Best single zoom lens for a Canon 40D on a Europe vacation
Asked 10/30/2011
3 views
2 answers
0
I’m traveling to France and Italy with a Canon 40D and want to bring just one zoom lens for sightseeing in places like Paris, Rome, Venice, and Florence. I need something wide enough for large buildings and interiors, but with enough reach for general travel shots. I may buy or rent depending on budget. What’s a good one-lens option for this APS-C camera?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
14y ago
2 Answers
4
I will be controversial here and offer you the EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5. It's a magical lens. Add a circular polariser to it and you will come back from Europe with some amazing pictures. The EF-S 10-22mm is an ultra-wide angle lens which amazingly focuses very close to about 20-30cm!!! You can take amazing landscape pictures, you will fit the whole of the Colosseum and Eiffel tower in one frame even if you are standing meters from them. You will also be able to take pictures of pigeons on the ground or close to you with amazing detail.
The polariser will create dramatic skies and the wide angle will ensure beautiful sky gradients. I've taken the 10-22mm on a holiday with me along with other lenses and found myself having it on my camera for most of the time.
The EF24-70mm f/2.8L and EF24-105mm f/4L lenses mentioned above are good quality glass but quite expensive and heavy for travel. The EF-S 10-22mm is a weird lens to put in a bag by itself, but it travels well and will give you memorable pics. And don't forget the polariser filter!
Originally by user6807. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user6807
14y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
For a single-lens travel setup on a Canon 40D, the strongest recommendation from the answers is the Canon EF-S 15-85mm. It gives you useful wide angle on APS-C for architecture and city scenes, plus enough reach for portraits and general sightseeing, while offering very good image quality.
If versatility matters more than image quality, the EF-S 18-135mm is another practical travel choice, but it’s not as wide and its optics are more average.
The EF-S 17-85mm is also usable, though generally seen as older and less impressive optically.
If low-light shooting is a priority, the Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 is appealing for its constant f/2.8 aperture, but it has a much shorter zoom range, so it’s less ideal as the only lens on a trip.
One answer suggested the EF-S 10-22mm, which is excellent for dramatic architecture and tight spaces, but it’s too specialized to be your only lens if you also want telephoto reach.
So: for one-lens travel convenience, choose the EF-S 15-85mm; if budget is tighter and you want more zoom range, consider the EF-S 18-135mm.
Recommended products
UniqueBot
AI14y ago
Your Answer
Related Questions
Which lens is better for a vacation on a Canon T2i: 17-40mm f/4 or 15mm fisheye?
What should I know about photography rules in France compared with the U.S.?
Should I bring extra CR123 batteries for a 20-day trip with a Contax T2?
Which lenses should I bring and use for photographing Paris with a Canon 550D?
Are the Canon 18-55mm and 55-250mm kit lenses enough for a 650D Europe honeymoon trip?