wildlife/motorsport lens recommendation

Carlh

Carlh

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Carl
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Hi,

I have a tamron 70-300 but Im finding it not very sharp at all, looking around, sigma seems to pop up in reviews as being a good lens.

Im not too bothered about the price, under £500, I need something dead sharp and quick to cover my motorsport and wildlife.

I'd like a 400mm lens if one exists for that price and of course must be super sharp.

What do you use or recommend? Thanks :)
 
Ya gonna struggle on <500....I use a Sigma 100-300 f/4 with a Sigma 1.4 tc, It's a usable combination and could be had for around 500 ish. Other than that the Sigma 120-300 f/2.8 plus tc but more dosh required.
 
I think you will find a 300f4ISL (plus tc ?) hard to beat at just over the price point in used condition.
 
I dont mind swapping to another 300mm, the prices arent too bad, just whether or not its worth it over the tamron.

Ive been reading on the tamron and just read its clearest at F11 , which I just tested by taking pics of a neighbour's house alarm across the road then manually zooming in on the liveview to see how clear and if I can read the writing on there. Anything higher or lower than F11 produced worst results so will pop out later and try it.
 
Either the Canon 300 f4 IS L or 400 f5.6 L prime lenses.

Both have excellent image quality wide open and are well made with very fast focusing. around £2-300 over your budget for a good used example, but definitely worth it if you can stretch and don't mind the restriction of fixed focal length.
 
Hi Carlh

I think that if you have to stop down to f11 with your Tamron to get acceptable results then that is not the best lens for wildlife except in the most blazing of sunshine.

The Canon 300f4ISL is very sharp at f4 and to my eye at least does not need to be stopped down for increased sharpness.

Shooting at f4 gives you more-or-less a factor of x5 increase in shutter speed compared with f11. Your choice as to whether that is worth the upgrade but I'm guessing 99.9+% of wildlife photographers WOULD regard this as a worthwhile upgrade.

Just my GBP0.02 worth and good luck with your selection.

Gary
 
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Which tamron is it?

The cheaper 70-300 di ld you do have to stop down to get it sharp but the newer SP70-300vc is fine even wide open, the main thing of course is to keep your shutter speed up, ie I wouldn't shoot birds for instance under 1/500th, preferably 1/100th as they twitch about all the time, slower shutter speeds mean soft images in my experience.

I would though re iterate that your best option is the 300mm F4L and of course you can add a 1.4x TC later if you want.
 
cheers guys, will go looking into the lenses suggested, think I might have to save a few pennies.

Tamron was cheap so I cant run down the lens, at £120 is has done its job.
 
Another vote for the Sigma 150-500, it has an excellent OS system and offers the best IQ, range and value for money. To get better you need to be spending £1000 +

IMG_G8860.jpg
 
now that's what we're talking, love that shot, back wheel locked and front wheel in motion.

I think I might invest in one soon. The only lens I get decent shots with is my prime 50mm, thats nice and clear compared to the kit lens and tamron. my tokina is great - for landscapes at 11-16mm.

Would be nice to replace the kit lens + tamron with one lens. Looks like an expensive lens is the way to go for better sharpness. Thanks everyone :)
 
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