Telephoto lens help- trip to Burma (Myanmar)

[Topgun514]

Hey group,

I had a specific, and hopefully not too difficult question to ask of the professionals of Expo. I am heading to Burma (Myanmar) this November with the goal of capturing a few specific photo's was hoping for some lens assistance. I have plenty of time to make this decision but getting the lens soon would allow my ample time to mess around with it and become more comfortable.

The area of Bagan is famous for it's temples, many of the temples are quite a distance away however and the compression of distance in photo's are mainly due to a telephoto lens. I have attached some links to photo's I would like to replicate or discuss. The first two links are my favorite of the photo's while the bottom is a standard lens that might not have been pushed to it's max in the sunset/sunrise sections.

I am currently using a Canon Rebel XT (350D) with the kit 18-55mm lens. I have been using this for about a year now as my first DSLR while also getting used to camera settings and how to shoot manual. I primarily use M and shoot either Large fine or RAW format, however, I use the standard and free software that comes with Windows. I do not have photoshop or lightroom, just preferring to shoot a good photo instead of messing too much with it in post production. I shoot a lot of landscape photography, and hike a lot. I have a small tripod that is great to travel with but lugging much more gear does not interest me! Along with this trip to Burma, I will be spending about 10 days prior in Vietnam and Cambodia backpacking only- which begins where my question comes into play:

My budget is around $100 max, making used the obvious and only method of new lenses for myself. (keh .com)
I would like to couple whatever lens I get with a graduated neutral density filter for sunsets.
With a few exceptions, the kit lens has been great as a starter and I am not skilled enough yet to have needed much else.
I like to travel light, and worry less about equipment than constantly changes lenses.

Should I go for an all around 18-135 mm lens that can do it all but will be limited in telephoto. Or do I go with a dedicated telephoto?

If I do go the telephoto route, will I worry about the abuse of bouncing in a pack, potential for an extra piece of stolen goods, extra worry of changing lenses in a dusty environment, added bag weight?
If I do not go telephoto route, will I regret it in the future that I just purchased another basic lens?


Thank you for your help!

http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1393127/0 (70-200mm lens examples)
http://patricklovephotography.com/blog/?p=1447 (70-300mm lens examples)
http://www.bordersofadventure.com/exploring-bagan-the-vast-temple-town-of-myanmar-burma/ (18-135mm lens examples)

 

[Utah200]

You should just spend the $100 on beer.

 

[rcharrette]

I'm pretty new to photography myself but what about going with the 18 - 135 then getting a 2X teleconverter?

 

[Kmrtnsn]

Get an 18-270 Tamron. It'll become the only lens you ever need, or ever use again. https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/747927-REG/Tamron_AFB008C700_AF18_270mm_f_3_5_6_3_Di_II.html

You can find them pretty cheap on Ebay but you'll have to up your budget by another $100.

 

[nwoods]

You should rent lenses if your budget is $100. I spend that amount on just the protective polarizer in front of my lens!
I have rented from BorrowLenses.com quite successfully

Alternatively, if you really only willing to spend $100 on capturing a once in a lifetime kind of trip, put that money towards upgrading to an iPhone 7 Plus or cloud storage and use that rather than a crappy lens. You'll be happier with the images and will have more access to the photos for sharing and reliving.

 

[Theoretician]

I'm of the opinion that super zoom lenses involve too much compromise, so I'd steer away from the 18-135 or 18-300 and such. Canon offers a 55-250 STM lens that gets great reviews and should come pretty close to $100 if you shop refurbished or KEH.

Stay away from the 75-300 lenses, as they pretty much all such for image quality.

You might look into KEH's selection of old Nikkor manual lenses as well. No autofocus on those, but you can get some great glass for really cheap with a $20 adaptor.

 

[Topgun514]

Get an 18-270 Tamron. It'll become the only lens you ever need, or ever use again. https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/747927-REG/Tamron_AFB008C700_AF18_270mm_f_3_5_6_3_Di_II.html

You can find them pretty cheap on Ebay but you'll have to up your budget by another $100.

I would be interested in paying a little bit more for a lens that can do it all, but I have heard these types of lenses suffer from more issues at each end of the spectrum. I shoot mainly in 18 and 55mm, but would 18mm have pincushions, and 270 have aberrations...? A good do it all lens would be great for my style of pack-light travel however.

I'm of the opinion that super zoom lenses involve too much compromise, so I'd steer away from the 18-135 or 18-300 and such. Canon offers a 55-250 STM lens that gets great reviews and should come pretty close to $100 if you shop refurbished or KEH.

Stay away from the 75-300 lenses, as they pretty much all such for image quality.

You might look into KEH's selection of old Nikkor manual lenses as well. No autofocus on those, but you can get some great glass for really cheap with a $20 adaptor.

Thank you, Theoretician, I will most likely look this route now (probably not a nikkor however- I appreciate an autofocus on occasion unless a great deal pops up), however I would love your take on 18-135/ 18-270 lenses on why they are all bad, or if there are some that would be worthwhile?

