£300 Walk around lens

AU · #1 (**permalink**) 12-02-2011, 09:54 AM

Hi

I'm looking to buy my first DSLR next month to replace my ageing Canon S1 IS I have a tight budget of £500, I'm happy to buy second hand. The way I see it I can get a decent body for around £200 so that leaves £300 for a lens. I would like a little more reach than my old S1 (380mm 35mm equivalent). I do a lot of my walking/birding around woodland edges so a lens that performs well in poor light would be great. any help and suggestions are most appreciated.

Thanks for looking

cosmicma · #2 (**permalink**) 12-02-2011, 11:54 AM

to be honest a long lens ( longer than 380mm ) thats good in low light for a budget of £300 is going to be a challenge i don't think can be met for triple your budget even second hand

but...

all is not lost

you might be able to pick up something like a sigma 170 - 500mm for around your budget second hand but it won't be very good in low light and will tend to soften off ( not drasticly but noticable ) above 400mm

a decent body for 200 quid i think you would be looking at something like a canon 20d or nikon d50/70 i know there are pentax / sony etc.. but i don't know if the lens i have mentioned is available for those other cameras

now then say you did go for a canon 20d from what i can gather the iso noise at 800 - 1000 iso is quite low wich would make up for some of the shortcomings of the sigma 170 - 500mm lens

just one option to think about iv'e no doubt others will post as good if not better alternatives

good luck...

nightshade · #3 (**permalink**) 12-02-2011, 11:55 AM

I don't know your camera/lense but is it possible the lense will work with a DSLR body and because of the sensor size give you the equivalant of a longer focal length.

Endrick · #4 (**permalink**) 12-02-2011, 01:09 PM

I have two walkabout lenses, the longer one is the Tokina 80-400 which autofocuses on my d90 - and I have been very pleased with it considering that I bought it from Ebay for £200.

It's not great in low light: it's f3.5 at 80mm and f5.6 at 400. However it's much improved at F7. It's very lightweight. It doesn't have VR (or in your case IS) so you will need a tripod at longer focal lengths in anything other than good light.

pressld2 · #5 (**permalink**) 12-02-2011, 03:52 PM

There's also the Nikon 55-300mm lens which is available brand new for £260. If used on a DX body this gives a 35mm equivalent is 82.5-450mm. I've never used one so can't comment on the image quality but you should be able to find reviews and sample images on the web. Once again it's f5.6 at the 300mm lens so not ideal for low light situations but I agree with cosmica - low light, long reach and under £300 is asking too much.

Dave P.

AU · #6 (**permalink**) 12-02-2011, 04:15 PM

Thanks for all the advice so far, I'm not expecting miracles in low light just a noticeable improvement over my super zoom, I will sacrifice reach for image quality.

chkm8 · #7 (**permalink**) 12-02-2011, 07:13 PM

£500 will be a big ask for birding. a body alone will most likely set you back about £300-£350 even second hand. A quality lens for birding should be at least 300mm and will cost twice the price of the body 2nd hand.
In reality to get body and lens that will give you decent images is going to set you back double your budget even buying 2nd hand.
Have you considered digiscoping ? £500 will buy you a good quality scope and you may be able to use your current camera with the scope to get the images you want.
http://www.birdforum.net/ and go to the scoping section. Also check the classifieds they have always a good selection of cameras and lenses for sale that are owned by enthusiasts who generally have really looked after their gear.

John.

Geoff F · #8 (**permalink**) 12-02-2011, 08:08 PM

Assuming a decent secondhand camera will come with some sort of lens; I would just reluctantly accept what is available and start saving for a really good lens.

Spending money on one of the very cheap zoom lenses is unlikely to bring the sort of results which you require and will probably end in disappointment.

But do ask again once you have tracked down something which may be suitable.

ps. I suppose the other option would be to consider one of the better 'bridge' cameras which you could purchase new.

Kayleigh · #9 (**permalink**) 12-02-2011, 09:34 PM

Jessops are doing camera deals atm camera bundles I have just ordered the canon 500d..

Digital camera, camera, digital dv camcorder and accessories - Jessops

chkm8 · #10 (**permalink**) 12-02-2011, 11:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AU

Thanks for all the advice so far, I'm not expecting miracles in low light just a noticeable improvement over my super zoom, I will sacrifice reach for image quality.

If happy to sacrifice reach for quality then look for a used Canon 30D or a 40D if you can afford a bit more. I know the 20D is often reccomended but they are out a long time and most will have several thousand clicks and you want to avoid issues such as shutter failure.
Pair this with the Canon EF - Zoom lens - 28 mm - 135 mm - f/3.5-5.6 IS USM
£299 on Amazon. With the Canon having a cropped image sensor of 1.6 you will have almost a 200mm lens that also has image stabaliser and USM for fast focusing.
30D tends to be £280 - £300 and I have seen many 40Ds for sale starting at £325 up to £400. You can always add a lens with more reach at a later date and you will have a body that will last you for years.

John.