General Purpose Travel Lens

Hi Forum,
I'm going on a trip to India, mix of urban/landscape/wildlife.
I'm thinking a general purpose lens as I only have 1 camera body (T3i; waiting for 7D Mk II) and am convinced by the arguments in other threads about the hassle of changing lenses and/or missing shots.
Given that, I'm thinking the 28-300 over the 100-400. I think the advantage of the wide-angle (limited I know on a cropped frame) outstrips the advantage of the extra 100mm. Only time will tell!
My real concern is the age of these lenses. I'm thinking I don't want to wait and miss great shots on my upcoming trip, but I also don't want to buy, what could soon be, outdated equipment.
Saying that, recent upgrades to lenses seem to have come w/ some considerable price increases, so should I buy now while stocks of older-generation lenses still exist. Will the likely upgrades be worth the extra cost given that I'm no pro photographer!
All comments/thoughts welcome.
Thanks,
JtM
PS I was thinking of the new 70-300, but don't believe its attributes (save price) are better than the other 2 lenses' (28-300 & (100-400).

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Originally Posted by JtM

I'm thinking the 28-300 over the 100-400. I think the advantage of the wide-angle (limited I know on a cropped frame)

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Actually, 28mm on APS-C isn't wide angle at all. Personally, I like the 28-300mm as a one-lens solution for travel, but on a FF camera only.

I'd really recommend considering a 2-lens solution, either the EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS or the EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS combined with the EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS.

I don't expect an update to the 28-300L any time soon, the 100-400 will likely be updated sooner, (but that's been rumored for years, there have been 2 patents, and still no lens).

Quote:

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Originally Posted by JtM

Hi Forum,
I'm thinking a general purpose lens as I only have 1 camera body (T3i; waiting for 7D Mk II) and am convinced by the arguments in other threads about the hassle of changing lenses and/or missing shots.

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Keep in mind that the 7D was recently given a firmware update that added significant features to the body. Many believe that's evidence that the body won't be updated for quite some time, if at all.

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Originally Posted by neuroanatomist

I'd really recommend considering a 2-lens solution, either the EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS or the EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS combined with the EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS.

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+1. The 28-300 is also huge and heavy. 70-300L is an awesome travel lens.

+1 on the recommendation of 15-85 or 17-55. For travel and if you only have one lens, I'd lean toward the 15-85. But if you plan to be taking more photos indoors or in jungles (lower light) then the 17-55 which is f/2.8.

I have a Canon EF-S 18-200 3.5-5.6 Lens on a 60D (1.6x) body so effectively it is 29-320mm

I am not sure if it is long enough for you needs.

In the end of this review : http://www.the-digital-picture.com/R...ns-Review.aspx it states that the lens is a good choice for Travel when you need to carry the bare minimum.

if it helps..here are a few images i took recently.

Attachment 1347
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Attachment 1350

Many thanks to all who commented. Appreciate it.

Most of those comments and threads about one zoom vs multiple zooms or primes are very person specific where they may benefit very much from a super zoom. But it does not apply to everyone including, but not excluding, travel photography. In my experience the time spent on changing only two zooms is minimal in a casual situation such as a vacation, but if you are getting paid to get the shot than a super zoom might be more suitible. I say might because sometimes there are other qualities such as IQ or lowlight capability which will trump "getting the shot" because your client might be not happy with the result, or yourself. If you get a two zoom setup you can have a constant f/2.8 from 17mm to 200mmm vs the variable aperture of f/3.5 to f/5.6, thats a huge difference. And the IQ is better.

John.