(Note: https://www.keh.com/shop/55-250-f4-5-6-ef-s-is-ii-58-lens.html)


As for renting: I want to be able to play around with the lens for the next few months. Going to a place without understanding the lens would stress me out. If I get a lens with limitations I would rather know this than getting an expensive rental (and potentially having it stolen or broken- hence the $100 range) for a few weeks that may also have its quirks.

The goal of shooting primarily DSLR is to be able to come back and process a 12x18 or 20x30 framed picture or two. An iphone would not be able to have clarity at those sizes without pixelation.

 

[Utah200]

Actually, an iphone 7 will have better clarity than anything you can produce with a Rebel and a $100 lens. Perhaps try joining a photography forum if you're seeking good photography advice. There certainly isn't much of it being dolled out here at expo.

 

[Triplesnake]

For your budget, I'd recommend the 55-250mm lens. It is another kit lens that was sold with a lot of cameras, so they can be found used pretty cheap on craigslist and other places. We got one when we bought our T3i. Then, for your trip take both the 18-55 and the 55-250. You will cover a wide range with those two lenses and if something were to happen to one of them you wouldn't be dead in the water. Personally I'm a big fan of redundancy in important systems like that. Having said that, I'm also considering a 18-135 lens myself. For my upcoming trip I'm more interested in wider angle landscape stuff, so I just for a 10-18mm and wand something to compliment that give me a good range for wildlife shots and such. So, i'm interested in discussions on that lens too. Most of what I've read about the teleconverters has not been very positive.

 

[Topgun514]

Actually, an iphone 7 will have better clarity than anything you can produce with a Rebel and a $100 lens. Perhaps try joining a photography forum if you're seeking good photography advice. There certainly isn't much of it being dolled out here at expo.

Thats a good idea, LR4-More knowledge is something I'd like! Do you have any recommendations for sites?

I am constantly amazed by how much information is out there- even looking at basic lenses and seeing how people understand each limitations is incredible. I'd love to possess some of that!

 

[Theoretician]

The 18-135 STM lens from Canon is good glass, but it's redundant with the 18-55 that you're already happy with. It's also much larger and heavier than the 18-55. Note that there are several versions of each lens that we're talking about here - four or five 18-55s, a couple 18-135s, and three or four 55-250s.

The 18-55 are all kit lenses, and for about 20 years have all been good enough for what they do - small apertures, but sharp and decent auto focus over a useful focal range while being small, light, and disposable. The 18-135s had an initial version I think, labeled IS, and then a version labeled STM, and then a recent version labeled Nano USM I think. The early Is version doesn't have much image quality, displaying the same dull detail and rough rendering that is common to cheaper super zoom lenses, but the STM version was a surprise hit with image quality. The Nano USM version is similar, but with a bit faster auto focus. The 55-250s are the same - buying any of the IS versions is a waste of money, but the STM version is a superstar value. I'm not sure if there is a Nano USM version of the 55-250.

Describing a Nikkor as a great deal is always subjective. I've got a 50/1.4 that I absolutely love that cost me $80 as a bargain grade from KEH, but a friend of mine hates the 200/4 macro that he spent $50 on because he hates dealing with the manual focus and manual aperture. There's no free lunch - AF/AE has its place, but in landscapes where you have time to plan and compose I find that manual lenses offer a lot of value. Any action shots I get with my Nikkor glass are basically luck, but the portraits I've pulled from it have some magic that my AF 50/1.8 hasn't been able to muster for roughly the same price. If these landscapes that you're looking to capture aren't going to be rushed affairs, then I'd seriously consider finding a lens that is sharp as hell and renders well but is cheap because it's all manual and no one wants to deal with that.

The Nikkor:


The nifty fifty:

I would be interested in paying a little bit more for a lens that can do it all, but I have heard these types of lenses suffer from more issues at each end of the spectrum. I shoot mainly in 18 and 55mm, but would 18mm have pincushions, and 270 have aberrations...? A good do it all lens would be great for my style of pack-light travel however.



Thank you, Theoretician, I will most likely look this route now (probably not a nikkor however- I appreciate an autofocus on occasion unless a great deal pops up), however I would love your take on 18-135/ 18-270 lenses on why they are all bad, or if there are some that would be worthwhile?

(Note: https://www.keh.com/shop/55-250-f4-5-6-ef-s-is-ii-58-lens.html)


As for renting: I want to be able to play around with the lens for the next few months. Going to a place without understanding the lens would stress me out. If I get a lens with limitations I would rather know this than getting an expensive rental (and potentially having it stolen or broken- hence the $100 range) for a few weeks that may also have its quirks.

The goal of shooting primarily DSLR is to be able to come back and process a 12x18 or 20x30 framed picture or two. An iphone would not be able to have clarity at those sizes without pixelation.

 

[Rattler]

I didn't want to lug around a couple lenses when I went to Germany a few years ago. I ended up picking up a Sigma 18-250. It does pretty good for only @$300. I sold my kit lens (18-55) and my 55-250 a year later since I wasn't using them anymore.

