Digital SLR help please . . .

[khushy]

I have an EOS 20D (18-55 lens) and am off on a dream holiday to the Galapagos for my 40th!!!

Would like to purchase a pukka zoom lens for this trip - any help/advice would be appreciated.

Also if anyone is willing to spend some time with me for a bit of EOS "training" this would be most appreciated - £££ for your time of course!

Khushy
[e-mail]

[robdickinson]

Zoom as in telephoto?

IMo you have :

Canon 70-200f4 - £400 not that heavy for its type, well built, great quality.
Sigma 70-200f2.8 - £400ish - great quality and fast, heavy.
Canon 70-300IS F3.5 - £300-350 300mm (480equive) and Image stabilisation worth about 3 stops.

Theres cheaper options but they lack quality, theres more expensive options (canons 70-200f2.8 + IS = £1k etc).

As for training, get out and use that camera, understand fstops, shutter speed, apature, depth of field, the advantages or shooting RAW etc.

[Gemm]

This would totally depend on what you are planning to photograph and how much weight you are prepared to carry. If you are trying to replace your 18-55 and do lots of landscapes, then something like 17-40L would be good. 24-105L is also a good all-round travelling lens although not as wide. If you want it cheaper then 17-85 IS may also be an option, or even 28-135 IS which was one of the most versatile lenses I've used (even on a 1.6x crop body).
If you want to add a longer lens to your wide zoom, then I'd agree with above suggestions.

[mikef]

Galapagos, sounds neat. I'd say get hold of as many 2GB cards as you can afford and shoot raw. I use Canon's 70-300IS which is pretty good for moving subjects. How fast do those huge tortoises go?