Lens recommendations?

[thirdeye]

So I'll be visiting St. John in a little over a month and would like to see if anyone has any suggestions on lenses for me to try out while I'm down there. I'll most likely be renting one since I just purchased a 7D a couple weeks ago and don't have the cash to drop on new lenses as well.

Here's what I have:
Canon 7D
Canon 17-85 USM IS
Canon 70-300 USM IS
Canon 50mm 1.8

I was thinking something in the wide angle territory for some nice panoramic shots. Any thoughts or suggestions?

 

[timswim78]

You've got the ranges covered, with the exception of wide angle. So, I would rent either the Canon 10-22mm or the Tokina 11-16mm 2.8

The Canon 17-85mm that you have is a nice walkaround lens, but if you want to rent a 24-105mm or a 24-70mm (beware, it is heavy), you will find that they do an even better job.

 

[thirdeye]

Thanks. The 10-22mm is what I was thinking but that Tokina looks nice as well. I wouldn't mind having a faster lens for dusk shooting anyways.

I was actually kicking around the idea of trying a different walkaround. I do love my 17-85 for the versatility it provides and it has served me well for the past 4 years or so, but a faster lens would definitely be nice. I see borrowlenses.com has the 24-70 for a pretty decent price for a week so I may give that a try too.

Any suggestions on places to rent? I've never personally rented lenses but a friend recommended borrowlenses.com so I figured I'd check them out.

 

[timswim78]

When I travel, I usually try to rent from a local shop, in case there are any problems.

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

The Tokina 11-16 has NEVER failed to impress me. I don't know how but the colors always pop and its sharp as hell. It's my favorite lens even though it doesn't go on that much because its use is limited.

The Canon 10-22 might fit me better as I don't think f/2.8 is that critical and the focal length might be more fitting.

 

[slashbinslashbash]

Going from 17-XX to 24-XX for a walkaround lens on a crop body is a mistake, IMO. Rather, get the 17-55. 24mm is not wide enough for a crop body.

For you, I would recommend a WA. I don't have any personal experience with crop-body wide-angles.

Another option would be a wider prime. Canon 28mm f/1.8 or Sigma 30mm f/1.4.

 

[finbarqs]

landscapes: tokina 11-18 f/2.8, canon 10-22 (one of these). Tetelphoto, i'd get 135 f/2.0L

 

[thirdeye]

Thanks for the recommendations guys. I think I'm definitely gonna give the Tokina a try. It seems to be almost exactly what I'm looking for.

 

[thirdeye]

Figured I'd update this after picking up the Tokina 11-16 f/2.8. I'm very pleased with it thus far, though I'm not the greatest at taking landscape photos. I need to work on that.

Here's the gallery from my trip to St. John with several photos taken with that lens. St. John

 

[speedy2]

UWA is great. I owned a 10-22mm a few years ago. I've since sold off my DSLR, but selling my 10-22mm was probably my biggest regret. Superb lens.