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Need input on new tele-zoom purchase

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jkieth

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Hey all,

It's been a while since I have actually posted anything here, but I have a question for those of you in the know :)

I am going on a trip to South Africa in mid March next year. I want to pick up a decent long focal lenght zoom for my D-30. I current only own the 28mm-134mm IS from canon (which btw, I love) but I know from my last trip there that I really need something around 300mm or more. Unfortunately I don't have the resources for the 100mm-400mm IS L lens (this would be my first choice).
So, here are the alternatives I am concidering:

Canon
Zoom Telephoto EF 75-300mm f/4.0-5.6 EF IS Image Stabilizer USM Autofocus Lens
Price $414.95

Tokina

Zoom Telephoto AF 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6 AT-X 840AF Autofocus Lens (with Tripod Collar) for Canon EOS
Price $439.00

Sigma
Zoom Telephoto 135-400mm f/4.5-5.6 APO Aspherical Autofocus Lens for Canon EOS
Price $499.00

Sigma
Zoom Telephoto 170-500mm f/5-6.3 APO Aspherical Autofocus Lens for Canon EOS
Price $609.00

All of the prices are from B&H. These are the choices I made after doing the research, reading reviews, etc. But, I wanted you all to have a crack at them and give me some love-em's and hate-em's to help in my decision making.

Thanks for your time and knowledge,

Jon Higgins
 
The Sigma 70-200/2.8 EX and Sigma 100-300/4 EX are both great lenses and can be used with Sigma 1.4x and 2x EX teleconvertes.

David
jkieth said:
Hey all,

It's been a while since I have actually posted anything here, but I
have a question for those of you in the know :)

I am going on a trip to South Africa in mid March next year. I want
to pick up a decent long focal lenght zoom for my D-30. I current
only own the 28mm-134mm IS from canon (which btw, I love) but I
know from my last trip there that I really need something around
300mm or more. Unfortunately I don't have the resources for the
100mm-400mm IS L lens (this would be my first choice).
So, here are the alternatives I am concidering:

Canon
Zoom Telephoto EF 75-300mm f/4.0-5.6 EF IS Image Stabilizer USM
Autofocus Lens
Price $414.95

Tokina
Zoom Telephoto AF 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6 AT-X 840AF Autofocus Lens
(with Tripod Collar) for Canon EOS
Price $439.00

Sigma
Zoom Telephoto 135-400mm f/4.5-5.6 APO Aspherical Autofocus Lens
for Canon EOS
Price $499.00

Sigma
Zoom Telephoto 170-500mm f/5-6.3 APO Aspherical Autofocus Lens for
Canon EOS
Price $609.00

All of the prices are from B&H. These are the choices I made after
doing the research, reading reviews, etc. But, I wanted you all to
have a crack at them and give me some love-em's and hate-em's to
help in my decision making.

Thanks for your time and knowledge,

Jon Higgins
Click to expand...
--
http://www.pbase.com/perkinsd
http://www.perkins-photo.com
 
If you really want the Canon 100 - 400 IS check out the used possibilities at all your local camera shops. You never know what might turn up. You might also want to consider the 70 - 200 f2.8L, fairly easy to turn up a used model. Match that up with a 1.4 teleconverter and I think you would probably have enough reach.
jkieth said:
Hey all,

It's been a while since I have actually posted anything here, but I
have a question for those of you in the know :)

I am going on a trip to South Africa in mid March next year. I want
to pick up a decent long focal lenght zoom for my D-30. I current
only own the 28mm-134mm IS from canon (which btw, I love) but I
know from my last trip there that I really need something around
300mm or more. Unfortunately I don't have the resources for the
100mm-400mm IS L lens (this would be my first choice).
So, here are the alternatives I am concidering:

Canon
Zoom Telephoto EF 75-300mm f/4.0-5.6 EF IS Image Stabilizer USM
Autofocus Lens
Price $414.95

Tokina
Zoom Telephoto AF 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6 AT-X 840AF Autofocus Lens
(with Tripod Collar) for Canon EOS
Price $439.00

Sigma
Zoom Telephoto 135-400mm f/4.5-5.6 APO Aspherical Autofocus Lens
for Canon EOS
Price $499.00

Sigma
Zoom Telephoto 170-500mm f/5-6.3 APO Aspherical Autofocus Lens for
Canon EOS
Price $609.00

All of the prices are from B&H. These are the choices I made after
doing the research, reading reviews, etc. But, I wanted you all to
have a crack at them and give me some love-em's and hate-em's to
help in my decision making.

