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50D needs a new 500mm lens

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Ron Tolmie

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There are currently very few affordable lenses that can make good use of the 15.1 megapixel sensor in the new 50D. The most notable examples of such lenses are the long L telephotos, but they are much too expensive for most of us.

What we need is a 500mm f/5.6 IS lens that has the same stellar performance as those long L's but is smaller, lighter and not too much more expensive than the popular 400mm L lens. With a 1.4x extender that combination will be superior to the 400mm lens with a 2x extender (with a 10D to 30D) and bare it will be better than the earlier combo employing a 1.4x extender.
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Ron Tolmie
 
Ron Tolmie said:
There are currently very few affordable lenses that can make good use
of the 15.1 megapixel sensor in the new 50D. The most notable
examples of such lenses are the long L telephotos, but they are much
too expensive for most of us.

What we need is a 500mm f/5.6 IS lens that has the same stellar
performance as those long L's but is smaller, lighter and not too
much more expensive than the popular 400mm L lens. With a 1.4x
extender that combination will be superior to the 400mm lens with a
2x extender (with a 10D to 30D) and bare it will be better than the
earlier combo employing a 1.4x extender.
Click to expand...
I agree that such a lens is needed... but it's going to be 2 to 3 times the price of the 400L. Smaller and lighter - not gonna happen. That 500 5.6 needs some big glass on the front end, it's neither light nor cheap.
 
I meant smaller and lighter than the > 500mm L lenses having larger apertures, not smaller than the 400mm f/5.6. Many users of the 400mm lens often need to use extenders. With the proposed lens on a 50D it should not in general be necessary to use an extender, or at most use the 1.4x. With the pixel size dropping to 4.7 microns the use of any extender will be limited to exceptionally good lenses.

Going from 400mm f/5.6 to 500mm f/5.6 should keep the size and weight within reasonable bounds, and hopefully the larger market potential will keep the cost down to a value that is not prohibitive.
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Ron Tolmie
 
The 50d is already out? Wow.

Never saw a rumor creating so much traffic on SO MANY forums and threads ... not even the 2 years of rumor for a new 5D did that (an hell, yes, there also were/are leaks here, leaks there, people swearing by whomever, it is true ...) ;-)

Even IF the 50D will have 15MP, lets first test the Lens-Lineup on it, BEFORE crying for new lenses -- or?

BTW: Even if the leak might be true, I think its quite fishy, that a Japanese corp will present its new lineup on a Chinese website first.

PS: Sorry for that useless rant of mine ...
 
Ron Tolmie said:
Going from 400mm f/5.6 to 500mm f/5.6 should keep the size and weight
within reasonable bounds, and hopefully the larger market potential
will keep the cost down to a value that is not prohibitive.
Click to expand...
"reasonable" is a relative term, but given that the minimum front element size shoots up from 72mm to 90mm, its anyone's guess how much price difference would that be. For super teles, I guess the volumes are never enough to mass market them on cut-throat prices

--
PicPocket
http://pictures.ashish-pragya.com/GalleryIndex.html

 
HSU said:
The 50d is already out? Wow.

Never saw a rumor creating so much traffic on SO MANY forums and
threads ... not even the 2 years of rumor for a new 5D did that (an
hell, yes, there also were/are leaks here, leaks there, people
swearing by whomever, it is true ...) ;-)

Even IF the 50D will have 15MP, lets first test the Lens-Lineup on
it, BEFORE crying for new lenses -- or?

BTW: Even if the leak might be true, I think its quite fishy, that a
Japanese corp will present its new lineup on a Chinese website first.

PS: Sorry for that useless rant of mine ...
Click to expand...
--
PicPocket
http://pictures.ashish-pragya.com/GalleryIndex.html

 
Ron Tolmie said:
[...]
What we need is a 500mm f/5.6 IS lens that has the same stellar
performance as those long L's but is smaller, lighter and not too
much more expensive than the popular 400mm L lens.
Click to expand...
I don't know. If they ever make the 400/5.6 IS, it is not going to be not too much more expensive than the current 400/5.6. And you want that for a physically much larger 500/5.6 IS?

As for performance, something like a 500/4 can pick out individual pixels from a laptop screen from 25ft away when wide open. The 400/5.6 can't quite do that at 20ft. For a small 500 to match the f/4, you need to upgrade the raw resolution very significantly from the 400/5.6 level.

And you need AF to match too. Not only does it need to nail the pixels at 25ft, it needs to nail the eye of a heron from 100ft away, with a 1.4x TC. Check the distance scale on the 500/4 and compare it to that of the 400/5.6 and you'll see how little space the 400 reserves for long distance end of things. The proposed 500/5.6 will have to cramp all those into a much small package, and on the cheap too.

