Advice needed

[Rosh]

I would love some advice:

We are about to take a holiday to Hawaii. Usually when we go away I only take a point and shoot camera and have decided this time to take my Canon 60D.
I only use one lens and that is my prime Sigma 30mm f1.4.
The question I have is has anyone ever been away with just one lens either a 28mm ,30mm on a crop body or a 50mm on FF?
I think the trip away would make it a challenge using this lenes.
Then if I do get another lens should it be the cheap but sharp Tammy 17-50 nonvc or something else?

Thanks in advance.

[ameerat42]

1700 pics in 7 weeks with ONLY a fixed lens compact, f=16mm on an APSC sensor qualify?

But to add: the lens is by no means a cheapie. If you're going to get a cheapie, leave the camera behind and just take notes.
Am.

[William W]

Yes, I have: but not a 50mm on FF, rather a 35mm on FF.
50mm is too long for me if I can only have (or want to play the game of using) only one lens.

WW

[Darey]

I just got back from 10 days in Thailand where I used a Nikon D7000 and Tamron 17-50mm f2.8 (non VC) about 90% of the time and I found the lens to be perfect for my needs.

Following is an example as a guide.

Shot # 1
DSC_7719-54.jpg

[ameerat42]

Well, to get back to the basic Q. You are going to Hawaii, and presumably, you will avail yourself mostly of the scenery it has to offer. That would make me tend towards a wide-ish lens.
Yes, 35mm on FF is (at least used to be in film days) the start of "wide". It might do if you also intend taking narrower views, like in the street. But if it's the wide views you want AND only one lens, then take a 28mm/FF equivalent.
BTW, what's "nonvc" in the Tammy lens?
Am.

[Darey]

I tried to edit my above post but couldn't. I wanted to remove the last 2 shots because they were taken with the sigms 10-20mm and were attached incorrectly.
My apologies. I didn't use the sigma much but at the palace it was useful. The Tamron 17-50mm was by far my most used lens.

[William W]

I would reckon “nonvibration compensation”
i.e. - TAMRON SPAF17-50mm F/2.8 XR Di II LD Aspherical [IF]
As opposed to: -TAMRON SP AF17-50mm F/2.8 XR Di II VC LD Aspherical [IF]

The next question is: what Prime is there to replicate 28mm on a FF, for a 60D. . .

I think that we are back into zoom territory - and if that is the case and wider is indeed the OP's passion, then maybe it is better to look at the 10 to22 range; rather than the 17 to 50 range.

However, I would be happy with a 20mm Prime (on APS-C - equiv. 32mm), because (as you suggested) I would be more interested in street and people and closer work like that - and equiv 32 would generally suit me fine (or I could stitch if necessary) for the geographic scenery, in Hawaii.

I guess the other question is: why limit oneself to a Prime for a visit to such a distant and photogenic location?
Maybe the OP has been there before or goes there often?

WW

[ameerat42]

I would reckon “nonvibration compensation”
i.e. - TAMRON SPAF17-50mm F/2.8 XR Di II LD Aspherical [IF]
[FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3]As opposed to: -TAMRON SP AF17-50mm F/2.8 XR Di II VC LD Aspherical [IF]
...
WW

It's unbelievable, isn't it? And yet they make such good lenses.

[William W]

haha!

Reciting Lens’ Nomenclature makes for great trivial pursuit discussions – especially after three or four (bottles of) Red.
It is nice chatting to you.

WW

[Lazyshooter]

I guess the other question is: why limit oneself to a Prime for a visit to such a distant and photogenic location?
Maybe the OP has been there before or goes there often?

Good question, certainly you would have to think a 17-50mm zoom would be more versatile. I went travelling earlier in the year and just took one lens with me; a 16-85 mm zoom (with an APC-S sensor). Given the choice, I wouldn't take only a single prime but that's just me. I do like using prime lenses though, especially since they are typically much smaller. On a side note, I was in Sydney last week and my girlfriend asked if I could take a photo of her with the Opera house in the background. I had a 105 mm prime on so I couldn't (too close!), try explaining that!

