camera lens suggestions please

[Miss Dot]

Do a Google search for camera shops that rent lens. I have a Canon T4i and when I went to Yellowstone I rented a Canon 100 - 400 L Lens for about $140 for 2 weeks. Well worth it as lens costs over $2,000.

 

Glad to know you liked the 100-400! I bought that lens for Alaska; did you find you had to use a tripod most of the time? Do you have any images to share taken with the lens?

[xlxo]

Thanks to you and everyone else for the great suggestions! I'm definitely going to research these lenses!

 

I love my 18-200/18-300mm super zooms for practicality

• ability to keep my sensor clean from lens swaps
  
• speed with different focal lengths
  
• weight savings from packing multiple lenses
  

However there are things you need to know about...

• Flash shadows. Super zooms often obstruct the built-in flashes. You might need an external flash.
  
• slow lens.... super zooms are not primes or f/2.8 lens. A flash is handy.
  
• auto-focus... I had a lot of low light auto-focus issues with the Tamron 28-300mm when zoomed out. I bought the OEM lens instead.
  
• softness.... super zooms work best at f/8 for sharpness. Do some tests shots when tripod mounted.
  
• weight.... the heavy lenses don't work well on tripods, especially taking portraits (photos taken on the side)
  
• Distortion. Barrelling and Pin cushioning... Ever hear about a skinny lens? Check out this famous chart. I like to pack a 50mm lens when I distortion is unwanted. http://41.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_luc6ok7WyE1qknfz7o1_1280.jpg
  

[GUT2407]

Perhaps look at at 70-300 IS.

[Princess Sailor]

I have a Canon T3i that came with a 18-70mm lens and a 75-300mm lens. We are doing a Whale Watching tour in Juneau this Sept. Which lens would be more useful? Sometimes the 75-300mm lens is too powerful if your too close to the action. I'm planning to take the 18-70mm lens, am I doing the right thing????

[GUT2407]

I have a Canon T3i that came with a 18-70mm lens and a 75-300mm lens. We are doing a Whale Watching tour in Juneau this Sept. Which lens would be more useful? Sometimes the 75-300mm lens is too powerful if your too close to the action. I'm planning to take the 18-70mm lens, am I doing the right thing????

 

 

Take them both. I suspect that even 70mm won't be too wide as I've never been on a tour that gets "that" close to the whales, for one thing there are exclusion zones so unless the whale comes to you the tours are supposed to stay their distance

[mskaufman]

Agree that you should take them both. The tours must keep their distance so you will need some zoom to pick up the whales.

[JimAOk1945]

I agree with the Tamron 18-270mm.

I the Tamron is a fab walk around lens. Very light and compact!

 

My wife has one of these lens and absolutely loves it for the same reason. She bought it a couple of years ago when she bought her first SLR camera. It takes it whenever we travel. It takes great pictures and she doesn't have to changes lens for different situations.

Edited January 30, 2015 by JimAOk1945

[rockdoctor]

Don't forget a polarizing filter. Glare can be a real problem with all the ice and water. Besides, it will protect what ever lens you finally get.

[Glaciers]

I have a Canon T3i that came with a 18-70mm lens and a 75-300mm lens. We are doing a Whale Watching tour in Juneau this Sept. Which lens would be more useful? Sometimes the 75-300mm lens is too powerful if your too close to the action. I'm planning to take the 18-70mm lens, am I doing the right thing????

 

Until recently I've been using an 18-300mm for whale watches and it's usually fully extended. Occassionally whales will swim close to the boats and you'd have issue with 75mm but it doesn't happen that often. Boats are required to keep a distance of at least 100 yards from whales.

 

Take both but I doubt you'll use the 18-70 on the water. Of course, if you're trying to be creative with taking photos of people on your boat watching whales then the 18-70 might be better.

[peety3]

I think my only concern is being stressed that something then would happen to the lens. I appreciate the suggestion and I am definitely going to look into this and the details.

LensRentals offers a "Lenscap+" which covers damage and loss. They actually require it (or your own certificate of insurance) for higher-value gear.

[peety3]

I have a Canon T3i that came with a 18-70mm lens and a 75-300mm lens. We are doing a Whale Watching tour in Juneau this Sept. Which lens would be more useful? Sometimes the 75-300mm lens is too powerful if your too close to the action. I'm planning to take the 18-70mm lens, am I doing the right thing????

 

You're crazy to leave the 75-300 behind. Have a flip through our images:

 

2010, NB on Coral Princess. I carried a 500mm f/4 IS on a 1.3x crop camera (yours is a 1.6) and a 24-105IS on a 1.6x crop camera. My wife carried a 70-200/2.8IS on a 1.6x crop camera and a 10-22 on a 1.6x crop camera. A few times during the whale watch, I put down the 500 and shot with the 24-105.

 

2012, NB on Sapphire Princess. I carried a 400mm f/4 IS with a 1.4x converter on a 1.0x crop camera and a 24-70/2.8 on a 1.6x crop camera. My wife carried a 70-200/4IS on a 1.6x crop camera and a 14/2.8 on a 1.3x crop camera. I had a blast with the 400 on the whale watch, and the one time the whale actually filled up my frame was so amazing that I just shot the dorsal fin and didn't switch cameras.

 

2014, round-trip from Seattle on Grand Princess. I carried a 200-400/4IS (which could become a 280-560/5.6IS at the flip of a switch) on a 1.0x camera, a 70-200/4IS on a 1.0x camera, a 24-70/2.8 on a 1.3x camera, and a 15/2.8 in a pouch that I'd swap with the 70-200. My wife carried a 300/4IS, 70-200/4IS, 24-105/4IS, and 14/2.8 on a 1.6x camera and a 1.0x camera, usually keeping the longest lens on the 1.6x camera. The only times I'd grab the 70-200 during the whale watch was if I'd filled the buffer on the camera on the 200-400. I don't think there was more than two moments where 200 wasn't wide enough for me during the whale watch.

