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Japan trip: 24-105mm f/4 and what L prime for 7D?

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kara11

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I'll be heading off to Japan soon and will be living there for a while. At first I was sure I'd take with me two prime lenses with my new 7D but after a lot of research I've decided on the versatile 24-105mm f/4 L. Although I'm sure this is the lens that will be on my camera for most of my shots, do you guys recommend I take a prime with me as well? If so, which? So far I'm in love with the build and image quality of the L lenses so I'm only really looking at those right now.

The pictures I will be taking are well...anything I find interesting just walking around the streets of Tokyo. I'll also be visiting museums, landmarks, and the countryside so definitely a wide variety of settings.

Thanks!
 
.. the 24-105 will be anywhere near wide enough on a 7D (38.4mm equivalent FOV) as a "main" lens for landscape and urban shooting (which is what travel photography mainly is) in a country as "compact" as Japan. As for adding an L prime - the only ones that will give you a wider FOV than your zoom would be the 17TSE or the 14L. Both of which are quite large and heavy and really require slow and deliberate use on a tripod - especially the TSE.

I would suggest a 10-22 or even the Sigma 8-16 for those wide landscapes and narrow streets. Perhaps add a 35 f2 as a "normal" (on a 7D) prime for low-light use.
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Judge: ' This image may be better in black and white - perhaps even just black! '
 
PhillipA said:
.. the 24-105 will be anywhere near wide enough on a 7D (38.4mm equivalent FOV) as a "main" lens for landscape and urban shooting (which is what travel photography mainly is) in a country as "compact" as Japan.
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When I went to Kyoto I had the 17-40L on my 20D, and it was at the 17mm end most of the time. Had my 75-300IS packed as well... used it for a single shot. I can't imagine trying to "do Japan" starting from 38mm equivalent. The 17-55/2.8IS, or the 15-85 would be a starting point... but you can only go wider from there.

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-CW

よしよし、今日も生きのいい魂が手に入ったな
 
PhillipA said:
.. the 24-105 will be anywhere near wide enough on a 7D (38.4mm equivalent FOV) as a "main" lens for landscape and urban shooting (which is what travel photography mainly is) in a country as "compact" as Japan.
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This depends entirely on your shooting style. I have a 7D with a 24-105 and for me it's not an issue since I shoot 99% of my images in the 50-105 mm range.
 
CarstenLP said:
This depends entirely on your shooting style.
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This could be said for any lens. "museums, landmarks, and the countryside" could be done with a 100-400L... but I wouldn't recommend such a restrictive range (and the 24-105 on a crop camera is restrictive in any broad sense of the term) unless you know exactly what you are planning... in which case, you probably aren't looking for advice on these forums.

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-CW

よしよし、今日も生きのいい魂が手に入ったな
 
Having been to Japan, Tokyo and Hakone to be specific, I have to agree with the others here. You will find a lot of narrow streets and tall buildings so you will want something wider.

Having said that, If you like street photography, portraits in particular you might want something a little longer and faster to go with a wide, in that case the 85-105mm end of that zoom lens would be fine on a 7d.

I'm not a fan of zoom lenses at all, but with crop cameras your only choices for wide focal lengths are usually ef-s lenes like the 17-55 IS everyone raves about would probably be a good one for you. If you had the money you could get the 14mm f/2.8L mkI or mkII but its not one of the better lenses though I had fun borrowing one from a friend when I visited Chicago last year.
 
hm..didn't realize 24mm wouldn't be wide enough even though it's on the 7D. I don't really feel the need to get huge wide shots and I really dislike distortion in my photos (just personal preference). Do you guys still think I should go for a wider lens?
 
if you have found that 24 is wide enough for you, then i would suggest the 135/2. Gets you extra reach and two stops faster. However, i am inclined to agree that you may want wider than 24
kara11 said:
hm..didn't realize 24mm wouldn't be wide enough even though it's on the 7D. I don't really feel the need to get huge wide shots and I really dislike distortion in my photos (just personal preference). Do you guys still think I should go for a wider lens?
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How long are you going to be there and what will you be doing? (since you said you would be living there for a while)

Under those circumstances, I don't see it as unreasonable to bring the primes and the zoom.

And keep in mind that you're not exactly heading into the jungle; rather you are heading to the mecca of photography where you can go to multiple camera stores that have the full range of every item Canon makes and lots of used stuff as well.
 
I'll be there for about 5 months and will also travel to Jeju-do island and Seoul, South Korea.

Right now I'm thinking about getting a 35mm f/1.4 as my fast prime lens to go along with the 24-105mm and perhaps one more wide prime lens.
 
