Which lenses to bring?

I started a similar thread but it had to do more with travel and I already found my answers to that part. Anyhow, which lenses should I bring to Jamaica?

I have the following:

Xsi w/kit lens
55-250mm
50mm 1.8
24-70mm 2.8
70-200 2.8 IS
10-22mm (will be borrowing this one if necessary)

Also, any issues with changing lenses often in high humidity places?

imho Kit lens with 55-250 should cover you just fine

my .02

i'd bring 10-22, 24-70, and 50mm

I just came back from a weekend trip to the Bahamas - stayed at Atlantis Paradise Island. I brought with me my Sigma 12-24mm f/4.5-5.6 DG EX HSM, Peleng 8mm f/3.5 Circular Fisheye, Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM, Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM, Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM, Carl Zeiss Jena Biotar T 2/58, and 580EX II.

I ended up using the Peleng 8mm, Sigma 12-24mm, CZJ Biotar T 2/58, and Canon 100mm Macro most.

It all comes down to what you will be shooting. For beach shots and panoramas the Peleng 8mm and Sigma 12-24mm got most of the workload. But I kept my CZJ Biotar in my pocket with me on the beach one day and happened upon a little bird just hanging out on the rocks, he ended up posing for some photos that came out nice. Also, I shot some great shots of water lilies and lily pads (with some frogs hanging out) with my 100mm Macro. While shooting "The Dig" at Atlantis, I used my Peleng 8mm for a very different perspective, also used this to capture the main lobby for HDR. Lastly, for restaurant shots with my family the Sigma 12-24 came in most handy. And lastly, on a tour of the famous wine cellar at the Graycliff's the 12-24 was the only lens used.

Given your options, I'd go with the 10-22, 24-70, and 70-200. I'd recommend bringing a good flash. As far as the 70-200, I'd only bring it with me under the following conditions... (a) you want to do some candid shooting, or (b) you want to shoot shots of people out in the ocean (friends enjoying watersports or swimming), or (c) you want to shoot out your hotel room window - otherwize it will be too long. It will definitely be too long indoors.

^ nice- I stayed there 2 years ago and loved it. The aquarium was insane!! Kind of wish I was into photography then.

Anyhow, it seems like the UWA and the zoom are the recommended lenses. The 70-200mm would be a good lens but I'm afraid it might be too big/heavy and attract too much attention. Perhaps bring the 55-250mm instead? ALso, did you have any problems with fogging in Bahamas?

70-200 2.8 IS
10-22mm (will be borrowing this one if necessary)

wide angle and candid shots.....IMO....

The 70-200 f/2.8L IS gets attention even in crowded cities, its definitely gonna get some unwanted attention in paradise. So you may want to leave it home if you are self-conscious or safety-conscious. The 55-250IS might be a better lens to take on that account - plus its much lighter and that might be a big plus considering you might not use it all that much.

Fogging wasn't a problem for me.

The UWA and the 24-70 will definitely get the most use of the lenses you listed. At least they would for me. I would say that the range of 10/12mm - 105mm is the optimal range for traveling.

I'd recommend taking the 24-70 and the ultra-wide zoom. I've used a combo of the 24-105 or 24-70 and 16-35 on several overseas trips - gives you good quality coverage for most situations, also without being too obvious. You'd get lots of candid surprised looks with the 70-200. The 24-70 is great for all lighting situations - being f/2.8. I prefer to take just 2 lenses, less to carry and makes lens choice easier while you are there.

Humidity - if you're there just for a short time, don't worry about it for lens changing. Otherwise, for a month or more, you should think about dry bags and lots of silica gel - and bag your gear when not in use, preferably after drying out a bit in aircon. I've had mould grow on a (luckily crappy) lens on a 6 week trip to Indonesia. I used this method when living in Lao (SE Asia) for a year, with complete success.

Good point but I think a standard zoom would probably get more use. I remember shooting with the 10-22mm once and boy it was pretty tough to shoot people. I'll probably use the UWA for landscape and nothing else.

That's good to hear about the fogging. As for the 70-200mm, I just don't want to attract too much attention (the bad kind). However, I'll be traveling in a large group so maybe that will help with the safety issue...who knows. I anticipate using the 24-70mm the most as well. Of course I'm saying this without knowing how heavy the 70-200mm really is (it's getting delivered today).

yabbie wrote in post #7955188
I'd recommend taking the 24-70 and the ultra-wide zoom. I've used a combo of the 24-105 or 24-70 and 16-35 on several overseas trips - gives you good quality coverage for most situations, also without being too obvious. You'd get lots of candid surprised looks with the 70-200. The 24-70 is great for all lighting situations - being f/2.8. I prefer to take just 2 lenses, less to carry and makes lens choice easier while you are there.

Humidity - if you're there just for a short time, don't worry about it for lens changing. Otherwise, for a month or more, you should think about dry bags and lots of silica gel - and bag your gear when not in use, preferably after drying out a bit in aircon. I've had mould grow on a (luckily crappy) lens on a 6 week trip to Indonesia. I used this method when living in Lao (SE Asia) for a year, with complete success.

I will only be going for a week and will leave my gear in the backpack when I'm back to the hotel. Should I leave it out when entering the room before putting it back in the bag?

I figured the 24-70mm will probably stay on most of the time but having never been to Jamaica before, I was wondering if I need a telephoto for candid/nature/wildlife shots.

definitely get yourself a box of the JUMBO ziplock bags and silica packs.