what lens

[marklindsay]

Im going to buy a canon 450D when it comes to the uk. I travel a bit and i'm going on safari in africa soon.

Basically Im looking to buy a mid range zoom lens which has excellent picture quality when its at the end of its focal range, but as i'm on the move i want it to be as small as possible (compact)

Is it worth sticking to canon or are the third party lenses as good for the budget conscious buyer? Any suggestions?

Thanks Mark

 

[Veracocha]

Welcome to the forum Mark, you might want to ask this in the Camera's/Lenses/equipment section as responses here will be a little thin on the ground.

 

[condyk]

Ideally you want 400mm (and up!) for safari, at least to max your ability to frame and capture more distant/smaller animals, but you will get plenty of shots at 200-300mm too; so given your criteria I would suggest Canon 70-300mm IS. It's small and light enough but has the IQ and IS can help if you have to move around and hand-hold your shots in the safari truck. If you want cheaper then the Sigma 70-300mm APO DG is still a good lens but you lose at the long wend IQ wise. You will also need a beanbag. I use The Pod Red which is small, cheap and light. On my last trip I used a 400mm 5.6 L and 70-200mm IS L 4.0 combo and worked well. Many use the 100-400 IS L but it just doesn't have the consistent quality for me or the handling I prefer - owned two and both disappointing. Many like it.