lens for the ZOO

You can also consider sigma 150-500mm f5/6.3 OS. For its price you get IS and huge reach. It is not tack sharp at the longest end, but my results where fairly OK, and it is very versatile. However you should check your copy before you buy it.

Two samples:





And two samples of Canon 70-200 f2.8 L IS

Thank you for the nice compliment! All I am saying really is you can achieve good results with out spending a ton of money on glass. Not to say the L glass is not worth the price because it is. My lens just does not have IS which would be handy becouse I do shoot hand held most of the time. The EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS does have the IS and that is why I would recommend it. If you can afford the L series lenses I would definately go with one. Also I have heard good things about the 70-200 F4.0L as well good lens for the price around 600 bucks or so.
Cheers!

I have a Sigma 150-500mm OS HSM (also exist the 120-400mm version) which I find to be a great value for performance. Its hard to get a long telephoto lens at that price range. If your budget is $900-1,000 range I would say check it out and read on it.
--
Quickly shooter, draw your lens or prepared to get shot.

70-200 F4.0L i heard it is a great lens..but if you would shot hand held with a tele lens this can be very hard..right?

i mean in a practical way if you are shoting in a sunny day and closer to 200 how much should be the minimum shutter speed to get a sharp photo?

cmphotos said:

Thank you for the nice compliment! All I am saying really is you can achieve good results with out spending a ton of money on glass. Not to say the L glass is not worth the price because it is. My lens just does not have IS which would be handy becouse I do shoot hand held most of the time. The EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS does have the IS and that is why I would recommend it. If you can afford the L series lenses I would definately go with one. Also I have heard good things about the 70-200 F4.0L as well good lens for the price around 600 bucks or so.
Cheers!

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i go to Los angeles zoo i do have a memebrship so i go frequently and it is sunny on most days.

i like these 2 lenses suggested the 70-200 IS f4 and f2.8

i would like to know in addition to the zoo what are these 2 lenses good for and in a tele lens in what situation do i need f2.8

thank you very much

I went to the National Zoo last month and much to my dismay, the 70-200mm f/4 IS was too short on frequent occasions. During PP, I found myself cropping a fair amount. If your local zoo is like most, then visitors are typically kept a safe distance from the animal exhibits.

Consider getting a 1.4x TC if you go the 70-200mm route, as many posters have suggested. I don't have the funds now, but I have my eyes set in 2010 on a nice supertele prime, like the 300mm f/4 L IS or the 400mm f/5.6 L. Good luck on your decision. Have fun shooting.

I don't have 70-200 4L IS but do 2,8L IS. The only possible benefit of 2,8L IS would be to get more shallower DOF when you intend to isolate your subject from the background. Also if you use TC, you will end up with 4-5,6 instead of 5,6-8. But due to the shallow DOF it will be very difficult to get proper focus, and if there is mostly sunny you can easily go with smaller aperture. IQ wise 4L IS seems according test to be slightly sharper, although in a real life this is hardly to be noticed. The main benefit of 4L IS (apart of the cheaper price) is its lighter weight. For shooting inside (pavilions etc.) even 2,8 is usually not quite enough. (Depending of course of the available light). For this I use 50 1,2L. However, as mentioned before I started to use Sigma 150-500 most often when visiting ZOO together with 50 1,2L. Just because its range is so versatile.

for my shooting there is rarely too much zoom. I use a sigma 100-300 APO f4 plus a 1.4 adapter.

I chose the sigma over the 100-400 canon because of the problem with the converter. I have tried the 100-400 and it is nice.

Hendrik123 said:

i like to take photos at the ZOO..i do have canon 7D with the kit lens 28-135 and 50mm 1.4 .

can you please suggest a good lens for the ZOO?

thank you

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Because of the diverse exhibits one lens can NOT do it all for me.

When I go to the zoo I usually take a few lenses. The Canon 70-200 f4 IS @ Tamron 1.4 SP TC, Canon 10-22 and Sigma 70mm macro. These lenses cover my indoor opportunities. I will bring my 400 f5.6L if the weather is nice and I plan on spending a decent amount of time at the outdoor exhibits. Today I didn't bring the 400 f5.6.

Here are a few examples of what I mean taken at the zoo today, all were hand held.

The wonders of the 70-200 f4 IS and a 1.4 TC. A low 1/25 of a sec shutter speed, iso 1600 (indoors and cloudy).



1/100 sec, with the same rig.



Then you might want to play around with the 10-22 like I did with these 2.





Also a macro can come in handy for lizards and frogs etc.





I always see people at the zoo with the Canon 100-400 which I know is very good and convenient but I would rather carry the extra weight and not be wishing.

All this gear is not cheap! But I use all of it for other things besides just the zoo.

--
'The truth is rarely pure and never simple' Oscar Wilde

One of my favorite zoo lenses is the Canon 300mm f4 IS, either with or without the Canon 1.4x tele-converter. Here are some examples with both the Rebel XT and 1D2:

1/160s f/5.6 at 420.0mm iso640 (1D2 with 1.4x):



1/800s f/5.6 at 420.0mm iso200 (1D2 with 1.4x):



1/160s f/4.0 at 300.0mm iso200 (Rebel XT):



Another favorite lens is the Canon 135mm f2: 1/200s f/2.0 at 135.0mm iso200 (Rebel XT):



You can see many more examples with these lenses here: http://www.pbase.com/sayer/animals

Hendrik123 said:

i like to take photos at the ZOO..i do have canon 7D with the kit lens 28-135 and 50mm 1.4 .

can you please suggest a good lens for the ZOO?

thank you

Click to expand...

--
Sayer
Galleries: http://PBase.com/Sayer
Website: http://sayersweb.com/photography/

I am very fond of the Canon 70-200 f/4 with a Canon 1.4x teleconverter, and the Canon 100-400 L IS zoom.

Here's a link to my San Francisco Zoo gallery, using both of these lenses (among others):

http://www.pbase.com/jeffkirk1/animals

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All the best,

Jeff Kirk

http://www.pbase.com/jeffkirk1
http://jeffkirk.net

I guess looking back at my pictures, and although I find my 55-250 adequate, the 70-200 f/4 IS is superb!

70-200:





55-250:





The 70-300 IS is not to bad either, but I no longer have it.