Yosemite Trip - 24mm wide enough?

wgravesphoto · Jul 27, 2016

Hey, folks! I am a wedding photographer taking a personal trip to Yosemite in a few weeks, and I have a decent selection of high quality lenses. But my largest concern is, being extremely inexperienced with landscape photography, whether or not 24mm is wide enough. I'll be shooting on a Canon 6D, so crop factor won't be an issue.

My Lenses:
24-70mm f/2.8L ii
70-200mm f/2.8L IS ii
50mm f/1.2L
100mm f/2.8L IS Macro

Thanks in advance, guys.

---
William Graves
www.wgravesphoto.com

hotdog321 · Jul 27, 2016

wgravesphoto said:
Hey, folks! I am a wedding photographer taking a personal trip to Yosemite in a few weeks, and I have a decent selection of high quality lenses. But my largest concern is, being extremely inexperienced with landscape photography, whether or not 24mm is wide enough. I'll be shooting on a Canon 6D, so crop factor won't be an issue.

My Lenses:
24-70mm f/2.8L ii
70-200mm f/2.8L IS ii
50mm f/1.2L
100mm f/2.8L IS Macro

Thanks in advance, guys.

---
William Graves
www.wgravesphoto.com

24mm is pretty decent, but the flexibility of the 16-35 f/4L IS will generate more visual opportunities.

I've been to Yosemite 7 or 8 times for up to two weeks at a time. I used to carry just about everything I own, but in reality a 16-35 and a 70-200, maybe with a 2X extender, will cover all the bases.

Travel light--there are lots of terrific, visual hikes, but many of them involve a 3000 foot vertical hiking path. But there are lots of other visuals at parking lots and turn outs.

--
photojournalist
http://craighartley.zenfolio.com/

KENTGA · Jul 27, 2016

You "talked" me into getting the 16-35 f4 for my upcoming trip to Y'stone in Sept and letting the 17-40 fall by the wayside. To answer the OP's question, I'd definitely get a wider lens.

To the OP- Be sure and visit Tunnel View and also drive up to Glacier Point for some afternoon photos. A tele would be good for both of these places.

Kent

hotdog321 · Jul 27, 2016

Thanks! Of course, Yosemite is so beautiful that you can drop the camera on your foot, accidentally triggering the shutter, and get a nice photo!

You'll be really happy with the 16-35 f/4L IS. I don't know anyone who doesn't love this lens.

--
photojournalist
http://craighartley.zenfolio.com/

wgravesphoto · Jul 27, 2016

KENTGA said:
You "talked" me into getting the 16-35 f4 for my upcoming trip to Y'stone in Sept and letting the 17-40 fall by the wayside. To answer the OP's question, I'd definitely get a wider lens.

To the OP- Be sure and visit Tunnel View and also drive up to Glacier Point for some afternoon photos. A tele would be good for both of these places.

Kent

Is the 16-35 really that much better than the 17-40?

---
William Graves
www.wgravesphoto.com

LaszloBencze · Jul 27, 2016

wgravesphoto said:
Is the 16-35 really that much better than the 17-40?

Stop worrying. You are well equipped to take the greatest pictures of Yosemite ever taken with the lenses you presently own. Truth be told, those super wide lenses make everything look so terribly far away. (You already knew this.) The 24 is about as wide as you would ever need. If you go wider than that, you will be forced to find some interesting foreground object (pond, weathered wood, weed, rock) to balance against a distant vista. But shots of that sort can be time consuming to find. Why not just enjoy yourself within the limitations of your present gear which, as I've explained, are hardly any limitations at all?

brian teasdale · Jul 27, 2016

Have been a few times to Yosemite but never with a decent lens

this is the 16-35, dawn in Monument Valley after much research consensus of opinion was that the 16-35 was sharper,also its lighter

brian

hotdog321 · Jul 27, 2016

wgravesphoto said:
KENTGA said:

You "talked" me into getting the 16-35 f4 for my upcoming trip to Y'stone in Sept and letting the 17-40 fall by the wayside. To answer the OP's question, I'd definitely get a wider lens.

