nathan_terhorst

<p>I was there almost exactly one year ago. I got by with a 35mm 1.4L, a 200mm 2.8L MkII and a Tamron 17-50mm. There were a few moments I wished I had a longer lens, but not as many as you might think. You can walk right up to most of the animals so having tons of reach isn't as big of an issue. A wider lens would have been nice at times (Isla Bartolome). Don't worry too much about low-light, since all tourists have to be off the uninhabited islands before sunset.<br>

If you are planning on spending any amount of time at all in the water, <strong>absolutely</strong> get an underwater housing for your G10. The seals, sharks, rays and even turtles will swim right up to you, and you'll kick yourself if you can't take photos or video. I had a crappy Olympus that was limited to 10-sec clips and I still managed to get some great <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPM2bFdeRK8">movies</a> .<br>

Have a great trip! You will never forget the Galapagos, they are truly one-of-a-kind. And don't forget to look up from the camera every once in a while :-)</p>

50mm 1.4.

Seems to have worked for Cartier-Bresson. :-)

"Too bad it is "just" f/2.8, because I really am looking for a 50mm/1.4 equivalent for APS-C camera's."

Sigma makes it, 30mm/1.4. Or if you are rich and a Canon devotee, the 35mm L lens.

Upcoming trip to the South Pacific--New Zealand, Tonga, Samoa. Right

now I have 20D, 24mm/2.8 and 50mm/1.4, and I want something long to

complement. I like the sharpness and available-light ability of the

prime--as you can tell, I like primes in general--but the zoom seems

like it might be more useful. Both are the same size, weight, and

price. Thoughts?

I have a 20D and I'm thinking about buying one of these two lenses. I

really like the 35mm (FF equivalent) focal length of the 24mm lens,

but numerous comparisons I've read have all said it's optically

inferior to its 35mm sister. Still, I can't help but notice these

tests are almost always performed using a FF body like the 1Ds. It

seems like a lot of the complaints about the 24's corner sharpness,

vignetting, etc. would vanish with the 1.6x crop. Anyone ever check

this out? Thanks!

I might be moving to Japan soon and I'm debating whether to stock up

on some gear now or when I arrive. I know in other places, like

Europe, consumer electronics tend to be way more expensive than in the

U.S. but even in the country of origin? amazon.co.jp has the 24mm 1.4L

for about 228,000 yen, which would make it almost twice as expensive

as buying in the US. Is it possible to find things cheaper there?

This is sort of a dumb question, but I want to ask people who have

been paying attention to this stuff for a while and have more of an

"historical" perspective on Canon pricing and rebates. At some time in

the next year or so I will be purchasing a basic Canon or Nikon setup

consisting of DSLR body, a 70-200mm and a 50mm prime. So Canon's

current rebate program is right up my ally. But buying that whole

bundle now would be a bit of a financial stretch, and I don't really

care about possessing it until this summer or fall when I do some

traveling. Still, if I bought now I would qualify for like $500 in

rebates: about 33% off. A deal like that seems too good too pass

up--or is it? My question is twofold: first, are rebate programs like

this common or would I have to way until the next holiday season, and

second does Canon equipment (moreso bodies than lenses) depreciate to

the point where what I'm looking at will have dropped $500 in six

months anyways? As an aside, does Canon employ one of those hokey

rebate companies to handle these things? I've heard horror stories.

What are your experiences with this program? Thanks much!

In a little while I'm embarking on a one-year trip sailing around

the world. I figure this is a once-in-a-lifetime experience and I

intend to document it as such, which means upgrading my paltry P&S

to a decent SLR with some good glass. But I'm worried the toll the

harsh marine air might take on said equipment, particularly with all

the onboard electronics, and particularly for such a long time. What

are your experiences & recommendations here? My only requirement is

that it be an SLR and I'd really really really like it to be a

DSLR... film and film processing are expensive. Thanks much!