I've been to Cuba three times over a 12 year period (Havana, west to Pinar del Rio and east as far as Trinidad; Santiago de Cuba is next on my list). Great photos ops abound in Havana Vieja, if you can get past the crowds. The old ladies wearing bridal gowns and smoking big cigars are the equivalent of the naked painted ladies here in NYC's Times Square: they are performers and expect to be tipped. Within Havana Vieja, Plaza de Armas (with its square surrounded by book and poster art stalls), Plaza de La Catedral, Plaza Vieja, a long stroll along the wide, engaging Prado (passing by the Capital building and the Museum of Fine Arts - a must visit!) and Parque Central offer great photo ops. The Prado eventually leads to the Malecon, overlooking the Florida Straits, with a great shot of El Morro across the harbor entrance (probably the only instance where a longer lens would be nice). Most Cubans spend the hot evenings hanging around the Malecon.

Behind the Capitol building lies Habana Centro, where Havana's working class lives. It's funky, with buildings in various stages of decay, but very safe and offers great opportunities to photograph the real life of Los Habaneros. Most tours there will include a visit of Barrio Chino (not much to see, and the food is unremarkable) or Callejon de Hamel, a short, vibrant street filled with graffiti and street art (great visit).

Vedado was the upper- and upper middle-class areas developed in pre-Revolution Havana. Many of the diplomatic missions are based there. There is also the Hotel Nacional (a must see, though NOT must-stay, hotel). Nearby are some of the best jazz clubs in Cuba, as well as the small park on La Rampa (Calle 23) housing Coppelia, where people of Havana bring their children, friends and lovers to savor the best ice cream in Cuba. Great ice cream and great photo ops (one place where you definitely want to stand on the tourist line. Ice cream is more expensive on that line, but the wait is far shorter).

As far as equipment, the wider the lens the better. Cuba runs on the same electrical current as the U.S., but bring a three-prong to two-prong adaptor (it's not only the cars that are of 1950s vintage). Electrical outages can occur w/o warning; keep batteries charged (and bring as many batteries and SD cards as you can; camera supplies can be hard to obtain). Also extra lens filters for your DSLR (circular polarizer and ND filters most useful). An external power stick and a power clip for your cell phone are good items to have.

Okay. ¡Tenga un gran viaje!

As a native New Yorker (born & bred & have lived here nearly all my life) I send you a warm welcome (I know, very un-New Yorkish). Your hotel is very close to Central Park so, if the weather allows it, take advantage of it. Carriage ride is very nice, but the route is limited and doesn't allow for immersion in one of the world's great public parks. Take the ride at night (tres-romantique!) and hike the park during the day. Good CP visits heading north from your hotel: The Pond (at the 59th Street & 5th Avenue entrance); the Carousel; Sheep Meadow (W.60s); The Mall up to Bethesda Fountain (72nd); Bow Bridge (classic site for wedding photos (W.74); through The Rambles up to Belvedere Castle overlooking the Delacorte Theatre and The Great Lawn (W.79). Exit the Park, and catch a bus on West 79th Street to Riverside Park. Walk along the Hudson River, 79st Street Marina; piers jutting out in the river (watch out for the weekend bikers!). Walk the park along the Hudson River until you get to 57th Street and catch a bus back to your hotel. Voila!

I live in the West Village, and we get a lot of weekend visitors. It's a lovely ramble along narrow, crooked cobblestone streets filled with brownstones from the mid-late 1800s, and we've got some great (if expensive) restaurants. There's also Hudson River Park, which you can walk along till you get down to Battery Park City. Great views of New York harbor, with a view of the Statue of Liberty in the distance.

So much more, but here's some things to ignore (some already mentioned by others): Little Italy (one small, pathetic block with mediocre Italian restaurants); Chinatown (still some very good restaurants, but filled with tourists and street hawkers); High Line (a true travesty! Once lightly-traveled with sweeping views of Manhattan now nearly impassable on weekends and views almost completely obscured by tall condos and luxury rentals); Times Square (okay, maybe for night shots); Brooklyn Bridge (hate to say it, but so overcrowded the City is considering limiting foot traffic).

Enjoy!

You're right. Thanks for the clarification.

Regarding sensor damage, it could well be a "marketing hype" on Canon's part. But, as you yourself have noted, there is considerable vignetting and loss of image at the wide end of images taken with a crop lenses on a full frame camera, and since the original inquiry was about the ability to continue using his 17-50 crop lens on his full frame camera, he needs to understand that he's going to lose 25-30% or more of his image. That's what I experienced in my transition from a Canon7D (crop) to the Canon 5D (full frame). I loved my Canon EF-S 10-20mm lenses, but I lost so much image that I traded it in for a used Canon 16-35 full frame lens. But, again, that may be a problem peculiar to Canon.

