@Reply #1 - good point! You definitely want something wider than that pancake lens for Zion. In my experience shooting out west over the years, the scale is just way too massive for a 38mm equivalent. Youll basically be cropping out half the mountain with that. Since you mentioned being worried about the 10-18mm being slow for sunset, I totally get that concern. When the light starts fading in those deep canyons, f/4.5 or f/5.6 starts feeling really limiting. Ive tried many budget options and the most reliable pick for a crop sensor like the T7 is usually the Tokina AT-X 11-16mm f/2.8 PRO DX II. Its a total classic for a reason.

• Constant f/2.8 aperture: This is massive for blue hour or if you want to try some astro shots at night.
• Solid build quality: It feels like a tank compared to the plastic Canon STM lenses.
• Sharpness: Even wide open at f/2.8, it holds up better than most budget zooms. You can find these used for under $250 pretty easily. Just a heads up tho, its a heavy lens. If youre hiking all day, you will definitely feel the weight, but the image quality makes it worth the extra effort. Professional landscapes really need that extra light gathering power if you arent always glued to a tripod... which you should be using for Zion anyway tbh.

Re: "@Reply #1 - good point! You definitely want..."

• Zion's deep canyons eat light for breakfast once the sun dips. If that 10-18mm feels slow, consider a used Tokina AT-X 11-16mm f/2.8 Pro DX II. I used one for years and that f/2.8 helps a ton in low light. Just be careful buying used; check the focus ring first cuz they can get gritty. It's a tank but worth it for those massive vistas.

You're right about the 24mm pancake. On a T7, it acts like a 38mm lens which isn't wide at all for landscapes. You won't get those massive shots you want in Zion with it. Itll feel way too similar to your kit lens at the wide end. The Canon EF-S 10-18mm f/4.5-5.6 IS STM is the standard recommendation for a reason. Even though it's a bit slow, for landscape work you'll likely be stopped down to f/8 or f/11 anyway to get everything in focus from the foreground to the horizon. Here are some practical points based on my experience:

• The image stabilization on the 10-18mm is actually really good for handheld shots at sunset.
• It's incredibly light, which is a huge plus when you're hiking up to Angels Landing or Scout Lookout.
• The autofocus is silent and quick, though that matters more for video. If you're absolutely set on a faster lens for astro or low light, try finding a used Tokina AT-X 11-16mm f/2.8 Pro DX II for Canon. It's much faster at f/2.8 but it's way heavier and usually costs more. For $250, you could get the Canon 10-18mm and still have money left for a decent circular polarizer to make the sky pop. Stick with the 10-18mm for your first trip... the extra width is way more important than the aperture for those canyon walls.

Same boat, watching this

> Zion's deep canyons eat light for breakfast once the sun dips. Ngl I was just thinking about this. Last fall I had a similar experience where everything was going fine with my reliable gear until the shadows started crawling up the walls near the Temple of Sinawava. It was so frustrating... basically just stood there with my camera feeling totally defeated because the light was dying so fast. I always prefer sticking to lenses I know are reliable, but man, those deep shadows are a total mood killer. It really is a struggle when youre trying to capture that scale but the environment just wont cooperate with your settings. Its just so draining when the gear you trust hits a wall like that.