Trip to CA & NY

<p>Hi<br>

I need some advice on what kit to take on a trip I am making to San Fran, LA, LV & NY this autumn.<br>

I have a Canon 50D, 580EXII, Canon 50mm 1.8, Canon 17-55 2.8 IS, Tamron 90mm 2.8 macro and a Canon 100-400mm 4.5-5.6 IS.<br>

The trip is with family so it will be the usual touristy places including Fishermans Wharf, Golden Gate, cable cars in SF, Disneyland, Universal, and some more in NY.<br>

Any suggestions are welcome.<br>

Regards<br>

Manish</p>

If I were you, I will just bring the 17-55 and 90 (for a little longer reach) for city tours. My shooting style never call for the 100-400 in any city. And I can fit all the camera, flash and the two lenses in a regular (padded) backpack for lots of walking. For Disneyland and such, I will even leave the flash at hotel and just bring the 50D with 17-55 attached since the 50D has the build in flash. And a little tablepod would be a great accessary too. Hope this helps.

<p>I would take the 17-55, maybe the flash, and a table tripod, so using the self-timer, you too can be in the pictures. Probably a P&S for back-up, and for for another family member to use.</p>

<p>Keeping it light is never really a mistake, especially if you can look at what pictures you've taken in similar situations in the past, and choose lens(es) that encompass that range of focal lengths.<br>

I definitely do so want a 100-400mm myself, but truthfully, for urban and theme park shooting, such a lens is heavy and you really won't use it all that much, if you're like most of us. Game parks, Yellowstone, another story. Perhaps even the little EF-S 55-250mm IS would be something worth acquiring as a light, optically decent, lens for the few occasions when you need something to go beyond the 17-55. I have and use the Tamron 90mm a lot, but have not found it very handy in the urban setting, but that's just me, perhaps.</p>

<p>I went out in the evening near a park around the river to click a few pics with the 90mm. mostly it was to see what kind of pics I could get. I had to work hard to get about 10 shots around a half mile radius. <br>

one thing immediately obvious is that you cant really include people with this kind of lens [comments/contradictions?]. I use the 90mm generally for macros of flowers, insects etc and very occasionally for head and shoulder portraits but that's only if that happened to be the lens on the camera when i ducked out.<br>

with time been around 4:30 to 5:30 and slanting rays of the sun, i got some good reflections of houses, trees in colour from this lense. but really very limited to be honest.<br>

so yeah, 100-400mm just forget it. mostly for nature / bird photography. <br>

i do have a canon ixus 70 that my daughter likes to use. i am very miserable with it now. cant get it to do what i want. worth getting views from people about the current generation of P&S as i am sure they are more competent - any ideas of a small compact P&S with near SLR capabilities that wont burn a whole in my pocket?</p>

Your kit sounds fine but I would suggest that you add the following.

 

Polarizer - useful in some situations, but don't overdo it.

 

Lens cleaning cloths - the southwest gets dusty and temperature changes will leave moisture on your lenses sometimes.

 

More memory cards than you think you'll need.

 

A backpack that can carry your gear comfortably.

 

Extra battery and charger.

 

North Ameican voltage adapters if you are from outside of the Western Hemisphere.

 

Cables to connect your camera to televisions (normal and HD) so you can review your pics as you go along.

<p>thanks for the tip Dan - u have floored me with voltage adapters. i am really worried as i fly out on Wed morning and there is not enough time to get an adapter.<br>

canon owners pl tell me your experience with this - can i charge my canon batteries with the standard charger and converter attached? or do i need a voltage adapter too?<br>

my canon charger already has a built in american style pin - does it mean i dont need any for this?<br>

i have a converter from office that changes pins for input from uk to output pins suitable for US. does this have a built in converter?</p>

 

<p>If the charger already has US style plugs (two flat pins), you should be fine without an adapter. Most Genuine Canon Chargers are rated for both US and Europe. 110-240V ...this should cover you, for Voltage.</p>

<p>From the sounds of it, your Canon chargers should be fine. Just make sure anything else (laptop, MP3 players, have the correct voltage (110V), then you just need a adapter to change the pins for USA.</p>

<p>Besides, if you get here, and find you need something; you can stop by a local "Radio Shack" and buy a voltage/adapter set for like $30-50.</p>

<p>I consider the 17-55mm f/2.8 IS lens as my favorite travel lens. I use this as half of a two lens outfit along with a 70-200mm f/4L IS lens on a pair of 1.6x cameras. The reason I decided on the 70-200mm f/4L IS was that it is considerably lighter in weight than any of the 70-200mm f/2.8L models.<br />The only problem with the 17-55mm is that it is fairly short on the tele end (88mm equivalent). I don't really like to use my 90mm Tamron as a short tele lens in any but a macro or portrait situation. It is just not that quick on the autofocus.<br />However, I like a longer lens for all travel venues to isolate portions of buildings, isolate people without getting into their spaces and for compressing distances.<br />A possible thought is to purchase a longer lens at B&H Camera or another store with good prices. The 55-250 IS lens is a very lightweight, fairly inexpensive and quite adequate lens. I don't know about the duty you might have to pay when you return to the U.K. but, you could probably sell the lens for more than you paid for it when you arrived back at home.<br />Some very reputable New York Photo equipment suppliers with good prices are:<br /><a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/">http://www.bhphotovideo.com/</a><br /><a href="http://www.adorama.com/">http://www.adorama.com/</a><br /><a href="http://www.17photo.com">www.17photo.com</a><br>

By the way, despite the comment above, I guess you know that the built-in flash will cast a shadow at wider focal lengths when used with a 17-55mm lens with lens hood attached.</p>

 

<p>Not much need for a 100-400 in Disneyland (leave it locked away with the other stuff you aren't going to want to carry). But, and especially if you are driving from San Francisco to L.A., there will be birding and nature opportunities. In the Monterey area around the Fisherman's Wharf and Cannery Row area, near the Aquarium ( a great family stop), you will likely see a variety of sea birds, also a strong potential for seals, sea lions and otters. If you continue down the coast via Big Sur, there will be the fall haul out of elephant seals at Piedras Blancs, near San Simeon, and again, birding ops, also a lot of opportunities at Morro Bay.</p>

<p>It really depends on your route and interests and if you are going to be having a car or will do all your major travel by air and are sticking strictly to urban areas or not. If so, it does add weight and bulk and would be less useful.</p>

<p>Take the lens that will allow you to get the best photos of your family and you. Years later you'll quickly scroll through the "landscape" shots and spend a lot of time looking at the pix with you and the loved ones.<br>

That said, in order of preference:<br>

17-55, 100-400mm, and 90mm. You'll use the 17-55 the most, 100-400 for those rare far away shots and the 90 if you need more reach but don't want the weight of the 100-400. Bring all the gear but plan on only using your 17-55.</p>