It's my understanding that using an APS-C lens in a full frame (Canon) camera has potential to damage the sensor screen. Maybe that's not a problem with Sony and other cameras. But you will get terribly severe vignetting (especially with a wide angle lens), and the image you get will more than likely be much less than what you intended. Welcome to the world of full frame cameras; now get yourself a full frame lens that will deliver what you were aiming for.

I've had both lenses. Version II is a marked improvement, as others have noted: Autofocus is faster and more accurate, much more responsive under low light conditions, sharper at the edges and that zoom lock is a great addition. Not sure if it actually IS slightly lighter, but Version II sure feels that way. Lens failure with Version I was never an issue for me, but still glad I did the upgrade. B&H gave me a $250 credit when I traded in my Version I lens for Version II.

I'm a long-time Canon user (5D Mark IV is my current primary camera), and I've been using the Tamron 28-300 as my walk-around lens for about three years now, with much satisfaction. It's a little soft around the edges, but its auto-focus is fast and responsive, even under low-light conditions. Image Stabilization is swift and very effective. Barrel movement is firm but smooth, and the zoom lock is a useful tool (though only functions when you return lenses to its 28mm setting). And the body is light but solid, weather-resistant. Had the lenses checked out at a recent photo show here in NYC, and all it needed was a little cleaning around the connecting threads. When on a dedicated shoot my go-to lens is the Canon 24-105L4 II, but as a walk-around the Tamron 28-300 is my best yet.

My favorite travel tripod (so far) is the Manfrotto 190CXPro4. https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1060584-REG/manfrotto_190cxpro4_carbon_fiber_tripod_stand.html 3.5 lbs, solid build, fits nicely in a small sling bag. But, as others have suggested, since you live on the island it's best to make a trip into the city and check out the travel tripods at B&H. Choosing a travel tripod comes down to a mix of personal priorities, affordability and comfort.

I have a Canon 5D Mark IV, and had the Canon 24-105 USM lens before trading it in for the Canon 24-105 Mark II. Never had any sharpness problems with the first version of the 24-105 (big problems with achieving quick focus under low-light conditions, which was markedly improved with the new lens). Have you tried entering your "like new" lens into the camera's "Lens Aberration Correction" database? Go to Menu -> Shoot 1 -> Lens Aberration Correction -> Diffraction Correction (there's also a Digital Lens Optimizer selection in the Shoot 1 category, a sort all-purpose mode to correct many aberrations). You may find considerable improvements in focusing (problems you really shouldn't be having with that camera and that lenses at those wide angles). You may also want to check your camera and the Canon website to make sure that you have the most current version of the firmware (thanks for reminding me that I need to do the same!).

If it's not resolved, or if your Canon 5D Mark IV doesn't even "recognize" the lens, then there may be problems with your "like new lens." It may need correction; like I said, you shouldn't have to make the kind of adjustments you're making, not with that camera and that lens. Good luck!

Well, Cubans don't need extra money to pay for health care, because it's free (and it's good. Cuba trades its doctors with other nations for their oil). Lower infant mortality rate than the U.S. Lower mortality rate from childbirth (U.S. childbirth mortality rate the highest of all industrialized nations, and it's rising). No extra money needed for education; it's free (Cuba's rate of literacy rate higher than the U.S.). Housing is very low cost, and it's free after a Cuban turns 65. Free community arts, sports, education, senior citizen, special needs programs in every town across the nation. Cuba's Constitution guarantees equal rights for women, something NOT guaranteed here in the good ol' U.S. of A. Big biotech industry, in conjunction with Canada. Stringent environmental regulations, with western hemisphere's largest expanse of protected coastline (beautiful barrier islands along the southern coast, with some the world's best snorkeling/scuba diving sites). And the world's finest rum (for that alone, we should end the U.S. embargo!).

And it continues to adjust and evolve. Gay rights are not only guaranteed (big change for a historically machismo culture) but, if a man/woman decides that their true self is female/male, the government will pay for their sex change operation, if one so desires. Many of the things lacking in Cuba are a direct or indirect result of U.S. trade embargoes, which the U.S. Chamber of Commerce - a nasty bunch of radical commies, no? - has urged ending for the last ten years. Meanwhile, China, Canada, Spain, Portugal, England and other countries are now undertaking cooperative ventures with the Cuban government. Eventually, when the embargo does end, all that will be left for the U.S. to join in on will be a few piers for the damn cruise ships. And maybe a baseball franchise with the Habana Industriales (a great ball team! Did you know that Fidel was a semi-pro baseball player. A pitcher, of course. And he spent his honeymoon here in NYC, up in The Bronx, staying with relatives. He wanted to take in the New York Yankees).

