I’m pondering telephoto zoom lens for my Canon 750D. The longest reach lens I currently have is the Canon 18-135mm “kit” lens, which is pretty soft at longer focal lengths.
However I think I’d struggle with the weight of something like a canon 70 - 300 F 4 -5.6L lenses (or longer eg 100 to 400).
Any suggestions? I can’t afford to switch to a micro 4/3rds system or similar.
Has anyone used the “kit” Canon 70-300 f4-5.6 lens?
Other possibilities are the Tamron SP 70-300mm f/4-5.6 Di VC USD or the Sigma Equivalent.
The stuff I’ll be doing is basic “wildlife” photography, e.g. birds on feeders etc, so nothing like photographing a lion from 300m away while on Safari, strictly hobby level stuff.
Even if I could afford a high end f/4L super zoom lens, I’d struggle with the weight of it.
Suggestions welcome, unless I am asking for the Moon on a stick?
I have the Canon 70-300 f/4-5.6 IS USM (mid-2000s} with my 850D and I’ve never considered it too heavy. IQ isn’t L quality but it’s much better then the 75-300 (which it replaced). Slightly softer at 300 but back off a little and it’s good. AF isn’t supersonic but decent and the IS gives probably 3 stops. There’s also a later “II” model that’s reportedly better in some respects. I think both are in the $150 - $200 USD range used, last I saw.
Additional point - On this lens the end element rotates with focus so it’s a minor annoyance if using a CPL. That may (?) have been fixed with the II update, not sure.
I own the Tamron and use it on my 600D. It’s sharp, light, has a fast AF and good IS. But: it’s for sunny days only and the bokeh is rather harsh. For concerts and evening occasions I later bought a Tamron 70-200 2.8 although that’s a really heavy beast to carry around for hours.
I bought the Canon EF-S 55-250mm IS STM lens with my first canon camera and used it on-and-off until switching to FujiFilm earlier this year. I found it to be a very lightweight, very capable lens and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to any Canon APS-C user. I’ve also tried the 70-200mm f4 L lens and while it was excellent, I still tended to prefer my 55-250 because of how small and portable it was.
Thanks everyone. While a fancy expensive Canon 70-300 F4L would be nice, I need to be realistic in that I’d struggle with the weight of it due to health issues.
Ok, so I probably won’t get award winning nature images with such a hobby level lens, but for my level of photography, I’ll be more than happy with it!
A few photos using the Tamron SP 70-300 f/4-5.6 Di VC USD at a local nature reserve.
The images seem quite soft, but that could have been down to lack of shutter speed due to it being somewhat dull and overcast.
Thanks for the update! I agree these look a little soft, but I do think there’s some motion blur in at least a couple of them. I reckon under better conditions it’d be good!
As I said: it’s for sunny days only.
Joking aside: The VC takes a certain amount of time to get started. When you fully press the shutter too soon, there’ll be blurring.
Ironically I went the other way. I’m in the process of selling my Canon 70-300 to MPB after buying a Canon 70-200L f/4 (non-IS) from them. I’m a landscape shooter and use a tripod so the lack of stabilization isn’t a major deal. If course, all things being equal I’d go for the f/2.8 IS version, but $1200 vs. $390 (used) isn’t equal! Weather sealing would be nice but my camera nor other lens aren’t sealed, so… Besides I don’t like shooting in the rain anyway.
There’s only 3 ounces difference in weight between the two, although adding a collar adds a little more. Then again, the 70-300 can’t even use a collar, so that’s a net gain.
As a follow up, I’m not particularly satisfied with the Tamron 70-300 SP 70-300 f/4-5.6 Di VC USD
Any time I’ve been out doing some basic wildlife photography, most of the wildlife has just been a bit too far out of reach (apart from tame ducks looking for me to give them food).
Since I’m getting a tax rebate of nearly £800, (thanks to the tax office messing up my tax code following my redundancy from work) I think I may invest in something like a Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM Contemporary, £750 or thereabouts used.
Yes, it’ll be a very heavy combination of lens and camera, but it’ll be the only way to get the images I want I think.
Used to own the Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III which was nice and paper-light, but I didn’t really notice the IQ was not luxurious until it was stolen, and I replaced it by not eating cheeseburgers for a month and purchasing a brick with the money, the Canon EF 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6L IS USM.
Anyway, following my getting a tax rebate, I’ve ordered a Sigma 150-600mm F5-6.3 DG OS HSM | Contemporary - Canon Fit. Managed to source a new one for not much more than a used one
What about the Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS STM? Lighter and less expensive than many of the options, but you’d have to be okay with f/5.6 at the long end
I found that the tamron 70-300 I bought, just didn’t have the reach for bird photography. Wildlife photography is something I’m wanting to get into more, so I figured may as well spend a tax rebate and get a Sigma 150-600!
