Looking for a good travel lens with good zoom for a Canon camera

[Ctech_83]

Hi,

I currently have a Canon 650 D. Lens wise I currently have a Tamron 18-270 and a Sigma 10-28, but I use the Tamron 98% of my time and I love it.

However I'm planning a 2-3 month round trip in South-America and want to upgrade with photo kit. My question to you knowledgeable folks are what lenses I should buy.

I'm thinking of two lenses one in the range of 18-70 and another from around 70-300 with a 2x Extender. I'm hoping to pick up the lenses second hand - budget wise I'm willing to go up a bit in price, but keep it reasonable, lets say in the range of 2000 EURO in total second hand.

If I was to upgrade my camera also to lets say a full frame camera such as the Canon 6D - would this change your recommendations or do the lenses you suggest work equally well for both cameras?

Hoping for some good suggestions

 

[Ctech_83]

I have a Canon 500 D not the 650 D is I wrote above :/

 

[William Woodruff]

EF-s 15-85 and EF 70-200 f4 is. That will get you everything you need in two spectacular lenses. I never heard of a Sigma 10-28, but if you are talking about the Sigma 10-20, that's as good as you will ever need in that range.

I wouldn't worry about what to do if you go full frame in the future, as long as you are just thinking that maybe someday you might switch. For now, shoot the gear that you have and enjoy.

 

[robonrome]

William Woodruff wrote:

EF-s 15-85 and EF 70-200 f4 is. That will get you everything you need in two spectacular lenses. I never heard of a Sigma 10-28, but if you are talking about the Sigma 10-20, that's as good as you will ever need in that range.

I wouldn't worry about what to do if you go full frame in the future, as long as you are just thinking that maybe someday you might switch. For now, shoot the gear that you have and enjoy.

 

[photonius]

William Woodruff wrote:

EF-s 15-85 and EF 70-200 f4 is. That will get you everything you need in two spectacular lenses. I never heard of a Sigma 10-28, but if you are talking about the Sigma 10-20, that's as good as you will ever need in that range.

I wouldn't worry about what to do if you go full frame in the future, as long as you are just thinking that maybe someday you might switch. For now, shoot the gear that you have and enjoy.

 

[Ctech_83]

William Woodruff wrote:

EF-s 15-85 and EF 70-200 f4 is. That will get you everything you need in two spectacular lenses. I never heard of a Sigma 10-28, but if you are talking about the Sigma 10-20, that's as good as you will ever need in that range.

I wouldn't worry about what to do if you go full frame in the future, as long as you are just thinking that maybe someday you might switch. For now, shoot the gear that you have and enjoy.

 

[William Woodruff]

Try going to http://shop.usa.canon.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/subCategory_10051_10051_-1_22751 That's where Canon sells refurbished lenses. Anything on there has been repaired (if necessary) inspected and calibrated by Canon. They come with a 90-day warranty. That's where I got my 70-200 f4 IS, and I looked, felt, and worked like brand new. Never heard a complain about the factory refurbs, even on the DP Review forums, where people always complain about everything.

Right now they have 15-85's in stock for $640. The 70-200 f4 IS lists for $1079, but there are none in stock right now. That is kind of a catch -- lenses are available sometimes and not at other times -- it all depends on what has been returned to Canon and repaired.

Good luck!

 

[William Woodruff]

Oh yeah, about that extender, you might consider two things before you get a 2x extender. First of all if you get a Canon extender, it will not work with the 15-85 no matter which one you get. A Canon 1.4x extender will work just fine with the 70-200, but a Canon extender 2x will not auto-focus with that lens. So if you are happy with the reach on your Tamron at 270 mm, you can get a Canon 1.4 extender and you will get 280mm out of your 70-200.

Along with that, it is worth considering that most folks posting here seem to like the 1.4's, but the 2.0's are more controversial. A lot of posters here seem to think that resolution takes to much of a hit when you push the lens that far. (But to be fair, their are a few people shooting with stacked extenders who seem to get useable images.)

So if you just want to match what you have gotten used to on the long end of your Tamron, the 1.4 will do the trick, and your telephone will work just as it should. If you want something you can use on both lenses, you will have to get a third-party unit.

Have fun out there, and when you come back, post your best stuff!

 

[happysnapper64]

Ctech_83 wrote:

Hi,
I currently have a Canon 650 D. Lens wise I currently have a Tamron 18-270 and a Sigma 10-28, but I use the Tamron 98% of my time and I love it.

However I'm planning a 2-3 month round trip in South-America and want to upgrade with photo kit. My question to you knowledgeable folks are what lenses I should buy.
I'm thinking of two lenses one in the range of 18-70 and another from around 70-300 with a 2x Extender. I'm hoping to pick up the lenses second hand - budget wise I'm willing to go up a bit in price, but keep it reasonable, lets say in the range of 2000 EURO in total second hand.

If I was to upgrade my camera also to lets say a full frame camera such as the Canon 6D - would this change your recommendations or do the lenses you suggest work equally well for both cameras?

