Help with choosing a holiday lens

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shooting_stars

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Hello all - first thread so be gentle :)

I've just bought a 450D with the 18-55MM kit but with my holiday coming up in two weeks I want to buy one lens that will benefit me the most. I'm off to the south of Spain and will be travelling around to a number of cities - I'll mostly be shooting landscape/architecture.

I was looking at getting the 50-200mm IS lens to give me a good total range, but would buying a wide lens benefit me more for the trip?
 
If you are decided on architecture and landscapes, I would say that you want something wider than a 50mm. I know it's a bit of a compromise with IQ, but how about a something like a Sigma 18-200, or a Tamron equivalent?

I'm sure there are opinions out there on these lenses, never used them myself. Also, a budget in your thread would be helpful for people to work with:thumbs:

Alternatively, hire a really decent lens for the 2 week period. Then if it's not the right lens for you, you wont be stuck with it.
 
shooting_stars said:
I'm off to the south of Spain and will be travelling around to a number of cities - I'll mostly be shooting landscape/architecture.
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When I visited Andalucia a couple of years ago, my most-used lens by far was the Canon 10-22mm. It was invaluable for photography in narrow streets in the towns and villages, and of course it's not entirely useless (though a tad wide for my liking) for landscapes.

I'd think that an ultra-wide and the kit lens would see you OK.

A few samples (click on images to see larger versions in my SmugMug gallery).

10mm


12mm


22mm


16mm
 
I'll tell you what would benefit you... a polarizer for whatever lenses you plan to use... assuming you want to have some proper blue skies in your photos.
 
Thanks for the quick replies.

I'd rather not buy a lens like the Tamron which covers such a wide range, although it may be economical to get a jack of all trades I'd rather get a more specific one. :)

Stewart: lovely pics! I'll look into that lens and other wide lenses. Out of curiosity, where did you go? I'll also be doing a tour of Andalucia with Seville, Cordoba and Granada as my main stops.

Desantik: I've not even looked into polarizers and what they do - I'll have a read up on it - thanks.

My budget is not very big: £250 maybe stretch to £300.
 
swag72 said:
If you are decided on architecture and landscapes, I would say that you want something wider than a 50mm. I know it's a bit of a compromise with IQ, but how about a something like a Sigma 18-200, or a Tamron equivalent?
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You may have read it, but This thread has some discussion about the sigma 18-200 non stabilised lens for £100.

I have the 18-200 OS version and quite like the large range as a single walk about. The OS is quite effective and is especialy usefull at the long end... but it was more than £100:(

18mm on tripod, OS switched off.
DSC_0949.jpg


200mm hand held panning with OS. f6.3, 1/100 seconds, ISO200.
DSC_0765.jpg
 
shooting_stars said:
TStewart: lovely pics! I'll look into that lens and other wide lenses. Out of curiosity, where did you go? I'll also be doing a tour of Andalucia with Seville, Cordoba and Granada as my main stops.
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Malaga, Ronda, some of the pueblos blancos around Grazalema, and Sevilla (but we had 12cm of rain that day, so no pictures!).
 
I think I will hire the Canon for the holiday and look to buy one when I get back as the ultra-wides seem to be more expensive. I'll be (hopefully) picking up the 55-250mm today.
 
Well, after much umming and arring I finally bit the bullet and placed an order for the Tokina 12-24 - it seems to be the best lens available for under £300.

(On the downside, I think I might need a bigger bag ;))
 
Don't forget to buy your CPL to go with it! It will make a world of difference to nice sunny days...
 
desantnik said:
Don't forget to buy your CPL to go with it! It will make a world of difference to nice sunny days...
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I have a 55mm filter - but how do I work out which size would fit this?

Also Ken Rockwell seems to suggest not to use a CPL for ultra-wide lens :thinking::

Ken said:
The weird results on ultra-wide lenses are because the polarization of the sky varies from one end of the sky to the other. Polarization of the sky is maximum at 90 degrees from the sun, and none at the sun and 180 degrees from it. This is no issue with a tele lens, however with a super wide you are sweeping such a broad expanse that the polarizing effect will vary greatly across the sky. You often get a dark area in the sky, which usually looks nasty. I rarely use polarizers with ultra wide lenses.
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So according to Ken, what qualifies for "ultra-wide". Does a sigma 17-70 wide open qualify?
 
Hmmmm I've used a CPL on a Canon 10-22 more often than I've not used one on that lens.

I'm fairly new to Nikon, but I'm hating Ken Rockwell already....the list of garbage he comes out with seems endless... oh for Bob Atkins to swap to Nikon!
 
So it looks like the heavens have decided to open up for my holiday...any tips for using (or not!) the camera in rain?
 
keep it as dry as possible, wipe it down often, use a lens hood to avoid rain on the business end.... and give up when error99's take over or AF stops completely (to clear them switch off, unlock lens (not remove) with small amount of turn and lock back on again - reseats the contacts... but you will get to a point where it won't work anymore, that is the time to give up)

Works for pishing wet motorcross days....
 
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