Lens for bird photography

tony64

tony64

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Name
Tony
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:thinking:Hi

I am looking for some suggestion / advice as to what might be a good lens to buy for bird photography. I have recently purchased a Canon 7d body.

One suggestion I have been given is to buy a Canon 70-200 f2.8 and fit a 2x multiplier to it. Can anyone tell me if this is a wise choice or should I be looking at the Cannon 100-400, or another sigma lens maybe?

Any and all suggestions are welcome.
 
Canon 400mm F5.6 L, fast focusing and sharper than the alternatives you have listed.
 
Really depends on a few things, like the types of birds you are photographing, how far away or close you will be and the big cruncher, your budget. My wife uses the Canon 300mm F4 L on her 550D, which is fine for her, but I'd go for a good 400 or 500mm prime.
 
Birders on the Wild About Britain forum rave about the "Bigma" Sigma 50-500. It's a superb lens.
 
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I'll second the canon 400mm f5.6, 200mm is almost always too short for birds, super fast focus, sharp and light.
 
I can recommend the Sigma 150-500 used one for three years shoooting birds, now upgraded to a 120-300 f2.8 with a 2X (which is darn heavy!) The Sigma 50-500 OS is reputed to be a tad better than the 150-500.

A couple with the 150-500 on my Canon 350D

Img_1230.jpg


Img_5951c.jpg
 
I can second the Sigma 150-500 OS, I've had one since january and after lots of testing I preferred it to the Canon 100-400 IS L so I sold the Canon and kept the Sigma.
Here's a couple from the 150-500 OS
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And here's one taken with the wifes Sigma 120-400 OS
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Thank you everyone for your advice and great photos. I had considered the Sigma 150-500 but wasn't sure about the f5-f6.3 would be too slow? Can I ask another question, has anyone used a Sigma 300 f2.8 with a 1.4 multiplier? is that worth considering?
 
Yes I'm using the new Sigma 120-300 f2.8 now which is the upgrade from my old 150-500, works well even with a 2X, the only drawback is it's darn heavy.

Cropped shotwith the 2X
IMG_7117.jpg
 
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