Home · Register · Join Upload & Sell

Moderated by: Fred Miranda
Username  

  New fredmiranda.com Mobile Site
  New Feature: SMS Notification alert
  New Feature: Buy & Sell Watchlist
  

FM Forums | Canon Forum | Join Upload & Sell

1      
2
       end
  

Archive 2013 · Adventure/Expedition Lens Set Up

  
 
surf monkey
Offline
• • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.2 #1 · p.2 #1 · Adventure/Expedition Lens Set Up


When backpacking in a group, use of a tripod can be an annoyance. Kayaking and climbing obviously isn't ideal for tripod use, making the IS on the 24-105 very valuable. This is where the 24-105 has a huge advantage over the 17-40. Of course, if the focal length isn't right then IS isn't going to help.


Oct 17, 2013 at 12:53 AM
gdanmitchell
Offline
• • • • • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.2 #2 · p.2 #2 · Adventure/Expedition Lens Set Up


juberisk2 wrote:
if it aint enough data for you to work with, move along, Mr. Mitchell.

and this is for all you self-appointed forum critics out there.....try to helpfully answer the questions posed, or get the eff out of the way. now I remember why i've only posted 383 times in 8 years.


I don't need your advice on how to behave. Sometimes - quite often, actually - posts that ask "what is the best lens" come from folks who need to know that there is a bit more context needed than "I want the best." It turns out that it is often helpful to a poster trying to clarify their thinking about lens choices to point out that the context makes a big difference, and that considering that can often lead to the best choice.

Have a swell day... ;-)

Dan



Oct 17, 2013 at 02:17 AM
melcat
Offline
• • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.2 #3 · p.2 #3 · Adventure/Expedition Lens Set Up


Considering the OP specifically mentioned his dislike of distortion, people recommending the 24-105 really ought to mention its very high distortion at 24mm. It can of course be corrected in post, but then you lose angle of view. "Travel" to me suggests at least some component of shooting buildings etc. where most people would want to correct - but for that matter, these days it even annoys me in landscape work.

Before I get jumped on for criticising a lens I don't own, this is a big reason *why* I don't own it. Likewise, I don't own the Zeiss 21mm, despite having shot for years with the very similar Zuiko 21mm f/2.

I must admit that when I saw "climbing" the first thing I thought of was the many ultrawide shots I'd seen. OP needs to decide what his focal length preferences are, and keep in mind that zooms do tend to perform better in the middle of their zoom range that at the extremes.

The aim should be to try to restrict lens changes to between activities rather than between shots. For example, if you have a climbing day where you want wide angle and an evening/rest day where you want to shoot portraits, then a wide zoom and a ~100mm portrait lens are convenient. The lens not in use that day can be stowed away where it is dry and easy to carry.



Oct 17, 2013 at 02:49 AM
EB-1
Offline
• • • • • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.2 #4 · p.2 #4 · Adventure/Expedition Lens Set Up


Get the 17-40/4 or 16-35/2.8 II, 24-105/4 IS and 70-200/4 IS. Take 1, 2 or all 3 depending on the outing.

EBH



Oct 17, 2013 at 02:51 AM
gdanmitchell
Offline
• • • • • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.2 #5 · p.2 #5 · Adventure/Expedition Lens Set Up


EB-1 wrote:
Get the 17-40/4 or 16-35/2.8 II, 24-105/4 IS and 70-200/4 IS. Take 1, 2 or all 3 depending on the outing.

EBH


That is a trio that is my basic "go to" set for shooting a lot of stuff, especially in the out-of-doors and when I want good coverage but don't want to take the whole kitchen sink. This set (with the 17-40 in my case) is what I often use in the back-country, including a recent 9-day shoot in the Kings Canyon high country.

On one backcountry trip a few years back I shot only the 24-105 for a bit more than a week. I found that 24mm was usually plenty wide, and that I could live without the longer FL. (Though, truth be told, it is a personal preference of mine to shoot longer lenses for some landscape work.)

Some people who are trying to lighten things a bit will go with a similar set, but will lose the 24-105 and "fill the gap" between the other two lenses with a 50mm prime.

The 24-105 does produce barrel distortion at 24mm, along with more vignetting than some other options - in fact, these are its main downsides. However, no lens is perfect, so in every case the downsides need to be set against the advantages and always in the context of what and how one shoots. For example, in landscape and photos of people (as the OP might do in some of the sports stuff) the barrel distortion at 24mm is virtually never visible, as it might be if one used the lens at 24mm to shoot, say, architecture. The same holds true for the vignetting. And, as was pointed out, both are easily (and automatically) corrected in post if you like. And, again, what are the alternatives, and how do they stack up for this sort of use? I also shoot the 24-70 f/2.8. It is fine lens, but when shooting such subjects with it I often miss the extra 35mm of focal length at the long end and the IS. Primes can produce fine image quality, too, as an alternative - but I'd rather be able to fine tune the framing of my shots and not have to change lenses as often for these sorts of conditions.

