[seventysixersfan]

Hello everyone -- I'm headed off to Bryce Canyon and Zion National Parks in early April for my family's spring break trip. Never been there before. I will only take one camera, my trusty KP. I'm pretty sure I'm going to pack my Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 and Pentax DA 10-17mm fish-eye.

I want to know what other lenses to take.

(1) How important is a WR lens in these parks? (I have heard about wind/dust problems?) The easiest choice is probably my DA 16-85mm though DA 20-40mm is an option and lighter/more compact and f/2.8 too.
(2) Should I take a longer zoom lens -- like my DA 55-300mm RE PLM WR?

Note: I have two kids under 11 years old who are traveling with me and my wife. I want to try to pack fairly light, so I will need to leave at home my primes and low light lens options (f/2.8 and below). I was thinking of taking my DA 18-270mm superzoom lens but that isn't WR.

My lens collection is listed in my signature below.

Thanks!
-Brian

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Last edited by seventysixersfan; 03-24-2022 at 07:57 AM.

[ramseybuckeye]

I haven’t been there, but I would check out Bryce Canyon pic on Flickr and look at the EXIF.

[Bob 256]

Wide lenses are what I'd recommend. There is much grandeur to capture and it's all around you. Be sure to get down into the canyon itself. If you have any 3D aspirations, Bryce is a place to go with all the "hoodoos" and carved figures. I don't think dust will be a problem but April can be a wet month although this year is shaping up as a dry one so far. Your 18-270mm would be a good choice as it covers multiple focal lengths including some pretty low ones.A portable tripod might also prove useful but is not a requirement. Extra batteries are a must because there is a lot of shooting to do and charging might not be that available. Hydration is important so take some bottled water if you plan any hiking.

https://www.nps.gov/brca/index.htm

[gatorguy]

Hello everyone -- I'm headed off to Bryce Canyon and Zion National Parks in early April for my family's spring break trip. Never been there before. I will only take one camera, my trusty KP. I'm pretty sure I'm going to pack my Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 and Pentax DA 10-17mm fish-eye.

I want to know what other lenses to take.

(1) How important is a WR lens in these parks? (I have heard about wind/dust problems?) The easiest choice is probably my DA 16-85mm though DA 20-40mm is an option and lighter/more compact and f/2.8 too.
(2) Should I take a longer zoom lens -- like my DA 55-300mm RE PLM WR?

Thanks!
-Brian

I see no reason NOT to take the 55-300 and several reasons to say yes. Wide vistas are beautiful, but capturing the wildlife and more intimate details of the canyon view and national park will be something you'll regret if you don't have a longer lens with you too. That PLM is compact enough it won't be in the way. If there's room someplace for the fisheye too then fine (it IS a fun lens), but otherwise the Sigma 10-20 should suffice IMO. Personally I'd have a hard time leaving the 20-40 at home but since space is at a premium your DA 40 Limited is pretty tiny and still fills that mid-range standard view.

So minimally three lenses, Sigma 10-20, DA40, and 55-300PLM, is what I'd personally carry from the collection you own.

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Last edited by gatorguy; 03-24-2022 at 08:25 AM.

[JohnMc]

Remember, you're going to a desert region, in a drought year, in a dry decade. That said if you want to limit your load, the 10-17 (or10-20) and 55-300 would cover most any situation. A case could easily be made for the 16-85 being added, or replacing one of the others and would probably kick out the 55-300 for me were I making that trip with young kids.

[AstroDave]

I've been to Bryce numerous times and live(d) within 150 miles or so for more than 30 years (Las Vegas and Flagstaff).

Bob 256 has it about right: Dust probably not a problem; and it does look like it will be fairly dry. Wide angle is a must, but some zoom for getting close to various formations, as well as possible wildlife (deer, elk, maybe even condors), would be good.

In Bryce, you are at the top of the canyon, while at Zion you are at the bottom. Do make the effort to get down into Bryce - there are various short & easy walks.

