Lens advice for Canada Holiday

Planky

Planky

Suspended / Banned
Messages
53
Name
Nigel
Edit My Images
Yes
Hi,

I am off to Western Canada this summer, touring through the Rockies and Vancouver Island in an RV. :D

I have a 450D with the following lenses, the 18 - 55 kit lens, a 50mm 1.8 II, a 70 - 300 mm IS USM and a 20 - 210 mm f4 from my old EOS 650 film camera. I have just purchased a second hand 5D Mark II as my daughter is using my 450D for her photography GCSE, well that's my excuse! :lol:

The question I have is, is the 50mm prime good enough on the 5D Mark II for photographing the wonderful landscape or will I need a wider lens?

Thanks
 
Thinking back to our trip, 50mm won't be wide enough and you should add on something like 50% to any predicted transit time in the Rockies, especially the Icefield Parkway. There's just too much to see!
 
digital said:
Thinking back to our trip, 50mm won't be wide enough and you should add on something like 50% to any predicted transit time in the Rockies, especially the Icefield Parkway. There's just too much to see!
Click to expand...

That's one reason for hiring an RV, we can take as long as we like. :D
Have you been then, fancy sharing any tips on sights to see?

Thanks
 
c22w1 said:
If its for the landscapes I feel you would need something much wider than 50mm unless you plan on taking multiple shots and stitching them together?
Click to expand...

Thanks, I have seen a secondhand 28 - 135 IS USM for sale in my local camera shop perhaps I will have to take a look at it.
 
Planky said:
That's one reason for hiring an RV, we can take as long as we like. :D
Click to expand...

I hired a car and booked hotels before we left the UK: I couldn't face dragging all that RV metal around, having to find outsize parking bays and staying out-of-town each night. Obviously not everyone agrees as we saw quite a few RVs (and got stuck behind a number of them).

Planky said:
Have you been then, fancy sharing any tips on sights to see?
Click to expand...

Lake Louise, Banff (Sulphur Mountain and Lake Minnewanka(!) - take the forest route), Icefield Parkway and every body of water along the way, Athabasca Glacier (take the bus trip onto it), Jasper (and Maligne Lake) are just a few that come to mind.

If you see a few cars parked at the side of the road for no obvious reason it's probably because the occupants are out and watching bears/coyotes/whatever. You need to stop! Even without that sort of warning you need to be aware that families of bears may cross the road in town and right in front of you, and you may well find an elk grazing at the side of the road and taking absolutely no notice of anyone. This all happened to us.

Just keep the camera handy!

Have a good trip.
 
I have looked in my local camera shop and they have two lenses that might suit.

One is a Canon 28-135 IS USM and the other is a Sigma 15-30 EX both are about the same price which one would be best for me? :help:
 
I don't know either of the two lenses you are looking at, but a search on the net should give you an idea for the IQ, but I would probably opt for the 28-135mm based on just the focal length.

I used to live in Vancouver years ago, but I only had a standard 35mm film compact camera at the time. Its zoom was something along the lines of 30-80mm, and on the whole I found it fine. From what I remember of the West Coast, (well, Vancouver, Whistler, Manning Park / Cascades, Kamloops / Okanagan, east coast of Vancouver Island, and southern western coast of Vancouver Island (I did the Juan De Fuca Trail, which has amazing coastal scenery which is accessible easily enough off the main road); I never got further east than Whistler on HWY 99 or the Okanagan via Hwy 1, Hwy 5 or Hwy 3, as the distances are vast - a trip to the Okanagan took 3 days - the best part of a day driving there and back and a day spent in the area doing touristy stuff), looking back an UWA may be too wide and make the amazing scenery just feel a bit, well, less than amazing. I found a lot of the time I was zooming in to take details of the moutains, such as ice fields or cropping out chunks of sea and lakes. If you do feel the need to go wider than 28mm, then you can always take a few shots and stitch them together when you process them.

Just a word of warning about bears ... take (and heed!) local advice about storing food and food waste - some campsites they strongly advise you to store all food in designated lockers away from the actual camp area, as bears have been known to break into cars to get at empty food wrappers. :gag:, in other areas they suggest you keep the food in a vehicle as the bears in that area don't tend to bother with breaking into cars. If you plan on doing any hikes, buy a couple of bear bells and attach them to your rucksacks - they only cost a couple of $ and just warn the bears (and other large and potentially dangerous animals) you are around. As great as it may sound to get close to a bear, unless you are with a guide who knows the local bears behaviour, you really don't want to surprise them! :thumbs:

I'm sure you will have a fab time over there. :thumbs:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top