Lenses for cruise to Alaska

[heidi_jones2]

<p>Hello! First time poster... I have the original digital Rebel and am planning on getting the Rebel T1i. My question is about lenses. I am a newbie when it comes to photography. I take pictures of my kids and vacations. I am on a budget, I want a good lens, but not too pricey. I have 2 lenses already, but am thinking I need a wider angle...<br>

I have the 28-105 f/3.5-4.5 USM & the 75-300 f/4-5.6 III USM (I have had them since my 35mm Rebel)</p>

<p>Any recommendations? I love the fisheye, but I don't think it is practical.... (I have wanted one for longer than I can remember! LOL Maybe someday!)<br>

Thanks!<br>

Heidi</p>

[harold_motte]

<p>Hello,<br>

I can say that you will need the long lens IF you plan on doing any whale watching excerursion and also for any other wildlife, or birds. I took a 100-400 this past June and was glad I did because shorter would not have gotten the photos I got.<br>

You don't say what your budget is but there are reviews on two of Canon's new lenses: the 15-85mm - $799 and the 18-135mm - $499.<br>

Why don't you look into the reviews on one of those since you are on a budget.<br>

Best Wishes</p>

[ronhartman]

<p>If you are getting the T1i anyway, I'd look into the 2 lens package. You would get the 18-55mm and 55-250mm lenses, both with image stabilization. There is a rebate program running until November 21st that makes the package not much more the just the body.</p>

<p>I never really got into fisheye lenses, but I believe there are some inexpensive ones around.</p>

[heidi_jones2]

<p>Thanks! I thought about getting the Tamron 1.4x teleconverter for my 75-300. I am not sure if it will work. I know the Canon one won't work. Do you think 18-55 or 18-135 will be wide enough for the landscapes/glaciers?</p>

[nathangardner]

<p>I just went on a cruise to Alaska and you definately need wider than 28mm. I would sell the 28-105mm (especially since it overlaps the 75-300mm anyways) and get something that's 17mm or wider on the wide end. I used a 17-85mm IS and it was great. The 17-40mm L is also a great lens, optically its better than the 17-85mm, but not as long. You can get a used 17-85 on ebay for about $300 or a new one for less than $450. A used 17-40mm L runs about $600. Also, I don't know what your budget is, but I sold my 75-300mm IS (along with some extra cash) to get a 70-200mm L. Although the 70-200mm isn't as long the optics and AF are far superior to the 75-300mm. I love mine and the f/4 non IS version can be bought for $500 if you look. If you plan on whale watching, I would highly recommend getting this lens. You may miss a lot of shots with the 75-300mm because of the slow AF. The AF on the latter is very fast and you won't miss a shot. It would be cheaper to buy a $500 lens now than to pay $2000 to go back to Alaska to get the shot you missed. </p>

<p>The fisheye probably isn't practical. I had a 10-22mm with me and rarely used it because if I wanted to take anything that wasn't super wide, I was forced to change lenses.</p>

<p>BTW: The one excursion that I highly recommend is the White Pass train ride in Skagway. It takes you up to the summit of the mountain of the 1898 gold rush and it is amazing. Lots of good photos here, just wish I could've told the train to stop so I could compose my shots a little better.</p>

[rjtully]

<p>EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM about $700 16-35mm equivalent on a T1i Excellent lens for landscapes.<br>

EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM about $1200 A great all round lens.<br>

70-200 F4.0 L USM about $600 is another excellent choice.<br>

Just my opinion. Have a great trip!</p>

 

[JCBeard]

<p>Heidi<br>

I shoot a Nikon D300 and not Canon but hopefully I can add something to your quest. I cruised Alaska last summer and I used just two lenses. I used a 18mm-200mm zoom inside the ship, on deck and around the towns where we stopped. And mostly on the short end of the zoom range. But for shooting scenics from the ship to shore I mostly used my 400mm 3.5 and often times with a 1.4x teleconverter. Your going to find that everything to look at is still a long way away from the ship. With the long lens I was able to capture seals, whales, bears, eagles, calving glaciers, many landscapes and more. Have fun, Alaska is spectacular.<br>

JB</p>

[anthony_zipple]

<p>I would add wider and longer. A 10-22, for example, would give you a rally wide lens. The 10-22 is more practical than a fisheye, but very dramatic. A 100-400 L would give you the reach that you neeed for longer shots. Both are great lenses. And it never hurt to toss an $85 50mm f/1.8 in the bag so you will have one fast lens.</p>

[marc_felber1]

<p>I go rent a 400mm f.2.8 from your local camera shop. Is much cheaper than buying the lens. </p>

[g dan mitchell]

<p>I second Ron Hartman's recommendation of the two EFS lenses. Unless you are a rather serious photographer who plans to make large prints, these lenses provide a lot of utility for the price.</p>

<p>Dan</p>

[sheldonnalos]

<p>Get the Rebel T1i kit with the 18-55mm IS lens. Then add a 50mm f/1.8 for lower light shots w/o flash. You'll be fine.<br>

<br /> I went on an alaskan cruise this summer, used my middle and telephoto zooms much more than anything. Out of several thousand frames, I used the ultrawide zoom maybe for 10% of the shots. Out of those there were really only 3-4 keepers that I could not have gotten w/ a standard zoom.</p>

<p>300mm on a crop camera is long enough. 18mm is wide enough for the vast majority of shots. Don't feel like you need to get anything fancy. Enjoy yourself, the buffet is open all night!</p>

[joseph_massimino]

<p>I have a good selection of lens for my Nikon D90 and of them all, I would say that the 10-24mm Zoom is one of my favorites. I have the 10.5mm Fisheye and while it is a great lens and I do use it, I do not use it as often as any other. The other lens that I get a lot of use from is the 50mm F1.8, this is a good lens for low light, or natural light shots, and I can keep it on the camera 50% of the time. One other that I enjoy using is one of two that will do Macro shots. I have the Tokina 35mm Macro, and the Nikon 105mm macro, both are very good. Keep Tokina in your sites as they have very good quality lens and much lower priced than what you would think. They have a fisheye that you may like, but I don't recommend it unless you have money to burn, it will not be as useful as the 50mm F1.5, or the 10-24 Zoom. Judging by what you have , the 10-24mm fills a gap in your current lineup of lens. The other gap is in telephoto above 300mm. That is a gap I filled with the Sigma 120-400mm. It is a good trade off for the higher priced Nikon model. The great bang for the buck award would go to Tokina, and I would give second place to Sigma. Good luck in maki ng that choice. Joe</p>

[ed_v.]

If you're on a budget, I'd also recommend the T1i kit with the 2 IS lenses, then rent a 400 mm just for the cruise.

[dogbert]

<p>Get the kit with the EF-S 18-55 IS and the EF-S 55-250 IS.<br>

As others have said you will definitely want a long lens. If your budget allows the 70-300 f4-5.6 USM IS would be an even better long lens. And of course there are other more expensive options, but you will find with lenses price increases exponentially while performance only increases marginally.<br>

I have done the Alaskan cruise and I used the 75-300 that you are talking about. It works ok but the new 55-250 IS is a lot better optically particularly at the long end where it counts. The IS is also very helpful.</p>

[heidi_jones2]

<p>Thanks everyone!</p>

[matthew_walker4]

<p>This is where renting is so damn fantastic. I mean, if I go on a cruise and I need super length, I can rent a 300mm+ lens knowing that I probably will not use it all that much after the fact. Plus, use it as a try-before-you-buy and see if you really need something like that. A friend of mine did Alaska two years ago with a Canon S3 IS and got some really nice pictures.</p>