What would your 1-2 lenses for a Canon Body at Disney World be?

[IHateMyJob2004]

Going to Disney World this summer. Myself, my wife and 2 kids. Time to make a change that I have wanted to make for a while. This is more than just Disney. I really wish I had different lenses now that I have owned several for a while.

I have been debating selling 1, 2 or 3 of my current lenses.

I have the 18-55mm and 55-250mm along with the 50mm.

I never use the 50mm prime. Used it when new but more of an experiment than real useful thing for what I do. Time to sell the 50mm. On occasion, I wish the 18-55 were just a little longer and sometimes a little shorter. The 15-85 would be nice but it is more than I want to spend.

Assume the 50mm is being sold. The 18-55 and 55-250 are potentially being replaced.

So, what would you do?
Here is a link of a bunch of options:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/...

All have Autofocus and image stabalization (IS).
Options:
Canon 15-85 ($750) <= way out of my intended budget, would require a very good reason to buy this
Canon 17-85 ($540)
Canon 18-135 ($400)
Canon 18-200 ($600)<= preice high
Sigma 18-125 ($340) <= no autofocus
Sigma 18-200 ($400)
Sigma 18-250 ($480)
Tamron 18-200 ($300) <= no IS
Tamron 28-300 ($630)<= preice high
Tamron 18-270 ($650) <= preice high, rather large in size
Tamron 28-300 ($420) <= no IS
Tokina 16.5-135 ($300) <= no IS

Rather than say to much, I'll jsut let the covnersation flow using this as a starting point. The sub $500 lenses are of most interest to me.

 

[dougp]

Uh, what aperture are yours? Do you shoot FF or crop?

 

[twistedlogic]

Assume the 50mm is being sold. The 18-55 and 55-250 are potentially being replaced.

May I ask why? Are you just wanting an all-in-one zoom?

Your 18-55 and 55-250 are most likely optically better than any of the 18-XXX you have listed.

 

[Munky]

If I were going to Disney, I'd leave the DLSR and all lenses at home, and bring something pocketable. Especially if wife and kids are involved. Sounds crazy, I know.

 

[Maximus96]

I'd keep the 50mm. its not worth much but good to have around. at your price i would buy the tamron 17-50 f2.8, i think its around $400 or $350 used...i would leave the long zoom at home...enjoy your time with the family instead of worry about switching lenses and fumbling to avoid dust on sensor and all that nonsense.

better yet, just buy a s95 or s100

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

18-55+55-250 is actual an ideal setup. Maybe you just have to foot zoom a little more if 55 isn't enough.

I shoot with a 17-55 and a 55-250. Hard to shoot wide open f/2.8 out in the sun especially when this thing flares like crazy and there's chromatic aberration. Indoor I find my 2.8 being used more, but with a flash I tend to shoot closer to f/4. In that case the 18-55 would actually probably be perfectly fine for me.

15-85 would be a very good lens. I think its a more versatile 1 lens option than my 17-55mm.

 

[lykaon78]

Don't really have an answer for you but an important tip. Use the Disney Photopass service and prepay for the CD. Best $100 bucks I spent at Disney and I actually got to be in the pictures. The photographers are everywhere and you can have an unlimited number of photos taken and added to your CD and you get printing rights.

Don't forgot to ask the photographers about magic shots.

http://www.disneyphotopass.com/

 

[IHateMyJob2004]

If I were going to Disney, I'd leave the DLSR and all lenses at home, and bring something pocketable. Especially if wife and kids are involved. Sounds crazy, I know.

Done Disney with the SLR once already. It is fine so long as you have a good camera bag.

I just want to be able to walk around with one lense that will do mostly everything I want it to. So, I guess what I am thinking is that I want to replace the 18-55 with something more versatile. The 15-85 would be nice but the price range just is not right.

 

[IHateMyJob2004]

Don't really have an answer for you but an important tip. Use the Disney Photopass service and prepay for the CD. Best $100 bucks I spent at Disney and I actually got to be in the pictures. The photographers are everywhere and you can have an unlimited number of photos taken and added to your CD and you get printing rights.

