Please suggest me lenses

Hello there.

I am planning on traveling over to Japan next year on spring (late March/early April), and want to prepare myself.
I have only got a Canon EOS 6D + 24-105mm Lens and a simple camera bag. Nothing else.
I don't know much about photography, so I am a bit unsure what parameters are variable with each lens (i.e. zoom, aperture, shutter speed, iso), and what is better for me.

From my previous experience and the things I have noticed about me, I think I need a Macro Lens and a wider aperture (like 2.8f, as I like to take close-ups of figures and plants/insects sometimes and because I want to be able get a blurried background ), and also some other one to take photos from afar (seeing how sometimes I cannot get close enough to some places to get them to occupy a large portion of the frame, like temples or living subjects, animals).
As I am saving money for this porpuse, it is only a moderate concern.

What lenses would you suggest me?

Thank you.

Welcome to the site David.  We'll you didn't mention budget so I'm going to over look that. 

I would recommend a few lenses for you:

1.  Canon 24-70mm f/2.8  (good all around lens for city walks and general shooting)
2.  Canon 100mm f/2.8 Macro lens  (must have for macro)
3.  Sigma 50-500mm f/4.5-6.3 lens  (affordable super telephoto lens available in Canon mount)

1) Practice with what you have, to learn about and be comfortable with aperture / exposure / ISO. Get out of auto mode and at least try using aperture-priority.  The wider apertures are going to give you a more shallow depth of field, which gets you your blurry background.

2) There's also a geometry issue: distance from camera to subject and distance from subject to background. It matters, but you'll want to experiment to learn.

3) Tele? 200mm or 300mm perhaps.

4) Close-ups? Yes, a macro lens, but a short one may be perfectly adequate. I don't know what focal lengths are available for Canon, so you'll have to shop. But if you want to do close-up work a macro is a good idea. If you want to be able to be far away from your subject yet magnify it, then a long lens + extension tubes may be the way to go.

<edit>The Tamron is recommended over the Sigma for an inexpensive, long lens.

Gary is absolutely spot on here. You have the 'just in case' lens buying syndrome which the camera manufacturers love. You are their best friend.

If you absolutely must experiment with different lenses while you are in Japan, try renting them while you are there (you may need a translator).

One rental place in Japan 

I would only repeat what has been mentioned already.  But will wish you a enjoyable trip, this sounds like fun!

I want to be able get a blurried background

The 50mm f/1.4 is very affordable, and not very heavy.  I for one, do not enjoy carrying a bag loaded with heavy lenses for days on end.

old guy

Stick with what you have (24-105) then add one of these:

Sigma 35 1.4 or 50 1.4 ART lens (make sure you get the ART lens and not the older ones).

www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/898831-RE...mm_f_1_4_DG_HSM.html
www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/898831-RE...mm_f_1_4_DG_HSM.html

Kills the Canon 50 1.4 suggested by Kelly and it's not that much more expensive. In fact these lenses are a match for (or are even better than) the Canon 50 1.2L and Canon 35 1.4L.

Thank you all.
For what it's worth, these are the photos I took on my first (of what I expect at least three to follow) trip to Japan.
www.dropbox.com/sh/kblhrjq9cticz7s/AAA4huqNCdZkGO4LE-qZCnwla#/
I had just got my camera then, so you can tell from the photos.
I lost some of them because I didn't check the captured image and on some ocasions I forgot to re-adjust apperture, so those were deleted.

Also, I didn't shoot raw out of fear I would fill up my micro-sd (which now I realize has enough space for that trip, 64Gb), so I lost some opportunities, and all I had with my was my phone.


This picture, for example, was the nearest I could get and I wish I could have gotten a larger view of the crane (?)
www.dropbox.com/sh/kblhrjq9cticz7s/AAA4h...lh:null-IMG_0126.JPG

Same thing happened some other times.

These are from a trip with family to an aviary.
More or less the same thing applied.
www.dropbox.com/sh/etjwug5mgm2m2kh/AAB6jfmdjRMRqkfHwln1-ov0a#/

This time I had trouble handling illumination and close-up as the first shots were shot inside a building with some snakes and spiders.
A few of my first tries at photo shooting.

That is why I thought I am missing a lens to let me take macro and with a larger apperture and something with a better zoom than I have, but as I don't want to fall on the trap of spending too much not being content, I am in doubt.

Will take your suggestions, thank you very much.
Didn't know there were places where I could rent lenses, I will look for a place where I can rent different lenses where I live to get an idea beforehand, but I don't have high expectations of finding one such place here.

Edit
Sorry about the links. Is there a proper way to posting? It looks like they get mangled in some way each time I edit.

Your URLs do not work

Links worked for me.  I'd love to travel to Japan, looks like you enjoyed yourself there. 

If your gonna use a macro and get anything worth looking at your also gonna need a tripod. I tried my macro handheld and what a disaster. Your not sure where your at so I suggest you get a good walking around lens, wide zoom. Over on 24hr Campfire in the photo section, we have a Tamron Rep post quite a bit. Recently he posted some photo's he did with the new 16-300 Tamron, great stuff. Don't know what it cost's but I'd look into that or the 18-270 Tamron. Either lens should make a good walking around lens. Rather than a macro, you might consider a good flash. I hat the flash on my cameras and seldom ever use them. If I need more light, I put on a real flash. As you move along, you'll start figuring out what would suit you better. I had for years heard raves about the 2.8 lens's and the price tag keeps getting in my way. So far, I have not found myself in a position that I actually needed one! Maybe if I did photography for a living, I'd find some pressing need, but I don't. One thing I find on about every photo site I visit is the belief that you need expensive constant aperture lens's and expensive prime lens's. I'm not a pro and I don't do photo art. I take picture's I like to look at and I have actually sold quite a few. Get a lens that you can use and learn to use it. In a year or so, then you'll have a good idea of what you actually need.

Don Fischer wrote: If your gonna use a macro and get anything worth looking at your also gonna need a tripod.

This is a personal issue. Yes, tripods are extremely helpful, but handheld depends upon your technique. Most of my outdoor macros are shot handheld.

Don Fischer wrote: One thing I find on about every photo site I visit is the belief that you need expensive constant aperture lens's and expensive prime lens's. I'm not a pro and I don't do photo art.

You need certain lenses to achieve certain goals.  Low-light work requires a wider aperture often coupled with quality high ISO ability. There's no two ways around that. From what I've seen you post, you seem to mostly take pictures outside where there's lots of light. That changes things considerably.


<grammar-nazi>
The plural of "lens" is "lenses". Plurals never use an apostrophe. Ever. Apostrophes are for contractions and possessives.

And to illustrate my point:
Plural's never use an apostrophe. Ever. Apostrophe's are for contraction's and possessive's.  <---Wrong.
</grammar-nazi>