Trip to California/ Nevade/ Arizona: 70-200 vs 100-400?

[rkissinger]

Hey there!


I know this probably is not a question that anybody can answer for me, but I might just try asking...

I am going on a trip starting in NYC fro a week, continuing with a roundtrip from San Francisco to LA this summer.

I am currently deciding what long lens to bring.

Currently I own:

17-40
50 1,4
24 TSE II
24-105
70-200 f4
100-400

Lenses I will definitley bring will be the 24 TS, 24-105 and 50 mm. The 17-40 hardly ever gets used in a range below 24, so I kinda chose to not bring that one (Though maybe for the cityscapes in NY that could be valuable??, don´t know). But I am kind of on the fence regarding the long lens selection.
I will definitely only bring one of them, but I don´t know which one would be best. The 100-400 weighs a bit more than the 200, what could
be an issue when hiking.

So, what would you choose? I know I am only aksing for opinions since there is no right or wrong on this matter.

Kind regards,
René

[stever]

i assume you're using a full frame camera?

i find a 70-200 is very often just not long enough.  unfortunatley adding a 1.4x seriously degrades IQ, particularly at the edges (even compared to the 100-400) - and 280 still isn't that much longer

if you have a good 100-400 with decent performance at f5.6, the choice is less difficult.  if you have to shoot everything at f8, you're probably still in pretty good shape at ISO 1250 with a 5D2 when necessary

at 100mm, the 100-400 is certainly not up to the 70-200, but it's way ahead of the 24-105 which i find to be unsatisfactory for landscapes or stitching at 100mm

i agree with leaving the 17-40 at home

[francois]

Personally, I would leave the 100-400 at home. It's a heavy lens and the 70-200 should give you enough reach unless you want to capture wildlife.

Ultimately, you should observe your shooting style and if you tend to shoot near 180 and above and don't mind the additional weight then put your 100-400 in your bag.

[cecelia]

Overpacking is my consistent and bad mistake.  The south west can be hot and dusty, so I would recommend choosing 1 lens only.  The 70-200 and the 24TS are quite opposite in their intended uses.  I'd try to pick the lens that best fits what you expect to be shooting, and if you can't decide, go with the 24-105.

[Scott O.]

Get a good bag and take them all...you never know what you need until you don't have what you want.  The southwest in no hotter or dustier than other places unless you are in the desert during a windstorm...

[Ken Bennett]

My personal preference would be to carry two camera and bring the 17-40 and the 70-200, and toss the 50 and a couple of Holgas in the bag. I also like my 24/TS but rarely bring it on vacation.

[rkissinger]

Well, I kind of think right now that I will go with the 24-105, 24TS and 100-400. Overpacking is my constant mistake as well. Last year I dragged around so many filters and accessories and hardly used them....

The TS-E would be kind of redundand with the 24-105, but since it is an incredibly sharp lens and kind of my most recent "toy" I will bring it with me. Don´t know if I will drag it along with me on all hikes, yet.

The 50mm ist nice, but I am not sure if I am going to do much indoor and low light shooting. And even if so, I still can bump up the ISO and still get away with some decent pictures using the 24-105, considered the 5D2's performance in high ISO shooting. Kind of regret selling the 24-70 f2,8 sometimes...

Well I still have a couple of weeks to contemplate.

Thanks for the kind advice so far!

Regards,
René

My personal preference would be to carry two camera and bring the 17-40 and the 70-200, and toss the 50 and a couple of Holgas in the bag. I also like my 24/TS but rarely bring it on vacation.