Don't forgot to ask the photographers about magic shots.

http://www.disneyphotopass.com/

Interesting .... sending link to my wife.

One of my memories last time is walking through Epcot and wondering why everyone was smiling at my kids. Kinda strange I thought. We had one of those double strollers that can be rented. Turns out my 3 year old daughter was exhausted and my 5 year old son was sitting in the stroller with her, letting her rest her head on him. Got a bunch of good photos of that. No SLR, no photo.

 

[Zaap]

Why buy the lens? Rent from borrowlenses.com or lensrentals.com and use the occasion to find out which lenses are really what you want with minimal expense and risk.

 

[lykaon78]

Interesting .... sending link to my wife.

One of my memories last time is walking through Epcot and wondering why everyone was smiling at my kids. Kinda strange I thought. We had one of those double strollers that can be rented. Turns out my 3 year old daughter was exhausted and my 5 year old son was sitting in the stroller with her, letting her rest her head on him. Got a bunch of good photos of that. No SLR, no photo.

Not a replacement for carrying a camera but its definitely a service to take advantage of. If you don't prepay for the CD the price goes up about 20%. Individual photo prices are ridiculous (like $10 for a 5x7 or $20 for unlimited printing rights per picture iirc).

For what its worth, I bought my Sony NEX-5 especially for this trip and carried it around with the 18mm fixed lense and that seemed fine for 98% of the photo ops. Either my foot zoom or digital editing did the rest.

 

[CptObvious]

I go to theme parks semi-regularly, living in Florida. Each time I leave the DSLR at home and my wife takes her S95.

There isn't a lot of amazing scenery (it's Florida). The lighting isn't good with the summer sun being direct and harsh. The heat and humidity makes carrying extra weight bothersome. And you have to stow your camera away in the locker for some rides. If I were to bring my camera, I would bring just the kit lens.

 

[woodmonger]

We go to Disney World at least once or twice a year. I recently bought a T3i and am looking forward to using it at Disney. I researched lenses extensively, as I bought my camera without a lens. I settled on the Canon 18-135mm lens as a perfect compromise between zoom range, image quality, and price. I think it's the perfect solo walk-around lens when you don't want to hassle with the extra weight, space, and hassle of changing lenses. I bought mine on eBay for $240. There are lots of these being sold, since it's the kit lens that comes with the D60 and when people "upgrade" they sell them fairly inexpensively.

 

[IHateMyJob2004]

We go to Disney World at least once or twice a year. I recently bought a T3i and am looking forward to using it at Disney. I researched lenses extensively, as I bought my camera without a lens. I settled on the Canon 18-135mm lens as a perfect compromise between zoom range, image quality, and price. I think it's the perfect solo walk-around lens when you don't want to hassle with the extra weight, space, and hassle of changing lenses. I bought mine on eBay for $240. There are lots of these being sold, since it's the kit lens that comes with the D60 and when people "upgrade" they sell them fairly inexpensively.

Wow, that is a good idea! Will check EBay later. I can then sell my 18-55 for $90 on EBay and have a nice upgrade for $150 or so.

If I did that is there a good upgrade for the 55-250? Maybe something liek a 100-400? Those are typcially expensive though. Just a thought. This thing sounds nice. Read a review that says it is surprisingly good.
Canon EF 70-300mm
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/397663-GREY/Canon_0345B002_EF_70_300mm_f_4_5_6_IS.html

So, I could sell everything I have and upgrade to two new lenses that are more to my liking.

 

[John P]

Assuming your a hobbyist like myself I would recommend:

Tamron 28-200 as a walkaround (it's nice to have that extra reach when you need it). I would just use this one lens for Disney World.
Canon 50mm F1.8 for indoor low light situations (sports and school functions in gymnasiums, etc...)
Sigma 70-200 F2.8 for outdoor sports. I've used it with both my original Digital Rebel and more recently with my T3i and gotten great shots of my kids from baseball, soccer, cross country, etc...

Like others said though, for Disneyland I usually use a pocketable p&s. The DSLR is too much to lug around, you can't take it on rides. If you are staying close the park you could walk around for a few hours just taking pictures and watching shows (grab a few fast passes), then stow it and bring a p&s when you want to do rides.

