Help with wildlife lens for canon

nicholi

nicholi

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Nicholas
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hi all, I am looking for a wildlife lens for all wildlife/birds and the zoo. I don't have any lens for this but i would like one as me and the better half are always at the zoo and and around the local nature reserves. At present i have a canon 1100d but will be looking to upgrade (good knows when) to a 7d or there roundabouts but that is a different matter :D. i am looking at the sigma 150-500mm and the canon 400mm 5.6, my main concerns are that the canon has better sharpness but would i miss the versatility of the sigma and the sigma is cheaper with better range. what a pickle i am in, :confused: on a added note i will possibly be buying a canon 70-200mm later in the year as well if that helps you fine people help me :D. On another note, if i spend £1000+ on a lens how long will it last as in future proof sense.

thank you
 
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In theory the Sigma 150-500mm will be a better buy because it offers a greater flexibility in range but with wildlife you tend to use the furthest reach a lens offers and so you'll be at the 500mm end of the Sigma most of the time.

I have the Canon 400mm f5.6L and absolutely love it. Here are very three recent image examples to show the range of wildlife......


BumbleBee blossom_3568v1ns by RedRobin_05, on Flickr


Blackbird_m3743v1ns by RedRobin_05, on Flickr


Buzzard_3747vns by RedRobin_05, on Flickr

I also use a Canon 70-200mm f4L IS, often with Canon 1.4x Extender which then makes it f5.6L 98-280mm.

My advice is also to always shoot RAW as it gives far better opportunities to enhance your images.
 
I've a Very good version in the sales section & well under your budget ;)
 
I've had a Sigma 150-500 OS for over 2 years and it's been the mainstay lens for airshows, wildlife, zoo trips, birds etc. for the whole time and it's been excellent for me. I've got literally thousands of shots taken with it and it's never disappointed me. I've got a Canon 300 f4L IS, a 70-200 f2.8L IS II and a couple of MkIII extenders to play with this year (alongside the 150-500 OS) to see what combination gives me the best results compared to the Sigma. I was going to go for a 400 f5.6L but the lack of IS, the max f5.6 aperture (to use the extenders) and the flexibility of a zoom eventually led me to the 300 f4L. I have a 5D3 and a 70D and after a few days shooting locally I'm really looking forward to days out this year.
 
For birds/wildlife the Canon 400/5.6 beats the 150-500 by a country mile IMHO, the IQ and AF speed of the prime lens is way better than the Siggy. BUT for zoos the zoom is going to be a lot more versatile and has OS. Reach wise there is not a lot in it, like most Zooms it will only get anywhere near the advertised long end when shooting at infinity - when you are shooting at 'normal' bird distances it will be way short of a true 500mm and the closer you get the less it will be at the long end, this is called focus breathing.
If I were in the market for a 'budget' telephoto zoom lens then I would probably go for the new Tamron 150-600 although they are very difficult to get hold of at the moment. There appears to be some issues with AI servo mode and certain older Canon bodies but if birds-in-flight is not top of your agenda then the IQ easily beats all the other third party cheap(ish) lenses from everything I have read and seen.
 
Having a long hard think about it and I think I would get the sigma because of price and focus range but I have been reading about the the tamron 150-600mm and the reviews so far are suggesting that it is a better lens all round and for only £950 just can't find anything about a UK release date what are the tpf members view tho :confused:
 
If you get the 150-500 then for zoos you will definitely need to carry another lens or prefetably another body and lens (to avoid constant lens changes) because 150 at the short end on a crop body (effectively 240mm) is way too long in a zoo a lot of the time. Alternatively carry a decent compact to cover the closer shots / larger animals.

I have a Canon 70-300L and the Sigma 150-500 and for zoos I will always choose the 70-300 first. However for non zoo photography, particularly birds, the extra reach of the 150-500 is welcome.

For either, or any other long lens, a chest strap such as those made by Black Rapid is a very comfortable way of carrying them.
 
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nicholi said:
Having a long hard think about it and I think I would get the sigma because of price and focus range but I have been reading about the the tamron 150-600mm and the reviews so far are suggesting that it is a better lens all round and for only £950 just can't find anything about a UK release date what are the tpf members view tho :confused:
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This lens has already been released in the UK in Canon mount and there is a good thread on it which would definitely be worth reading if you're thinking about it.
 
I have a Sigma 120-400 going if you're interested. Cracking lens!
 
nicholi said:
hi all, I am looking for a wildlife lens for all wildlife/birds and the zoo. I don't have any lens for this but i would like one as me and the better half are always at the zoo and and around the local nature reserves. At present i have a canon 1100d but will be looking to upgrade (good knows when) to a 7d or there roundabouts but that is a different matter :D. i am looking at the sigma 150-500mm and the canon 400mm 5.6, my main concerns are that the canon has better sharpness but would i miss the versatility of the sigma and the sigma is cheaper with better range. what a pickle i am in, :confused: on a added note i will possibly be buying a canon 70-200mm later in the year as well if that helps you fine people help me :D. On another note, if i spend £1000+ on a lens how long will it last as in future proof sense.

thank you
Click to expand...

What do you mean by "future proof"? Lenses don't suffer with being made obsolete by technology, and it'll last longer than you most likely! Some people are using lenses that are decades old and still getting stunning results.
 
I have both the Sigma 150-500mm and the Sigma 70-200mm f2.8 both very good lenses, I use the 150-500mm all day for wildlife and birds- even Insects from around 30 feet the 150-500mm @ 500 mm can produce usable images, like the one below,shot @ 500mm f8 1/350th sec ISO 200




Les
 
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I've had a couple of Canon Canon EF 400mm f/5.6 USM L lenses as well as a couple of Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 L IS lenses.

You won't have to search hard to find reviews stating that the 400 is 'better' than the 100-400 but I've not found that to be the case in real life. The 100-400 that I currently have is by far the best I've owned at 400mm. Add to that the flexibility of what you can shoot and IS thrown in, it's my favourite lens.
 
Jackwow said:
If you get the 150-500 then for zoos you will definitely need to carry another lens or prefetably another body and lens (to avoid constant lens changes) because 150 at the short end on a crop body (effectively 240mm) is way too long in a zoo a lot of the time. Alternatively carry a decent compact to cover the closer shots / larger animals.

I have a Canon 70-300L and the Sigma 150-500 and for zoos I will always choose the 70-300 first. However for non zoo photography, particularly birds, the extra reach of the 150-500 is welcome.
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This is why I replaced my Sigma 150-500 with the 50-500: no need for a second lens whether it be a zoo or open countryside. I've experienced multiple occasions in places like Masai Mara, Antarctica and the Galapagos Islands where close-up 'opportunities' have cropped up at less than short notice and where 150 would have been far too long.
 
odd jim said:
What do you mean by "future proof"? Lenses don't suffer with being made obsolete by technology, and it'll last longer than you most likely! Some people are using lenses that are decades old and still getting stunning results.
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just me being silly really. just don't want to buy a lens then a new singing all dancing magical thing comes out, as i said silly (and i didn't want the missus to kill me lol)

Jackwow said:
This lens has already been released in the UK in Canon mount and there is a good thread on it which would definitely be worth reading if you're thinking about it.
Click to expand...
everywhere i have looked it says to pre-order or out of stock. is there just a large demand for them???

i think it is now down to the sigma 150-500mm and the tamron 150-600mm
 
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