dan_woodlief1

We travel quite a bit. I have a 7d and have found my 24-105 gets used for 80-90 percent of my shots. I use a 10-22 for 5 to 10 percent. I will always take a 50 f1.8 in case I want it and a 70-200 f4, which I will use for maybe 5 percent. The wide angle and mid range/tele lenses are the percect combo for most typical travel photography.

<p>I second the suggestion to rent. I have several great Canon lenses, but my longest is 200mm. On a trip to Yellowstone, I rented the 100-400 from LensRentals.com. Their service was great, and the price was very affordable for a 1 1/2 week trip. I am awaiting the same lens to arrive from them for an upcoming trip to Alaska. I works well with a tripod but also has IS and works fine without one if necessary. For a 10 day rental I am paying somewhere around $100, but I am not sure about the cost to take it overseas.</p>

<p>I am creating a pro photo website and would like to have lots of old negatives and slides scanned (mostly negatives). Does anyone know of a really good lab for this in the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill area in North Carolina? I would prefer to do it near home.</p>

Well, of course you will want to take a few of the same old shots everyone else gets, but I often find that shots including people are some of the most interesting from my travels. You will have a wealth of opportunities in Prague and the Italian cities. I have been to all you mentioned but Siena. Squares offer great opportunities in Italy. In Florence, make sure to take a trip up to Piazzale Michelangelo, which overlooks the city. You can get magnificent shots of the city below and a few good people shots. Don't miss the church on the hill. It has a very photogenic cemetery. As for Venice, I love the backstreets and little squares that pop up here and there. Cannaregio is one of my favorite slightly less traveled parts of Venice (though the part close to the train station is very touristy). In Prague, Old Town Square and Charles Bridge offer more chances to get lots of people photos. I completely agree about the lens choices. With the 20D (which I also own), you shouldn't need the 70-200 very much, but I can certainly see some occasions when you might "want" but not "need" it.

I appreciate all the responses. I didn't see it in the manual, but I guess I just missed it. I wasn't surprised by the flash, only the noise. I have been using EOS cameras for years and had never heard it like that before. I guess the conditions were never quite right for me to hear it. I rarely use the pop up flash inside. Thanks for easing my mind.

I only pushed the shutter button. This could very well have been the modeling light, but does it usually make a sound like that?

I just got a new 20D a week ago. Last night I was playing around with

it and was focusing on something that was too close. I had the built

in flash up. The flash was giving a series of rapid bursts, and it

sounded very strange, an electrical sound, almost like a short. It

happens everytime I repeat this. Has anyone else experienced this? Is

it normal, or does this sound like an electrical problem? I plan to

contact Canon about it on Monday, but would like to hear from others

first. I really want to be able to return it to B&H and get another

in time for Christmas if I have a problem. Thanks.

Some spots where you will find lots of photo ops - Brooklyn Bridge (not only the bridge but great views of Midtown and financial district), Chinatown, Washington Square area in Greenwich Village, Times Square, Central Park.

I meant to say I also covered Isla Mujeres in my Web site. A great choice that is easy for a daytrip. Nice beach there too.

I know you want only daytrips, but from a money standpoint Merida is possible. We were staying in downtown Cancun (not all inclusive) and didn't mind keeping our hotel in Cancun while spending one night in Merida because we got a place there for about $30 per night. That was enough time to enjoy the Sunday festival in the city and spend a few hours at the beautiful and very photogenic Uxmal ruins.

 

The Coba-Tulum combo is a great way to spend a day. Tulum is no more than two hours from Cancun, and Coba is another 30-40 minutes inland from the Tulum ruins. I also completely agree with those who advised getting to Chichen-Iza as early as possible. I have a section on my Web site from a few years ago. I had just gotten into photography at the time. You may get some ideas from the photos and travelogs - Cancun, Merida, Uxmal, Chichen-Itza, Cozumel, Playa del Carmen, Coba, Tulum, and Xel-Ha are covered.

I have the 70-200, so I have a feel for the size and weight, although I just got it and haven't traveled with it yet. I have used a non-L 70-210 lens in NYC with 35 mm. I don't shoot digital. That said, I would definitely take the 70-200, although you will only use it occasionally. You will find it useful in Central Park, high spots like the Empire State Building, the Brooklyn Bridge/Brooklyn Heights areas, the Statue of Liberty, and some for people shots. I probably wouldn't take it out every day though because it isn't a necessary lens for many of the places you are likely to go, and for most people shots there you really don't need a long lens. You are likely to get much more benefit out of the 17-40 than the 28-70, but I would lean toward taking both on a daily basis for my main outfit.

As someone who has spent countless hours developing a personal Web site devoted to travel photography (you think it is hard with a wife, try a 4-year old and a 6-month old) and who just took two trips to NYC, I have to say you did a fantastic job so far with your American Journey. I can't wait to see the rest. As someone who also loves photographing Civil War sites, I do hope you will include a good number of shots from Gettysburg.

Be careful with the tulip hoods too. With my 28-105 lens, the hood sometimes shifts around without my realizing it. It then vignettes badly in two of the corners. Very annoying.

I might be interested. I live in Durham, not far from Chapel Hill. My favorite photo types are travel, nature (more landscapes, waterfall, etc. than wildlife - don't have anything longer than 200 yet), and people. The problem is I have a one-year old, so I don't know how often I can get away from the house. I definitely would be interested in what you are proposing though. I could probably make some of the closeby outings and one longer trip per year.

I am fighting this dilemma as I type. I really need to expand my lens set by getting a 300mm and a wide angle (20-35 or 17-35). I want to go to Italy next year too. However, we just had our first child this year. However, I just got a pretty good raise. So what do I do? We may find it hard to go to Italy for two weeks, depending on how the child is in 11 months (when I plan on going)? Do I forgo a lens this year (man, that wide angle would be great for Italy) or do I ignore every interesting used lens that comes across photo.net hoping that we actually will be able to go to Italy in the Fall. And then there is the dilemma of what wide angle to get, as obviously so many of you have faced. I want a 17-35/2.8, but boy that 20-35/2.8 would save some money, and I have seen some really good deals on 24mm lenses. AAAAAGH. My inclination is to go for the trip (I am a confessed travel addict) and buy a lens next year, but I know I will want to travel again then too. Maybe the real answer is to find a way to get rich.