Advice on a New Lense

[mark17]

Hi all,

I bought myself earlier in the year a canon 70-300IS lense which im fairly happy with,to go with canon 400d,ive mainly used it at Valley,Lakenheath and Cottesmore where you can get fairly close to the aircraft.

At RIAT and Leuchars airshows i felt i was just lacking that little bit of extra length,my pictures are no where near the standard of alot of you people on here but im enjoying practising and slowly improving i think!!

Anyhows i have just short of £1000 that i could put towards a bigger lense,i dont think i have got the best out of the 70-300 lense but if i dont get a bigger lense now,i dont think i ever will, with my birthday and xmas not far away,i will probably have a little bit more money.

Which lense would you think i would be better to go with?

I have had a look at the canon 100-400,but i also like the look of the sigma anybody any advice?

Many thanks
Mark

[Box Brownie]

Hi Mark

Like you I have the 70-300mm and it has served me well but has its limitations.

I have hired a few times the 100-400mm to use at airshows and IMO it is a good contender for the most versatile lens for this as well as wildlife ~ its relatively low weight compared to say the Sigma models means handholding is "easier" and folk also give good reports on and though the IS system is rather old now it does the job.

Having said all that I have read good reports of those using prime lenses such as the 400, 500 & 600mm but these have their own limitations not least the costs. A factor to bear in mind is also the focusing speed of the camera body i.e. it is not all about the lens. My 40D goes well with my 70-300mm better than it did with my old 350D as such the 100-400 is snappier but still a tad sluggish depending on the light, all choices are a compromise and if I had the money I would buy the 100-400mm.

Shop around and also get a quote from Kerso on eBay I have used him directly for 3 purchases of kit as have many others at other fora.

HTH & best of luck



PS The Sigma 120-300 f2.8 is AFAIK well liked by those that shoot motorsports but is as above too short though will take a x2 convertor but the weight I understand is very high for prolonged handholding

PPS Reviews worth checking out at Fred Miranda site.

[Ross Forsyth]

Have never used the Bigma but have had the 100-400 for quite a while now an have generally loved having it,as said its versatile and easy to use without needing to build your muscles.

Probably the best for the money you have available,but I dare say there may be others with experience of other lenses.

As for the primes I`m afraid you will probably be looking at a couple of Xmas`s to get the money together and they arent light to use or carry around (have the 500mm and after a while you feel like you have been doing weights in the gym!bought this for wildlife photography but find myself carrying it up the hills more and more!) but the 300mm F2.8 is probably the weapon of choice for lots of people as it works well with the 1.4x extender giving you 420mm length.

Good luck whatever you choose.

[pikey01]

Ive owned the Canon 100-400mm and the Sigma 50-500mm which were used on a 400d and both have their own advantages. The Canon does benifit with IS which works great on heli's and prop aircraft. However the Sigma has the extra reach (mine could take sharp shots up to 450mm, 500mm was hit and miss) The main disadvantage of the sigma 50-500mm is the focus in low light. I found mine struggled to focus in real dark/cloudy conditions. However in sunny weather I found it better than the Canon!

Primes lenses have also been mentioned, I currently have the Canon 400mm f5.6 which is great for air displays but you dont have the advantage of changing the zoom length. If you were considering a prime lens, you would ideally need 2 camera bodies, one for your 70-300IS and another for the prime.

To be honest your best bet would probably be the Canon 100-400mm but If you want me to post some sample images from any lens (100-400mm, 50-500mm or 400mm prime) let me know

[roughcutter]

Hi Mark,
I've used a Bigma for three years, but recently changed it for the Canon 400 - 100, and I am absolutely delighted with it. There is little that I can add to what has already been said about this remarkable piece of kit, just one thing - It is an "L" series lens where the proof of the pudding is in the eating, "the finished results!" It takes a fantastic picture (especially if you shoot RAW).
My advice to you Mark is be patient and go the extra mile, you definately won't regret investing in one!

MarkL