Travel Kit....what should I take

Hi,

I have been trying to come up with the perfect travel kit for canon 7d

I am thinking my 24-105, 55-250 (I know that the lower end is covered already), and then my 50mm

I am thinking about adding a 10-18

 

Thoughts

I think you'll want something wider than 24mm on the 7D, so I'd take the 10-18mm. It's not that big.

Don't OD on the lenses. Too much gear is just can be as bad as too little gear, but in a different way. "The longer the trip, the heavier the weight will become." And physical exhaustion comes into play. What is fine for a 5 minutes at home is very different than carrying the kit constantly for 2 weeks.

 

Depending on where you are going, the 10-18 + 24-105 may be all you need, and would be my choice. Or just a 18-135, 1-lens kit.

Do you NEED the reach of the 55-250 over the 24-105? The 105 end of the 24-105 on a 1.6x crop sensor, is like a 168mm lens on a 35mm camera, which I would consider adequate for a travel lens.

The 50 is probably small and light enough to put into the kit without affecting weight and bulk much.

Depending on where you are going,

Gary hit the key question -- Africa would be one thing, Las Vegas quite another. In terms of weight, less is generally best. I never go on an important trip with just one body, despite weight & bulk. Lens selection, mostly based on trip specific research and anticipation of needs. The research adds fun to the trip!

I'm the opposite of Sandy on this one. ;-)

 

I'd ditch the 50mm. Got rid of mine with my Pentax Spotmatic! (Why do people still carry around this silly lens?)

 

You can always crop, but I use a longer lens to good effect for many scenics and street shots.

On a cross-country trip that was largely in a van, I took two film bodies and three prime lenses (24 / 50 / 200). The kit was heavy, but I didn't cart the whole thing anywhere except to the room nightly. During the day, I'd mount the proper lens while in the rig, step out and have just one camera / lens over my shoulder.

 

On a different trip I rode by bike, I took one very reliable body and two lenses (24 / 50). Subject matter was never going to require telephoto. Minimizing weight and volume was paramount.

 

So the answer, as with most things, is "It Depends". The key is always, "On what does it depend?"

I use a Canon 6D with a set of full frame lenses a lot of the time, but I keep a light photo kit that consists of a Canon T5i body, the

excellent Canon 10-22mm wide zoom, the fantastic Canon 17-55mm 2.8 fixed aperture and the really fine and underrated 55-250mm IS STM telephoto zoom. Very light kit with the body and 17-55mm lens out of the bag and the 10-22mm and 55-250MM plus a Metz speed light in a small bag for a very compact and light weight kit that will do professional grade work with a little skill and technique. When I want to go even lighter I carry my Sony a6000 with a Sony 35mm 1.8 lens plus a surprisingly good Sony 55-210 zoom for more reach. John Isaac carries a small kit of Olympus cameras and zoom lenses that he travels all over the world with and produces images that are world class. Good luck!

Taking a light ultra wide zoom along sounds like a good plan. - I'm not familiar with the Canons but liked to have the Pentax 12-24mm. I'm probably hard to convince to get rid of that one. - I don't feel really comfortable with just one camera body. and a wide zoom doesn't shout for something as well performing as a 7D behind it. I'd probably toss an additional Rebel or similar into your kit.

I see where Dcstep is coming from. I must admit: I like 50mm on crop bodies for background blurring portraiture, but I don't fancy the thought to add an unstabilized prime to a stabilized zoom with low light in mind.

A quite decent long zoom can be nice to have and sounds like a good choice.

I'm not exactly sure about the 24-105. - Clarifying: It covers the essential focal length range for shooting people, so take it along since you already have it. I just wish they made such stuff or the crop sensors, hoping that would avoid a bit of extra bulk.

thanks so are good valid points. I probably would not take the zoom but my partner always wants me to take it and when I don't he says See there is something you should have it for....

I have been in that situation before where I get "camera bag lag" from lugging too much.

the travel tripod will stay in the room and only bring it out for specific requirements such as when I want to do some long exposure.

I don't have the 10-18 yet but really am going to buy it. I had debated about the 11-22 but most reviews said do the 10-18

this trip is to a few places in Mexico (Merida, San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato and PV)

When I go on business trips I have a very slimmed down kit. I bring the body and a pancake lens. If I need a wider shot I can often do a panorama. I might also bring a gorilla tripod. I take the singe pancake lens as a challenge and I find that it makes me shoot from different angles and the results can be interesting.

