Canon EOS Rebel T7 Lens Recommendation for Switzerland Trip

[eyh2107]

Hi everyone,

My boyfriend got me the Canon EOS Rebel T7 as an entry level camera. I currently have the EFS 18-55mm lens that came with it. We have a trip coming up to Switzerland where we plan to spend most of our time hiking. I'm fumbling my way through figuring out what might be the best lens for this purpose. Any suggestions would be much appreciated! Curious to hear thoughts on the EFS 24mm vs EFS 10-18mm. Budget ~$200 (I found refurbished 10-18mm for about $230). Thanks a lot in advance!

[shadowsports]

Greetings and Welcome,

Since you are new to photography and already have an 18-55mm kit lens, I think you might compliment your existing kit with a EF-S 55-250mm.

EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS STM (canon.com)

This lens new is above your budget too.  This will give you effective FL coverage from 18-250mm, and a great deal of flexibility when shooting.  You'll have to decide if 18mm is wide enough for panoramas.  I believe it will be.  The other lens while ultra wide only gives you 10-55mm.  You are already covered at 24mm with the kit lens. 

I think you will get more use out of the increased focal lengths and be happier overall with this versatility.      If you are ok with used.  KEH has the 55-250 at your price.  Cond LN-

[eyh2107]

Hi Rick,

Thanks for taking the time to respond and explain! I think I'll be going with the 10-18 for wider shots since I primarily want a lens for mountains/landscape photography. However, the 55-250 seems like a versatile lens I would definitely consider as my next option to expand my range.

Lisa

[zakslm · Accepted solution]

Eyh2107,

You mentioned that you plan “to spend most of your time hiking.”  What comes to mind are the stereotypical images of the Swiss Alps (quaint alpine villages, lakes and rivers nestled in valleys surrounded by the snow-capped alpine peaks, etc.)  I would guess that the hikes planned would be on moderate, hard or challenging trails.  Therefore, weather, the weight, bulk and complexity of what you take on those hikes as well as the time you have to complete each hike will be considerations in what and how much you take on each hike.

My guess is that you want to travel/hike relatively light and may not wish to change lenses often.  If that assumption is correct, Rick’s suggestion is a good one.  I own a Rebel T7 and the lenses you mentioned as well as a 55-250 that Rick mentioned.  I agree with Rick’s recommendation and the advice that the kit lens may be wide enough for panoramas.  The EF-S 24mm f2.8 STM is a very nice lens and I love using it but you already have that focal length covered with the kit lens.  If you had said that you want to take your camera and only one lens (that isn’t the kit lens) I’d recommends the EF-S 24mm STM.  That lens is compact, sharp, versatile and has a relatively wide aperture.  However, E-S 24mm doesn’t have image stabilization (IS) like the other lenses mentioned.

The EF-S 10-18 IS STM is also a very nice lens that I’d highly recommend if a wider-angle perspective is what you’re after.  It’s great for those types of shots, interiors and shooting in tight spaces. Optically its very sharp and the IS comes in handy. 

So, if you take only the kit lens and 1 other lens you have to decide between being able to go wider than 18mm or longer than 55mm.

If you think that you’d be comfortable taking 3 lenses and can stretch your budget a bit, you may be able to get both an EF-S 55-250 and EF-S 10-18 lens.  KEH.com has a selection of 55-250 IS lenses.  Optically I think all of them  perform similar to the IS II that I own  (which I think is very good).  They also have a selection of EF-S 10-18mm IS STM lenses including one in EX condition for $142.   

I’ve purchase lenses and other items from KEH over the years and can recommend them.  Their condition ratings are conservative and their customer service is excellent.  I’ve also purchased used/refurbished items from the Canon Refurbished store, B&H Photo and Adorama and recommend those sellers as well.  Other on this forum recommend usedphotopro.com and MPB.com.  I believe all of the sellers mentioned include at least a 6-month warranty and Canon Refurbished items include a 1-year warranty from Canon USA. The selection at the sites mentioned changes frequently as items move in and out of stock.

A word of caution on purchasing refurbished items from places like eBay, the Amazon Renewed store, Walmart Marketplace, etc.  Those items may be gray market items with warranties supplied only by the seller.  Canon USA may not choose to service those items because they are gray market.  That may not matter all that much, but you should be aware of it. 

I hope you find the above useful and hope you have a wonderful time in Switzerland.

LZ

[eyh2107]

Hi LZ,

Thanks so much for the thoughtful response! You are exactly right - we will be doing long day hikes in the Swiss Alps and I'm hoping to be able to take nice landscape photos. I'm trying to be mindful of storage space/weight and would prefer to carry around just 1 lens but am not opposed to having 2 if they're both light. Based on your response and my (beginner's) understanding, if I'm hoping to gain a wider frame to capture the mountains/landscapes, adding the 10-18 lens would be more practical than either the 24mm (redundant with the kit lens) or the 55-250mm lens? 

I also really appreciate the feedback on KEH vs other third party websites as I will likely go with a used lens if purchasing the 10-18mm or the 55-250mm. 

Lisa

[zakslm]

Lisa,

I like to use the 10-18 for the type of mountain and landscape shots I think you are referring to.  When I went to Canadian Rockies years ago, I used a 28mm lens (roughly equivalent to an 18mm on the T7)  on my 35mm film camera a lot and wish I had something wider. 

I’ve attached some recent shots taken at the Grand Canyon. The bird was shot with the 55-250, the one with the cliff on the left was shot with the kit lens and "blue sky" shot was with the 10-18. The composition, location, time of day and lighting were quite different for each of the shots but I hope you can see the difference in perspective between the 3 lenses. 

Hope this helps!

Regards,

LZ

[eyh2107]

Thank you for the examples, that was very helpful! Yes, that is more along the lines of what I was looking for, will buy it off KEH. Thanks again! 🙂

[Tintype_18]

With two on the trip, the load could be shared. As noted, there are some good lenses that will fill a lot of opportunities. Safe trip, have fun and we would like to see some photos.