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Re: Best Super telephoto for $500 or less?
In reply to craig66,
7 months ago
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craig66 wrote:
Signalz1123 wrote:
Thanks for all the generous advice! Having researched the subject for 2 weeks now, it's an avalanche of conflicting information. Some say for $500, it's better to get an old NIKKOR ED 400MM 1:5.6 prime, some say a 70-300 zoom plus 2x teleconverter, some say mirror lenses, some say buy a cheap 200 and fight to get closer, and some say that a new Canon PowerShot SX50 HS prosumer (1200mm FFE) bests them all in terms of bang for the buck. My head is spinning.
In any event, these are really nice shots, Kris!!!
I think you can rule out 70-300 with 2x TC. It will just be too slow (f11!) and then would almost certainly need to be stopped down further to get half way reasonable IQ.
The only AF mirror lenses are the Minolta and Sony. If you don't have a Sony body, that just about rules them out too. BIFs would be more than a little challenging with manual focus. Even then, the Tamron 200-500 is probably sharper than any mirror and much more flexible as well. I have a Russian 3M-5A 500mm mirror lens and the Tamron 200-500 wipes the floor with it in terms of sharpness and contrast.
Image stabilization is a serious issue at these focal lengths if you do not plan on always using a tripod. If using a Nikon or Canon body, getting a stabilized lens is worth thinking about carefully.
I've just bought a Tamron 200-500 for use on a Sony A65 and I'm really impressed. It is a very good choice on a camera with in-body stabilization, but for cameras without this, a lens with optical stabilization may be a better option.
Up until this morning I've been using a Tamron 200-400 LD and I've gotten some pretty good results from it....sad to say the autofocus decided to pack it in and now I'm on the hunt for either another copy or something a trifle better. My problem is of course money...if I had a Canon or a Nikon it would'nt be such an issue, but I shoot with a Sony A35 which means unless I'm very VERY lucky, I'll end up paying top dollar even for a used Tammie or Bigma. I just took a look over on Ebay today and while you'll see plenty of Tamron 200-400/500s as low as 300$ for "Canikon" the only copies for Sony are at or above their normal retail price. Needless to say I'm heartbroken 'cos it took me a long time to find the one I have, and now I have to either get it repaired ( which will cost me about as much as I paid for it) or find another to replace it. Sigh...the life of a Sony owner is never an easy one, but that's the breaks! Here's a couple of shots with my "late" Tammie"...
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