Thanks for your time and knowledge,

Jon Higgins
Click to expand...
--
Dan Brown
http://www.pbase.com/wheatenman

'If nothing changes, nothing changes'
 
I would be looking at used lenses... I have saved thousands by purchasing used.

I would look for a good 300/4L and a 1.4X TC. Alternatively, you could het a 400/5.6L used. Both of these are fantastic lenses, very very sharp. Check Photo.net, Keh.com, Naturephotographers.net ' s classified forum (post a WTB ad), and other sites. You will end up with a better lens this way that will retain its value too.
Take care,
Matthew
Dan Brown said:
jkieth said:
Hey all,

It's been a while since I have actually posted anything here, but I
have a question for those of you in the know :)

I am going on a trip to South Africa in mid March next year. I want
to pick up a decent long focal lenght zoom for my D-30. I current
only own the 28mm-134mm IS from canon (which btw, I love) but I
know from my last trip there that I really need something around
300mm or more. Unfortunately I don't have the resources for the
100mm-400mm IS L lens (this would be my first choice).
So, here are the alternatives I am concidering:

Canon
Zoom Telephoto EF 75-300mm f/4.0-5.6 EF IS Image Stabilizer USM
Autofocus Lens
Price $414.95

Tokina
Zoom Telephoto AF 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6 AT-X 840AF Autofocus Lens
(with Tripod Collar) for Canon EOS
Price $439.00

Sigma
Zoom Telephoto 135-400mm f/4.5-5.6 APO Aspherical Autofocus Lens
for Canon EOS
Price $499.00

Sigma
Zoom Telephoto 170-500mm f/5-6.3 APO Aspherical Autofocus Lens for
Canon EOS
Price $609.00

All of the prices are from B&H. These are the choices I made after
doing the research, reading reviews, etc. But, I wanted you all to
have a crack at them and give me some love-em's and hate-em's to
help in my decision making.

Thanks for your time and knowledge,

Jon Higgins
Click to expand...
--
Dan Brown
http://www.pbase.com/wheatenman

'If nothing changes, nothing changes'
Click to expand...
--
------------------------------------------------
M.K. Whitley
http://www.mkwphotography.com

'I have never let my schooling interfere with my education.'
  • Mark Twain
 
Agreed - all my 'L' lenses were bought used. I bought a 100-300 f/5.6L which, although a bit slow and noisy to focus, is extremely sharp. It was just $269 from B&H, and I definitely think you should consider it. Another good alternative might be a used 70-200 f/4 L and a 1.4x teleconverter, which together will give a bit more flexibility and faster focus.

Andy.
MKW said:
I would be looking at used lenses... I have saved thousands by
purchasing used.
I would look for a good 300/4L and a 1.4X TC. Alternatively, you
could het a 400/5.6L used. Both of these are fantastic lenses,
very very sharp. Check Photo.net, Keh.com, Naturephotographers.net
' s classified forum (post a WTB ad), and other sites. You will
end up with a better lens this way that will retain its value too.
Take care,
Matthew
Click to expand...
 
Andy and Matthew,

I agree that I could save a lot of money buying uses Canon L series lenses. But, even at used prices I am having no luck finding something around the $600 limit that I am currently constrained by.

I will continue to look, and probably wait until around February before making a final purchase.

And, though I don't like buying things I know I will replace, I just can't get the resources before my trip to buy a nicer lens. So, with the options I have at this time I am leaning toward the Sigma 135-400 or the Canon 70-300 IS.

Thanks for your input, I will watch this thread for a while and probably re-post sometime closer to the purchase deadline. So, any more input is greatly appreciated.

Regards,

Jon
 
jkieth said:
Hey all,

It's been a while since I have actually posted anything here, but I
have a question for those of you in the know :)

I am going on a trip to South Africa in mid March next year. I want
to pick up a decent long focal lenght zoom for my D-30. I current
only own the 28mm-134mm IS from canon (which btw, I love) but I
know from my last trip there that I really need something around
300mm or more. Unfortunately I don't have the resources for the
100mm-400mm IS L lens (this would be my first choice).
So, here are the alternatives I am concidering:
Click to expand...
My first thought was to recommend the 300 f/4L, which I see someone else has mentioned. With a 1.4 TC if you can swing that. But the 100-300 f/5.6L might be a more flexible choice. I don't have personal experience with the lens, but I can understand why a zoom is appealing.

Incidentally, I have the 100-400L, and love it. Highly recommended, though I haven't (yet) taken it on a safari! If you can swing it by hook or by crook, I predict you'll be glad you did.

