenger bag with space for 1 body, 3 lenses and my computer (note to self: I need to get some insurance coverage before I leave). I'm going to bring the 17-40L, 24-105L, and rent a 70-300L for the week. I'm also packing a small bag so I can carry just one camera/lens at a time when I want to. The 17-40L will come to the beach, the 70-300L will come on the nature/wildlife walks, and the 24-105L will do everything else.

That all said, I could completely change my mind by the time March 17th comes around. I'll keep ya posted . What are you thinking of bringing?

That sounds like a good plan, and as MalVeaux said, you may want to replace the 24-105 with a fast prime. I think I'll be packing the 17-40 and the 70-200... and then it's a toss up between the 35A and 100L. Since we'll be hitting the aquarium, I'm leaning towards the macro.

JoseCanseco wrote in post #17442600
That sounds like a good plan, and as MalVeaux said, you may want to replace the 24-105 with a fast prime. I think I'll be packing the 17-40 and the 70-200... and then it's a toss up between the 35A and 100L. Since we'll be hitting the aquarium, I'm leaning towards the macro.

I think you're right actually. It's much more my style to walk around town with a 35mm than a 24-105...and that keeps me lighter. Now another debate: Do I bring the 650D for the girlfriend to carry? I could get an effective 480mm with the 70-300 mounted to it . Probably not!

Update time!

I went on the trip and things didn't go exactly as planned as far as gear was concerned. I decided to scrap the 3-lens bag and go for my Lowepro Flipside 300, which had way more room, thinking that it would be more comfortable for longer walks. My girlfriend said she'd be interested in taking some photos, so I threw my 17-40L on my 650D and into a shoulder bag for her. Now, instead of renting the 70-300L, I found a steal of a deal on a Tamron 70-300 VC on eBay, so I took a chance. I'm happy that I did! It isn't all that sharp at 300mm f5.6, but it's more than workable. I kept somewhat to the original plan, but decided to throw in the 135L since I had the space in the bag and it's one of my favorites.

So I went down with a 6D, 650D, 17-40L, 35mm f2 IS, 135L, and 70-300 VC. I had all of my gear insured under my insurance policy before I left. In the end, I spent most of the trip duel-wielding the 650D + 70-300 VC combo and the 6D + 17-40L. I looked crazy at times, but I didn't care. My girlfriend took zero pictures (lesson learned there, I guess). The 35mm f2 IS was used mostly at restaurants and my 135L only took a few shots while at a farmers market. I probably could've done without those two lenses all together.

Thanks again for the advice in here! Here are some shots:

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Heya,

Nice! Looks like home! Great beach shots

And as you experienced, it just goes to show, taking even your favorite stuff, you found you used the ultrawide and telephoto on the coast. As mentioned, I take an ultrawide and telephoto as I live here on the Gulf. You rarely want the inbetween I find!

Very best,