Everybody tells us not to shoot during mid-day because the light is flat, but at both canyons, and especially Bryce if you are down in among the hoodoos, the light bounces all over the place, so any time of day can produce interesting shots. Bryce at sunrise/sunset can be quite spectacular, too. Somewhere in my slide collection, I've got Thor's hammer at sunrise (an easy shot from very near the rim, as I recall).

At Bryce, be prepared for possible cold weather. The main road climbs from around 7000 feet to 9000 feet at the south end. Here in Flagstaff this morning, at ~7000 feet, it was 20 F on our back porch this morning.

[DWS1]

I visited both parks last year (May 2021). I used a K70 with a DA 16-85mm mostly. IMO it was the perfect lens for those places. I found that going extra wide was not all that beneficial. The beauty of these places is the detail and variation in the rock formations and changing light. You tend to lose some of that with wider angles, so I like to zoom in a little to capture it. Zion is in a canyon with not many expansive views (there are some though). Bryce is more open with some wider views, but there again you don't want to lose the detail of the hoodoos, I also carried the DA 55-300mm PLM for wildlife. There is a good amount of wildlife in both parks. I also took the Rokinon 14mm but never used it. Additionally, I had the DA18-55mm and the DA 55-300mm (non plm) with me as backups which I used the 18-55mm after I stumbled and broke the 16-85mm later on in the trip at Mesa Verde National Park. Most important part is to have fun and just enjoy these beautiful natural places.

[mtgmansf]

Hello everyone -- I'm headed off to Bryce Canyon and Zion National Parks in early April for my family's spring break trip. Never been there before. I will only take one camera, my trusty KP. I'm pretty sure I'm going to pack my Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 and Pentax DA 10-17mm fish-eye.

I want to know what other lenses to take.

(1) How important is a WR lens in these parks? (I have heard about wind/dust problems?) The easiest choice is probably my DA 16-85mm though DA 20-40mm is an option and lighter/more compact and f/2.8 too.
(2) Should I take a longer zoom lens -- like my DA 55-300mm RE PLM WR?

Note: I have two kids under 11 years old who are traveling with me and my wife. I want to try to pack fairly light, so I will need to leave at home my primes and low light lens options (f/2.8 and below). I was thinking of taking my DA 18-270mm superzoom lens but that isn't WR.

My lens collection is listed in my signature below.

Thanks!
-Brian

You have the lenses. Unless you plan on Macro - a good choice - or wildlife photography (not so prevalent or easy), I would bring a good, light tripod instead of more lenses. That said, I have captured many great, long distance, landscape shots with my Pentax 55-300mm - textures, mountain tops, mountain goats, etc. Still, the tripod would remain an essential...

[rogerstg]

I visited both parks last year (May 2021). I used a K70 with a DA 16-85mm mostly. IMO it was the perfect lens for those places. I found that going extra wide was not all that beneficial. The beauty of these places is the detail and variation in the rock formations and changing light. You tend to lose some of that with wider angles, so I like to zoom in a little to capture it. Zion is in a canyon with not many expansive views (there are some though). Bryce is more open with some wider views, but there again you don't want to lose the detail of the hoodoos, I also carried the DA 55-300mm PLM for wildlife. There is a good amount of wildlife in both parks.

I found the same when I visited both places in 2020. I mostly used my DA* 16-50, second was my 55-300 PLM, and rarely used my DA 12-24. OP's lenses, I'd take the 16-85 and the 55-300. Add the 10-20 if there's room. Polarizers are helpful too.

For gear, my wife and I found the PD capture clips on our backpacks indispensable.

[blackcloudbrew]

You might want to have a look at my flickr album from my 2011 trip to Utah (A lot of Bryce and some of Zion). Can't remember what my lens choices were but given that I was shooting with my then new K-5 and I did have a fair number of lenses with me, my exif data might give you some ideas. Both places by the way, are favorites of mine. Enjoy the trip.

