Ive been shooting with my Canon 90D for a few years now mostly doing landscape and some macro stuff with a few prime lenses and ive never really cared about zooms until recently. Im taking a two week trip to Seattle next month and realized carrying three different primes around a city all day is gonna wreck my back. So my logic was, okay, I just need one solid everyday walkaround lens to cover most situations without constantly swapping glass on the street. I thought about the EF-S 18-135mm USM cause it seems like the obvious kit upgrade, but then people say the sharpness drops off hard at the telephoto end and the aperture is pretty slow. Looked at some third party options like the Sigma 17-50mm f2.8 too, which has the constant aperture I want, but I feel like 50mm on crop is gonna leave me wanting more reach when walking downtown. Budget is around 500 bucks max since travel costs are eating my savings right now. Im just super stuck in analysis paralysis and honestly getting frustrated trying to balance focal range, weight, and actual image quality on this 32mp sensor. What are people actually using on a 90D for city walking where you need wide shots and a bit of zoom?
Saw this earlier but just had to chime in. The 32mp sensor on that body is notoriously unforgiving with third-party lens calibration, which caused me endless frustration with focus accuracy on trips.
- Check if your copy has front or back focusing issues before traveling.
- Consider the Canon EF-S 15-85mm f3.5-5.6 IS USM instead for better wide coverage. Are you planning to shoot mostly in low light or daylight?
Coming back to this thread after reading through the other suggestions. Like someone mentioned, the 32mp sensor is definitely picky with lenses, but I gotta disagree with going too wide or using finicky third-party glass right before a big trip. When you are traveling, reliability matters way more than getting a tiny bit of extra sharpness in the corners. You dont want to be stressing over calibration issues when you should be enjoying the city. Over the years, I've tried many travel setups and learned that peace of mind beats everything else. Here is why you should just stick to a reliable Canon native option within your budget:
- Canon EF-S 18-135mm f3.5-5.6 IS USM gives you the exact range you need for Seattle architecture and street scenes without swapping glass in the rain.
- Native autofocus is bulletproof on the 90D dual pixel system, whereas older third-party lenses can sometimes hunt in low light.
- The weather up there can turn on a dime, and while this isnt an L series lens, it holds up fine for casual travel if you are reasonably careful. Honestly, the drop-off at the telephoto end isnt as terrible as pixel peepers make it sound online. You are viewing photos on a screen or making normal prints, not analyzing test charts at 400 percent zoom. Save your sanity and your back, grab a solid all-in-one zoom, and enjoy your vacation instead of worrying about lens sharpness.
Seattle walking will kill your shoulders if you bring three primes, trust me on that. With the 90D's high megapixel sensor, you gotta be careful because it exposes soft glass pretty easily. I would suggest picking up the Sigma 18-35mm f1.8 DC HSM Art if you can find it used within your budget, though the reach is short. Realistically for travel, look at the Canon EF-S 18-135mm f3.5-5.6 IS USM instead since the nano USM focuses fast and the reach is way better for city details. Just watch out for low light performance. Check MPB or KEH for used gear to save like a hundred bucks so you stay under that 500 dollar limit.