DSLR Necessities

ahepburn

Earning My Ears
Joined
May 21, 2017
Hi Folks!

So I'm taking my Nikon 3400 with my 18-55 mm lens on our first trip to WDW, however I'm interested in purchasing a second lens for our trip. What are your recommendations for a second lens?

Additionally, I'm looking for a good bag that is compact, not too bulky, but could make it my "everything" bag and not have to carry a purse.

Any and all suggestions welcome!
 
Most would add a long zoom of some sort first for shows and AK. Some will choose a fast prime (like 50mm f/1.8).

I like going wide at WDW so I might consider the Tokina 11-16 f/2.8.
 
Good suggestions above. I'm a fan of using just one lens for all the parks, a 18-200 zoom.

I will say up front that the downfall of this lens is in dark rides. The reason I love this lens is that it works for wide angle, up close shots to far away shots and everything in-between. I find my shots vary by park with the MK and DHS being more of the wide-angle and/or near by pictures. Epcot is a combination of medium and longer shots. DAK uses just about the entire focal length option, from up close on detail shots to long range on the safari.
 


Another vote for an 18-200mm as a travel lens. Especially if you shoot like Randall Higgins.
  • less space than two lenses
  • VR
  • convenience.... twisting the wrist is so easy compared to lens swaps.
  • warning.... may need external flash to minimize lens shadow with built-in flash
Otherwise.... the 24-70mm f/2.8 will be handy in low light. Price tag may be hard to swallow.
 
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Convenience but give away image quality -- then an 18-200 or similar.
Best image quality, small size, low light and dark rides -- a 35/1.8.
Interesting landscape shots -- something ultra wide like the Tokina 11-16.
Walk around general use image quality and low light upgrade, 17-55/2.8.
Telephoto reach for wildlife, etc -- 55-250 or similar

So depends on your priorities.
 


You could also try a wide angle zoom lens. I'm partial to the Canon 16-35 myself (F2.8 or F4) - works great for things like scenery and for fireworks photography/videoing. (Although I find myself going with my 24-70 f2.8 more often as I just seem to get better pics with it than the wide angle).
a long range zoom is good too although I tend to only take one lens with me into the parks and it's almost never the zoom. :)
 
When I took my D3200, I took my Sigma 18-250 lens. It wasn't the greatest for low light rides, but it was perfect for everything else. You won't even need the 18-55 any more.
 
I echo what has been said by mom2rtk and havoc315...

Personally I would want a zoom lens...I need reach for places like Animal Kingdom. WDW represents a great opportunity for wide angle shots...I have had the Tokina 11-16 f2.8, it's a pretty sweet lens. I also believe a sharp prime would also be beneficial...a few folks have recommended a 35 f1.8...which would be perfect for dark rides.

At the end of the day, you have to ask yourself "what do you want from your lenses"? For me personally, I want reach, flexibility, and the ability to take good photographs in less than ideal light. The ability to shoot in less than ideal light is really important to me, because there a ton of potential shots at WDW when you are not going to have ideal lighting conditions. So lenses with apertures of f1.4, f1.8, or f2.8 are very helpful.
 
It really depends on which park you will be visiting, and what you want to take pictures of. For dark rides, definitely something fast. I have a Sigma 30mm f/1.4 that works really well. For parades or character meet-and-greets, I want something wide. My 16-50mm f/2.8 doesn't seem to be wide enough much of the time, but it is a great walk-around lens. For KS at AK, or for shooting across the world showcase at EPCOT, you need something long. My 50-150mm f/2.8 works OK, but I really want more reach for these shots. YMMV.

To get good shots takes more than just another lens. Sometimes, a tripod is really useful. Other times, an add-on high-quality flash is important.
 
Good suggestions above. I'm a fan of using just one lens for all the parks, a 18-200 zoom.

I will say up front that the downfall of this lens is in dark rides. The reason I love this lens is that it works for wide angle, up close shots to far away shots and everything in-between. I find my shots vary by park with the MK and DHS being more of the wide-angle and/or near by pictures. Epcot is a combination of medium and longer shots. DAK uses just about the entire focal length option, from up close on detail shots to long range on the safari.


Dark rides are the downfall of most lenses, lol.

That said, I'm a Canon guy, but will say that for WDW, I use the 18-55 as the walk around lens and it gets the job done. The only time I use anything else is when I use my 55-250mm in the World Showcase in Epcot and that's for shots across the lagoon.

I'm looking at getting an 18-135mm lens and having that replace the 18-55, but there's other things on the budget list before a new lens sadly.
 
At the end of the day, you have to ask yourself "what do you want from your lenses"? For me personally, I want reach, flexibility, and the ability to take good photographs in less than ideal light. The ability to shoot in less than ideal light is really important to me, because there a ton of potential shots at WDW when you are not going to have ideal lighting conditions. So lenses with apertures of f1.4, f1.8, or f2.8 are very helpful.

I agree with this statement - think about what you want to photograph and pick a lens suited for that. The wide range of lighting conditions - many of which are low light (dark rides and night shots) - make me prefer a fast lens (personal favorite is the 35mm f/1.8). Your stock lens will limit you in those conditions - the best you can do is f/3.5 at 18mm. Others, however, have pointed out situations where a zoom is the better choice. In that case you'll sacrifice a wider aperture for the zoom range (unless you have $$$$ to go for a lens that combines both). Also consider whether you'd be shooting with a zoom where you'd need a tripod. A third possibility raised here is a lens (18-200mm) that essentially would replace your stock lens but with better zoom and aperture.

If you're not sure what you might want to buy, another possibility not mentioned here so far is to rent a lens for your trip - you'll have another lens option without having to buy it.

I'd recommend looking at camera bag options on amazon - there are a ton of options, sizes, features and prices to suit your needs. I would however suggest something smaller - a messenger style or sling or cross body bag. The larger the bag, the harder it'll be to fit into the on-ride stowaways.
 
Is this trip with kids, family, etc.? If that's the case, I definitely recommend a 50mm. It's a decent walk-around lens (with the obvious limitations of a fixed lens), but it's great for crisp photos of your family members and (with a tripod) handles itself admirably for fireworks.

The only park where I really think you need a zoom is AK, but that might just be personal preference.
 
Is this trip with kids, family, etc.? If that's the case, I definitely recommend a 50mm. It's a decent walk-around lens (with the obvious limitations of a fixed lens), but it's great for crisp photos of your family members and (with a tripod) handles itself admirably for fireworks.

The only park where I really think you need a zoom is AK, but that might just be personal preference.

I love a fast prime, but my personal preference is something wider than 50mm at WDW. Maybe a 30mm or 35mm. It's just awkward (to me) trying to shoot 50mm at a character meal for example. And Disney is one place where it's really hard to back up if it's too long (unless you want to sit at your neighbor's table ;)).
 
I love a fast prime, but my personal preference is something wider than 50mm at WDW. Maybe a 30mm or 35mm. It's just awkward (to me) trying to shoot 50mm at a character meal for example. And Disney is one place where it's really hard to back up if it's too long (unless you want to sit at your neighbor's table ;)).

Yeah, I've practically been laying down at the table at Crystal Palace just to get photos of my kids with Tigger and Pooh. I get it. I managed to shoot an entire vacation (3k photos, probably), almost entirely with my 50, but that's also because it's what I had available, so I made do.
 

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