Photography stuff - which lens

diable

ringo_24601 wrote: »

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

A Tesco lens?

Avoriaz

Don't buy an expensive lens. This is a money saving site.

Just stand nearer the lions.

They probably won't bite.

Lirin

The Rokinon is rubbish, as is the Opteka. The standard 18-55 is bare quality- it's a kit lens, but not great, and pretty useless TBH, if you're after wildlife shots.
I'd recommend looking around on Ebay etc, a 100-400 DO L Canon lens is expensive new, but can be picked up from a dealer at a decent price.
Be aware with a longer barrel, the light needed for the shot will be greater. I would caution against extension mounts on this basis- they'll knock out quite a bit of light.
Also, with longer lenses, you have problems with hand holding- quite a few lenses I have require a separate tripod for the lens itself. I didn't see what camera you're using, but please hold the lens when it's mounted on the camera- on some of Canon's latest 300d, 350d, 400d etc, the semi-amateur range, the mount is not strong enough and can rip free from the camera- I've repaired a few of these!

The difference between an ordinary lens and an L series is the way they're made. Ordinary lens is glass, laser cut. L series is higher spec, cut with a diamond laser- much different, as the process for making is more exact. That's very broad terms, there's a little more to it than that. The L series will give better quality.

For wildlife, I'd begin looking around the 400mm mark on a lens, which coupled with a few others, would give a fantastic range. PM me if you think I haven't rambled too much, I'll help you choose one as best I can.

Just looked again- Sorry, as well, you won't have to become totally manual on a larger lens- many now are fully automatic, with optic stabilisers, and fully motorised. These will eat batteries, so make sure you pack a few.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Canon-400mm-f-5-6-L-USM-EF-Lens-77-UV-400-F5-6-/350423285335?pt=UK_CamerasPhoto_CameraAccessories_CameraLensesFilters_JN&hash=item5196dafe57

Have never used this seller, but one thing to bear in mind is the L lenses hold their value- so it could be worth paying for a good one now, and selling it after Kenya?

Horlock

Thank you all for the help. Lirin, you certainly seem to know your stuff and I would quite happily read whatever you wrote - but I don't want to waste too much of your time (though if you are bored and feel an urge I'll happily read it). The ebay price seems good for that lens (except that customs would happily charge a further £200 - I think) and sadly that puts the option way out of my price bracket.

I'll have another think, and probably post the details of my decision in due course. Not going until March.

Thanks again everyone.

andygb

The Large Sigma zoom gets good ratings (I think it goes up to 500mm), and will deliver 750mm on a crop sensor. Do not buy cheap lenses, because they will look worse than a heavily cropped image from a smaller lens.

althas

The one thing I do not see mentioned........The cheaper 70-300 are very nice lenses, yes I can agree on that. BUT the autofocus time is horrendous. You will miss so much of the action, by the time you see what you want, point the camera and focus, the gazelle has been eaten

If you want to capture the scenary etc, then a 70-300 for a few hundred will be a sweet addition to your collection

Maybe a trip to somewhere like Jesop would be in order. Take your body and try a few of the lenses out see what you like

Of course, you could always just get a http://www.warehouseexpress.com/buy-sigma-200-500mm-f2-8-ex-dg-telephoto-zoom-lens-canon-fit/p1030537

It is about 40% cheaper than it used to be ;-)

But on a serious note
http://www.warehouseexpress.com/buy-sigma-150-500mm-f5-6-3-dg-os-hsm-lens-canon-fit/p1025305
or
http://www.warehouseexpress.com/buy-sigma-120-400mm-f4-5-5-6-dg-os-hsm-lens-canon-fit/p1025302

I like sigma lenses very much. Excelent build quality and very rugged

Lirin

I've bought quite a few bits off ebay from HK- they usually mark it as a gift and exempt from customs, IME. Always worth asking....

Horlock wrote: »

Thank you all for the help. Lirin, you certainly seem to know your stuff and I would quite happily read whatever you wrote - but I don't want to waste too much of your time (though if you are bored and feel an urge I'll happily read it). The ebay price seems good for that lens (except that customs would happily charge a further £200 - I think) and sadly that puts the option way out of my price bracket.

I'll have another think, and probably post the details of my decision in due course. Not going until March.

Thanks again everyone.

Lirin

Yes, althas, I like Sigma quite a bit as well. They're certainly stronger built than Canon, including quite a few of the L lenses, and are easier to strip down as well, which has been a bonus in some cases for me!
Yes, timing on 70-300 is awful- I tend to forget things like that though, as most cameras I started with had some weird glitch or other, and it was par for the course to work around it! Newspaper days, we used whatever camera was in the cupboard- so I'd be using a Canon with no autofocus one day, and an Olympus with knackered metering the next.
Jessops I've found handy for bits in the past (used to work there), and can usually bargain a good price off them- most customers can, just act sweet and buy them coffee.
Horlock- my partner would tell you about the glazed look people get when I start talking photography- I do find it hard to shut up. My Christmas Eve present from him was a Manfrotto 7302YB tripod with a tilt/pan head, so he does listen to some of what I say at least....
Go on www.dpreview.com- fantastic site for comparison. Maybe did mention it.

Darn you althas. I'm drooling over the 200-500mm Sigma now. Another thing on the wishlist in my head.

Shimrod

Horlock wrote: »

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.

You'll manage just fine with the lenses you have. I've been on Safari in Kenya, and took two lenses - a Sigma 17-70mm F2.8-4.5 and a Canon 70-200mm L F2.8 IS.

Although the second lens is better than yours, it doesn't have quite have the reach of yours but it was very rare that I felt I couldn't get a shot. The wildlife has no fear of the safari vehicles and you will find that you tend to be within a few 10's of feet of most animals.

In terms of a new lens, you may want to consider buying a faster lens - typically you will do a safari at 5-5.30 am for a couple of hours, and again in the afternoon/evening around 4-6pm. Remember as you are more or less on the equator, the sun goes down pretty quick at around 6pm. So you'll start off with good sunlight but be prepared for some 'challenging' shots. You will be able to offset some of that with the image stability you have on both lenses. Shoot all your photos in RAW and you will probably be able to pull out a bit more detail post processing as well.

As others have said, I can't see the Opteka 650-2600mm being any good at all - and as most safaris tend to be in a vehicle with other people moving around, using a tripod and getting a steady shot would be a challenge.

diable

Pop in to a Calumet store and not a Jesop's store to try a lens out, have you thought about hiring a lens instead?