I've been to Cuba three times (so far) over the past 15 years, most recently for the 2015 Havana Art Bienniale. Each visit has presented a view of Cuba in almost constant transition, a reflection of changes in U.S./Cuba relations, and of the world's increasing engagement with Cuba and disregard of U.S. travel policy. I will try to ignore the foolish broadsides by some people here on UHH who've never even visited the country (others have addressed that matter quite well), and will try to address your questions re: equipment. But let me say this: you will find Cuba to be very safe, with few restrictions on travel, photography or engagement with the people of Cuba. People are warm, vivacious and fascinated with America (though "dumbstruck" is probably the more accurate word since the November 2016 elections). I did notice that the introduction of cruise ships and day-tripping Americans has brought about a certain weariness of and decreased engagement with Americans by Cubans, especially so in Havana).

Assuming most of your time will be spent in Havana (with day trips to outlying towns and parks), the Canon T2i with the 18-55 and 18-250 lenses will serve you well during the day (skip the 50mm lens) and one of the p&s cameras for night visits (whichever one you feel works best under low-light conditions). The streets of Havana Vieja and Havana Centro are narrow; you'll want a wide lens. Cuba runs on the same electrical current as the U.S., but bring a three-prong to two-prong adaptor (it's not only the cars that are of 1950s vintage). Electrical outages can occur w/o warning; keep batteries charged (and bring as many batteries and SD cards as you can; camera supplies can be hard to obtain). Also extra lens filters for your DSLR. An external power stick and a power clip for your cell phone are good items to have. Skip the tripod, though a light-weight monopod can be useful, especially if your visit includes a day-trip to Las Terrazas, an ecological park outside Havana, but it's not necessary. January is rainy season in Havana; heavy rains can come w/o warning, so bring something to protect you and your camera. Get yourself a good camera day bag. Tamron makes some really good sling bags that will hold your camera and accessories, as well as a water bottle and maps/guide books (Knopf's MapGuide of Havana is great, if you can find it. Streetwise Havana is a good alternative).

Great photos ops abound in Havana Vieja, if you can get past the crowds. The old ladies wearing bridal gowns and smoking big cigars are the equivalent of the naked painted ladies here in NYC's Times Square: they are models and expect to be tipped. Within Havana Vieja, Plaza de Armas (with its square surrounded by book and poster art stalls), Plaza de La Catedral, Plaza Vieja, a long stroll along the Prado (passing by the Capital building, the Museum of Fine Arts - a must visit!) and Parque Central offer great photo ops. The Prado eventually leads to the Malecon, overlooking the Florida Straits, with a great shot of El Morro across the harbor entrance. Most Cubans spend the hot evenings hanging around the Malecon.

Behind the Capitol building lies Habana Centro, where Havana's working class lives. It's funky, with buildings in various stages of decay, but very safe and offers great opportunities to photograph the real life of Los Habaneros. Most tours there will include a visit of Barrio Chino (not much to see, and the food is unremarkable) or Callejon de Hamel, a short, vibrant street filled with graffiti and street art (great visit).

Vedado was the upper- and upper middle-class areas developed in pre-Revolution Havana. Many of the diplomatic missions are based there. There is also the Hotel Nacional (a must see, though NOT must-stay, hotel). Nearby are some of the best jazz clubs in Cuba, as well as the small park on La Rampa (Calle 23) housing Coppelia, where people of Havana bring their children, friends and lovers to savor the best ice cream in Cuba. Great ice cream and great photo ops (one place where you definitely want to stand on the tourist line. Ice cream is more expensive on that line, but the wait is far shorter).

Okay. Enjoy Cuba. Here's a few shots to get your juices flowing.

I went with LifePixel to do a standard IR conversion of a Canon G11 p&s I had lying around. I was intrigued by infrared, and thought it would be a good addition for my travels through various early and ancient cultures (Maya ruins, old seaports, abandoned buildings, cemeteries, etc.). I was pleased with LifePixel's work (though I really have nothing to compare it with), and I'm glad I chose the "standard IR" conversion. It works especially well when photographing buildings, roads, and other man-made objects; the standard IR setting gives those photos an almost tin-type impression, while offering just enough of a white foliage, dark sky effect to stop the viewers eye. A photo of the abandoned fort on Dry Tortugas, Florida: