Telephoto lens advice - 400mm vs 500mm

Snap_Happy

Snap_Happy

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Nigel
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Hiya guys and gals - as per normal when I post something, I'm after help [I'd love to help more people on this forum, but it's not usually within my field of expertise!]

Having bought a very nice sigma 17-70 in the not too distant past, I realised just how appalling the quality of most of my other lenses was [except the nifty-fifty :thumbs:]. I now need to get a decent quality lens to replace my long lens capability, as I am pretty damn convinced that I am better than my 70-300mm £100 sigma lens, which I bought with the camera all those years ago.

The two lenses that have caught my eye are the "Sigma 150-500mm f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM" and the "Sigma 120-400mm f4.5-5.6 APO DG OS HSM".

To clarify my position, I am nothing more than a keen amateur, and want a zoom lens for "those times when you can't get closer"! I will probably mostly use it for "stationary" wildlife, but it will probably also come out at those occasional sporting events [annual charity cricket match etc.]. As such, I do not need a stupidly large aperture [though it would be nice :lol:], and feel the OS/IS will probably do the job better for my purposes.

Any thoughts on:
a) Other lenses
b) Lens length
c) Other considerations
will all be gratefully received!

I await your usual gems of wisdom with bated breath.

Cheers guys and gals!
 
Shame, I was going to come in here with the suggestion of the 400 f/2.8 and a 1.4x extender, possibly a bit out of your budget however... :p

I would suggest the 120-400 is probably the better lens, at least for the 5.6 at the long end (however it depends on whether the 150-500 is smaller than 5.6 at 400 too).

Unfortunately I have no experience with either of those lenses so I can't really comment, other than say perhaps look into the Canon 400 f/5.6 as a used version may be within your reach, and although it is a prime the IQ will be far better. :)
 
I don't know how the 350D will AF at f/6.3. It's supposed to switch out at f/5.6 but I think Sigmas don't tell the camera when it goes past this, and use a little system headroom to continue working.

Which it does on later models, even if not so quickly or reliably. But the f/5.6 lens would be the safer bet from this point of view, and the difference between 400 and 500mm is not huge.

If you could stretch to a used 100-400L Canon, that would clinch it. They come up in the For Sale section quite often.
 
Snap_Happy said:
I had not really considered a second-hand lens before, but having just had a quick shufti through the classified section here, and seeing the 100-400L for £900, it may be worth the extra jump.
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If you can afford the 100-400L then you should plump the extra cash and buy it. That is one gem of a lens and while the two sigmas you mention are also good, both are blown away by build quality and optics on the Canon.
 
I have the Sigma 120-400mm and I am very happy with it. It is a little soft when wide open at 400mm, but acceptable.

It is a heavy lens, so I wouldn't like to carry the 150-500mm around for too long.
 
Amp34 said:
I would suggest the 120-400 is probably the better lens, at least for the 5.6 at the long end (however it depends on whether the 150-500 is smaller than 5.6 at 400 too).
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I've just put my 150-500mm on the camera to answer this question and it goes to f6 at just over 250mm so the 120-400 will win in terms of speed (just) at 400m when the 150-500 is at f6.3

Hope that helps

EDIT: To get my units right, I'd love to see a 500m lens!
 
Cheers for the info - I think my choice is now between the 120-400 sigma or shell out the extra [I suppose I do have my bonus coming up next month... :thinking:] for the 100-400L and buy second hand.

mah: That's good knowledge - thanks for experimenting :thumbs:
Also - I think the 500m lens might be a little cumbersome, although if you want photos of people's head-lice, I can see how it would be useful! :lol:
 
One of the best things about Canon L and other top quality lenses is that they hold their value and sell well.

Best price I know of currently for a new 100-400L is £1075 from Kerso.
 
Snap_Happy said:
Cheers Hoppy - my bro has just told me to wait for Kerso's price list - I've already left a message for him on his thread, but his PM inbox is full, so I can't PM him direct!!
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Ian went on holiday a week or so ago, I'm not sure for how long, but surely he'll be back soon.

That £1075 for the 100-400L was current as of 2nd June. I have no reason to think that his prices have shifted in the last couple of weeks, but they might have gone down ;) His prices move with the dollar.
 
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