24mm is a minimum for "wide angle" on a 1.6x body. It will give you a 38mm-ish look, which is barely into the mild wide angle (35mm) favored for street shooting.

A "standard" wide angle look is 24mm. You need 15mm for that.

However, one lens you SHOULD take with you is a 30/1.4 or 35/1.4. Because you are using an APSC body you could get the Sigma 30/1.4 ($450) which is widely praised, very well built, and a phenomenal value. The 35/1.4L is a magnificent lens but the extra $1000 might be better spent on something else if you don't have a full frame body. (Sigma vs Canon in this case is a no-brainer.)

You could buy a Sigma 30/1.4 and a Canon 17-40/4L, or the 30/1.4 and a Canon 10-22 or 15-85 IS. All of those, I think, would be good pairings.

--
http://twitter.com/jpaphoto
 
I owned a 135/2 for a long time but eventually I noticed that I barely used it, and I sold it. Although it takes amazing photos, it is not a general purpose lens, especially on a crop body. It would be very very low on my list of recommendations.

Seriously, if you were going to get a telephoto you'd be better off with the 100/2.8L IS MACRO instead. Way, way, better. There's lots of little stuff to photograph in Japan.
nathaniel m said:
if you have found that 24 is wide enough for you, then i would suggest the 135/2. Gets you extra reach and two stops faster. However, i am inclined to agree that you may want wider than 24
kara11 said:
hm..didn't realize 24mm wouldn't be wide enough even though it's on the 7D. I don't really feel the need to get huge wide shots and I really dislike distortion in my photos (just personal preference). Do you guys still think I should go for a wider lens?
Click to expand...
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http://twitter.com/jpaphoto
 
Don't spend $1400 on a lens (35/1.4L) when $450 (30/1.4 from Sigma) will do the trick.
kara11 said:
I'll be there for about 5 months and will also travel to Jeju-do island and Seoul, South Korea.

Right now I'm thinking about getting a 35mm f/1.4 as my fast prime lens to go along with the 24-105mm and perhaps one more wide prime lens.
Click to expand...
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http://twitter.com/jpaphoto
 
So, buy a full frame body for them, or at least a 1D.

Otherwise you're spending 2x as much money as you need to.

kara11 wrote:

So far I'm in love with the build and image quality of the L lenses so I'm only really looking at those right now.

--
http://twitter.com/jpaphoto
 
joebloe said:
So, buy a full frame body for them, or at least a 1D.

Otherwise you're spending 2x as much money as you need to.

kara11 wrote:

So far I'm in love with the build and image quality of the L lenses so I'm only really looking at those right now.

--
http://twitter.com/jpaphoto
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Well I already own the 7D so buying a full frame isn't an option for me. What's wrong with wanting only L lenses as a 7D owner?
 
kara11 said:
Well I already own the 7D so buying a full frame isn't an option for me. What's wrong with wanting only L lenses as a 7D owner?
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The lack of a good wide angle zoom for APS-C bodies. I would bring the EF-S 10-22 for wide angle and the 35mm f/1.4L for a fast normal lens. Personally I wouldn't go with the 24-105 as a walkabout zoom due to the lack of wide angle options.
 
What"s your budget?
kara11 said:
I'll be heading off to Japan soon and will be living there for a while. At first I was sure I'd take with me two prime lenses with my new 7D but after a lot of research I've decided on the versatile 24-105mm f/4 L. Although I'm sure this is the lens that will be on my camera for most of my shots, do you guys recommend I take a prime with me as well? If so, which? So far I'm in love with the build and image quality of the L lenses so I'm only really looking at those right now.

The pictures I will be taking are well...anything I find interesting just walking around the streets of Tokyo. I'll also be visiting museums, landmarks, and the countryside so definitely a wide variety of settings.

Thanks!
Click to expand...
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Like others here, I suffer from OCD. Other Camera Disorder.
 
... that you don't actually have the 24-105 yet ? If this is the case, you really need to try one, preferably inside and for some street and landscape shots.

I certainly wouldn't find it anywhere near wide enough for "travel" photography. I found the 17-40 too restricted in Europe when I was shooting with a 1.6 crop body and bought a 10-22 while I was there (in 2005).

The 24-105 is generally wide enough on a full-frame 5DII, but I still keep a 20mm prime or 17-40 in my bag.
--

Judge: ' This image may be better in black and white - perhaps even just black! '
 
I don't really have a set budget but seeing as how I am looking at the L lenses I would say anywhere from $1k-$2k.
 
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