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|  » Stats |
Members: 50,175
Threads: 82,393
Posts: 853,577
Top Poster: glsammy (15,069)
| | Welcome to our newest member, JTM | |  | | 
10-02-2010, 08:49 PM
|  | Wild Member | | Join Date: May 2008 Location: East of the Goblin cave (Suffolk)
Posts: 121
| | | Replacing Telephoto Lens
I have decided that i want to change my Sigma lenses
the 100-300 f/4 and 150-500 OS
for a new lens for wildlife...
mainly birds, but also deer, rabbits and other mammals...
FYI, I use a Canon DSLR, have a ramshackle hide, and have a nice tripod for heavy kit!!
I have whittled it down to a few lenses... but i want to know if any are useful for wildlife...
Canon 100-400mm L IS USM
Canon 400mm f/5.6 L USM
Canon 300mm f/4 L IS USM
Sigma 120-300 F/2.8 EX DG HSM (Secondhand)
what are your views on these lenses for wildlife??
__________________
Wild About Britain - Taught me more about life than school!! |
10-02-2010, 09:01 PM
|  | Member of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Hastings, East Sussex
Posts: 374
| | | Re: Replacing Telephoto Lens
I've just got the 100 - 400 and am loving it but the 400 prime would be sharper. |
10-02-2010, 09:06 PM
|  | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: North Norfolk
Posts: 1,549
| | | Re: Replacing Telephoto Lens
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike Jackson  I've just got the 100 - 400 and am loving it but the 400 prime would be sharper. | Totally agree but the 100 - 400 is image stabilized whilst the 400 f5-6 isn't.
I use the 100 - 400 and the IS certainly helps when I use it hand held. Its a good lens.
David  |
10-02-2010, 09:23 PM
|  | Member of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Bognor Regis, West Sussex
Posts: 454
| | | Re: Replacing Telephoto Lens
Hi Wrogers
Why are you getting shot of your 150 - 500 OS ?
I use this and get stunning shots from it. Also you are going to lose 100mm.
There has always been arguments as to whether the Canon 100 - 400 is better than the Sigma 150 - 500
From my experience, there isn't much in it.
The only option i see here, are the 400mm prime lens, which isn't IS as already said. Or the 300mm which is stabilised, but you are losing 200mm.
If your main subject is birds. Can you really afford to lose that much. |
10-02-2010, 09:25 PM
|  | Moderator | | Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Nottingham
Posts: 15,069
| | | Re: Replacing Telephoto Lens
I can't see what you'll gain by changing those two lenses for any of the others.
The Sigma 100-300 is generally regarded as one of the best lenses they do, whilst the 150-500 is a very close match to the Canon 100-400.
I've had the Canon 300mm F4. Can't fault the optical quality but I am critical of the AF performance of it. It's slow, especially if you use a 1.4X TC with it. I had mine for about 3 months when I sold it and got a 400mm F5.6. Now that is a fine lens, sharp and fast. As for IS, in the end I switched it off! I much preferred to shoot without it. As for the 120-300, others rate it but my opinion of it is tarnished by the fact the one I had was a real dud. That went back within a week.
Currently I'm still using my Bigma. For all the money spent on "better" lenses, in the end it's how you use it that matters far more than the supposed superiority of the glass.
The vast majority of what I think are my best shots were taken with my Bigma. My advice would be to save yourself a lot of money and stick with what you've got. |
10-02-2010, 10:09 PM
|  | Moderator | | Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Belvedere, Kent
Posts: 10,029
| | | Re: Replacing Telephoto Lens
As a Nikon user with no experience of any of these lenses I can't offer much advice but... Quote:
Originally Posted by glsammy As for IS, in the end I switched it off! I much preferred to shoot without it. | I'm with Graham 100%. I swithed off the VR on my Nikon 80-400mm about 18 months ago and won't be switching it back on again. If I'm using any kind of support - tripod, bean bag, hide window ledge, tree branch, the ground - then in my experience I'll get sharper shots without IS or VR. And the ones that aren't sharp at speeds of 1/100th or below are invariably down to subject movement rather than camera shake so the IS wouldn't have helped anyway.