To the OP- Be sure and visit Tunnel View and also drive up to Glacier Point for some afternoon photos. A tele would be good for both of these places.

Kent

Click to expand...

Is the 16-35 really that much better than the 17-40?

---
William Graves
www.wgravesphoto.com

Well, in all honesty, when stopped down there isn't all that much difference. But at f/4 there is a big difference, plus the IS is surprisingly useful for low light and not schlepping around a tripod.

Casual photographers will likely not notice that much difference, but pixel peepers and pros notice a solid improvement in resistance to flare, contrast and those critical edges and corners.

There's hundreds of threads on this--I don't know anyone who doesn't choose the 16-35 f/4L IS.

kevindar · Jul 27, 2016

wgravesphoto said:
Hey, folks! I am a wedding photographer taking a personal trip to Yosemite in a few weeks, and I have a decent selection of high quality lenses. But my largest concern is, being extremely inexperienced with landscape photography, whether or not 24mm is wide enough. I'll be shooting on a Canon 6D, so crop factor won't be an issue.

My Lenses:
24-70mm f/2.8L ii
70-200mm f/2.8L IS ii
50mm f/1.2L
100mm f/2.8L IS Macro

Thanks in advance, guys.

---
William Graves
www.wgravesphoto.com

Its definitely nice to have the 16-35 f4 IS lens with you. that said, if you are not experienced in landscape photography at all, it is sometimes easy to take boring images with an ultrawide. I should know b/c I have mastered the art of boring pictures with an ultrawide.

Yosemite is on e of those places that you can really shoot from 11mm to 400 mm for amazing landscape. if you can take something wide would be nice.

The tunnel view alone, I have seen great shots from the same exact spot from 14mm to 200mm.

Lawn Lends · Jul 27, 2016

As others have said, Yosemite is a place where UW lenses come into their own. This is what they are made for. Why? Because you can often take photos with no foreground! The bugbear of the UW landscape shooter is nearby trees on the sides, and land on the bottom, taking up half the image. While there is a lot of this in Yose too, you can find plenty of places where you are on the edge of a path and very few things on the side or bottom blocking your view even with a UW lens.

That said, 24mm is pretty wide and probably good enough. I know my first trip to Yose with my 6d, I was on a budget so the stock 24-105 was all I could afford, and it worked pretty well. Your 24-70 f2.8 should be sharper around the edges, so it should do though as usual try to shoot at smaller apertures.

Dan_168 · Jul 28, 2016

wgravesphoto said:
Hey, folks! I am a wedding photographer taking a personal trip to Yosemite in a few weeks, and I have a decent selection of high quality lenses. But my largest concern is, being extremely inexperienced with landscape photography, whether or not 24mm is wide enough. I'll be shooting on a Canon 6D, so crop factor won't be an issue.

My Lenses:
24-70mm f/2.8L ii
70-200mm f/2.8L IS ii
50mm f/1.2L
100mm f/2.8L IS Macro

In my opinion 24mm is wide enough for most cases, and in the case you need wider than that, you can simply do some stitching, with the LR or other software, that's becoming a pretty easy task these days. so I would just take the 24-70 on any hike and leave the rest behind, ideally i would suggest a 16-35 range but you don't have that listed, I personally always carry huge camera pack but just saying if you are not a crazy hiker just want to go out there to enjoy the view then lighter the pack, the easier for you. I hike/photograph there about 8-10 times a year and been up to most of the summit at the Tioga pass area and I found I mostly use the 14-50mm range a lot or the 300mm + end, not much between 100-300, but of course that has everything to do with personal preference.