Hoping for some good suggestions

I can recomend the 15-85IS as a great Walk about lens. The focal length is versitile, the IS is superb as is the AF, it's fast silent & accurate. Only problem I have found is lens creep from about 30-50mm when held facing up or down. It has not posed any problems in real life usage though. sadly it is not a FF compatible lens. As for the 70-300, I think you would not get good results with ANY 70-300 with a 2X ext for the budget you have. Even the L version would struggle. As far as a 70-300 is concerned, the Canon non L USM is pretty good, but IMO the Tamron 70-300VC is at least as good & is cheaper, well worth looking at.

 

[tonyjr]

If you have the 10-20 , then look at the 24-105 . I would add the 100-400 and forget the extender .

So , the 10-20 , buy the 24-105 , then look at a good bag , a cpl and then if you have enough left the 100-400 .

Ebay or amazon = get 1 or 2 books on your camera and what you shoot - macro , landscape , portraits animals - etc - long flight .

You should also have a few memory cards , spare batteries , chargers , cables and a laptop [ spare card reader ]

 

[arbitrage]

First off as others have stated, forget about the 2.0TC. The 2.0TC is only useful on a select few canon lenses (70-200f/2.8ISII, 200 f/2, 300f/2.8, 400f/2.8, 500f/4 and 600f/4). And for the f/4 lenses you need a 1 series to have AF (or the 5D3 come late April).

In your case I would agree with the 15-85 EF-S and I would also look at either the 70-200f/4LIS, the 70-300L or the 100-400L. If you choose the 70-200f/4IS then I would get the 1.4TC, otherwise I'd leave the other two options without a TC. Personally, if I went back to shooting APS-C I'd probably get the 15-85 and 70-300L as a high quality but still fairly compact travel combo. Before moving to FF, I used a Canon 10-22, 24-105L and 100-400L as a three lens kit but it is a much heavier kit with not much gain over the 15-85 and 70-300L (+/- your wide angle if 15 isn't wide enough).

 

[happysnapper64]

The 650D is a good camera, & it's doubtful you will gain anything by getting a full frame body like the 6D. I have suggested the Tamron 70-300VC in a previous post, & I stand by that, however another option would be the Canon 70-200f/4 L non IS version, especially if you shoot moving subjects. It is about 1/2 the price of the IS version, & IQ is said to be as good as the IS version, which I have. Make no mistake, it is a fantastic lens, & for the price, the non IS is a bargain.

 

[MgrBuddha]

Ctech_83 wrote:

William Woodruff wrote:

EF-s 15-85 and EF 70-200 f4 is. That will get you everything you need in two spectacular lenses. I never heard of a Sigma 10-28, but if you are talking about the Sigma 10-20, that's as good as you will ever need in that range.

I wouldn't worry about what to do if you go full frame in the future, as long as you are just thinking that maybe someday you might switch. For now, shoot the gear that you have and enjoy.

 

[Joe Photo Lover]

photonius wrote:

If you consider weight and size, the Canon 55-250 IS is a nice, good tele lens, not the same league as the 70-200 L lenses, but very capable, and inexpensive - better than your 18-270. The 15-85 is an excellent standard zoom with a good range, and 15mm is a nice wide-angle to start. If you have the sigma 10-20, you could take that along as well.

I wouldn't bother about FF. Think about weight while traveling. FF get's bigger, heavier.

>Not to mention that carrying an auxiliary flash unit adds even more weight.

 

[MaxCh]

I think you can get a brand new 15-85 for 650 with the instant rebate...while they have the promotion

 

[Ctech_83]

arbitrage wrote:

First off as others have stated, forget about the 2.0TC. The 2.0TC is only useful on a select few canon lenses (70-200f/2.8ISII, 200 f/2, 300f/2.8, 400f/2.8, 500f/4 and 600f/4). And for the f/4 lenses you need a 1 series to have AF (or the 5D3 come late April).

In your case I would agree with the 15-85 EF-S and I would also look at either the 70-200f/4LIS, the 70-300L or the 100-400L. If you choose the 70-200f/4IS then I would get the 1.4TC, otherwise I'd leave the other two options without a TC. Personally, if I went back to shooting APS-C I'd probably get the 15-85 and 70-300L as a high quality but still fairly compact travel combo. Before moving to FF, I used a Canon 10-22, 24-105L and 100-400L as a three lens kit but it is a much heavier kit with not much gain over the 15-85 and 70-300L (+/- your wide angle if 15 isn't wide enough).

Thanks for a lot of great suggestions.

I went and bought the Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM and the Canon Extender 2x II (will test it to see if it works for my use if not I will sell it or trade it with a third-party extender or the 1.4x). Hope to have it by next weekend, looking forward to test it with my Canon 500D (not 650D that I mistakenly wrote earlier).

I will go and buy the 15-85 EF-S and sell the Sigma 10-20.

Just need to find a good buy for the last lens.