I also have two "radical" approaches you may want to consider:

1) You might figure out what your hang-the-expense dream lens would be if you had plenty of money available, and consider renting that lens for the trip. Sounds like you won't be going to Africa again for a long time, so maybe it would be great to have the ultimate lens on this special trip. If you do this, make sure you get the lens early enough that you can get some experience with how it works in a "real world" environment (including time to review the output) before heading to Africa with it. Personally, I think this is a much better idea than sinking resources into buying something that isn't what you really want (sounds like you aren't really happy with the options you see now).

2) An outside shot might be the recently announced Sigma 80-400 OS (optical stabilized) lens. I haven't heard availability announcements, but it should be seriously cheaper than the 100-400L lens. On the other hand, I very much doubt the price will go down to the $600 figure you mentioned. And of course, nobody outside Sigma really knows what the image or OS quality will be on production models.

I envy your planned trip!

Mike B. in OKlahoma
 
mike b in oklahoma said:
My first thought was to recommend the 300 f/4L, which I see someone
else has mentioned. With a 1.4 TC if you can swing that. But the
100-300 f/5.6L might be a more flexible choice. I don't have
personal experience with the lens, but I can understand why a zoom
is appealing.
Click to expand...
The primary reason for the zoom is that inside the game reserves you have to stay within your vehicle, so no moving about to get the right framing.
mike b in oklahoma said:
I also have two "radical" approaches you may want to consider:

1) You might figure out what your hang-the-expense dream lens
would be if you had plenty of money available, and consider renting
that lens for the trip. Sounds like you won't be going to Africa
again for a long time, so maybe it would be great to have the
ultimate lens on this special trip. If you do this, make sure you
get the lens early enough that you can get some experience with how
it works in a "real world" environment (including time to review
the output) before heading to Africa with it. Personally, I think
this is a much better idea than sinking resources into buying
something that isn't what you really want (sounds like you aren't
really happy with the options you see now).
Click to expand...
I will look into renting. Anyone have an idea on the cost of renting a 100-400mm L IS?

Thanks for your suggestions Mike!

Regards,

Jon
 
jkieth said:
I will look into renting. Anyone have an idea on the cost of
renting a 100-400mm L IS?
Click to expand...
This article is a couple of years old, but lists a number of rental places. You might with several places and check costs. I understand many rental places will ship via FEDEX to your address, so you can still rent even if you aren't in a large town with a place that rents (admittedly having the extra expense of shipping both ways).

http://www.birdsasart.com/b31.html

Mike B. in OKlahoma
 
jkieth said:
So, here are the alternatives I am concidering:

Tokina
Zoom Telephoto AF 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6 AT-X 840AF Autofocus Lens
(with Tripod Collar) for Canon EOS
Price $439.00
Click to expand...
Despite my hyping the idea of renting an Uberlens, out of curiosity I checked out Samys website, and noticed that they have the Tokina 80-400 for $329 ($40 rebate in addition, but that applies wherever you buy it). At http://www.samys.com , check under closeouts.

I have no idea how good the lens is, and still am an advocate of the Canon IS equivalent (IS will be EXTREMELY useful at 400mm handheld or in a vehicle with several moving people inside), but I have no doubt the idea of a lens you can OWN, and don't have to send back is really appealing! :-)

Mike B. in OKlahoma
 
You might consider a no compromise NONZOOM solution such as a 200 2.8 L with 1.4 converter. This combo could be had used for not much more than you want and would give you a superb 200 2.8 plus an excellent 280 F4. When you were ready to buy either a 70-200 2.8 or 100-400 the 200 2.8 could be sold at little or no loss.

Another alternative would be the 70-200 F4 L, optically as good as the 70-200 2.8 L at 1/2 the weight and considerably lower cost. The 1.4 converter would convert it to a 98-280 f5.6.

I have all of these lenses as well as the 100-400 but frequently use the above combos to conserve weight , in fact my standard LUGHTWEIGHT carry around combo is the 24-85 3.5-4.5, 70-200 F4 L with 1.4 x. As long as it is reasonably bright, I view this combo as no significant optical compromise (and has the added bonuse of using the same 57 mm filer size)

Just my thoughts as perhaps a different approach. Hope this helps.

