Traveling to Grand Canyon - ?'s on Wide Angle Lens

[todd_moreno3]

<p>I need personal suggestions on what wide-angle lens would be best for the Grand Canyon. As of now, I have a Nikon D 300 camera outfit with a Nikon 18-200 Lens. I'm considering buying a new lens and I could use some professional information on which lens would be perfect for my trip. As of now, I'm open to Nikon, Tokina and Tamron. Thanks for your opinions. Feel free to list places or experiences if you have been to the Grand Canyon before for Photography.</p>

[luis_g]

<p>I'd add a 11-16/2.8 Tokina to that. Take a tripod, get up and be on the rim before sunrise and till the afterglow. The Grand Canyon is ultra-seductive. Take a polarizer for the 18-200 and a GND. Lots of people like the North Rim, and it is far less crowded, but the South Rim has its charms. The effect the thing has on people is worth photographing. It's one of my favorite things about it.</p>

<p> At night, herds of deer roam thorough the edge of the hotel parking lots, and they're not too afraid of people.</p>

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[charles_stobbs3]

If it's not too warm take a few hours to hike down one of the trails ( or take the mule ride) and get really into the canyon. I've only done the Bright Angel Trail but ther are many others. Do some research on line first. Enjoy.

[mightypir]

<p>Keep your existing lens, and make sure that you take a tripod. Ultra wides will not do it justice, the Grand Canyon deserves a panorama!!!<br>

good luck!</p>

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[Ed_Ingold]

<p>The Bright Angel trail is about 1-1/2 mules wide and mules have the right-of-way to the inside track. The upper part of the trail is in a vertical sandstone wall (the Bright Angel Formation) about 1400' high. It's not for me, but YMMV. The rangers suggest you walk 1/4 mile down the trail and back up before deciding to do the whole descent. At very least, you will know better what to carry and what to leave behind (besides 3 gallons of water).</p>

<p>Wide is good, but not necessarily a super wide angle lens. The extra field of view diminishes the "vertical" effect, which you retain by shooting stitched panoramas. There's a picture for everybody, so carry whatever lenses you can manage.</p>

[bob_flood1]

<p>Rule 1: carry lots of water.<br>

Rule 2 (and one that works pretty well): plan for the climb back up to take 2-3 hours for every hour you hike down into the canyon. Don't underestimate the effort of coming back up.<br>

Rule 3: carry lots of water.<br>

I use the 16-85 and haven't needed anything wider. I agee with the sentiment that a wider image needs to be a panoramic.<br>

I'm one of those that prefers the north rim - much less crowded - maybe 10% the number of people found on the south rim. You didn't say when you are going, so be mindful that the north rim closes around mid to late October - check their website for the exact date if that would be a factor.<br>

If you aren't interested in hiking to the bottom and back up, I suggest you go part way down - even an hour down gives you a very different perspective from the rim, one that you may find to your liking.<br>

Did I mention taking water? It's a desert out there (you can quote me). :^)</p>

[charles_stobbs3]

The mules go on to Plateau Point on the one day trip. A good destination for hikers also with a view down to the river. A side trip on the Tonto Trail for a mile or so gets you away from other people and mules. I went in April and I think there were only two mule trips scheduled that day, thus the mules were no real problem.

[dan_south]

<p>Your 18-200 mm lens will be fine. You might THINK that you'll need a wider lens, but it will just make distant detail look smaller. More often than not you'll be zooming in on distant rock formations. Definitely take a polarizer to help cut through the haze.</p>

<p>I'll repeat what someone else has said: Carry LOT of water. Way more than you think you'll need. Gatorade, too. In the southwest, you can become dehydrated walking across a parking lot. Imagine how you'll feel after an hour of hiking in that heat and dry air.</p>

<p>Going down into the canyon is going can be interesting, but I wouldn't recommend going far in the summer. The problem is that in order to see interesting scenery, you have to hike down for a while. That means a long, hard, hot hike back out with your water supply dwindling. Unless you're an experience hiker, I'd recommend staying on the rim and hiking the rim trail. There's plenty to see from the top.</p>

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[Ian Taylor]

<p>I was just shooting at the Fish River Canyon in Namibia, the second largest after TGC.<br>

I found the 17-40(@17mm) to be the most useful.<br>

http://www.photo.net/photo/9260572&size=lg</p>

[peter_k4]