I always bring a 50 to use mostly at night for several reasons - it is faster, generally darkness requires a closer operating range, and it makes the camera lens combination smaller and less obtrusive. The last useful because tables in restaurants are small, and in the evening we usually walk to & from a restaurant. Also less visible on the street, possibly a less obvious target for theft.

Sandy, I've learned not to be apologetic of my big rig, but I fully understand why some people are uncomfortable with big rigs.

 

I tried a 40/f2.8 pancake for a while, but the lack of versatility meant that it stayed home, after an initial trial. I think the big rig would certainly be better in a bar fight. I go with fast bodies instead of fast lenses and insure the whole rig, in case someone takes a strong liking to my rig.

Sandy, I've learned not to be apologetic of my big rig,

Not a question of apologetic, and not really concerned about the theft part myself, but tables in good restaurants have gotten so small that sometimes it is hard to find a place to put even the DF with a 50. When I'm out late, it is all about opportunity, so just camera and lens. Got to say, even in the daytime, except when I'm out for birds or wildlife, or operating form the car, even the Nikon 80-400 is pretty Big!

We all have operating styles & habits.;)

...

We all have operating styles & habits.;)

 

Exactly.

 

I HATE missing shots or taking less than optimal shots because I didn't have the right focal length. When I'm walking around shooting, not going to dinner, I've probably got my 24-105mm on the body and my 14mm, 70-200/f4, 1.4x and 2.0x in a bag over my shoulder. (Note that I left the 100-400mm and 500mm home, except for birds and wildlife). For dinner, I scale down to the 24-105mm and usually hang the rig over the back of my chair, or keep it on the floor. It DOES take up a lot of room on a table top.

Shane, if your partner wants you to take a lens.. well.. he can carry it.

So it comes down to: what is your partner wiling to carry..

I currently take a 35mm f2 IS as a night time shooter, if I think the streets will be interesting at night, so I understand the desire to take a small, low light capable lens in addition to the usual. If Canon had an IS equipped 50, I'd take that instead. I also leave the 24-70mm at home and take a 50 instead if I am landscaping and trekking. The 16-35 and 70-300 come with me too. It saves a good deal of weight and no real loss in capability, although since 24-70 is a mainstay for many shots, it does mean more lens changing.

I agree with the others' suggestion of getting the 10-18mm. I'm never sure quite why people choose the 24-100mm for an APS-C camera. I reckon a 17-50mm variant is much more useful.

Taking a light ultra wide zoom along sounds like a good plan. - I'm not familiar with the Canons but liked to have the Pentax 12-24mm. I'm probably hard to convince to get rid of that one. - I don't feel really comfortable with just one camera body. and a wide zoom doesn't shout for something as well performing as a 7D behind it. I'd probably toss an additional Rebel or similar into your kit.

I see where Dcstep is coming from. I must admit: I like 50mm on crop bodies for background blurring portraiture, but I don't fancy the thought to add an unstabilized prime to a stabilized zoom with low light in mind.

A quite decent long zoom can be nice to have and sounds like a good choice.

I'm not exactly sure about the 24-105. - Clarifying: It covers the essential focal length range for shooting people, so take it along since you already have it. I just wish they made such stuff or the crop sensors, hoping that would avoid a bit of extra bulk.

 

The 17-70 lens = 27-112mm full frame lens, is about as close as you can get to the 24-105, I think.

The 18-135 crop sensor lens has more reach than the 17-70. Converting for 1.6x crop, that is similar to a 29-216mm full frame lens. I would sacrifice a bit on the long end to get a wider coverage on the short end, like maybe a 15-110.

Another option is the 18-135 EF-S lens.

That is similar to a 29-216mm lens on a full frame camera.

I use the Nikon equivalent 18-140 as my standard lens. That one lens pretty much takes care of 95% of my shooting needs. As I get older, hauling around more gear becomes an issue.

 

Having use a 24mm lens on my 35mm camera, I see where I would like a 2nd lens (like the 10-18) for WIDE shots.

When I go on business trips I have a very slimmed down kit. I bring the body and a pancake lens. If I need a wider shot I can often do a panorama. I might also bring a gorilla tripod. I take the singe pancake lens as a challenge and I find that it makes me shoot from different angles and the results can be interesting.

 

same here, pancake and a 55-250 zoom

now if it's a wildlife trip then longer lens