This was at 1/50th of a second with no VR... 
And so was this...! 
Dave P.
__________________
(a.k.a. "Horizontal Dave")
"A good man is hard to find, especially if he's hiding. In a field. With combat fatigues and a false beard." - Wilson Dixon |
10-02-2010, 10:24 PM
| | Moderator | | Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Nottingham
Posts: 15,069
| | | Re: Replacing Telephoto Lens
Quote:
Originally Posted by pressld2 As a Nikon user with no experience of any of these lenses I can't offer much advice but...
I'm with Graham 100%. I swithed off the VR on my Nikon 80-400mm about 18 months ago and won't be switching it back on again. If I'm using any kind of support - tripod, bean bag, hide window ledge, tree branch, the ground - then in my experience I'll get sharper shots without IS or VR. And the ones that aren't sharp at speeds of 1/100th or below are invariably down to subject movement rather than camera shake so the IS wouldn't have helped anyway.
This was at 1/50th of a second with no VR...
And so was this...!
Dave P. | Now that second shot is one of my favourites so far this year!  |
11-02-2010, 07:30 AM
|  | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: West Lothian
Posts: 2,432
| | | Re: Replacing Telephoto Lens
Quote:
Originally Posted by wrogers I have decided that i want to change my Sigma lenses
the 100-300 f/4 and 150-500 OS
for a new lens for wildlife...
mainly birds, but also deer, rabbits and other mammals...
FYI, I use a Canon DSLR, have a ramshackle hide, and have a nice tripod for heavy kit!!
I have whittled it down to a few lenses... but i want to know if any are useful for wildlife...
Canon 100-400mm L IS USM
Canon 400mm f/5.6 L USM
Canon 300mm f/4 L IS USM
Sigma 120-300 F/2.8 EX DG HSM (Secondhand)
what are your views on these lenses for wildlife?? | Hi, I know people who have the lenses you have listed and I most definitely wouldn't change my Sigma 300-100mm EX f4 DG lens and Ex 1.4 DG TC for any of them. If I ever did change I would have in my opinion to spend a lot of money to improve on what I have. Certainly well beyond the range of lenses you have listed.
Just MHO
John D
Note I use a monopod most of the time with the above mentioned combination but do 'handhold' for some shots eg in flight etc. http://johnswildworld.zenfolio.com/
Last edited by John D; 11-02-2010 at 07:38 AM.
|
11-02-2010, 08:04 AM
| | Moderator | | Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Belvedere, Kent
Posts: 10,029
| | | Re: Replacing Telephoto Lens
Quote:
Originally Posted by glsammy Now that second shot is one of my favourites so far this year! | Thanks Graham! I just can't bring myself to delete it... 
Dave P.
__________________
(a.k.a. "Horizontal Dave")
"A good man is hard to find, especially if he's hiding. In a field. With combat fatigues and a false beard." - Wilson Dixon |
11-02-2010, 11:15 AM
|  | Member of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Glasgow
Posts: 491
| | | Re: Replacing Telephoto Lens
Totally depends on what you're going to shoot, but I have the 300 F4 IS and I love it, but I tend to shoot seabirds from a boat rather than small garden birds, so the reach is less important to me, and the IS is absolutely essential!
I find the AF to be very fast, and I've never had any major issues with it. It does slow down with a converter tho (I use a 1.4x) and IQ drops quite noticeably, so you may prefer the 400mm prime if you need the reach but don't need the IS.
The IS incidentally isn't meant to be used with a tripod, so bear that in mind if you're going to use one a lot -maybe save some cash and get a non-IS lens instead.
Anyway, that's just my opinion, and you'll get plenty of other people with their own views on each lens Have you considered hiring them out for a day or weekend and just having a shot of them? Then at least you'll get the lens that suits you and your style best and you know exactly what you're paying £1000-odd for! | | | |
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