 

[nwoods]

Thats a good idea, LR4-More knowledge is something I'd like! Do you have any recommendations for sites?

I am constantly amazed by how much information is out there- even looking at basic lenses and seeing how people understand each limitations is incredible. I'd love to possess some of that!

For Canon, Photography-on-the-Net is a fantastic forum. For general photographic knowledge and technique training I really like FStoppers as well.
As for iPhone 7 print size, no problem's printing poster size high resolution images. Seriously. It's a smarter camera system with more capability than your dSLR with better lens capabilities (due in large part to the software driving it) than a cheap dSLR and cheap lens combo.

If you want to test print some decent iPhone images, DPreview has posted full resolution versions from the iPhone 7 and also the 7 Plus (which has the amazingly good Portrait mode, depth of field control and much better zoom options over the standard sized iPhone 7):
iPhone 7 gallery: https://www.dpreview.com/news/2517093054/iphone-7-real-world-sample-gallery
ipPhone 7+ gallery: https://www.dpreview.com/news/7934908715/iphone-7-plus-real-world-sample-gallery

Another plus in using your phone instead of a camera? Not as likely to be stolen, forgotten, dropped, etc...and you can share and or edit your images immediately.
This is not a new concept: https://www.outsideonline.com/2114296/years-best-new-adventure-camera-apple-iphone-7-plus#slide-1


Look at the depth of field and resolution of this image, for example (iPhone 7 plus):

 

[Topgun514]

For Canon, Photography-on-the-Net is a fantastic forum. For general photographic knowledge and technique training I really like FStoppers as well.
As for iPhone 7 print size, no problem's printing poster size high resolution images. Seriously. It's a smarter camera system with more capability than your dSLR with better lens capabilities (due in large part to the software driving it) than a cheap dSLR and cheap lens combo.

If you want to test print some decent iPhone images, DPreview has posted full resolution versions from the iPhone 7 and also the 7 Plus (which has the amazingly good Portrait mode, depth of field control and much better zoom options over the standard sized iPhone 7):
iPhone 7 gallery: https://www.dpreview.com/news/2517093054/iphone-7-real-world-sample-gallery
ipPhone 7+ gallery: https://www.dpreview.com/news/7934908715/iphone-7-plus-real-world-sample-gallery

Another plus in using your phone instead of a camera? Not as likely to be stolen, forgotten, dropped, etc...and you can share and or edit your images immediately.
This is not a new concept: https://www.outsideonline.com/2114296/years-best-new-adventure-camera-apple-iphone-7-plus#slide-1


Look at the depth of field and resolution of this image, for example (iPhone 7 plus):

Thanks. This is some good food for thought. Part of me is a little upset by those photos. They're all fantastic shots, which makes me wonder what the future of DSLR looks like. Something about holding a camera vs an iphone I guess. But I won't dispute that the new technology is absolutely better than my XT- and it has internet, call and text functions to boot.

 

[unplannedbbq]

Hey group,

I had a specific, and hopefully not too difficult question to ask of the professionals of Expo. I am heading to Burma (Myanmar) this November with the goal of capturing a few specific photo's was hoping for some lens assistance. I have plenty of time to make this decision but getting the lens soon would allow my ample time to mess around with it and become more comfortable.

The area of Bagan is famous for it's temples, many of the temples are quite a distance away however and the compression of distance in photo's are mainly due to a telephoto lens. I have attached some links to photo's I would like to replicate or discuss. The first two links are my favorite of the photo's while the bottom is a standard lens that might not have been pushed to it's max in the sunset/sunrise sections.

I am currently using a Canon Rebel XT (350D) with the kit 18-55mm lens. I have been using this for about a year now as my first DSLR while also getting used to camera settings and how to shoot manual. I primarily use M and shoot either Large fine or RAW format, however, I use the standard and free software that comes with Windows. I do not have photoshop or lightroom, just preferring to shoot a good photo instead of messing too much with it in post production. I shoot a lot of landscape photography, and hike a lot. I have a small tripod that is great to travel with but lugging much more gear does not interest me! Along with this trip to Burma, I will be spending about 10 days prior in Vietnam and Cambodia backpacking only- which begins where my question comes into play:

My budget is around $100 max, making used the obvious and only method of new lenses for myself. )

Some good advice already here. Your budget is really, really tight.

I'd recommend either a "big" inexpensive all in one, like the already mentioned used tamron 18-270, or (my preference) a nice prime. The nifty 50 ain't bad, but I might think about one of canon's newer pancake STM lenses, like the 24mm or 40mm.

I have a couple full-frame bodies, and keep a 70-300 on one and a 16-35 on the other when I travel. This is out of your price range. I'll also carry an SL1 body + the 40mm pancake 'cause that combo will fit in a big pocket. Some of my best travel shots have come from the SL1 + 40mm, cause it is unobtrusive & low key. Street photography, landscapes, landmarks, etc. - All great. You can find those lenses for ~$100 used. The downside - no zoom. But incredible image quality for the price. Couple peru pics below from the 40mm on SL1: