Photography stuff - which lens

Horlock

I'm planning a trip to Kenya, with the hope of getting some nice pics of wildlife. Gut reaction is that I need a telephoto lens for my canon dslr.

At present I have:

standard 18-55
Basic Image stablised 55-250

Considering buying:

a) A huge (cheap)
Opteka 650-2600mm High Definition Telephoto Lens

Available from Amazon for £269

b) The respectable

Canon
EF 24-105mm f4L IS USM Lens


Available for about £800


The reasoning behind the second option is I want a decent all round lens. Note: I don't have £800 to spend on a lens for wildlife photography on holiday. If I buy the second lens I cannot afford the first. If I buy the first or an alternative for similar money - I wont be able to buy the second until after the Kenya trip is over. Please don't suggest that I buy a wonderful Canon EF 28-300mm f3.5-5.6L IS USM or similar because I don't have the money. Basically the only expensive lens I would consider is option b) above.


The issue to me is which will give me the better photograph of a lion in the distance?

I obviously the L lens will give better clarity of the surroundings, but I don't know if the post processing (effectively a digital zoom) of an L lens photograph will give a superior close up than no processing of a cheap lens. I am aware that with the huge lens, everything will become totally manual, and I will need the lens on a tripod. I also wonder if either will be better than the 55-250 lens (for the task at hand - obviously the L lens is far superior) I currently own, which is convenenient.

Any comments from photographers greatfully received - please indicate with the advice your level of expertise. Thanks in advance.

Horlock

Three further options I've just come accross:

http://www.digital-photo-keyrings.co.uk/detail.asp?PID=4021
http://www.digital-photo-keyrings.co.uk/detail.asp?PID=4952
http://www.digital-photo-keyrings.co.uk/detail.asp?PID=4927

nearlyrich

What's your budget? I got a Sigma 55-250 mm F3.5-5.6 DC OS recently, good all rounder excellent for travelling it was around £400 I am an enthusiastic amateur when it comes to photography. Have a look on some of the photography forums you can pick up some great bargains 2nd hand or have you considered hiring a lens for the holiday?

fitshase

Look for a 70-300mm lens which is a good allrounder.

I have a 17-70mm and a 70-300mm as well as a 100mm macro lens. They pretty much cover a lot of things.

You can pick up a Sigma 70-300mm for a couple of hundred pounds.

I think the best thing for a Kenya trip is to spend money hiring a decent lens for the job.

googler

When you've already got a standard 18-55 and 55-250, then isn't a 24-105mm covering the same territory?

If you want to really pull in the wildlife, £900 or so gets you the 400mm Canon telephoto - (sorry, only link I could get was on eBay - seems maybe this one's discontinued, so there may be bargains out there soon)

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Canon-400mm-f5-6L-Lens-New-/230564853516?pt=UK_CamerasPhoto_CameraAccessories_CameraLensesFilters_JN&hash=item35aebc770c#ht_3779wt_901

or in a different price range, the Opteka 500mm Mirror Lens?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Opteka-Telephoto-Mirror-Digital-Cameras/dp/B003XO3N7M/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1292973704&sr=8-1

googler

fitshase wrote: »

Look for a 70-300mm lens which is a good allrounder.

I have a 17-70mm and a 70-300mm as well as a 100mm macro lens. They pretty much cover a lot of things.

You can pick up a Sigma 70-300mm for a couple of hundred pounds.

I think the best thing for a Kenya trip is to spend money hiring a decent lens for the job.

The OP already has a zoom to 250mm - there's hardly any benefit having a 300mm, surely?

I'd suggest he needs to jump to 400 or 500mm for shooting the wildlife.

[Deleted User]

Is the Opteka lens a mirror lens? They're meant to be terrible quality

Personally, i've got a 300mm prime lens (manual focus) for my Panasonic SLR..... however over a certain distance you don't focus as it hits infinity. Because of the way 4/3rd optics are built, it actually means its more like a 600mm lens. It's rather awsome (and cost 30 quid.. it's MSE photography)

You could always buy a 2x tele-converter - http://www.srsmicrosystems.co.uk/440/Kenko-Teleplus-DGX-2X-MC7-Teleconverter---Canon-AF.html to double your zoom

You could get a 300 quid 70-300mm Tamron Canon lens - http://www.srsmicrosystems.co.uk/5579/Tamron-SP-70-300mm-f4-5-6-Di-VC-USD-Lens---Canon-Fit.html

I wish Panasonic lenses were this cheap

Get a tele-converter for cheap super-zooming

[Deleted User]

How about one of these bad boys?
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/335379-REG/Tamron_AF08C700_200_500mm_f_5_6_3_Di_LD.html

200-500mm zoom.. would cost approx 600 quid in sterling. Know anyone going to New York soon that could pick one up? B&H is an ace store

googler

ringo_24601 wrote: »

Is the Opteka lens a mirror lens? They're meant to be terrible quality

I said (and I quote)

"or in a different price range, the Opteka 500mm Mirror Lens?"

!!!

[Deleted User]

ok ok.. so i never read the whole thread.. it's late and i'm poorly

My real answer is : Get closer to the lion

Edit: Just found this bad boy - 650-2600mm for 242 quid... http://www.overstock.com/Electronics/Rokinon-650-2600mm-Canon-Telephoto-Zoom-Lens/3864786/product.html

paddyrg

Would 2600mm actually be *too* long? Especially if you've got a cropping factor in play (smaller sensor, exaggerates the lens length, eg on Canon 550D it exaggerates the lens length by 1.6, in effect), so even the 650mm would be effectively ~1000mm - want to make sure you can get the whole lion in shot! And the 2600mm would have the effect of being around 4 metres effective lens length!! And after the safari, do you think you'll ever be able to use the lens again?