Best Lens for Family Vacation on a Cruise

laurybsf

Hi, I'm new to all this and the Nikon D5100 is my first DSLR. I'm going on a cruise with my family and three kids, and would like to capture nice memories both onboard and outside during the excursions. I don't want to carry too many lenses with me, so I'm wondering which lens would be the best? My kids do not like to stand and pose for me, so I usually shoot candid photos. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

yioties

I took my 50mm f/1.8g on my last vacation and loved it! Plus, unless you need a long zoom, your kit lens should be fine. A 50mm f/1.8g or a 35mm f/1.8g is a great addition to a new DSLR owner. Buy one of the two and you won't regret it!

szlaszlo07

You can give a try to a 18-200mm or a 18-270mm lens. With these lens you can shoot wide angle or telephoto (you have the ability to zoom in - out). I think these lens are much more suitable for travelling.

On the other hand, i agree with @yioties, the 35mm or 50mm 1.8G is a great lens, but to zoom in, you have to use your legs :D, as it is a fix focal length lens with fixed angle of view.

Moose

Howdy @laurybsf - If the majority of your shots will be outdoors (on deck) around the pool, then I would go for the 55-300mm VR (see my visual guide). This will give you the ability to zoom in and capture candid shots of your kids from a distance, allowing you to sip a cold drink while relaxing on a poolside lounge chair. :)

If you plan on taking most of your shots inside the ship, then I'd go for the 35mm f/1.8G (see my visual guide) as mentioned by @yioties and @szlaszlo07. This lens is both sharp and fantastic in low light. It also has a very shallow depth of field, allowing you to capture stunning portraits where the background is blurred to oblivion. Because this is a prime lens, you'll have to physically move around to compose your shot (no zooming in or out).

Hope that all makes sense and happy shooting! :)

GerardH

If you have the 18-55mm kit lens, I think that would be a good all-purpose lens for family, ship, and landscape shots, and it affords you some flexibility, especially in tight quarters. Obviously a longer telephoto would prove useful for excursions off the boat and for longer shots. A lot of people who travel will invest in a walkaround lens like a 18-270mm Tamron, although I'm not sold on the optical quality at the extremes of a lens with that kind of range. It seems to suit their needs, so it might be worth looking into.

Prime lenses will unquestionably give you the best optical quality, but you can be limited because of their fixed focal length (which could be a liability on a ship).

Srinidhi_82

Hi @GerardH, what settings you recommend with the kit lens 18-55mm for landscape shots and travel photography? I am going on vacation next month (mostly beach shots, mountain shots, self portraits) and bought a new Nikon D5100 with the kit lens. I'm wondering if I can use A mode with certain settings to control ISO and shutter speeds?

GerardH

@Srinidhi_82 ,

You can certainly use the A mode (aperture priority) and get good results, but it's going to decide the shutter speed for you. If you want total control of aperture and shutter settings, use the M mode. For landscape shots, I would use as high of an f-stop as possible and the lowest ISO (preferably 100 ISO) that you can get away with. If you have a tripod, all the better (shut off your VR). For indoor shots, without knowing what lighting conditions are, I would trust the camera with its flash and be mindful of the ISO setting if shots are under or overexposed.

laurybsf

I got the 70-300mm f/4.5 VR and 50mm f/1.8G for my vacation. I absolutely loved the results, but sometimes it was difficult to keep changing from one lens to the other so I purchased the 18-200mm f/3.5 VR. The results do not impress me as much as my 70-300mm.