I Am Going to the Grand Canyon Soon. What Two Lenses Should I Bring With?

[NickTrop]

was this a sincere question to start with?

What?!?! Absolutely. Flying out on the 22nd! If I didn't have such thick skin, I'd be a tad insulted, sir.

 

[rbiemer]

Were I choosing from your list, the choices would be the 17-35 and the 70-210. And, to push against your restrictions a bit, I'd want to bring either a 1.4 or 2 x teleconverter.

Rob

 

[Canyongazer]

Nick, I think Back Alley was leery of the cliche Q.s such as :



"I am going to be photographing an Albanian wedding reception on the eastern slope of Petrus Mountains in late May...which SD card should I use?"


More a DPReview thing than RFF.

 

[Deleted member 65559]

Nick, I'd most likely take the 24 & 50. Like Helen, i prefer primes. Even if i 'just' had my Rolleiflex. I'd look the the best image I could frame in the best light. I'm not much of one for standing in one place and zooming.

 

[NickTrop]

Okay -- so here's the list (since we're now on page two) along with the votes (some poetic license taken with some focal length recommendations:

1. Tokina 17-35 F4 ATX - 5
2. Sigma 24/2.8 Ultrawide II AF - 8
3. Nikon 28-80 G 3.3-5.6 - 4
4. Nikon 35/2 AF-D - 4
5. Nikon 50/1.4 AF-D - 4
6. Micro Nikkor 55/3.5 AI - 5
7. Nikon 85/1.8 G - 5
8 Imado (Tokina?) 135/2.8 AI - 0
9. Nikon 70-210 4-5.6 AF-D - 3
10. Nikon 80-200/4.5 AI - 3
11. Nikon 200/4 AI - 0

First the cuts with zero recommendations. 11, 8, and 6. I am surprised that the 55/3.5 got as many recommendations as it did! I'm cutting it because of its condition (not the greatest -- with a major gouge in the front element and a home AI job that's sketchy. Works though... just don't want it to fail during trip. A might have been swayed if I had a better sample...)

I am combining the 70-210 and the 80-200. Similar focal lengths which combined get six votes. Although the 80-200 is a classic with better optics, it's a manual focus lens and I'm thinking I would prefer the 70-210 because of its fast autofocus. Thinking I'll need something quick for wildlife. (I'm probably going to sell the 80-200 cheap-cheap here soon.) So a combined 6 votes for a zoom.


Now Tokina v. Sigma for a wide. Sigma has more votes plus it's a "macro" lens. "Macro doesn't mean much here but it does focus close and is imo a great budget lens for Nikon F AF. So, many seem to think a macro (based on the 55 votes) is a good thing to have. The Tokina, however, is wider at 17mm and can pass for a normal 35mm for normal shots. I also want to get more use out of it -- I feel almost "compelled" to bring it. But the trusty Sigma is much, much smaller and lighter.

Now. Lumping together the 28-80, 35/2, 50/1.4, and 55 -- this "normal focal length range" has the most votes with 17 with Phil_F_NM making a compelling case (since he lived in the SW) for just bringing a 50. I share his "experience" being perfectly content to shoot with a 50/1.8 on a Cosina body until the Internets came along and gave me gas.
The 28-80 is small, light, punches above its weight. But it's slow and not the greatest at wider aps. I think I want something better than a kit lens though for this trip. More a casual "walk around lens" but I've gotten some surprising results with it. I love the 50/1.4 and 35/2. Given the number of votes a "normal" focal length, one is coming along.

The 85/1.8 is my sharpest technically best lens. And it's a great one. 5 votes. And I like Helen's recommendation of 85 and 24. If I want the sharpest pics, this is the pick. But I'm not sure if the 85 buys me much in terms of compression or reach.

Decisions, decisions.

85 + 24?

Just a 50?

50 - 24

17-35 + 70-210?

28-80 + 70-210

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm :/

(And, yes, I'm obsessing. I didn't have these problems when the only lens I owned was a nifty-fifty.)

Again, thanks for your input!

 

[NickTrop]

Oh -- great pictures, Raid. But that goes w/o saying. Also, loved the one Corran posted. And mbisc, and Swift1.

 

[NickTrop]

If you want to borrow a bit of a macro-sleeper, I can loan you my Nikkor 28/2.8 AIs. I think that and your 85 (well actually my old 85/1.8 Nikkor) is what I'd bring.

