Lens for Alaskan cruise

[Rodneywalker]

So recently just picked up my first actual camera,  a Canon rebel t3i. For my price point and wanting a beginner camera this seemed to be what many recommend. 

Now, I'm a little over a week away from going on an Alaskan cruise where I plan to take it and really mess around with it and try to learn,  but I'm wanting to take alot of landscaping photos and wildlife if we see any. Will the 18-55mm lens work for taking photos from the side of the ship or is there a better lens I should pick up? I'll admit now, because I'm just a beginner at all this my price point is pretty low, as I'm not wanting to go over $120. Any information is greatly appreciated 

I want to thank everyone for the feedback! I went with a  55-250mm. I understand the strain my budget puts on finding a quality lens but as a beginner I don't want to put out too much to find out it's not for me. Thank you all again!

[normadel]

The 18-55 EF-S is a great focal length range to start with. Wide-angle to short telephoto. There have been nine versions of this lens, the newest and best two are the IS STM models. They offer full-time manual focus without switching the lens from Autofocus. These are the ones to look for. They can be had for well under $100.00 from used dealers. I have three of them. 

[Tronhard]

While I agree with my colleague as far as the 18-55 goes for walk-around use, however if you can find one, I would suggest the EF-S 18-135 STM or USM lens because it will give you a much wider range to magnify items that are further away.  Both the STM and USM can be manually focused in AF mode if you need to, but these lenses are very fast and precise to focus.   You could look for a second-hand one on KEH.com - they are rated and usually come with a warranty.  Canon used to sell them through their refurbished lens site, but I have not seen them for a while now.

[ebiggs1]

IMHO, neither of those suggestion will work for wildlife photos from the ship. They will be fine for those landscape shots but fall woefully short for anything else from ship.

" I'm not wanting to go over $120."

That's a problem and going to be though to impossible to stick with. However, it is depending on what you are OK with and not what me or anybody else wants. You are going to have to stay in the use to very used to get an  acceptable FL tele for good wildlife shots.

For a tip that is free and will do more to help you get better Alaskan pictures then anything else, get the free photo editor DPP4 from Canon. You can d/l it from the website. Always set your T3i to use raw format images.

Although any tele, even the mentioned 135mm zoom, is better than what you have you really need to be closer to or above 400mm for close up wildlife even on shore. Even the bottom of the rung Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III Lens is a better choice but they are around $200 bucks and I would not advise buying one of them used unless you test it carefully first.

[ebiggs1]

Again check out the Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III Lens.

BTW, I have known lots of folks that love that lens and are completely happy.

[zakslm]

Rodneywalker,

Not wanting to confuse you further, but I respectfully recommend that you consider a used EF-S 55-250mm f4.5-5.6 IS II lens. I have that lens, enjoy using it and I like my results.  

There are number of versions of EF-S 55-250 with the most recent version being the STM version.  I believe all versions are optically similar and pretty decent performers.  I would strongly suggest you get a version that is has IS (image stabilization).  It will make a diffence in the clarity of some photos that are taken when the camera is hand held and shot at slower shutter speeds.  I think that IS and the 250 focal length at the long end of the zoom ranges will come in handy when trying to photograph wildlife and some landscapes from the side of the ship and other places.  

If you are shopping for the lens I suggested above or any other used lens, I would recommend keh.com or bhphotovideo.com.  Others on this forum also have recommend mpb.com and usedphotopro.com.  Your timeframe is rather tight so it might be challenging to get the lens you want before your leave on your trip.

I hope that whatever lens you decide upon meets your expectations.

Enjoy your cruise!

LZ

[shadowsports]

Greetings,

@RodneyWalker,

Having traveled to Alaska in Aug 2023 on a Viking Cruise I spent considerable time shooting on and off a ship.  I'm sorry to have to say that your budget is very limiting as far as optics go. 

An 18-55 will essentially be useless except for distance landscapes.  It has no reach on or off the ship.  

The 18-135 will do slightly better for distance, but again, any wildlife will look more like specs on ice floats, the shore or in trees.

The 55-250 might be the best all-around for the trip.  While it won't be quite as wide, it a compromise giving you some added reach.  With only one lens, something has to give.

Alaska is really a 2 or 3 lens endeavor.  You are realistically out of time and with the limited budget as others pointed out challenged to get a used lens for the trip at all.  I'd go for the 55-250.  I did the majority of my shooting from the back of the ship.  Its easy to move from side to side quickly.  There is no windshield and many people crowd the front deck of a boat thinking they are going to see more.  You won't have to fight to be shooting at the railing either.  Trying to shoot from the front of the boat can be like attending a concert.  Shooting at the rear of the boat is much more relaxing.

[Tronhard]

Hi Rodney:

If the Alaskan cruise is going to be something of a one-off and you have a limited budget (that figure you quote is very limited).  Whether you are a beginner or not, if you want to reap the benefit of the considerable investment in a cruise, then I would find enough money to get the gear to do the job - otherwise, you may torment yourself afterwards with the knowledge of the images you could have captured if you had the right lens.

I would suggest seeing if you can rent a lens for the trip to save money: it will be cheaper to rent than to buy and it will help you to get a lens that offers a considerable improvement in distance work.
Prices will vary with the capabilities and quality of the lens, but here are some possibilities:
Canon EF 70-300MkII IS USM
Sigma or Canon 100-400 for EF Canon mount
Sigma 150-600 Contemporary for Canon mount.

I don't live in the USA, but rental companies may be found via your local camera store, and the best known is Lensrentals.com - who are a highly reputable company.