Advice buying lens

emdara · #1 (**permalink**) 27-09-2009, 08:03 PM

Hi , I have recently bought a Tamron 70-300mm automatic zoom lens after getting advice, and allthough i am pleased with the lens it is just not powerfull enough. When i photograph birds i can not zoom in enough.
Can anybody advise me if there are any lens that i can buy that will be better for birds and allso not to expernsive. my camera is the Pentax K100D.
thanks Barry

peter2009 · #2 (**permalink**) 27-09-2009, 08:50 PM

Barry,You don't say what your budget is,but your best bet is to get 1x5 lens converter.

peter

squishy · #3 (**permalink**) 27-09-2009, 09:29 PM

though converters will reduce the quality.

the sigma 50-500 and 150-500 seem to be favoured as longer lenses that arent horrifically expensive

emdara · #4 (**permalink**) 28-09-2009, 08:51 AM

Thank You Peter.

emdara · #5 (**permalink**) 28-09-2009, 08:56 AM

Thank you , i have just been looking at the prices of the lens and unfortunatly they are out of my range at the moment as i have just bought a Tamron 70-300mm (~ wich is just not good enough for what i want). I have been onto Warehouse Express but they say that the only Converters they have would not be any good for me as picture quality would suffer. Thanks Barry

squishy · #6 (**permalink**) 28-09-2009, 11:28 AM

nearly all converters soften images, plus you lose one F/ stop.

i think the sigma lenses are generally praised as good for the price, but they are better if you drop back to F/8 or F/9 (which means you need alot of light).

Long lenses might let you zoom further, but if you can spend some time learning bushcraft, getting close to the subject is a golden ability.

GTH · #7 (**permalink**) 28-09-2009, 01:43 PM

Hello Barry,

An interesting problem this one....as i`m sure the vast majority build up to the lens that is right...or a selection. It`s wanting to get nearer if it`s wildlife..and clear, however there are many lens`that will get you nearer...and then there`s the clarity issue....as birds move...and there`s the light that we often have in this country...or not !! All in all it comes down to the budget....and patience. Patience to save for the lens that suits...and as all wildlife photographers find out...."this hobby starts with enthusiasm and ends costing a tidy sum" !! ....(if you want the best of both worlds...clarity and distance).
My advise is to wait until you can buy what you need...as you`ll always be looking at your results...but most of us never do that...and i for one has been one of them. As the budget changes we have upgraded and those that we purchased along the way lay dormant....Being Canon based, those dormant are now 70-300 f4 and 100-400mm, as the upgraded 500mm f4, 400mm f2.8, and the Sigma 300mm f2.8 really do come into their own, especially with the 1.4x and 2x converters. That is our upgrades, but obviously everyone here has a budget which differs,and excellent results are obtained with other lens`......but no quality comes without a cost.

I do hope this has helped Barry...and you recognise which choice is right for you. Like life...there`s always a cost for the choices we make !!

I hope i have explained the delema clearly for you in a way you understand.

Happy hunting

Geoff

PS...there are places, obviously, where good second hand lens` are cheaper

MartynA · #8 (**permalink**) 28-09-2009, 03:09 PM

The Tamron lens is a good lens for the price, especially with the macro facility.

I'm not sure about the latest version, but it used to have a problem with 'purple fringing' which produced a purple line around high contrast edges, which made it unsuitable for birds in flight photographs.

Try looking at something with your zoom set at 100mm and then zoom in to 300mm and see what difference it makes.... the answer is, for most wildlife at a distance, not that much.

If you're on a tight budget (aren't we all!) spend some time getting used to the lens and try cropping the images if you want to make the subject larger - that usually produces a better result than using a teleconverter (and it's cheaper too!!).

Martyn

galanthus · #9 (**permalink**) 28-09-2009, 06:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by squishy

Long lenses might let you zoom further, but if you can spend some time learning bushcraft, getting close to the subject is a golden ability.

I'm with squishy on this one as the best bet. I have the canon 70-300 and have had some really good bird and insect shots with it. However, I am stealthly beyond belief on fauna stalking missions, (unlike day to day life where I fall over everything lol ), I have extreme patience and will wait hours for something to feel confident with my presence. This really can make a difference to your pics, is much cheaper and more pleasurable.

.....if it's not raining ....

PentaxPete · #10 (**permalink**) 28-09-2009, 06:39 PM

I agree with the statements here, and i can sympathise. When i was using a 70's Tamron 70-350, i though it would easily do the job, and of course it does to a certain extent, but not for small or medium birds.
It was fab for big birds, and animals but i went to a 150-500 for the smaller stuff. Bushcraft is good, if you have the patience and time. Not everyone has that luxury, so the only way to get closer is a longer FL.
I've seen some great results with the Kenko DG 300 Pro 1.4x, which will give your Tamron 420mm at the loud end. It will cost you 1 stop of light, and barely any IQ degradation. A 2x will be slightly worse, and losing 2 stops. I've seen a shop that sells the Kenko for new for £97. A bargain really.

I'll be grabbing one at some point for my 15-500

Just to give you an idea, here's a shot with my old 70's Tamron 70-350 / constant f4 but with a Tamron 2x TC giving 700mm @ f8 Max

http://photo-sharing.winsoftmagic.com/1/1b8i7dcbqe.jpg

Both the lens and the 2x TC are old and no longer made. The kenko quality will be even better with a more modern lens