Lens Recommendation for Zion

[Ann-Marie Gerrity]

Hello,

We are planning a trip to Zion National Park in Utah. I have the Canon EOS 6d and would like to rent a lens that would work well when hiking and for taking landscape shots. Lenses I currently own are the 50 mm f/1.8, 24-105 mm IS USM, 135 mm f/2L . I used the 24-105 on a hiking trip this summer and it was S#*t! I am thinking about renting either the Canon EF 16-35 mm f/2.8L or or the Canon 24-70 mm f/2.8L lens for the trip. Any recommendations between those two, or something else entirely.

Not sure if this matters but this will be family trip with our two kids so I will be taking shots with people in them as well.

 

Thanks!

[Brian]

What a coincidence! I just returned from a trip out west. I visited Canyonlands, The Grand Canyon and Arches National Park, and visited the Navajo Nation. Anyway, I will tell you the story of what I went through and what lens I used the most. 

Being this was the first time I was out to this part of the country, and was doing it via a Bus Tour, I wanted to bring ALL my gear. Bought a fancy Back Pack, brought my 70-200, 24-70, 14-24 filters, batteries, a Platypod (Flat Tripod) with Ball Head. I was one of those photographers. All that was missing was the dorky vest, socks while wearing sandals, and hand-held light meter. I had the floppy hat and sunglasses.

I was determined to make sure I was prepared for everything. This was a once-in-a-lifetime trip!! Ummm...yeah.

So what happened? I ended up using my camera and 24-70 with a Circular Polarizer 99.99999999% of the time. The other 40lbs of gear in my backpack? It sat on the bus, locked up. I think I used my 14-24 for a handful of shots, but my 24-70 with Circular Polarizer mounted almost constantly. When it comes to hard sun and places out in the Desert, a CP is the filter that you must have.

Now for the lenses.

The Canon 16-35 f/2.8L is decent. I have seen great things come out of that lens. That said, 16mm takes a bit to get used to, due to the distortion along the sides. Moving an inch or two in one direction or the other WILL affect the overall look of your photo. That said...

...I would seriously rent a Canon 24-70 f/2.8L VERSION II and a 82mm Circular Polarizer to go with it. You will have your "Wide" at 24mm, and then be able to zoom in on people with 70mm. Hands down this is the lens I used the most on my trip. Oh, whatever you do, make sure you rent the Version 2 of the Canon 24-70. The Version one of that lens is a complete piece of garbage and you are better off using your 24-105 f/4 L.

If you are "Running and Gunning" while playing tourist, do yourself a favor and keep it light and simple. One camera, One Lens, and a CP. Bring plenty of batteries and Cards and leave the gear at home. Now, if you are going by yourself and will be standing in a single spot all day trying to capture __________ at Sunrise / Sunset, then by all means bring everything. Since you mentioned two kids, and they require food and water and some form of attention, I'm thinking you aren't going to be sitting somewhere for 10 hours waiting for the "Perfect Light" and that cloud to move just a little bit to the right. LOL!!

[Brian]

Here is one of my favorite photos from Arches National Park. I highly recommend visiting Arches NP and the city of Moab, UT. Just be sure to get to the park early, like be in line at 6:30 AM. They only let so many cars in at one time.

Taken with my 14-24:
 

See the distortion and how the rocks lean towards the center? That's 14mm. That's what I'm talking about if you shoot 16mm with the 16-35 L.

[Brian]

Same place, but taken with my 24-70 while I was walking up to the Double Arch. That thing is HUGE. You can see the people in this photo and I was a good distance away when I snapped this:
 

 

[Brian]

Another shot taken with my 24-70 and CP, this is a huge crop as I snapped this from a moving Tour Bus. There are heads to the left and right of this photo:
 

Speaking of heads, I need to tweak this photo. I have some cloning to do on the right side. Ooops.

[Brian]

One last shot, probably similar to what you are going to photograph. This is the Grand Canyon at Sunset taken with my 24-70 f/2.8:
 

 

[Brian]

Same area, just during Sunrise:
 

 

[Ann-Marie Gerrity]

Oh my goodness, thank you so much for your response and posting these pictures. Yes, I see what you mean with the 14mm on the arches picture. I love the sunrise and sunset pics. So cool to see the same place look so different!

