Best 70d Lens For Waterfall Photography

What's the best 70d Lens For Waterfall Photography?  The quick answer is the Canon EF-S 10-18mm. The long answer is that it depends on the waterfalls you are photographing.

Waterfall photo taken with Canon EF-S 10-18 lens and Canon EOS 70D cameraWaterfall photo taken with Canon EF-S 10-18 lens and Canon EOS 70D camera

In the photo above I used a very wide zoom setting of 15mm on the EF-S 10-18 mounted on my 70D. With a 1.6x crop factor, that gives you the equivalent view of shooting with a full frame camera of 24mm (15mm x 1.6=24mm). A setting of 24mm is plenty wide enough to shoot most waterfall scenes up close.

In the photo below I zoomed in to the maximum zoom of 18mm and it was just right for the crop I was looking for.

Ricketts Glen Waterfall-1 70DHand Held with Canon EOS 70D - 10-18 lens - 1/30 second - f/5.6

The photo was taken just below the falls in Ricketts Glen, which are a series of over 20 relatively small but beautiful waterfalls. The walking trail follow the streams so closely that you are up close and personal and need the very wide angles that the 10-18mm lens gives you.  

You can follow the loop trail in either direction Two separate glens merge into one and present you with many close shooting opportunities.


70D Lens for Small Up Close and Personal Waterfalls 

The "Whirlpool and Waterfall" photo below needed the widest zoom possible to fit the swirling leaves and the cascading water into the frame at such a close distance.

Ricketts Glen-Whirlpool and Waterfall - 70d - 10-18mm comboThe Canon EF-S 10-18mm set at 10mm zoom setting

The EF-S 10-18 on the 70D body gives you a crop factor equivalent of 16-28mm. 

Yes, 10-18 is a somewhat limited range. There will be times when you'll like to have a little longer focal length.

In those instances you'll love to have your 18-55 or 18-135 kit lens along.



This was my 3rd visit to this hidden treasure in the mountains of Pennsylvania and I though it would be a great opportunity to test my Canon EOS 70D with the EF-S 10-18mm f/ lens.

I've photographed these fall on two other occasions, both time using my full frame 5D Mark III and the 24-105mm f/4.0

waterfalls photoRicketts Glen waterfalls photo taken with Canon 5D Mark III and 24-105mm f/4.0 lens

On the full-frame 5D Mark III, 24mm was wide enough to grab this photo.  On the APS-C (1.6x crop) 70D I wouldn't be able to get this photo.


70D Lens for Large Distance Waterfalls 

For more distant views of waterfalls your 10-18 lens won't cut it.  You'll need something longer.  The longer zoom ranges have a bigger zoom range as well.


Yosemite FallsYosemite Falls at 67mm setting on 24-105 lens

I zoomed my 24-105 to 67mm to frame this waterfall and the surrounding rock faces.  Had I intended to crop in and shoot a vertical composition of just the waterfall, I would have needed to zoom all the way in to 105mm.


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Where to buy a Good 70d Lens For Waterfall Photography

I've used these 3 sources for buying camera equipment and accessories for many years.  Amazon is the hands down best place to read reviews, no matter where you eventually buy. Adorama is a full scale camera equipment dealer, based in NYC. Ebay is a solid palace to buy used lenses, provided the dealer has a track record of good reviews and has a good return policy

Amazon Link to Reviews
Best place to read the most reviews on equipment

Adorama Link to buy Camera Gear
Trusted Retailer that specializes in camera equipment


ebay link to save money on camera gear
Click Here To Save Money


Whatever 70d lens for waterfall photography you choose, shoot more waterfall photos and enjoy the natural world!

Have a blast. Shoot a Canon.

Author Bruce Lovelace
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Bruce Lovelace is the publisher of Canon Camera Geek. Read more about him on the About Page. He also publishes how to articles and camera gear reviews at the Photography Tips website.

View some of Bruce's photos on Instagram  and Flickr.   Join the tribe of followers on YouTube. Bruce also runs photo workshops and provides 1 on 1 digital photography coaching.

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Map of Ricketts Glen WaterfallsClick to enlarge this Map of
Ricketts Glen Waterfalls

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