B2 (;->

Bill -- thank you so much for your very kind and very generous offer! I'm afraid I'll have to decline because I know I'd be worried that something might happen to your loaner and I'd feel terrible if it did. But thank you so much just the same!

 

[raid]

Oh -- great pictures, Raid. But that goes w/o saying. Also, loved the one Corran posted. And mbisc, and Swift1.

Thank you Nick. I found 28-50 covered most scenes.

 

[RObert Budding]

Whatever you take, you'll use what you have. Makes me wonder if Robert Capa fretted about lenses as he was preparing for the landing in Normandy.

 

[NickTrop]

So I ended up bringing the Tokina 17-35/4 and the Nikon 50/1.4D. In the end? I don't think it would have mattered much what lens I brought. I brought the Tokina ultrawide zoom almost because I thought I had to. I brought the 50/1.4 for small size, weight, and speed for when I was not shooting landscapes. However, the canyon is so vast that you can't capture it all even at 17mm. I ended up shooting a lot of panoramas, which I could have taken with any ole lens. Also, since it's "rather bright" in the GC and Mojave desert regions you're shooting f-8, f-11 where any lens is sufficiently sharp. There were times I wished I'd taken my zoom because there were some cool native American pyroglyphs carved into the rocks, but we were doing a lot of hiking and walking and that's a lot of lens weight to be totin'. I can just crop those, so on second thought I'm glad I didn't.

I think if I were to do it again, I'd just bring the ole 28-80 3.3-5.6 G-series kit lens because of its useful focal range and extermemly light and compact. And since this was bright light shooting, the performace of this little kit lens is as good as anything else at stopped down to f8-11. I'd also the 50/1/4 for indoors, nights, and otherwise need speed. A nifty-fifty just a good lens to have and takes up no space or weight. Or just one of either which would have been fine...

So in the end, I would put more consideration on weight over focal length and probably just go with a kit lens + (maybe) a 50.

 

[Austintatious]

However, the canyon is so vast that you can't capture it all even at 17mm.

I had this same experience when I was there years ago. No lens can do the place justice.
Really liked the north rim as the south is just too crowded these days.

 

[Bill Clark]

My wife and I are hiking the Grand Canyon with a group, about 8, in September. It’s actually Road Scholar. We chose September as it can be miserably hot during the summer.

At any rate I’m thinking my iPhone for my main camera. I can make videos, panos and two formats of still photography. I just checked and I have 8 gigs available, plenty of room for photos I’ll make. I also have a jump drive that connects and can dump into that if needed.

Don’t know if I’ll even take a film camera. Maybe a Barnack with a 50 Summicron and use B&W film as it’ll make a nice conversation piece!

 

[NickTrop]

I had this same experience when I was there years ago. No lens can do the place justice.
Really liked the north rim as the south is just too crowded these days.

Tell you what the 17mm is good for -- video. You get that cool perspective shift effect. A bit sideshow mirror-y but I like it nonetheless. If just stills? I'd prioritize weight over all else. Although I'm a hulking brute? That Tokina (as are all lenses of this type) is a big chunk-o-glass to be lugging around.

We did the South Rim. It wasn't too bad crowd-wise. There were other folks, of course, but it wasn't obnoxious.

 

[NickTrop]

My wife and I are hiking the Grand Canyon with a group, about 8, in September. It’s actually Road Scholar. We chose September as it can be miserably hot during the summer.

At any rate I’m thinking my iPhone for my main camera. I can make videos, panos and two formats of still photography. I just checked and I have 8 gigs available, plenty of room for photos I’ll make. I also have a jump drive that connects and can dump into that if needed.

Don’t know if I’ll even take a film camera. Maybe a Barnack with a 50 Summicron and use B&W film as it’ll make a nice conversation piece!

I thought it was jaw dropping and spectacular. Reason I went -- I'm not the "most traveled" bloke out there. Mainly due to expense -- kids to raise, mortgages to pay, etc. So I asked some of my more "well traveled" pals if they could pick two places in the world to visit, where would they go? Three immediately said "the grand canyon" (two others said Greece... but not Athens).

Most people there were shooting with smart phones (many using selfie sticks). But the rest were using DSLRs. I'd say it was 60/40. A good number of full frame too. Didn't see many mirrorless. (I can't help notice these things...)

Have a great time! It truly is awesome and I can see why those folks recommended it.

 

[Bill Clark]

Thanks Nick.

Wife and I are mt nesters. Grand kids.

Lucky to be alive now.

 

[madNbad]

For an interesting side trip, head south to Winslow and visit the Meteor Crater.