I think if you want it to perform like a Big White, it will have to be built like a Big White, with high precision hand casted elements and the works. Then it will be priced like a Big White, because it is a Big White...

Andy
 
Andy Wai said:
I don't know. If they ever make the 400/5.6 IS, it is not going to
be not too much more expensive than the current 400/5.6. And you
want that for a physically much larger 500/5.6 IS?

As for performance, something like a 500/4 can pick out individual
pixels from a laptop screen from 25ft away when wide open. The
400/5.6 can't quite do that at 20ft. For a small 500 to match the
f/4, you need to upgrade the raw resolution very significantly from
the 400/5.6 level.

And you need AF to match too. Not only does it need to nail the
pixels at 25ft, it needs to nail the eye of a heron from 100ft away,
with a 1.4x TC. Check the distance scale on the 500/4 and compare it
to that of the 400/5.6 and you'll see how little space the 400
reserves for long distance end of things. The proposed 500/5.6 will
have to cramp all those into a much small package, and on the cheap
too.

I think if you want it to perform like a Big White, it will have to
be built like a Big White, with high precision hand casted elements
and the works. Then it will be priced like a Big White, because it
is a Big White...

Andy
Click to expand...
Unfortunately your right but fortunately we have the oppertunity to use the 'little white' for a relative 'small amount' of money in comparison to its bigger brother. And fortunately enough the little one gives us much more freedom as well (ever tried to shoot handheld using the bigger lens or carry it around all day as you would take the 400mm on your hikes ?). A 500mm lens with the same aperture would always need more glass thus puts more weight into it, not what i would want to walk around with all day. IS on the other hand would be a welcome addition but at another hand would double its price so thx but i'll stick to the current version hence its price/value/ease.

The 'el cheapo' 400mm L isnt an all that bad alternative for longer lenses i guess, cost you less and weighs less, and its resolving power is enough to shoot pleasing pictures with, be it bif or statics.
 
Ron Tolmie said:
What we need is a 500mm f/5.6 IS lens that has the same stellar
performance as those long L's but is smaller, lighter and not too
much more expensive than the popular 400mm L lens.
Click to expand...
--

On a number of occasions I've said that we need a good 500 f5.6. I think it could be had for around $2500 using the price of the 500 f4 and 400 f5.6 as starting points.

IS would be nice, but if they made it nice and like along th lines of the 400 f5.6, then it would be less of a concern.

Some people say that it wouldn't be useful due to lack of AF on non-1D bodies w/ a TC, but that argument falls apart by the 400 f5.6's popularity and the fact that people DO use it with a TC and get great results.

This is definitely a lens that I'd buy.

--
Website: http://mikebrum.com/
Filckr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikebrum/
 
Just a 400 f5.6 L IS. Think about it. If you crop the 50D, down to 8 MP (about 72%, or 1.38x mag) and it would be about the same as having a 550mm f5.6 L IS on a 20D.
 
RCDinsmore said:
Just a 400 f5.6 L IS. Think about it. If you crop the 50D, down to
8 MP (about 72%, or 1.38x mag) and it would be about the same as
having a 550mm f5.6 L IS on a 20D.
Click to expand...
That's an inane argument. Then you could crop it further and have the equivalent of something larger on a 10D.

Who cares?

I'm not interested in a similar image on a 20D (a camera that was announced 4 years ago), I want 500mm at a reasonable price on my current camera, whatever that camera may be, without cropping.

--

Website: http://mikebrum.com/
Filckr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikebrum/
 
canon 500 f/5.6 IS (even nonIS) will be my dream bird-lens.
the canon company let a HUGE GAP in their tele-lens price policy !!!

the gap bettwen the most expensive normal tele (Canon 100-400mm at 1400$) and the most cheap supertele (Canon 300mm f/2.8 at 4100$) is just to big !

i dont sell my bird pictures. i only shoot for plesure and i cant afford 6000$ investment in my equipment (a xxD camera + 300/2.8 +extender).

many of us will benefit by having a tele lens on a price somewhere in the middle of those price range (a 2500-2800$ lens!).

also replacing the 1150$ 400/5.6 with a 1800$ 400/5.6 IS and adding a new lens 2600$ 500/5.6 IS in the line is IDEAL, but if will be to chose between those two i will chose 500/5.6 IS

p.s. the weight of a "500/5.6" is no problem for me. i can handhold my Canon 100-400mm for an entire day.
 
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