<p>I took several lenses with my D200 on a 4 day trip through the grand canyon. All I used was my 18-200.</p><div></div>

[bob_flood1]

<p>Let me add another point - the south rim is over 7,000 ft and the north rim is over 8,000. If you aren't used to the altitude, it can make the hike back up more difficult. In the heat. And it's a dry heat. Did someone bring up carrying water?</p>

[tcphotodesign]

<p>I went this year to the Grand Canyon. Our first time. The first day it rained, light was very flat.<br>

The next day, the sky cleared for the most part so the sky was without a dramatic look and weather was much warmer. The last day it was very windy. I saw the dear and got a few nice shots, but the crowds of people kept chasing the dear, I had to use my 18-200.<br>

There were huge crowds and the weather wasn't great but I got a few decent shots. I had my kids and wife with me, so it was not easy to get up out of a noisy tent and leave them by themselves in a campground at sun up or sun set. So I did not get very dramatic shots.</p>

 

[tcphotodesign]

<p>I went this year to the Grand Canyon. Our first time. The first day it rained, light was very flat.<br>

The next day, the sky cleared for the most part so the sky was without a dramatic look and weather was much warmer. The last day it was very windy. I saw the dear and got a few nice shots, but the crowds of people kept chasing the dear, I had to use my 18-200.<br>

There were huge crowds and the weather wasn't great but I got a few decent shots. I had my kids and wife with me, so it was not easy to get up out of a noisy tent and leave them by themselves in a campground at sun up or sun set. So I did not get very dramatic shots.</p>

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[tcphotodesign]

<p>sorry for double post.</p><div></div>

[tnaskedov]

<p>Hi Todd,<br>

I live in Arizona, and I was just at the South Rim for 5 days at the end of July (when you made this post, actually!). I shoot Pentax, so I can't recommend a Nikon lens, but the Tokina 12-24mm f/4 is the same basic lens design as the Pentax DA 12-24 f/4 that I used extensively at the canyon. It's a very well-rated lens, and very sharp at all focal lengths from f/4 on. I disagree that you don't want to go wider than 18mm for shots of the canyon, especially if you have good weather (by "good" I mean thunderstorms and the like). I DO agree that you will want every bit of that 18-200. There are infinite possibilities for both dramatic, sweeping images of canyon and sky, and isolated points of interested within the canyon.<br>

Not sure which rim you're going to, but the South can be crowded (even for sunrises and sunsets...especially for sunrises and sunsets). All of the viewpoints offer a unique view, and you can usually walk a bit away from the main viewpoint to leave people behind. If you can, take the bus out toward Hermit's rest, as there are several good viewpoints along this route (Pima being exceptional). The bus runs before sunrise, so you can get set up before anyone else gets there and do long exposures with pre-dawn light. Also, remember to stay for the extra 15-20 minutes after sunset for beautiful (but even) light with longer exposures...most of the people I saw left as soon as the sun was out of sight. It might be a good idea to get a split ND filter as well.<br>

Anyway, have a great time! And here's one shot to show what the 12-24 can do at 12mm:<br>

<img src="http://naskedov.zenfolio.com/img/v6/p971755662-4.jpg" alt="" /></p>

[todd_moreno3]

<p>Thanks again for the information on my message post...If you have any other suggestions as to specific places to visit I would greatly appreciate it. In terms of the best places in the grand canyon - where would you recommend going specifically and at what time? Etc.. We are also considering driving more north -from the S. Rim. I know about the other Canyon Rims, or more north toward powell lake, marbel canyon and the wave - Are they worth the extra trips?<br>

What shutter speed, exposure, etc are best set-up for the canyon shots? Due to the heat - Should I stick with polorizer filters?<br>

In terms of gear - I'm still considering the Tokina 12-24 F/4 or 11-17 F2.8, Tamron 10-24 or the still pricey nikon10-24. I have 2 weeks until my trip, but i'm really lost as to which one will give me the best shots. </p>

[tnaskedov]

<p>Two things:<br>

For location, sunrise and sunset, and any thunderstorms. Also, Horseshoe Bend (oft-photographed), is a couple miles south of Page.<br>

For lenses, I can't speak to the Nikon glass, but many Pentax users who have compared the DA 12-24 (virtually identical optically to the Tokina 12-24) to the Tamron 10-24 find the Pentax/Tokina noticeably superior.</p>

<p>Todd</p>