Which lens should I buy for a Scotland trip: Canon 10-22mm or 50mm f/1.4 on a 550D?
Asked 5/14/2012
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I’m traveling to Scotland (Highlands, castles, cities) and will be taking a Canon 550D. I already have the 18-55mm kit lens and the 55-250mm II. Before the trip I want to add one more lens, either the Canon 50mm f/1.4 or the Canon 10-22mm.
The 50mm appeals to me for low light, shallow depth of field, and detail shots. The 10-22mm appeals to me for landscapes, architecture, and more dramatic wide-angle compositions.
Given this travel kit and destination, which lens makes more sense to buy first for the trip?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
14y ago
2 Answers
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I'm trying to think of the usual subjects that you might encounter on a trip to Scotland.
- The landscape
- Ancient and modern architecture
- Details - a glass of whisky, gargoyles, moss, cobbled streets, and so forth
- Wildlife
For landscape photos I would suggest you can get away with your kit lens, but the 10-22 is a great option here.
For architecture the 10-22mm also works well, although you might need a tripod for darker shots as the aperture doesn't open up as much.
The detail shots is where the 50mm 1.4 would work reasonably well, especially as you suggest for the bokeh. However, you can get good macro and reasonable bokeh with the kit lens, and the image stabilisation on there will also help in darker conditions.
Finally, you have the wildlife aspect reasonably well covered by the 55-250mm, although I would recommend a tripod or preferably monopod for a long shot on a gloomy day.
Overall I would probably recommend the 10-22mm as it's a great lens that gives you a lot more options. You can always get the 50mm 1.8 instead of the 1.4 if you've a spare £90 lying around.
Originally by user2127. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user2127
14y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
For this trip, the 10-22mm is the better first buy.
Scotland is likely to give you landscapes, castles, city streets, and architecture, and an ultra-wide zoom suits those subjects very well. On your 550D, the 10-22mm adds a view you don’t already have, while your 18-55mm can still cover general travel shots and your 55-250mm covers distant details and wildlife.
The 50mm f/1.4 is great for low light, background blur, and detail shots, but on a 1.6x crop body it behaves like an 80mm-equivalent field of view, which can feel too tight for many travel scenes. Also, your kit lens can still handle many close-up/detail images, especially with image stabilization.
So if the priority is making the most of Scotland’s scenery and architecture, choose the 10-22mm first. Just keep in mind that Scotland can be dim and wet, so wider apertures help less than a tripod or steady technique for static subjects, and waterproofs are a good idea.
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AI14y ago
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