Best Lenses For Travel Photography

Written by digital photography school blogger, Darren Rowse.

"As I’ve said above, when I travel these days I tend to take 2 lenses - one is a versatile zoom which will cover a range of focal lengths and the other is a light weight, small and fast prime lens (a prime lens is one with a fixed focal length. Prime lenses are traditionally good quality and faster than zooms). Of course the two lenses I talk about below are based upon my own budget, photographic style and preferences. I’ve added a few other alternatives into the mix which others might consider".

Special for CANON SHOOTER

1. Lens Canon EF 24 - 105 MM F/4 L IS

I list it here for a number of reasons:

• it’s image quality is renowned as one of the best zoom lenses going around. This is an ‘L’ series lens which is a ‘luxury’ or Pro level.

• focal length is wide and will cover a variety of situations and needs

• while f/4 isn’t super fast it will do you fine in many lighting situations - especially anything shot in daylight. It’s f/4 across all focal lengths so it is faster than the 18-55mm at full extension.

• this lens has Image Stabilization (IS) which will allow you to handhold shots at up to 2 stops faster than normal (this means in low light you can slow your shutter speed a couple of stops without suffering camera shake).

Of course for every positive there is a negative and this camera’s include:

• Weight/Size - this is not the lightest lens going around and by the end of a day of it hanging around your neck you’ll know about it

• Price - the weight it adds to your neck will be taken from your wallet - it’s not cheap

• Speed - as I say above, f/4 is ok, but it’s not the fastest option going around.

Alternatives to the 24-105mm f/4L IS

A couple of alternatives come to mind.

• Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM - in the same price league and with similar quality and weight, but faster (aperture of 2.8 across all focal lengths), without image stabilization, shorter zoom range. So if you’re shooting at low light a lot (especially moving objects which IS won’t freeze) and you don’t mind loosing the top end focal length it might be an option.

• Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM - this is a much more affordable option but you do sacrifice image quality (as you’d expect). It has a longer focal length, still has Image Stabilization and at 28mm is faster than the 24-105mm (but is slower at the other end of the zoom). It’s also a bit lighter and smaller. I’ve owned this lens for a while now and have usually included it in my kit when traveling. It’s images are not as good as my L series lenses but it’s a good general purpose lens.

2. Lens Canon 50 mm f/1.8 II Camera Lens

Whereas my last suggestion was very expensive this one is at the opposite end of the spectrum in terms of cost and is one of the most affordable lenses you’ll find in the Canon range when you consider the quality of the images it produces.

While this lens is not much to look at in terms of size, weight or even construction it is significantly faster than any of the other lenses mentioned above at f/1.8. This will allow you to shoot at quite low light levels, especially if you up your ISO (remember you get grain at higher ISO). I use this lens when I don’t want to lug the other one around with me (I leave it locked up at the hotel), especially at night.

The Positives for this lens are:

• Speed - f/1.8 is the fastest lens I’ve currently got in my collection. It’s great indoors especially when a flash is not allowed or appropriate.

• Weight/Size - you can fit it in your pocket easily and will hardly know it’s there - perfect for taking out at night or when you need to travel especially light

• Price - last time I looked on Amazon it was just over $100 USD

• Quality - while it’s no ‘L’ Series lens many argue that when you consider it’s price it’s one of the best quality lenses going around on a ‘dollar to quality ratio’.

• Focal length - although you’re limited to one focal length it is a useful one. I find it works well with portraits and in getting in nice and close for tightly framed shots of things in street-scapes etc.

On the downside of this lens:

• Focal length - it is a handy length for some shots but not having a zoom can be frustrating if you’re used to that. It’s also a little too long for landscapes (especially on non full frame cameras where it’s the equivalent of an 80mm lens.

• Build Quality - this lens can be a little hard to take seriously when you first pick it up because it’s so light that it feels like a toy. It’s quite ‘plasticy’. It is also a reasonably noisy lens and not the fastest at focussing in low light.

Alternatives to the 50mm f/1.8

The following lenses are alternatives to the 50mm f/1.8 in terms of their speed and size

• Canon EF 50mm f1.4 USM - if the focal length is right but you’re a bit put off by the quality of the f/1.8 lens you might want to spend a bit more (actually it’s more than 4 times more) and get it’s faster big brother - the f/1.4 version. Once again it’s small, light and takes sharp pictures. Despite it being more expensive it’s still quite reasonably priced and is significantly better in terms of quality of build and image. While I love my f/1.8 I wish I’d spent a little more and got this one instead.

• Canon EF 28mm f/1.8 USM - worth considering also when using a non full frame camera is a wider angle lens like this 28mm one (equivalent of a 45mm lens). In many ways this one has a very similar feature list to the f/1.4 lens. It’s small, light, fast and not too expensive.

• Canon EF 20mm f/2.8 USM - go even wider angle with a 20mm lens. It’s not as small as either of the 50mm lenses but is still small enough and gets some very positive reviews.

--- Hopefully you don't get wrong to buy which lens you need for your trip ---