Have fun!

 

[IHateMyJob2004]

Done Disney with a camera bag before. Even on water rides, it was no problem.

 

[woodmonger]

I did not think it was worth adding a zoom that goes up to 300mm. You only double the size of your subject compared to the 18-135mm. I'm satisfied just cropping my image to gain that tighter framing. Of course, I don't plan on making any poster sized enlargements of those images either.

The EF-S 18-135mm stays quite sharp at 135, unlike most of the superzooms that go up to 200 or 250. Their sharpness decreases significantly at their higher zoom settings. I'd recommend spending some time at the DXOMark.com website and study their detailed lens tests. It can be very informative.

If you do decide to lug around another zoom to gain that extra reach, the Canon 75-300mm f4-5.3 III USM seems relatively decent and can be bought new for less than $200 (Amazon) or for less than $150 on eBay. There are several similar Canon lenses in the 75 to 300mm zoom range. Make sure you get the version III (released in 1999) and also the one with the USM (ultrasonic focusing motor).

Keep in mind that none of these lenses are particularly fast. Unfortunately, fast zooms cost big money. For this reason, I'd hang onto your "nifty fifty" Canon 50mm f1.8 prime. You never know when you'll need the extra light gathering ability. This lens also makes a great portrait lens on your crop-body camera, giving you an 80mm equivalent with nice bokeh. (I assume you have a crop-body camera since you listed an EF-S lens as a consideration.) Someday I may add a Sigma 17-50 F2.8 EX DC OS HSM just to gain some extra speed. I'd also love a fast ultra-wide angle zoom like the Tokina AT-X 11-16 F2.8 PRO DX. I understand Tokina is coming out with an updated version of this lens in the fall.

I'm currently searching for the perfect camera bag and have come to the conclusion that my definition of perfect keeps changing every half hour and whatever works for me is good enough. Have a magical day!

 

[gar655]

I'd have to agree with the other comment of bring a good P&S. There are some nice ones that start at 24 or 25mm field of view (something you're not going to get without spending quite a bit of money on a DSLR) and go out to 200mm plus.

 

[Kanalua]

18-55/55-250 is really your best bet in this situation. Maybe add a Sigma 17-50mm f/2.8 in place of the 18-55?

 

[yhelothar]

I'd bring a 17-85mm and an 85mm F/1.8

A zoom still can't come close to a good prime for great portraits.

 

[ZMX]

Keep the Nifty Fifty and use it more

Also, I'd get the Canon 18-135, personally.

 

[IHateMyJob2004]

The 18-135 is soudning better and better. For the price of one NIB from a D60 purchase, it is hard to beat.

 

[twistedlogic]

There are lots of these being sold, since it's the kit lens that comes with the D60 and when people "upgrade" they sell them fairly inexpensively.

The 18-135 is soudning better and better. For the price of one NIB from a D60 purchase, it is hard to beat.

60D, the D60 comes with a Nikon 18-55,

I agree, ditching the 18-55 for the 18-135 sounds like a perfect idea for your budget.

 

[IHateMyJob2004]

I wish I could do the 15-85 but it costs to damned much. A 15-135 at low cost would be sweet though.

I think I am ordering the 15-135 tonight. If anyone wants an 18-55, please PM me.

 

[zetachi]

Just got back from a week at Disney. I'm an Oly user so its not apples to apples. I found that I used my 14-54 and my 50 most of the time. Used my 70-300 at Animal Kingdom and 11-22 at Epcot but that was about it for those 2. I went with the ThinkTank Pro Speed belt, Pixel Harness and Digital Holster 40. Looked like a geek but it was super comfortable, better then my Tamrac sling bag that gave me aches after the 1st day.

If you are looking to do indoor dark ride shooting get as fast a lens as you can afford. My 50 is 2.0 and was just barely fast enough on some of the lighter, dark rides. It was also nice for Fireworks.

Also if you want to save some $$ on the Photopass you can find shares on Facebook. If you don't mind waiting and others seeing your shots. Only cost me $19.