Edward
jkieth said:
Hey all,

It's been a while since I have actually posted anything here, but I
have a question for those of you in the know :)

I am going on a trip to South Africa in mid March next year. I want
to pick up a decent long focal lenght zoom for my D-30. I current
only own the 28mm-134mm IS from canon (which btw, I love) but I
know from my last trip there that I really need something around
300mm or more. Unfortunately I don't have the resources for the
100mm-400mm IS L lens (this would be my first choice).
So, here are the alternatives I am concidering:

Canon
Zoom Telephoto EF 75-300mm f/4.0-5.6 EF IS Image Stabilizer USM
Autofocus Lens
Price $414.95

Tokina
Zoom Telephoto AF 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6 AT-X 840AF Autofocus Lens
(with Tripod Collar) for Canon EOS
Price $439.00

Sigma
Zoom Telephoto 135-400mm f/4.5-5.6 APO Aspherical Autofocus Lens
for Canon EOS
Price $499.00

Sigma
Zoom Telephoto 170-500mm f/5-6.3 APO Aspherical Autofocus Lens for
Canon EOS
Price $609.00

All of the prices are from B&H. These are the choices I made after
doing the research, reading reviews, etc. But, I wanted you all to
have a crack at them and give me some love-em's and hate-em's to
help in my decision making.

Thanks for your time and knowledge,

Jon Higgins
Click to expand...
 
Jon,

Their was a used 300/4L IS on Photo.net about a week ago for $690. If you have until Feb, you should have no problem finding what you want. Keep a close eye on the local shops, on Photo.net, on KEH (probably overpriced) and on the classifieds forum at Naturephotographes.net and at Fredmrianda.com. I would post some Wanted ads and see what people have. BE sure to do your homework before just sending off money to someone though.
Good luck!
Matthew
jkieth said:
Andy and Matthew,

I agree that I could save a lot of money buying uses Canon L series
lenses. But, even at used prices I am having no luck finding
something around the $600 limit that I am currently constrained by.

I will continue to look, and probably wait until around February
before making a final purchase.

And, though I don't like buying things I know I will replace, I
just can't get the resources before my trip to buy a nicer lens.
So, with the options I have at this time I am leaning toward the
Sigma 135-400 or the Canon 70-300 IS.

Thanks for your input, I will watch this thread for a while and
probably re-post sometime closer to the purchase deadline. So, any
more input is greatly appreciated.

Regards,

Jon
Click to expand...
--
------------------------------------------------
M.K. Whitley
http://www.mkwphotography.com

'I have never let my schooling interfere with my education.'
  • Mark Twain
 
But he's going on safari! 280mm is really short when staying in your vehicle. I would consider 300 to be an absolute minimum and 400 to be better.
Matthew
Edward Rauschkolb said:
Another alternative would be the 70-200 F4 L, optically as good as
the 70-200 2.8 L at 1/2 the weight and considerably lower cost.
The 1.4 converter would convert it to a 98-280 f5.6.

I have all of these lenses as well as the 100-400 but frequently
use the above combos to conserve weight , in fact my standard
LUGHTWEIGHT carry around combo is the 24-85 3.5-4.5, 70-200 F4 L
with 1.4 x. As long as it is reasonably bright, I view this combo
as no significant optical compromise (and has the added bonuse of
using the same 57 mm filer size)

Just my thoughts as perhaps a different approach. Hope this helps.

Edward
jkieth said:
Hey all,

It's been a while since I have actually posted anything here, but I
have a question for those of you in the know :)

I am going on a trip to South Africa in mid March next year. I want
to pick up a decent long focal lenght zoom for my D-30. I current
only own the 28mm-134mm IS from canon (which btw, I love) but I
know from my last trip there that I really need something around
300mm or more. Unfortunately I don't have the resources for the
100mm-400mm IS L lens (this would be my first choice).
So, here are the alternatives I am concidering:

Canon
Zoom Telephoto EF 75-300mm f/4.0-5.6 EF IS Image Stabilizer USM
Autofocus Lens
Price $414.95

Tokina
Zoom Telephoto AF 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6 AT-X 840AF Autofocus Lens
(with Tripod Collar) for Canon EOS
Price $439.00

Sigma
Zoom Telephoto 135-400mm f/4.5-5.6 APO Aspherical Autofocus Lens
for Canon EOS
Price $499.00

Sigma
Zoom Telephoto 170-500mm f/5-6.3 APO Aspherical Autofocus Lens for
Canon EOS
Price $609.00

All of the prices are from B&H. These are the choices I made after
doing the research, reading reviews, etc. But, I wanted you all to
have a crack at them and give me some love-em's and hate-em's to
help in my decision making.