Here is just some of the recent shots I share with friends, actually I may head up there this Friday after work and stay up in the Tioga pass area for some Milkyway shots.

https://flic.kr/s/aHskkrJ2mY

Kaso · Jul 28, 2016

wgravesphoto said:
Hey, folks! I am a wedding photographer taking a personal trip to Yosemite in a few weeks, and I have a decent selection of high quality lenses. But my largest concern is, being extremely inexperienced with landscape photography, whether or not 24mm is wide enough. I'll be shooting on a Canon 6D, so crop factor won't be an issue.

My Lenses:
24-70mm f/2.8L ii
70-200mm f/2.8L IS ii
50mm f/1.2L
100mm f/2.8L IS Macro

Thanks in advance, guys.

On my 5D3, 24mm is wide enough for most landscape shots. (I also use 24-70/2.8L II.) Consider PP-stitched panorama if you conceptualize a wider view for a certain vista.

Also, not all landscape shots are wide-angle shots. Consider bringing your 70-200 as well.

Have a great trip. (I have to come back to Yosemite.)

MPekala · Jul 28, 2016

Have a great trip. 24mm is definitely wide enough. This is at 25 mm.

kevindar · Jul 28, 2016

MPekala said:
Have a great trip. 24mm is definitely wide enough. This is at 25 mm.

not a bad shot, but I am not sure how that proves any point? nobody is saying you cant take shots at 25mm. as I stated in my past, you can do Yosemite justice shooting from 11mm to 200mm, easily.

--

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kevindar/

Old Greenlander · Jul 28, 2016

Samyang 14 mm but you need to work a bit the focus

JerryriggedTECH · Jul 29, 2016

wgravesphoto said:
Hey, folks! I am a wedding photographer taking a personal trip to Yosemite in a few weeks, and I have a decent selection of high quality lenses. But my largest concern is, being extremely inexperienced with landscape photography, whether or not 24mm is wide enough. I'll be shooting on a Canon 6D, so crop factor won't be an issue.

My Lenses:
24-70mm f/2.8L ii
70-200mm f/2.8L IS ii
50mm f/1.2L
100mm f/2.8L IS Macro

Thanks in advance, guys.

---
William Graves
www.wgravesphoto.com

Sorry... this is a bit off topic. Seems we have very similar tastes in lenses (and I also shoot with the 6D):

24-70mm f/2.8L II

70-200 f/2.8L IS II

35mm f/1.4L II

100mm f/2.8L IS Macro

Only difference is I have the 35mm vs. the 50mm. I've used the 50mm f/1.2L, and it is on my list to get as well as the 135mm f/2. However, I shoot mostly people (weddings / events / portraits), not so much landscapes. Also, never been much for shooting super wide, but if you can shoot wide anywhere it would be Yosemite. I live a couple hours away from there and usually go to the valley 2-3 times a year. Beautiful place!

MPekala · Jul 29, 2016

Uh . . . . because the OP asked if 24mm was wide enough and I showed him an image shot at 25mm? Is that not relevant to his question?

Christoph Stephan · Jul 29, 2016

I have not been to Yosemite but in any region with high mountains (this included an Iceland trip last year) I was always happy when I brought my EF-S 10-22mm (16mm on 35mm frame) because some dramatic shots would not have been possible without it.

The telephoto is useful as well, not only for wildlife (for this, 200mm will likely be too short, especially on 35mm frame), but also for condensed landscape shots.

--

Chris
-----

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kevindar · Jul 29, 2016

no.

it may have been if he had asked can I use a 24mm lens at Yosemite.

The only answer that can be backed by evidence/images to that question is a no, followed with some very nice shots at wider than 24mm.

Its fairly simple logic honestly.

Of course the question can be construed as a bit flawed, by I digress.

MPekala · Jul 29, 2016

Here's a situation:

Person A: "Is a 15mm wrench wide enough for this bolt?"

Person B (placing a 15 mm wrench on the bolt, finding that it fits): "Yes."

That answers the question.

Putting a 25mm wrench (or a 6mm wrench) on the bolt and saying "no" isn't as helpful.

Yosemite Trip - 24mm wide enough?

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