USA Trip

howler

howler

howler

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I'm heading to the USA in April, will be doing NYC, Vegas, Yosemite and San Fran

Obviously there are some great picture taking opportunities that I don't want to miss out on. Initially I was going to take my 7D with 17-50 and 70-200 but I'm not sure if it will be a bit of a pain to lug around all the time

I was considering purchasing something like a Sony NEX 5 to take with me instead, is this going to give me the control and quality pictures that I want or is there something similar that I could look at?

I don't want to spend a fortune, so if it costs too much then I'll probably just take the 7D
 
john_s said:
Not sure why you wouldn't take the 7D really...
Click to expand...

This, your 7D,17-50 and 70-200 sounds perfect. a 1.4xTC to go with the 70-200 would be a good bet for Yosemite wildlife.

The problem with the NEX camera is since hte sensor is the same APS_C crop (actually the sensor is bigger than canons) the lenses are no smaller. And that is if you can even get the same lens, there is no 17-50mm f/2.8 from Sony and no 70-200m f/2.8. There are f/4.0 version that will set you back £1600. The thing is the Sony 70-200mm f/4.0 is heavier (840g) than the Canon (760g).

If you were really wanting to drop weight then look at the Canon 100D, this is probably the most interesting Camera in Canon's line up. It weighs 407g and gives you a full optical viewfinder. In comparison the Sony A6000 is 344g

So a Canon 100D + 70-200mm f/4.0 is actually lighter than a Sony A6000 + 70-200mm f/4.0, and the canon has much better battery life so the weight in your bag with appropriate batteries pushes even more in the canon's favor.




Something else to consider would be to swap the 70-200 for a 70-300mm IS, either the L version or plain. This will give you the reach you need and is much lighter than the 70-200mm f/2.8 but not too different to the f/4.0


either way, augmenting your canon kit with lighter lenses or body makes more sense than investing in an alternative camera system with hes same sensor size.

What might start to make sense is if you dropped a sensor size and looked at one of the micro 4/3 cameras like the Olympus EPL5 or Panasonic GX1 with kit lens, or the Nikon V3. These cameras and lenses are truly much smaller and lighter. Personally on a trip like that I wouldn't bother scarfing what the 7D offers. These smaller sensor camera come in to their own when you do long hikes or want something for casual photography that can be thrown in a jacket pocket.
 
Thanks DP, you make some good points there

I think I was mainly thinking how to carry my kit around easily but I think I will just take my lowepro bag and use the spare space in it for other items that I'd normally carry in my bag

Incidentally I do actually have a Canon 100D on my desk at work for a project I have been working on so I could borrow that if I wanted to

As this is a one-off trip as such I don't really want to chop in my 70-200 for another lens, I'll just make do with it. If I can pick up a 1.4 convertor then I guess that'll do the trick
 
I've been to all the places you listed and trust me you'd regret not having a decent camera with you when you are there. Enjoy the trip, they are all great places to visit, try not to rush Yosemite though it's not really a day trip sort of place.
 
Last year


I found a gorillapod useful for evening pictures camped 3 days in the valley still could have done with more time.
 
Nice picture, good shout on the gorilla pod actually. I've got a small one but will get a bigger beast for the 7D I think
 
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