Possible? Good lens for a Canon for taking pics of nature/birds <300

[MrMatt]

I recently got a canon XTi camera, along with a standard sigma lens that comes with it. I'd like to look into getting another lens for it, something for taking pictures of nature, primarily birds. If at all possible I'd like to keep it around 300 bucks. Is this even vaguely possible?

 

[slashbinslashbash]

Canon 55-250mm IS

Probably your best bet at that price. My next best recommendation would be in the $1000 range.

 

[ElFenix]

http://cgi.ebay.com/Sigma-400mm-f-5...09258100?pt=Camera_Lenses&hash=item4aa5cd0a74

http://www.photozone.de/canon-eos/306-sigma-af-400mm-f56-hsm-apo-macro-test-report--review

 

[slashbinslashbash]

http://cgi.ebay.com/Sigma-400mm-f-5...09258100?pt=Camera_Lenses&hash=item4aa5cd0a74

http://www.photozone.de/canon-eos/306-sigma-af-400mm-f56-hsm-apo-macro-test-report--review

I never knew about that lens, but IMO it'd be taking a risk...

However, you should make sure that the lens is still compatible to today's DSLRs. The tested sample had no real issues on the EOS 350D but older samples with an old firmware may even lock up your camera.

It is a Canon mount and is compatible with film bodies only.

Kind of hard to believe it is film bodies only, but the guy looks like he sells enough lenses that he should know what he's talking about. It looks like an awesome lens for the price, though.... too bad the Sigma firmware issue might be present.

 

[ElFenix]

didn't see about the firmware issue, that sucks. probably why it's so inexpensive.

i plugged 400 into ebay's lens section and saw that near the top. imho, 400 is a good start for birds. even with the crop factor my 200 mm lens is way short for birds, and 250 isn't much longer.


sometimes the tokina 80-400 comes up on ebay or forums used. all of those are fairly well built lenses with pretty decent optics. probably a bit more than $300, but there have been several versions and an older one will be less $$$. problem with those is the micro motor is going to be slower.

 

[speedy2]

I don't think anything is going to be impressive at 400mm for under $300.

 

[996GT2]

The Sigma 400s may not stop down properly on newer Canon bodies. Many of them need to be re-chipped to work on a newer camera body.

I would recommend Canon 55-250 IS as well. Really great lens, and the 4-stop image stabilization is an indispensable feature in a telephoto lens.

The next best thing after the 55-25 IS would probably be the Canon 100-400 L for around $1200 used.

 

[MrMatt]

thanks guys! I'll look into that 55-250. Looks like it would fit the bill. The image stabilization would be great too, since birds tend to move around so I can't always be using a tripod

 

[speedy2]

IS doesn't do anything for a moving subject. Only for any camera movement.

 

[996GT2]

IS doesn't do anything for a moving subject. Only for any camera movement.

That's true, but try hand-holding a 400mm equivalent lens (such as the 55-250 on an XTi) with and without IS.

BIG difference when you look through the viewfinder.

 

[slashbinslashbash]

The next best thing after the 55-25 IS would probably be the Canon 100-400 L for around $1200 used.

There's also the 300/4.0 and 400/5.6, both usually in the $900-$1000 range used. Kind of a tossup between those and the 100-400 IMO. The zoom is nice, but the IQ on the primes is definitely better. The Bigmos also falls in at $1000, new.... and $750 or so used.

I do agree though, 250mm is short for birding even on a crop body. 400mm is where the serious birding focal lengths start.... better would be 500mm or 600mm.

 

[speedy2]

That's true, but try hand-holding a 400mm equivalent lens (such as the 55-250 on an XTi) with and without IS.

BIG difference when you look through the viewfinder.

Still, the point stands. That's why I said there's not much for under $300 at this focal length. 400mm hand held is just asking for blur. OP, I would ONLY shoot at 400mm with a tripod. Hand held + a moving bird = 99.9% chance of blur or focusing issues or both.

 

[slashbinslashbash]

Still, the point stands. That's why I said there's not much for under $300 at this focal length. 400mm hand held is just asking for blur. OP, I would ONLY shoot at 400mm with a tripod. Hand held + a moving bird = 99.9% chance of blur or focusing issues or both.

Not all birding involves moving birds. In fact, I would say the opposite. Birds sit still (enough) in trees or other roosts. It is very hard to get a good photo of a bird in flight, regardless of equipment. A lot of it is technique and positioning. Unless you are shooting from a high position, you basically end up with a silhouette against the sky, which tends not to be very interesting. Also, dedicated birders end up being more like "hunters" setting up blinds to hide in, and "bait" either with food or with recorded bird calls. Sometimes even setting up remote cameras pointed in the right direction. Here is a good overview video for bird photography:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5exI2tynY4Y

 

[speedy2]

Even more reason a long slow lens, handheld is a bad idea. It's gonna be relatively dark to make for an interesting shot like you said, instead of a bright sky background. But, yeah, I get the "birds being still" part. Still, IS is not going to help him with a moving bird like he said.

 

[996GT2]

Even more reason a long slow lens, handheld is a bad idea. It's gonna be relatively dark to make for an interesting shot like you said, instead of a bright sky background. But, yeah, I get the "birds being still" part. Still, IS is not going to help him with a moving bird like he said.

Actually, IS does help with moving objects. It doesn't help in the sense that IS is only stabilizing camera movements, but the stabilizing of camera shake helps in composing a shot with a long telephoto lens.

If you have an IS-equipped telephoto lens, turn off IS and try to follow a moving object. It's much more difficult than when the IS is enabled. The stabilization in the viewfinder helps when you compose shots, and that's a very worthwhile reason to have IS.

A light lens like the 55-250 is very hand-holdable. Even the 100-400L is definitely handholdable unless you have no arm strength whatsoever. If you plan to shoot all bird pictures on a tripod only, then you're going to be missing a lot of shots.

 

[MrMatt]

thanks for the replies! The 400mm ones would be nice, but I can't afford one right now unfortunately.