lens rental for a trip?

My daughter really loves photography and we're taking a trip to Golden/Banff for three days of skiing. We have a family Nikon D5100 body and a DX 18-55mm lens. I know exactly jack shit about photography.

Recs for something we can carry around with us in a backpack that would be great for the mountains (scenery and some action shots)?
What sort of lens compatibility do I need to look for?
How about a good company for renting a lens for a week and what should I expect with pricing?

Sorry about the jongish questions.

Looks like this one might be a good option?

https://www.lensrentals.com/rent/nik...-f2.8g-ed-af-s

I've used borrowlenses.com in the past.

Can't help with specific recs for that camera though.

Hopefully others will chime in, but that focal length seems a little short for skiing action shots. Probably great for landscapes though.

Quote:

Originally Posted by huckbucket

My daughter really loves photography and we're taking a trip to Golden/Banff for three days of skiing. We have a family Nikon D5100 body and a DX 18-55mm lens. I know exactly jack shit about photography.

Recs for something we can carry around with us in a backpack that would be great for the mountains (scenery and some action shots)?
What sort of lens compatibility do I need to look for?
How about a good company for renting a lens for a week and what should I expect with pricing?

Sorry about the jongish questions.

All good, cameras are a deep dark hole, much like skis. Rentals are very doable, and typically range from $50-100 per week, shipped, for a lens.

The D5100 is a “DX” body from Nikon, meaning it has a smaller sensor size that Nikon designed specific “DX” lenses to work with at their listed range focal range. You can use non-DX Nikon Lenses ("FX" lenses) on a DX body, but the lens focal range will be multiplied by 1.5x. That can be an upside for telephoto lenses, but a big hit to wide angle lenses: the 14-24mm lens becomes 21-36mm on a dx body, losing a lot of the wide angle capability it was designed for. Third-party lens makers like Sigma, Tamron and Tokina also make DX-compatible lenses, as well as standard FX-compatible ones. You can not use Nikon mirrorless "Z" lenses on a DX or FX body.

The most common upgrades to add to that 18-55mm kit lens would be to buy a 55-200mm kit telephoto (probably $100 or less on eBay) and just add that to your system and cover your bases from wide to telephoto. The next step would be an all-in-one lens like the Nikon 18-200 ( https://www.lensrentals.com/rent/nik...-af-s-vr-ii-dx ) or Nikon 18-300, or the Tamron 16-300m that does it all. They're heavier and more bulky compared to the kit lenses, and won't have as high or performance across the full spectrum as two range-specific lenses, but will make solid pictures while covering the bases nicely. Solid for everyday use and walking around, but could be a bit too slow for using while out skiing if you want to capture action shots zoomed in.

There are few lens options that have similar zoom ranges to your 18-55mm kit lens, but with better low-light shooting capability, higher end optics and coating, and better builds. For renting, I'd suggest the Nikon 16-80 2.8-4VR (~$90 for a week: https://www.lensrentals.com/rent/nik...d-af-s-dx-vr);. Great walk around lens that's fast and capable; only thing lacking is much telephoto range. There's also the Sigma 17-50 2.8 (https://www.lensrentals.com/rent/nik...s-for-nikon-dx) and then the Tamron 17-50 2.8 (https://www.lensrentals.com/rent/tam...c-for-nikon-dx); both are an upgrade from the kit lens, but with less zoom range than the Nikon 16-80.

Pair any of those three with a nicer telephoto zoom and you'd be covered for walk around shots and some skiing stuff. The Nikon 70-300: fast, quiet and great zoom range with the 1.5x crop from the DX body - https://www.lensrentals.com/rent/nik....6e-ed-af-p-vr

Wide angle lenses are an option (10-20, 10-24, 11-16mm options from Nikon, Tamron and Tokina), but I don't think they would be that much benefit for this type of trip.

Quote:

Originally Posted by huckbucket

Looks like this one might be a good option?

https://www.lensrentals.com/rent/nik...-f2.8g-ed-af-s

I wouldn't recommend this lens for the D5100 or your trip. Very heavy (almost 2x the weight of the camera body) and bulky. It's designed as a pro-level wide angle zoom, but on your body it would be more of a short, mid-range zoom.

AV - thanks a ton! Super helpful information. For the cost of the rental, I'll probably just pick up the 55-200 and carry two lens.

I have these guys local, so I don't have to pay for shipping.
https://www.thelensdepot.com
Their rates are pretty good. Fun to use equipment that its WAY beyond my skill set sometimes.
It does make you want to spend a lot on stuff you don't need though.