Those with Digital SLR Cameras.............

[Mnchknbrat1982]

For those of you that have a digital slr camera what lens or lenses do you bring with you from home to take in the parks? I have a pentax ist. The lenses I have with it are the 18-55 (came with it), the tamron 28-80, and the tamron 70-300. I don't mind bringing them all with me however, I want to know what everyone recommends for each of the parks. As I will pack the bag according to the park we are in.

Descriptions of lenses:
18-55:
Ideal for beginners, the DA 18-55 provides a focal length covering a wide to moderate wide-angle range. Like all PENTAX lenses, the smc P-DA 18-55mm F4-5.6 zoom lens is treated with PENTAX's acclaimed smc coating for maximum light transmission, sharp definition, and high contrast while minimizing flare and ghost imaging.

AF28-80:
A standard zoom lens from a wide 28mm to a medium telephoto range of 80mm. The use of aspherical elements in the front group reduces the number of elements required, and the use of strong engineering plastic in the barrel makes the body a light 237g. Consequently, it is easy to carry.

AF70-300:
Tamron now offers a lightweight, compact, high-image-quality telephoto zoom lens with macro capability of 1:2 that can be used with digital cameras. This new lens is a Di type lens using an optical system with improved multi-coating designed to function with digital SLR cameras as well as film cameras.

With this 70-300mm telephoto zoom lens, flipping a macro switch in the focal length range of 180mm to 300mm obtains a maximum magnification ratio of 1:2 at a minimum focus distance as short as 37.4", enabling close-up shots of flowers, insects, and other objects that normally require the use of a specially designed macro lens. Moreover, this is a zoom lens that casually offers the distant capture and foreshortening effect pleasures of the 300mm ultra-telephoto world.

[peemagg]

I don't use a digital slr, but I use a 35mm slr. What I would suggest is one that does the most for what you want to do. I carry only one lens. It is a Tamron 28mm-300mm. It works great for those close shots, but real good for those shots further away. I used to carry several lenes through the parks, and found it to be a real pain to be constantly changing lenses all the time, not to mention the extra weight that you really feel at the end of the day. I guess if it was me and those were my choices, I would only carry the 70-300.

[Altair]

Are these lenses listed as 35mm equivalent already? If so, I'd take the 28-80mm if I only took one. Wide angle plus short telephoto.
The 70-300mm would be used most at AK for animal shots.

[bradk]

i have 3 lenses, from 10mm - 300mm. i take and use them all. out of the 3, the telephoto is probably used the least, but i've never did a statistical check. my middle ranged lens is 28-135 and probably gets used the most. but i wouldn't go without my 10-22.

[Altair]

A 10mm digital lens may not be wide angle. It may really be a normal lens. It has to do with the size of the image sensors in your camera. In your camera documentation they should tell you what factor you need to multipy by to get 35mm equivalent.

[Noah's Helper]

The 70-300mm would be used most at AK for animal shots.

I agree. The longer lens could also be useful for shows; otherwise I'd stick to one of the wider angle lenses.

You might find this thread to be helpful.

[bradk]

A 10mm digital lens may not be wide angle. It may really be a normal lens. It has to do with the size of the image sensors in your camera. In your camera documentation they should tell you what factor you need to multipy by to get 35mm equivalent.

if that's a lesson for me, thanks. yes, technically my camera (Canon EOS 20D) has a crop factor of 1.6, so with my supposed 10mm, i'm getting a horrid 16mm.

so if it makes you feel better, i carry 3 lenses with me that cover 16 - 480mm.

it's HUGELY wide angle. in fact, anything less than 50 (or 35 depending on your personal definition) is considered wide angle. but the fact is, i can get my hand in the shot when it's even with the front of the lens. granted i get massive distortion at '10mm,' especially if i'm not shooting level.

this for example is a shot of spiderman in front of his attraction at islands of adventure. and by attraction, i mean the WHOLE facade. according to the EXIF data, the lens was set to 12mm (or a miserable 19.2mm at 35mm equivalency)

all this and my wide angle goes with me everywhere. i can take full body shots of characters (with no real distortion) when they're a couple of feet in front of me.

best $700 i ever spent.

what kills me is it's EF-S mount though, which Canon doesn't support in the pro line of dSLRs which have a 1:1 sensor. man would i freak to see what true 10mm looks like.

(giggle)

[Altair]

if that's a lesson for me, thanks. yes, technically my camera (Canon EOS 20D) has a crop factor of 1.6, so with my supposed 10mm, i'm getting a horrid 16mm.

It was just a heads-up to those that do no know that a 18mm digital lens does not mean the same thing as a 18mm lens on a 35mm camera. I've seen the factor on some cameras as high as 3.4, so someone may think they are getting a wide angle lens, in reality they end up with a short tele-photo.

[Goes4FastPass]

The mid-range should be easiest to deal with. I love my Canon 70-200 f2.8 L IS but I wouldn't want to schlep it around a theme park all day.

[Pop Centurion]

Agree with using the 70-300 for Animal Kingdom.

It's a tough choice between the other two. While it's nice to have the wider angle of the kit lens, the 28-80 has the longer focal length that you may need depending on the type of shots you intend to take. Also for low light shots, keep in mind that at the long end of the kit lens (55mm) you're largest aperture is f5.6 while the 28-80 will be larger (smaller number) at 55mm. This is important if you don't want to keep from having to go to a longer shutter speed and/or a higher ISO setting.

[Flower]

Nikon D-70

We used our 25-105 mm lens for most shots and swapped up to the 70-300 mm at AKL/AK - It was a pain carrying everything, but I was glad we had both lenses at all times so that we could change them if needed.

[Pop Centurion]

Flower, I have a Tamrac 5747 Velocity 7 Photo Sling Pack that I use to hold my D50 with kit lens, 50mm f1.8, and 70-300mm f3.5-5.6. It's very compact and also has a zippered compartment for extra batteries, memory cards, and filters. It's perfect for trips where you don't need to lug a bunch of equipment.