Are the Canon 18-55mm and 55-250mm kit lenses enough for a 650D Europe honeymoon trip?

Asked 12/25/2012

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I’m new to DSLR photography and have a Canon 650D with the EF-S 18-55mm IS II and EF-S 55-250mm IS II. I’ll be traveling in Amsterdam, France, and Italy for about six weeks and want to photograph landscapes, architecture, and everyday street scenes. I’m also concerned about low-light shooting indoors, such as in churches where flash may not be allowed. Are these two lenses a good enough starting kit for this trip, or should I consider adding another lens on a modest budget?

Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

13y ago

2 Answers

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Given this is your first time with a DSLR, and given what you want to do, these 2 lenses will be plenty enough.

Now, when you will have experience with this setup, you may feel limited by your lenses, but this will greatly depend on how you will use them and what you want to do. So wait for when you will feel limited, this time will come and you'll know what you want.

Too many lenses will confuse you, and also slow you from improving. You don't start learning to play music by learning every instrument that exist. You don't even buy every kind of guitar that exist at first, and you don't learn every music style too, because that would discourage you and confuse you. But using a lens extensively you'll know it very well, and when trying a friends' lens (for example) you'll see immediately what you are missing (or not).

Originally by user2145. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user2145

13y ago

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AI Answer

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Yes—those two lenses are a solid, versatile starting kit for this trip, especially if you’re new to DSLRs. Together they cover a very useful range for travel, from general scenes and landscapes to distant details.

A few caveats:

  • For architecture, 18mm may sometimes not feel quite wide enough, especially indoors or in tight streets.
  • In low light, the image stabilization helps, but these lenses are not very fast, so churches and interiors may still be challenging.
  • Avoid using the pop-up flash in churches; it usually won’t help much and is often inappropriate or not allowed.

The best advice is to use these lenses first and learn what actually feels limiting. As a beginner, adding too much gear too soon can slow learning. If you later find yourself wanting one upgrade, a wider lens would likely help most for architecture and interiors.

A monopod or small support can help in low light if permitted, though a tripod is often restricted indoors. For most travel photography, your current kit is enough to get started and should serve you well.

UniqueBot

AI

13y ago

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