I have to admit that I am really pleased to hear you say the 24-70. That lens (version 2 of course) has been the one that I have been really thinking will be my next big lens purchase. I do not do this professionally.  I mostly do it for my own kids and every once in a while will take a friends' family pictures or something. It is just my intense type A personality that drives me to take Damien's classes and save my money to buy good equipment.  Maybe one day I will start a business but I don't see that happening any time soon. I bought my 135 a couple of years ago and love it for outdoors. So here in Michigan it works great when it is nice outside, but it just doesn't work well inside. I have my 50mm but it isn't the L series, and the 24-105mm but I have become spoiled with the beauty of the 135 and those other two just don't compare. So I want my next lens to be something that I can use inside but still can have a little bit of range AND the quality that I now love with the 135mm. I know nothing beats a prime (or so I read that) but I feel like that 24-70 would come pretty darn close and give me many more options than another prime. And knowing that it works well for trips that like this too is a HUGE bonus!

Again, thank you so much for your response. I really appreciate it ?

[Ann-Marie Gerrity]

Hi again!

So I got the 24-70 f/2.8L II and I LOVE it! It is SO nice to finally have a lens that takes decent pictures and can be used well in a small place like our house. I can't wait to take it to ZIon in April. I also got a circular polarizer. I decided to try the Amazon basics one because it was so cheap  so I figured what the heck, if it ends up being awful I am only out $16.50 (https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00XNMYOZO/ref=oh_aui_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1)

. It seems to be decent but I have nothing else to compare it to. Have you had any experience with the amazon polarizer?  

Another gear recommendation question now. I currently have a Fotasy quick rapid single shoulder sling strap. I used it when we went to Hocking Hills this past summer and realized it is not the best for hiking. I still felt like I had to hold my camera to keep it from bumping into rocks and trees which meant my thumb/wrist area was in a lot of pain by the end of the trip.  I obviously want to bring my camera with me while hiking in zion but I don't want to feel like I have to hold it as well to keep it safe. Is there anything you recommend that would keep the camera safe, keep my hands free, and allow me to grab the camera quickly?  Thanks for your time!

[Brian]

Amazon Polarizer? No. I use a Nikon Circular Polarizer or would purchase a B+W one. My recommendation is to always purchase a high-quality polarizer due to color-shifts on the cheaper models. That said, it's $16.50. I would try it out first and pixel-peep. You might have found a good deal or you could discover a pinkish or orange hue to your photos. Either way it's good to know what you are dealing with before heading out.

Now for the strap, that is an eternal question. I use a over the shoulder strap and know what you mean. If you are truly hiking and climbing, you might be better off with a backpack. Which is another Pandora's Box. I almost bought a Mindshift 26L but that bag isn't big enough to hold gripped bodies, like my D4s. I ended up with a ThinkTank Shaper Shifter 17. Now for the darkside to backpacks, sure the Shape Shifter fit ALL of my Gear, when it was all said and done, it was over 40lbs. LOL!!! I think it was about 49 lbs. Ugh. Not the best when hiking all day in the dessert. Going forward, I'm thinking about getting a Nikon D850 and the newer version of the Nikon 24-70 and just stick with that. When playing tourist, that's usually what I end up shooting with 99% of the time. 

[Ann-Marie Gerrity]

Thanks. Here are some shots taken with and without the polarizer (The one without you can see my husband holding the polarizer). Granted, these are not amazing photos. We were just curious how it worked in comparison without it on. These are SOOC. Only thing done to them was clicking on the "enable lens correction" in ACR. Any thoughts?

[Brian]

Meh. The sun is at the wrong angle. It needs to be 90° to the camera’s lens for the greatest effect. So I would make an L with either your left or right hand and have your thumb point to the Sun. Your index finger will be where the lens should be pointed at. 

I would try testing on a sunny day with poofy clouds. Rotate the ring on the CP to make the sky more blue and the clouds white. 

Oh, keep in mind there will be a loss of a stop or so when you mount the CP. whenever I use mine, I automatically bump the ISO to 400.