Thanks for your time and knowledge,

Jon Higgins
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
--
------------------------------------------------
M.K. Whitley
http://www.mkwphotography.com

'I have never let my schooling interfere with my education.'
  • Mark Twain
 
I own and love this lens, AF is fast and responsive, photos come out sharp and colors are acurate. It has IF so you don't have to worry about the length of the lens getting any bigger when zooming in. It rated the best overall lens on http://www.photozone.de/ I myself am also waiting for the release of the 80 - 400 OS "optical Stabilized" sigma lens. If the optics are close the the 100-300, im there.

Good Luck
Paul..
jkieth said:
Hey all,

It's been a while since I have actually posted anything here, but I
have a question for those of you in the know :)

I am going on a trip to South Africa in mid March next year. I want
to pick up a decent long focal lenght zoom for my D-30. I current
only own the 28mm-134mm IS from canon (which btw, I love) but I
know from my last trip there that I really need something around
300mm or more. Unfortunately I don't have the resources for the
100mm-400mm IS L lens (this would be my first choice).
So, here are the alternatives I am concidering:

Canon
Zoom Telephoto EF 75-300mm f/4.0-5.6 EF IS Image Stabilizer USM
Autofocus Lens
Price $414.95

Tokina
Zoom Telephoto AF 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6 AT-X 840AF Autofocus Lens
(with Tripod Collar) for Canon EOS
Price $439.00

Sigma
Zoom Telephoto 135-400mm f/4.5-5.6 APO Aspherical Autofocus Lens
for Canon EOS
Price $499.00

Sigma
Zoom Telephoto 170-500mm f/5-6.3 APO Aspherical Autofocus Lens for
Canon EOS
Price $609.00

All of the prices are from B&H. These are the choices I made after
doing the research, reading reviews, etc. But, I wanted you all to
have a crack at them and give me some love-em's and hate-em's to
help in my decision making.

Thanks for your time and knowledge,

Jon Higgins
Click to expand...
--
check out my pics...
http://www.pbase.com/pnorth/root
Canon D60 with BG-ED3
Sigma 24-70 EX F2.8
Sigma 100-300 EX F4
Sigma 105mm F2.8 EX macro
Kenko 2X / Sigma 1.4X TC
Bogen 3021 tripod with Bogen 3038 Ball head
Epson 1280 printer
iomega & IBM 1G microdrive
 
jkieth said:
Hey all,

It's been a while since I have actually posted anything here, but I
have a question for those of you in the know :)

I am going on a trip to South Africa in mid March next year. I want
to pick up a decent long focal lenght zoom for my D-30. I current
only own the 28mm-134mm IS from canon (which btw, I love) but I
know from my last trip there that I really need something around
300mm or more. Unfortunately I don't have the resources for the
100mm-400mm IS L lens (this would be my first choice).
So, here are the alternatives I am concidering:

Canon
Zoom Telephoto EF 75-300mm f/4.0-5.6 EF IS Image Stabilizer USM
Autofocus Lens
Price $414.95

Tokina
Zoom Telephoto AF 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6 AT-X 840AF Autofocus Lens
(with Tripod Collar) for Canon EOS
Price $439.00

Sigma
Zoom Telephoto 135-400mm f/4.5-5.6 APO Aspherical Autofocus Lens
for Canon EOS
Price $499.00

Sigma
Zoom Telephoto 170-500mm f/5-6.3 APO Aspherical Autofocus Lens for
Canon EOS
Price $609.00

All of the prices are from B&H. These are the choices I made after
doing the research, reading reviews, etc. But, I wanted you all to
have a crack at them and give me some love-em's and hate-em's to
help in my decision making.

Thanks for your time and knowledge,

Jon Higgins
Click to expand...
--
In the beginning there was nothing, and then even that exploded.
 
Hi Jon,

Have you considered the Sigma 50-500mm? I find it to be a sharp lens throughout the whole range. I got mine from Delta Internationl for $735 and am very pleased with it. The price is not too far from the 170-500 Sigma you quoted. Also have a Sigma 17-35mm and very pleased with it.

If you want you can check my website and see what results I got with the 17-35 while up in the eastern Sierra's a few weeks ago.

http://www.pbase.com/davdiroyimages

DavidRoy
 
Thanks Peter,

It's just a bit high for my budget. Plus, if I can get the extra 100mm out there, I will. I think I am still leaning towards a Sigma 135-400mm, but I want to try one out first. We have a local camera store that stocks Quantaray's and they will order me one, with a 30 day return policy. I may go that route.

Regards,

Jon
 
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