[Speedway]

10-20 = 16-32 on full frame. or 10-22 = 16-35
Keith.

[Rosh]

Thanks for all the responses so far. The reason I am sticking with the 30mm as I want to keep it simple challenge myself. I have an 0.45x wide angle adaption and have tested it on IQ and it looks good. Tomorrow weather permitting I am going to go into Sydney and act as if I am a tourist. Put the lens through its paces and see if I can capture what I need. I will post some pics if I go.
Thank you to everyone so far and any further replies will be appreciated.

[ameerat42]

As the sheep said, "Ewe'll survive." Less weight, too. They won't laugh @ you. Just do it.
Am.

[fillum]

Another option would be to rent a lens when you get there if you find you need something different. I don't know whether this place for example is typical, but the prices seem remarkably cheap compared to Aus rental prices.


Cheers.

[Tommo224]

I use a 17-50mm Tamron NON-VC lens as my normal every day lens. It's good, and pretty decent for the money.


However, the main downside I've found with it:

Sometimes it tends to get in a mood where it wants to continually try and hunt for focus on things and doesn't lock on =/

80% of the time it is great, but that 20% gets very very annoying.

Going with that focus thing, be VERY conscious of what it's actually focusing on. As often it can focus on the wrong spot (say, doing a portrait, for some reason it may focus on their ear, shirt, or something else around them. Softening their face. Or it seems to focus on something invisible in front of the subject). But other times when it gets focus on the right spot, it's quite sharp.

Also it can be a little "soft" between f/2.8-4.

[Speedway]

The hunting can be caused by using multiple focus points, using single point uoy select the focus point not the camera.
Keith.

[fabian628]

I would love some advice:

We are about to take a holiday to Hawaii. Usually when we go away I only take a point and shoot camera and have decided this time to take my Canon 60D.
I only use one lens and that is my prime Sigma 30mm f1.4.
The question I have is has anyone ever been away with just one lens either a 28mm ,30mm on a crop body or a 50mm on FF?
I think the trip away would make it a challenge using this lenes.
Then if I do get another lens should it be the cheap but sharp Tammy 17-50 nonvc or something else?

Thanks in advance.

go with your siggy, dont complicate things with zooms you will miss the wide aperture and good iq i think. I went around europe for 6 weeks with 2 cameras both 50mm equivalent lenses; very liberating.

[Rosh]

Ok guys well I went around yesterday even though the weather was bad.
The question is can I holiday with just a 30mm. Well to answere to that is yes I could, and here is the but...
If you want to take candids of people you have to get in close. Now overseas when you are a tourist I suppose you can tell people that and they wont mind. The other option is to crop like I did on this picture below



The next picture no cropping



Now the thing here is you need to be close or crop a little, composition is a bit of a challenge as you have to move rather than zoom so then that makes the chance of missing a shot.

The second hurdle was wide angle.

This was the big test and where I really needed a wider lens. Now in saying that i put my 0.45x wideangle convertor on my 30mm to get some shots . Did this effect IQ I am not sure but will run some tests today.
Below is a pic I took with the 0.45x on the 30mm.



So in conclusion yes I think I need wider pending on IQ test of 0.45x
Second if you dont want to get in close to people you will have problems.

So what lens then.

Did I miss my f1.4. Not for landscape , city scape.
So the real descission is do I get something like the EFS 15-85 or Sigma 17-70, at this stage not sure.

[Old Skool]

I took my Tamron 17-50 F2.8 non VC to NZ. Most of the time it was OK, but I was left wishing for something wider and with more reach, so I've got a 15-85 which should suffice as a walk around travel lens.

[TOM]

Rosh, you bet you can take just one lens. My last trip OS I took two lenses, and wish now that I'd left the 75mm home and gone just with the 35mm. The trip before I took just a 75mm.

The 30mm would be a great FL on a x1.5 sensor. Oh, and leave the tripod home too.