In the end, the OP and others posters certainly could weigh these factors differently that I do and come to another conclusion, but to me it often seems like what the OP describes is more or less what this lens was made for.

Dan

(I shoot full frame)



Oct 17, 2013 at 09:50 AM
Jeff Nolten
Offline
• • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.2 #6 · p.2 #6 · Adventure/Expedition Lens Set Up


I think the lens distortion and vignetting corrections built into Lightroom and DPP help offset the shortcomings of the 24-105 quite a bit at the wide end. I quite enjoy seeing things pop into place when I apply them.


Oct 17, 2013 at 02:40 PM
melcat
Offline
• • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.2 #7 · p.2 #7 · Adventure/Expedition Lens Set Up


EB-1 wrote:
Get the 17-40/4 or 16-35/2.8 II, 24-105/4 IS and 70-200/4 IS. Take 1, 2 or all 3 depending on the outing.


My basic lens set for hiking and landscape is 16-35mm f/2.8 Mk II, 50mm f/1.2, and 70-200mm f/4 IS.

If the OP gets the 17-40 or the 16-35 (also the 50 f/1.2, but that's unlikely), he will need to budget for a clear filter to complete weather sealing. It is not needed for the 70-200mm f/4 IS.


Edited on Oct 18, 2013 at 01:44 AM · View previous versions



Oct 18, 2013 at 01:33 AM
melcat
Offline
• • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.2 #8 · p.2 #8 · Adventure/Expedition Lens Set Up


gdanmitchell wrote:
The 24-105 does produce barrel distortion at 24mm, along with more vignetting than some other options - in fact, these are its main downsides. ... And, again, what are the alternatives, and how do they stack up for this sort of use?


Well, alhough I haven't used it myself I wonder why you don't mention the 24-70mm f/4 IS, which on the face of it appears to have been designed with this type of usage in mind. According to published info, it's better behaved at 24mm, and it's 10% lighter. I can imagine many people into the outdoors and travel being very happy with a two lens set consisting of this lens and either the 70-200mm f/4 IS or the 100mm f/2.8 IS macro.

(Sorry about the two consecutive posts - the forum software wasn't displaying it properly all in one post.)



Oct 18, 2013 at 01:35 AM
Evan Baines
Offline
• • • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.2 #9 · p.2 #9 · Adventure/Expedition Lens Set Up


My adventure photography kit is:

24-70 f/4L IS
70-200 f/4L IS
+/- Zeiss 21mm

I would note that the new 24-70 is lighter, smaller and weather sealed vs most of the other lenses in this range that were mentioned. It also does some credible near-macro work, with a much better MFD than most lenses in this class. It doesn't get a lot of love on this forum because its kind of a specialist's lens (at least the things that make it worth its price only apply to some), but it really is perfect for serious expedition photography.



Oct 18, 2013 at 08:22 AM
Kisutch
Offline
• •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.2 #10 · p.2 #10 · Adventure/Expedition Lens Set Up


Not to be too off-topic, but the Fuji X100s is a pretty exciting option for the "adventure" category--what you lose in flexibility over focal length you gain in portability and control over lighting/DOF. Not ideal for landscape/wildlife stuff, but for taking pictures of "people doing stuff" in the backcountry, I'd imagine the Fuji could help you capture fleeting moments better (don't have to dig SLR out of backpack) and the fast x-synch/nd filter would give you a lot of avenues for making generic subjects look more interesting. Just a thought... I'm packing up an SLR + lenses for a trip to AK next week, not excited about hauling my gear around.


Oct 18, 2013 at 10:47 AM
Dustin Gent
Offline
• • • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.2 #11 · p.2 #11 · Adventure/Expedition Lens Set Up


The Samyang/Rokinon 14mm is super sharp, and nothing come remotely close it in regards to price/performance.
It was my only lens (still is) I used for almost a year, and got the best stuff I have this year. There are several plugins you can use to get rid of distortion (PTLens) - but most of the time I don't use it, but depends on subject.

Only reason I would sell the 14mm is to get the 14-24. Only reason

What about instead of getting the 24-105, you get the 70-200? Do you find using the mid range more than not?



Oct 18, 2013 at 11:43 AM
1      
2
       end




FM Forums | Canon Forum | Join Upload & Sell

1      
2
       end
    
 

You are not logged in. Login or Register

Username       Or Reset password



This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.