All around zoom for travel (IS)

I know there is a recent thread about this but I have different equipment. Sorry I've been out of the loop with camera equipment so some of the specs of the lens I quote may be off.

I am using the Canon 25-135 f3.5 (?) that came with my 40D camera. Problem is it's not waterproof and it tends to fog up in humid climates (coming out of an A/Ced space), or when the camera gets wet. I've also gotten fungus on the glass and I can see it's removed some of the glass coating. What are good replacements for this lens that has good waterproofing?

I suppose the 24-105 f4.0 L lens has better waterproofing, but is shorter in range and $$$.

What about the Sigma 18-200 f3.6 zoom? It's pretty cheap but for that price, I suppose it will fog up at times.

I need IS, tend to travel a lot in humid climates, and don't want to break the bank since I mainly use the 40D for travel pics. My only other lens is the Canon 17-55 f2.8 IS. My main complaint with that lens is the horrible lens flare. I might add that I rarely zoom much beyond 135, which is why I haven't bothered with the Canon 70-200 f2.8s. Plus I don't want to lug around a lot of heavy lenses.

Heya,

First, no weather proofing is going to prevent your gear from fogging up due to temperature difference (going from AC dry air to humid hot air). To prevent this, even with a 1DX and 24-70F2.8LII, you put it in a big plastic bag and let the temperatures equalize before exposing it to the hot, humid air. This will avoid the build up of moisture from water vapor in air that condenses and falls out, like dew. This is your fog. Use a big plastic bag. Again, doesn't matter if you're using the top of the line weather proofed gear from any manufacturer. This is unavoidable if you go from cold, dry air to hot, humid air. It also applies to any instance where the temperature differences are huge, or humidities are hugely different.

Second, a weather sealed lens doesn't do anything extra if the body isn't also weather sealed. The 40D isn't weather sealed. So putting a weather sealed lens on the end of it will not change the facts from above. Sorry.

If you need IS, and you travel in humid places, I think the 18-135 IS STM is a great lens for your needs. Along with a bag full of sealable plastic bags.

If you don't like the 17-55 F2.8 IS because of lens flare, use a lens hood. If it's still flaring, well, most lenses will flare in the instances you're experiencing. Most of them. Really this is the lens most people would probably suggest as a travel lens on APS-C with IS. It covers everything from wide to telephoto, and low light to boot. The alternative would be the 18-135 STM if you want even more modern IS, and a wider range of focal lengths. Again use the lens hood. If you want to trade things up, and go wider, maybe look to trade your 17-55 for a 15-85 IS.

Also, if you think having several lenses, big camera, etc, is too heavy and bulky to carry around, maybe consider a more compact system for travel. Whatever it takes for you to enjoy doing photography while you travel, rather than it being a chore. You will still need the plastic bag.

Very best,

Yet again, what Mal said. The 18-135 IS would probably be just the ticket, relatively wide when you need it and has some reach as well... and IS like you wanted.

I get picky about image quality and admit to pixel peeping. Still, I wish I knew somebody with the 18-135 to try it out.

With that said, I think the 24-105 on a crop-body is a great option. As far as weatherproofing goes, I can vouch for its effectiveness. The photo below was taken during the worst New England blizzard of the last century...I was outside for about 25min in total and did not have a single issue during or after the fact.

Photo from MMp's gallery.