Regarding the the Canon 500D - I do like the idea of the 6D as it has built in GPS, but a bit costly to upgrade of that reason only - are there easy alternatives to add GPS to my Canon 500D?

 

[photonius]

Ctech_83 wrote:

arbitrage wrote:

First off as others have stated, forget about the 2.0TC. The 2.0TC is only useful on a select few canon lenses (70-200f/2.8ISII, 200 f/2, 300f/2.8, 400f/2.8, 500f/4 and 600f/4). And for the f/4 lenses you need a 1 series to have AF (or the 5D3 come late April).

In your case I would agree with the 15-85 EF-S and I would also look at either the 70-200f/4LIS, the 70-300L or the 100-400L. If you choose the 70-200f/4IS then I would get the 1.4TC, otherwise I'd leave the other two options without a TC. Personally, if I went back to shooting APS-C I'd probably get the 15-85 and 70-300L as a high quality but still fairly compact travel combo. Before moving to FF, I used a Canon 10-22, 24-105L and 100-400L as a three lens kit but it is a much heavier kit with not much gain over the 15-85 and 70-300L (+/- your wide angle if 15 isn't wide enough).

Thanks for a lot of great suggestions.
I went and bought the Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM and the Canon Extender 2x II (will test it to see if it works for my use if not I will sell it or trade it with a third-party extender or the 1.4x). Hope to have it by next weekend, looking forward to test it with my Canon 500D (not 650D that I mistakenly wrote earlier).
I will go and buy the 15-85 EF-S and sell the Sigma 10-20.
Just need to find a good buy for the last lens.
Regarding the the Canon 500D - I do like the idea of the 6D as it has built in GPS, but a bit costly to upgrade of that reason only - are there easy alternatives to add GPS to my Canon 500D?

you have a phone with gps? there are loggers available (drain your battery though). alternatively just shoot a tagged picture with your phone in a particular spot.

there are add ons you can buy for cameras, to me they seem big, clumsy, and expensive. instead you could buy something like a P&S Sony hx20 or similar with gps as back-up camera and to keep track of locations. The sony's are nice for an instant panorma shot as well.

 

[Lemming51]

arbitrage wrote:

First off as others have stated, forget about the 2.0TC. The 2.0TC is only useful on a select few canon lenses (70-200f/2.8ISII, 200 f/2, 300f/2.8, 400f/2.8, 500f/4 and 600f/4). And for the f/4 lenses you need a 1 series to have AF (or the 5D3 come late April).

In your case I would agree with the 15-85 EF-S and I would also look at either the 70-200f/4LIS, the 70-300L or the 100-400L. If you choose the 70-200f/4IS then I would get the 1.4TC, otherwise I'd leave the other two options without a TC. Personally, if I went back to shooting APS-C I'd probably get the 15-85 and 70-300L as a high quality but still fairly compact travel combo. Before moving to FF, I used a Canon 10-22, 24-105L and 100-400L as a three lens kit but it is a much heavier kit with not much gain over the 15-85 and 70-300L (+/- your wide angle if 15 isn't wide enough).

Agree. For travel to S America, presumably some wildlife touring will be included. 70-200 isn't long enough and adding TC (especially 2x) is suboptimal. I'd start with the EF-S 15-85 (get the hood) and choose 1 of:

• Tamron 70-300 f/4-5.6 Di VC USD
• EF 70-300 f/4-5.6L IS USM
• EF 100-400 f/4.5-5.6L IS USM.

Use the hoods, and forget about a protective filter on the long lens - see

http://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/24019929 , and

http://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/24049276

--
Unapologetic Canon Apologist

 

[Lemming51]

Ctech_83 wrote: Thanks for a lot of great suggestions.
I went and bought the Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM and the Canon Extender 2x II (will test it to see if it works for my use if not I will sell it or trade it with a third-party extender or the 1.4x). Hope to have it by next weekend, looking forward to test it with my Canon 500D (not 650D that I mistakenly wrote earlier). ...

Caution using Canon's TC with the 70-300L. You can mount them to the lens, but must keep the lens zoomed to 250-300 range, otherwise the rear lens elements will contact the TC.

http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/Canon-EF-70-300mm-f-4-5.6-IS-L-USM-Lens-Review.aspx

 

[Ctech_83]

Lemming51 wrote:

Ctech_83 wrote: Thanks for a lot of great suggestions.
I went and bought the Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM and the Canon Extender 2x II (will test it to see if it works for my use if not I will sell it or trade it with a third-party extender or the 1.4x). Hope to have it by next weekend, looking forward to test it with my Canon 500D (not 650D that I mistakenly wrote earlier). ...

Caution using Canon's TC with the 70-300L. You can mount them to the lens, but must keep the lens zoomed to 250-300 range, otherwise the rear lens elements will contact the TC.

http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/Canon-EF-70-300mm-f-4-5.6-IS-L-USM-Lens-Review.aspx

--
Unapologetic Canon Apologist

Hi,

Are there any third-party extender that work with Canon 70-300L?