16mm-35mm Canon lens ... take on trip for landscapes? Hello! I am a senior woman whose strength is less than when I started taking photos at age 8! An avid amateur. I am taking a trip...

Linda S.

Hello! I am a senior woman whose strength is less than when I started taking photos at age 8! An avid amateur. I am taking a trip to the Inner Passage/Alaska. Was going to bring Canon 5D M4, 24-105 mm and the Canon G3X with the 600 optical zoom. Also a travel tripod...carbon Sirui...carrying it all in a Think Tank Speed Racer 2. (They are amazing to work with...not affiliated). Taking the smaller camera as my older 5D broke on the first day of another amazing trip! Question is...is it redundant to take the 16-35 lens? Not whale watching...taking a helicopter to a glacier and then taking a dog sled ride. Also taking trips into towns and gardens. Any insights would be most appreciated. Thank you!

crazydaddio Loc: Toronto Ontario Canada

Linda S. wrote:

Hello! I am a senior woman whose strength is less ... (show quote)

I have the 16-35....I think you will find the 24-105 will cover what you need. I only use the 16-35 for when I absolutely have no other choice due to width or I want it for artistic perspective shots. For the occasion you want to get wider....do a pano.

Only time you will miss it is for ultrawide shots where stuff is moving (leaves etc). Otherwise...if space and weight is an issue it is always the first lens I leave at home.

User ID

`

So .... you are NOT bring your
SLR, only the smaller camera ?

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

crazydaddio wrote:

I have the 16-35....I think you will find the 24-105 will cover what you need. I only use the 16-35 for when I absolutely have no other choice due to width or I want it for artistic perspective shots. For the occasion you want to get wider....do a pano.

Only time you will miss it is for ultrawide shots where stuff is moving (leaves etc). Otherwise...if space and weight is an issue it is always the first lens I leave at home.

rgrenaderphoto Loc: Hollywood, CA

Linda S. wrote:

Hello! I am a senior woman whose strength is less ... (show quote)

Make sure your Think Tank meets the latest requirements for carry on items, 22'' x 14'' x 9'', which includes Alaska Airlines.

Linda S.

Oh no! Definitely bringing both!

Linda S.

It does! Thank you for bringing it to my attention.

Linda S.

Thank you for the pano suggestion. I hadn't thought of that. Will leave lens home.

speters Loc: Grangeville/Idaho

Linda S. wrote:

Hello! I am a senior woman whose strength is less ... (show quote)

I would never leave and go anywhere without my 16-35mm, as well as 70-200, they are always with me, no matter where I go!

pmorin Loc: Huntington Beach, Palm Springs

Linda S. wrote:

Thank you for the pano suggestion. I hadn't thought of that. Will leave lens home.

Going up on the Glacier (Mendenhall?) you will be in a helicopter and taking a pano is not so easy. The 16-35 is a great lens and weighs about 22 oz’s. The vistas there are incredible, especially from the copter. Use the 600 for the zooms but I would also take the 24-105 & the 16-35 on your trip. I highly recommend the 16 for the Glacier.
I had mine for shots of Denali from a Cessna and was glad I did.

crazydaddio Loc: Toronto Ontario Canada

pmorin wrote:

Going up on the Glacier (Mendenhall?) you will be in a helicopter and taking a pano is not so easy. The 16-35 is a great lens and weighs about 22 oz’s. The vistas there are incredible, especially from the copter. Use the 600 for the zooms but I would also take the 24-105 & the 16-35 on your trip. I highly recommend the 16 for the Glacier.
I had mine for shots of Denali from a Cessna and was glad I did.

Full disclosure. I too had the 16-35mm mounted when in the heli over Hawaii. My wife was on that while I was on the 70-200 out the other side.
Indeed this is a case where a pano won't work (as I mentioned related to motion).
Most of the keepers did not really need the 16 mm and at that width, you are getting your feet , the heli door frame and the side of the pilots head unless you are hanging out of the copter :-)

Cessna you may be able to fly low and use the 16 width to get a nice wide shot.

Linda S.

Wow! Thank you all for the different perspectives! The 16-35 is a new lens for me. I like using it as a 16mm... I will be on a glacier but not Mendenhall for the helo doesn't allow bags so I was unsure if I could take my camera bag. The second trip didn't mention that bags were not allowed. That trip will be on the Norris and Taku glaciers...along with a dog sled ride. Weather reports say rain. I have covers for both cameras and now reading up on how to take photos in the rain. Haven't done that before. Again, any insights would be most appreciated.

jdubu Loc: San Jose, CA

Linda S. wrote:

Wow! Thank you all for the different perspectives!... (show quote)

Wear a photo vest to hold your lens and accessories. No bag required.

pmorin Loc: Huntington Beach, Palm Springs

crazydaddio wrote:

Full disclosure. I too had the 16-35mm mounted whe... (show quote)

I am including 2photos with this reply to help define my point. 1st is shot from a helicopter at the rear side window with an 18 mm focal length. The lens was an EF-S 18-200 3.5-5.6 IS. Not as good as the 16-35, but at that point it was what I had.
The 2nd is a shot from a Cessna 206 with the 16-35 L at the focal length of 16 mm, from 9000 ft. Lightly cropped for leveling.
The view you have and the shots you can take will depend on where you sit, which is always up to the pilot or loadmaster. I personally want as much width as I can get with the ability to zoom in if needed. But everyone has a different perspective when it comes to photos. I agree that the OP would get good photos with the 24-105. But the extra few mms can be useful too. Some shots will have aircraft features in them, but IMHO they help tell the story of the photograph.
And no, they do not allow people to take an extra bag.

(Download)

johnst1001a Loc: West Chester, Ohio

Definitely take the 16-35. I just got back from Alaska. There are numerous opportunities for landscape pictures, and with this lens you can get great shots with the foreground and mountains all in focus at the same time, something you cannot do with a long lens. Best to shoot at about 24 mm, as this is the sharpest point for this lens. Minimum f8 or f11. ISO 800 is fine with the 5DM4 which I have. You can correct any distortion in post processing. That said, you also need a longer reach lens. I used the 70-300 I have, and it worked great.