 

Hopefully that gives you what you need to understand what to take. If I could "do over" the 2014 cruise with lenses available today, I'd do it with the 600/4 and a 1.4x, the 100-400, the 24-70, and the brand new 11-24.

[peety3]

Renting lenses is a good option if you don't want to pony up for a new/used one. 400mm seems to be about as big as I would want to lug around on an Alaskan cruise. Seems like anything bigger would either require a tripod or just be unwieldy on a small boat (or on a cruise ship with limited deck space).

I'd concur here. For our 2014 cruise, I rented a 8.5 pound 200-400/4IS (which could become a 280-560/5.6 at the flip of a switch), and took a monopod EVERYWHERE. It was awesome darn near everywhere, though it was a little cramped on a river cruise that was set up to be 6 rows of 4 people per row, so I was kinda stuck on one end of the row. For the prime whale viewing times aboard the cruise ship, we camped out on the over-bridge viewing area, and had no trouble setting up two tripods for the 200-400 and a 300/4.

[ikirumata]

I have a Canon T3i that came with a 18-70mm lens and a 75-300mm lens. We are doing a Whale Watching tour in Juneau this Sept. Which lens would be more useful? Sometimes the 75-300mm lens is too powerful if your too close to the action. I'm planning to take the 18-70mm lens, am I doing the right thing????

 

This is my advice.

 

On the whale trip, take the longest lens you can (your 75-300) because most of the whales you see will be further out. In the case where the whales come closer than practical for your zoom, put the camera down and experience the moment! I know that you want to photograph the moment the whale breaches 5 feet in front of your boat (and becoming Nat Geo's photog of the year... leading to certain fame and fortune!), but whales are better experienced with your own eyes and not through a viewfinder or through a 3" LCD screen. Plus you are not frustrated when you look at your shot and find out that its out of focus...so you missed both the natural experience and the shot!

 

Good luck!

Edited February 11, 2015 by ikirumata

[zqvol]

This is my advice.

 

On the whale trip, take the longest lens you can (your 75-300) because most of the whales you see will be further out. In the case where the whales come closer than practical for your zoom, put the camera down and experience the moment! I know that you want to photograph the moment the whale breaches 5 feet in front of your boat (and becoming Nat Geo's photog of the year... leading to certain fame and fortune!), but whales are better experienced with your own eyes and not through a viewfinder or through a 3" LCD screen. Plus you are not frustrated when you look at your shot and find out that its out of focus...so you missed both the natural experience and the shot!

 

Good luck!

 

and here is what you can get with that lens

 

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[JimmyVWine]

Do a Google search for camera shops that rent lens. I have a Canon T4i and when I went to Yellowstone I rented a Canon 100 - 400 L Lens for about $140 for 2 weeks. Well worth it as lens costs over $2,000.

 

I cannot stress enough how much this advice is spot on. The "L" Series 100-400 lens is exactly the lens you want. I'd even go bigger if I could. But anything bigger starts to get impractical. And add a day or two to the beginning of your rental period (for just a few dollars more) so that you can get the lens in your hands and practice with it. The push/pull zoom function will be a bit different than the rotating zoom that you are probably used to. And the lens will be far bigger and heavier than anything you have ever used before. Not so much that it should deter you. But you will want to practice a bit. And while you are looking at lenses to rent, consider a 10-22mm lens. The 18-35 that you have is not really wide enough to take impressive photos of the inside of the ship, if you plan to do that. You will not regret spending $200 on two high quality lenses when you are taking a trip of a lifetime.

[ikirumata]

I cannot stress enough how much this advice is spot on. The "L" Series 100-400 lens is exactly the lens you want. I'd even go bigger if I could. But anything bigger starts to get impractical. And add a day or two to the beginning of your rental period (for just a few dollars more) so that you can get the lens in your hands and practice with it. The push/pull zoom function will be a bit different than the rotating zoom that you are probably used to.

 

Canon just updated their 100-400 with a new ii version! Sharper, focuses closer, more modern IS, and they have gotten rid of that stupid push/pull system in favor of the modern ring focus.

 

It seems like it is more expensive to rent these days, but it sounds like the new go-to lens in this zoom range. Some people are even saying its better than the fantastic 70-200!

[JimmyVWine]

Canon just updated their 100-400 with a new ii version! Sharper, focuses closer, more modern IS, and they have gotten rid of that stupid push/pull system in favor of the modern ring focus.

 

It seems like it is more expensive to rent these days, but it sounds like the new go-to lens in this zoom range. Some people are even saying its better than the fantastic 70-200!

 

Ooooh. Just saw this. From the place I rent from--$136 for 10 days. The older version is $84 for 10 days. I don't think I need that much zoom for my next cruise, so I am hoping to rent the Canon 24-70mm f/2.8L II. I hear nothing but good things about this one.

[ExilePA]

I've been using my trusty Tamron 18-270 for my Canon T4i for quite sometime now. Is the general consensus that I should stick with this for our Alaskan cruise in July or should I for out more to rent a better lens or...? We'll also be taking our Canon SX40 along.

[JimmyVWine]

I've been using my trusty Tamron 18-270 for my Canon T4i for quite sometime now. Is the general consensus that I should stick with this for our Alaskan cruise in July or should I for out more to rent a better lens or...? We'll also be taking our Canon SX40 along.

For shots of eagles and moose and calving glaciers and whales, I think there is a big difference between 270 and 400.