Here is the album Best of Utah 2011 | Flickr

[Papa_Joe]

I do not want to contribute to the lens suggestions, as I was in Bryce Cayon last time in 1996 when I had much less gear (a 35mm/2.8 was sufficient), but I would strongly recommend to take at least one of the short trips through the canyons if the weather is suitable. The view from above is nice, but walking through the canyon is so much more enspiring.

Little sidenote, if the predominant wildelife is still the same as 25 years ago, you do not need a long lens for those. One time I stood still looking up to a formation. Luckily I looked down before before moving on, because one of the little critters stood right between my feet.

[gatorguy]

You might want to have a look at my flickr album from my 2011 trip to Utah (A lot of Bryce and some of Zion). Can't remember what my lens choices were but given that I was shooting with my then new K-5 and I did have a fair number of lenses with me, my exif data might give you some ideas. Both places by the way, are favorites of mine. Enjoy the trip.

Here is the album Best of Utah 2011 | Flickr

Nice shots! I see you leaned heavily on the 16-50 with a dose of 12-24 on a K-5, and for dessert you brought a Pentax 645. You obviously got to see a lot, and did a great job capturing and memorializing it. Should be a helpful album for the OP as long as it doesn't start a medium-format itch.

[RICHARD L.]

Last time I visited Zion Nat'l Park (2018), I had my K3 with me with DA 12-24 mm f/4 AL, FA 35 mm f/2 and DA* 60-250 mm f/4. I also brought along my Canon G3X superzoom. In Zion, a wide-angle is very useful. A DA 18-135 mm ED would fit the bill quite well as an only walkaround lens or take your HD DA 16-85 mm ED + HD DA 55-300 mm ED instead. Nowadays, Zion is filled with tourists, cars, shuttle buses, restaurants and lodges of all kinds. I was badly disappointed as the wild and natural aspects of the Park are mostly gone.

When I visited Bryce Canyon years ago (in the film era), I used mostly a Minolta X-700 with an MD 35 mm f/1.8 and an MD 100-300 mm f/5.6 zoom. I don't know if the Park has changed much.

If you have time, you should go to Arches Nat'l Park (2 lower images, Balanced Rock and Gigantic Arch) : best scenery of Utah by far and a wild side too.

[Serkevan]

I did not take photos of either park aside from the smartphone - but my two friends did (that is the trip that got the photography bug into me, actually!).
One was using a Canon 5D with 28-135/3.5-5.6 as workhorse, and switched a couple times to the 70-200/4 for more intimate views at f/4.
The other shot with a Sony NEX-6 with 16-50 kit, and a 35mm prime.

Both got fantastic shots. Looking back, I don't think you'd need much aside from a decent standard zoom - you'll likely want to shoot stopped down, anyway, because of all the texture in the landscape.

Pack enough water for Zion if you go up - we had quite a bit of heat in early May, but we went up to Observation Point at a fairly brisk pace. Bryce was a more relaxed hike, since we were stopping every ten meters for photos. The Peekaboo loop is gorgeous and not really strenous, by the way. The light during golden hour is simply spectactular in both cases - but particularly in Bryce.

Wish I had photos to show or more advice... Have fun!

[seventysixersfan]

Thank you all -- so many good insights and advice. I will definitely be sure to stay hydrated and bring plenty of water! And you've all given me lots to think about as I plan what to pack in terms of camera gear. Obviously, the most important thing for me on this vacation is to have a good time with my family. That said, as photography is my favorite hobby, I also enjoy taking pictures and want to make sure I bring the right gear. Based on the comments here, I'm leaning towards:

DA 16-85mm WR
DA 55-300mm PLM WR
DA 10-17mm fisheye
DA 40mm limited f/2.8 (because it's so small)

That seems to offer the most versatility while avoiding taking too much. I also plan to take my compact 1" point and shoot Panasonic LX10 that is good in low light and very portable.

Thank you all again! Would welcome any additional comments or experiences too. This is why I love the PentaxForums -- so friendly and helpful always!!