Which lens to take on holiday?

romeo21

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I'm off to mexico next week and i'm going to take my 7D. iv decided not to take my canon 17-55 2.8 amd 70-200 f4 is and instead going to rent

Canon 15-85mm
Canon 85mm

would this be a good combo for my trip or shall i go for something else?
 
It depends what you're planning on photographing. Why not just rent one lens like an 18-200mm. That way you have wide angle for landscapes/architecture and the telephoto end for portraits and architecture again. Also wildlife (although might not be long enough). Anyway, enjoy your hols!
 
Why take/rent an 85mm. The IS on the 15-85 is pretty darned good and up to about 4 stops. Unless you want/need the speed/DoF of the 85, I'd stick with just the 15-85...
 
I was thinking off the 85mm or pic by the pool etc and maybe portraits
 
would 10-22mm and 24-105mm make a good combo to rent?
 
For pictures by the pool etc you might be better off with a water/splash proof compact.

10-22 isn't really a portrait lens as it will give some wide angle distortion.

I think I would find 85mm to be too long on a cropped sensor camera as an only lens on a trip.

If you aren't fussed about the wide end 24-105 would be a good bet.

My lightweight travel lens of choice is 50mm on a full frame, so about 35mm on a cropped sensor, wide enough for landscapes and about right for full length portraits.
 
just take the 15-85, i went to thailand and made the mistake of taking all my lenses and only ended up using the sigma 10-20 and the sigma 17-70, but mostly just the 17-70. I had so much camera gear that my bag split and i had to pay a whole 20 pence to have it fixed.
 
Don't take this the wrong way, but... You have £1500 of very good lenses already, and you want to hire a cheaper, lesser quality lens, to take pictures by the pool, using a £1200 camera?

Use the 7D and take what you have. Instead of renting a lesser lens, buy a cheap compact like a Sony TX5 and take it into the pool with you.
 
I'm off to mexico next week and i'm going to take my 7D.

I would seriously reconsider taking something like a 7D to Mexico in the current climes. Unless you are going about with close protection then you are quite simply opening yourself up for a whole lot of trouble.

I would look at taking a more discreet compact with me.

I haven't been to Mexico recently but am aware of a group last week robbed at gunpoint and everything stolen on the Guatamala / Mexico border.

Perhaps though, someone else here can give you a more personal opinion of travelling there with tog gear as this current time.

Please have a look here http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travel-and-living-abroad/travel-advice-by-country/north-central-america/mexico1 for the latest travel advice.
 
MacPingu said:
I would seriously reconsider taking something like a 7D to Mexico in the current climes. Unless you are going about with close protection then you are quite simply opening yourself up for a whole lot of trouble.

I would look at taking a more discreet compact with me.

I haven't been to Mexico recently but am aware of a group last week robbed at gunpoint and everything stolen on the Guatamala / Mexico border.

Perhaps though, someone else here can give you a more personal opinion of travelling there with tog gear as this current time.

Please have a look here http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travel-and-living-abroad/travel-advice-by-country/north-central-america/mexico1 for the latest travel advice.

The tourist areas are still very safe.
 
I've just returned from a trip and took the 18-70 and a 50mm 1.8, i found they covered most normal holiday shots, to be honest I had the 50mm on most of the time, light and more descrete when walking about too..
 
Thanks for all the comments, YES the tourist areas are very safe.

i think im going to go with taking a 15-85mm and 85mm i would off really liked the 24-105 but im not sure its wide enough for landscape shots i might want to take
 
I would take the 15-85mm, it's a great walkabout focal range to use. I only use my 24-105mm on my 5d when going away now, which is probably similar to the 15-85mm on a crop camera. I also find it a bit of a bind having to swap lenses, especially when there's something you want to capture at the spare of the moment.

The IS also helps a great deal, I find it's a life saver in many situations where a shot would be unobtainable without the help of a tripod.

Perhaps look into getting a 50mm 1.8? They're cheap, extremely light and quite a decent focal length on a crop camera for portrait work. If you don't get on with it then you can easily sell it on these forums at no loss.
 
I find it funny that people spend thousands of pounds on equipment to capture the most memorable moments of their life and then don't take it on holiday.

I've been all over the world and have NEVER been worried about the expense of the thing hanging around my neck except in Barcelona and even then a few Cavas put it right...

99.999% you will have no problems in Mexico so take your favourite lenses and get on with it.
 
If you go to Chitzen Itza go by plane, its only an hour from Puerto Plata or Cozumel, over 3 hours by road, 45mins in a light aircraft, then coach to the site, and you'll get Ariel views of the site fabulous, and get there early, to miss all the main tourists arriving by coach, it was quite when we went, as we were leaving it was getting packed with tourists
 
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