Holiday lens suggestions

BIGEYE

BIGEYE

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Jim
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Been looking for a walkabout lens for holiday so that I don't have to humph about all my L series glass around the busy theme parks of Orlando. Would need to be light weight and have a focal length from wide to zoom, such as the Tamron 18-300m, f3.5/6.3. This lens is only suitable for cropped sensors, I have the Canon 5D Mk III, any suggestions as to what lens would be suitable, or will I be lugging along my already very heavy camera bag.
 
I just holidayed in three cities with just a 35mm, so nice and lightweight

If there is the potential for safari, which I believe there is in Disney I would also take my 200mm and that's probably it.
 
My lens kit is 16-35mm f2.8L, 24-70mm f2.8L, 70-200mm f2.8L Mk2....so not so light, and pretty expensive kit to be lugging around theme parks.
 
I would be tempted to get a cheapish 2nd hand crop body and the 18-300/18-200 zoom of some variety then resell the crop kit on your return (if you need to for budgetary reasons). Great as f/2.8 or faster lenses are, they eat into baggage allowance and don't do backs any favours!
 
Don't I know it, took my lenses last time when i had a cropped sensor. The 24-70mm was most used. Don't recall using the 70-200mm at all, and my wide angle at the time was the 10-22mm, which i used a couple of times.
Don't have the budget to get a cropped sensor camera, so looks like I may only take the 24-70 & 16-35mm lenses.
 
there's ff superzoom lenses, normaly 28 to 200ish
I got a tamron 28 200, but its a mount...
sigma did em too
 
These threads come up all the time, and the answer as always is, it's entirely personal.

Personal based on; how you like to shoot, what you want to shoot when you're there, where you're going, what your definition of big and heavy is, etc, etc.

I doubt I would take a camera to theme parks, not if I was planning on going on any rides anyway. For a general holiday, out of your kit I would take the 24-70 and leave the rest. Last two overseas trips I went round Europe and the USA - I took a 24-70 attached to a 1D and a 5D respectively. Next year I'll probably just take an x100s to Europe (so fixed 35mm equivalent).

Luggage isn't a problem if you just take one lens, chuck the camera over your shoulder and carry it on the plane in addition to your regular hand luggage.
 
How long are you going for? Rent a lens? Lenses For Hire have an L series 28-300.
 
28-300 is big, heavy & expensive. Came across the Tamron 28-300mm f3.5-6.3 Di VC PZD lens, anyone any experience with this lens?
 
I took my camera (500D) and a couple of lenses to Orlando a few years ago, by day three I was fed up of carrying it, the family were fed up with me moaning about carrying it and I'm sure people were fed up with me hitting them with my camera bag at every turn (especially whilst queuing). One of my children also put their fizzy drink in my bag, which leaked, which meant I had to send the camera away for repair when I returned home.

For this year's holiday, I decided to leave my kit at home and buy a superzoom bridge camera. I went for the FujiFilm HS50-EXR at £260 inc VAT, it was half the price of the new lens that I had my eye on, but it weighs a lot less than my camera (let alone the lenses), has a 28mm-1000mm lens, panoramic and video (both HD and slow motion) functions built in, it shoots raw as well as fine jpg and I was genuinely surprised at the quality of the shots. My children seem to love using it, so they don't mind carrying it for a while. All in all I wish I'd taken this to Disney.

Whilst a superzoom perhaps won't produce the quality of images that your 5D would, I think you'll find it a lot more convenient as well as a lot lighter to take with you.
 
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Just bought a new bridge camera (Panasonic DMC-FZ200) for the wife, and it seems to be pretty good, maybe stick with this and my trusty Canon G9.
 
BIGEYE said:
Just bought a new bridge camera (Panasonic DMC-FZ200) for the wife, and it seems to be pretty good, maybe stick with this and my trusty Canon G9.
Click to expand...

With those two, I'd suggest you've got it covered and combined they probably weigh less than the 5D. Hope you have a great time.
 
BIGEYE said:
28-300 is big, heavy & expensive. Came across the Tamron 28-300mm f3.5-6.3 Di VC PZD lens, anyone any experience with this lens?
Click to expand...
Jeez, I didn't realise it was that heavy! The Nikon one is half the weight... Anyway, Tamron make some cracking lenses so you probably won't go wrong on that one.

I now have the same dilemma as we've booked 10 nights in Cancun for February, so now have to work out what combo of lenses to take away with us!!
 
I had the tamron 18-270 which was ok, I think the 18-300 is a step to far, on looking at the videos on you tube it has some serious iq issues!!
 
The 24-70 should pretty much cover all on a trip. I've traveled with all sorts, and found I never make use of anything on the longer end. I don't actually own a 24-70 currently, but last few trips I took a 35mm and 85mm only. And never felt lacking.
 
Decided. Sticking with my 24-70mm and 16-35mm. Ditching the grip to cut back on weight, and will pack my filters & tripod. For the parks during daytime, will stick with the Panasonic bridge.
 
Had a sleep on it, and my kit is going to be pretty heavy and take up a lot of room in overhead lockers. So what would you do, my options are open:
  1. Stick with my 24-70mm and 16-35mm, and use the wife's DMC-FZ200 for parks
  2. Purchase a Tamron 18-300mm, f3.5/6.3 and use this as a walkabout/do it all lens
  3. Upgrade my Canon G9 to a Canon G1X mkII or similar
  4. Or buy a bridge camera such as the Sony Cyber Shot DSC-RX10
  5. Any other suggestions welcome
 
You've probably got a lot of the kit you need for your day to day photography, but will more than likely want another lens to go on the 5D MKIII, so I'd resist spending too much on a new and expensive bridge camera like the Sony RX10, which might spend a lot of time in your kit bag once you are home from your trip. I'd therefore plump for option number 1. With the added bonus that if it's your wife's Panny, you could let her carry it around the parks :)
 
Take the 24-70, feel liberated that you aren't lugging around an extra lens. You'll still be able to get most shots, leg zoom for the others!
 
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