Canon 17-40 or Zeiss 21 for Zion Subway/Antelop Canyon

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pdt0102
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p.1 #1 · Canon 17-40 or Zeiss 21 for Zion Subway/Antelop Canyon

Everyone recommends to use wide angle lens for Zion/Antelope Canyon as you won't be able to change lens inside the canyon or at the subway. Would you take the Zeiss 21 for better color or Canon 17-40 for wide angle on a FF?

Oct 29, 2012 at 05:43 PM

JimFox
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p.1 #2 · Canon 17-40 or Zeiss 21 for Zion Subway/Antelop Canyon

You can change lenses all day long in the Subway. In Antelope Canyon you don't want to because of the sand and dust inside. As to which one, I would want the zoom myself, but I am not a Canon guy, so perhaps others might not suggest that lens. But I will say in AC, it's nice to get a little tighter sometimes, so a zoom would be of benefit over a fixed focal length.

Jim

Oct 29, 2012 at 06:26 PM

roman.johnston
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p.1 #3 · Canon 17-40 or Zeiss 21 for Zion Subway/Antelop Canyon

I almost never worry about a lenses color. I edit every shot I take to make the most of it so color being just a hair off don't worry me.

Clarity and sharpness DO matter a lot to me. But so does the ability to adapt to my conditions. In that I recommend the 17-40....or even better the Nikon 14-24 (most pros use this lens with an adapter for canon). that's if your making a purchase.

Roman

Oct 29, 2012 at 06:32 PM

Mike K
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p.1 #4 · Canon 17-40 or Zeiss 21 for Zion Subway/Antelop Canyon

The two lenses mentioned have very differing strengths which speak to your artistic compositional style.

The Canon 17-40/4 is a very modestly priced WA zoom L lens. Its a useful focal length with good center frame sharpness. Its major flaw is the edge/corner sharpness is comparatively poor. Whether this is noticeable or not depends a lot upon your composition. If you have primary subject elements running from the image center into the corners, the viewers eye will follow the detail of these subjects into the corners where the CA and general lack of clarity will be noticeable. At least editing my images it often bothered me. Also the distortion of this lens is greater. For those using a crop body this edge/corner performance will not be as evident as it is most challenging at the corners of a full frame sensor.

This is precisely the area where the Zeiss 21 is very strong: in maintaining sharpness and subject interest as one follows subject lines and details deep to the corners of the frame. There are actually WA lenses that may be a tiny bit sharper in the lens center, but the Zeiss has the full frame sharpness, as quality that can draw the viewers interest into the image. The better Zeiss lenses seem to have terrific micro contrast, which brings out the image detail, and subjectively makes them seem more detailed. The Zeiss lens characteristics of seeming more saturated in color is perhaps a bit debatable, but I think it is there. Perhaps its the T* coatings reducing internal reflections along with the enhance micro contast.
Mike K

Oct 29, 2012 at 07:50 PM

Xavier Rival
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p.1 #5 · Canon 17-40 or Zeiss 21 for Zion Subway/Antelop Canyon

I did not visit the Subway, but I did visit Antelope; I did change lenses many times there, and just apply the same discipline as I usually do. This worked well: it is indeed a very dusty environment, but provided you do not swap lenses at the wrong time/place (e.g. when someone throws sand in the air to materialize a light ray in their pictures), you should be fine.
If I were going back tomorrow, I would probably take those two lenses (I own them, and can see the benefit of both in Antelope).

Oct 29, 2012 at 08:38 PM

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