I can buy one new lens for Disney ....

bufferbure1 wrote in post #9123581
50mm was too long for anything in disney on a crop I found. 17-85 does it all but sometimes not wide enough

I found the 50 to be the perfect length for the parades. These were shot with my XTI and the 50 1.8, I only wish the focus was better which is why I upgraded to the 1.4.

If I were in your shoes I would rent a 24-70 L 2.8 for the trip and save up for your very own brick cause your going to want one for your very own. That will also leave you extra money to make your trip better for the kids.

S.Horton wrote in post #9115604
I think that your existing kit is fine.

I'd actually take a G9 or G10 and be done with it -- Capture some shots, definitely get the short videos -- Disney is fun because of who you're there with, not the IQ of the photos......

DaveSt wrote in post #9115639
True, but then again if I told my wife I was leaving the "good camera" (her term) at home and buying a nice P&S camera to take to Disney I could probably count on sleeping on the couch for the next year or so. That would probably be the end of my DSLR experience.

...your problem's got nothing to do with camera gear.



Try this one -- Used G9, tell her it cost less than the lens you'd need for the 'good' SLR anyway.

Back from Disney and the Sigma 30 and 50 pretty much lived on my XSi. Most days were overcast and the 15-85 was just to slow for the parades and action shots around the park unless I wanted to keep the flash on all the time. The 200 was to long for 99.9% of the shots and was not worth lugging around all day long.

hondafans wrote in post #9259561
Back from Disney and the Sigma 30 and 50 pretty much lived on my XSi. Most days were overcast and the 15-85 was just to slow for the parades and action shots around the park unless I wanted to keep the flash on all the time. The 200 was to long for 99.9% of the shots and was not worth lugging around all day long.

We just got back a week ago, and I was pretty much just the opposite. I used the 15-85 for 90% of my shots, including several decent parade shots ,although once we realized how short the lines were at parade time we ditched it. We were lucky and had perfect sunny weather all week though. I used the 55-250 at Animal Kingdom and the Sigma 30 for a few indoor and night shots. I think I used my external flash one time. It is just to much of a hassle to have a huge flash on the camera if you are on the go. The pop-up flash worked quite well when I needed extra light. If we go again I might think about getting a 270EX instead.

DaveSt wrote in post #9260207
We just got back a week ago, and I was pretty much just the opposite. I used the 15-85 for 90% of my shots, including several decent parade shots ,although once we realized how short the lines were at parade time we ditched it. We were lucky and had perfect sunny weather all week though. I used the 55-250 at Animal Kingdom and the Sigma 30 for a few indoor and night shots. I think I used my external flash one time. It is just to much of a hassle to have a huge flash on the camera if you are on the go. The pop-up flash worked quite well when I needed extra light. If we go again I might think about getting a 270EX instead.

Agreed.

On one of the busiest days of the year I was carrying around a tripod, never again. The pictures of the castle however turned out great, but lugging around 25lbs of camera gear is nuts.

The Sigma 30 will be my lens of choice next time I go. It will pretty much do everything at Disney pretty well and if I need to get closer I'll take care of it with a little PP on the backside.

hondafans wrote in post #9277080
Agreed.

On one of the busiest days of the year I was carrying around a tripod, never again. The pictures of the castle however turned out great, but lugging around 25lbs of camera gear is nuts.

The Sigma 30 will be my lens of choice next time I go. It will pretty much do everything at Disney pretty well and if I need to get closer I'll take care of it with a little PP on the backside.

Are you going to post some of your pictures? I love Disney this time of year.

We went in November, and the 17-55 was my primary lens, but I did take a 10-22 one or two days, and had some fun with it:

http://public.bay.live​filestore.com …NwQFpfr3tjDw/IM​G_0712.jpg

http://public.bay.live​filestore.com …OcbhbD2nir2Q/IM​G_0717.jpg

But, it was too wide for most shots, and the kids did not want to wait around for me to switch lenses, so, the 17-55 stayed on my camera most of the time.

From another Disney afficionado: Get the 17-55 f/2.8 It will be all you need in low-light and every other lighting condition. The ring-USM blazing fast focus will be a big help as well.

WayneHawn wrote in post #9277192
We went in November, and the 17-55 was my primary lens, but I did take a 10-22 one or two days, and had some fun with it:

http://public.bay.live​filestore.com …NwQFpfr3tjDw/IM​G_0712.jpg

http://public.bay.live​filestore.com …OcbhbD2nir2Q/IM​G_0717.jpg

But, it was too wide for most shots, and the kids did not want to wait around for me to switch lenses, so, the 17-55 stayed on my camera most of the time.

Now that I have been there, I would have to say the 17-55 would probably be just about the best one lens solution at Disney. I was extremely happy with the 15-85, and the 15mm length was used way more than I expected, but the extra speed of the 17-55 would have been welcome some times.

I probably would have been pretty happy walking around with my Sigma 30mm as well, except right before going I noticed some focus issues with it, so I simply didn't trust it as a single lens solution.

Changing lenses at Disney is a HUGE pain IMO. I'm still happy I took my DSLR over a P&S, and with a decent small backpack you hardly notice the weight. Having a good all around one lens solution is the ticket as far as I'm concerned. I think any of the 17-50(VC), 17-55, 17-85, 15-85 lenses is a good choice. Having some type of image stabilization is almost a must IMO if you want to get some cool night shots (Epcot, the castle, etc.) without trying to lug a tripod through dense crowds of thousands of people.

Here are a couple I took on the bridge from Tomorrowland.

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A couple more

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2 more

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I would go with 17-55. I did disney with a 5d and 24-105 and nothing else. Of course after beers around the world even IS did not help

hondafans wrote in post #9286907
Here are a couple I took on the bridge from Tomorrowland.

Thanks for posting, I love shots of the castle with the icicle lights.

Here is one of mine from last year, hope to be back next year. The new baby threw a wrench into things this year.