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Author Topic: Tele lens for Canon  (Read 4542 times)

Marsupilami

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Tele lens for Canon
« on: November 18, 2007, 05:28:29 am »

Hello !

As my wife and I plan a trip to Namibia an old problem occurs again: That of a second tele lens, so that she can also work indipendently. For animals I use the 40 D and a 100-400 IS. For her there is now only a 70-200 / 4 available, a little short in most cases. as I do not like to have too heavy equipment (flying could be a problem with all that gear) and do not like to have lenses double I thought of getting the Sigma 100-300 / 4 plus 1,4 converter or getting the Canon 70-200 / 2,8 IS USM plus 1,4 and 2x Converter. But does the canon work with the 2x converter (AF speed ?) and how is the quality of that combo. Any other suggestions ?

Thanks !

Christian
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DarkPenguin

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Tele lens for Canon
« Reply #1 on: November 18, 2007, 12:13:01 pm »

One of the two canon 70-300s?
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mahleu

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Tele lens for Canon
« Reply #2 on: November 18, 2007, 01:42:03 pm »

400/5.6 is light but you lose the versatility of the zoom. But if you combine this with the 70-200/4 then you have versatility and reasonable weight- and better quality than the 70-200 with a convertor.

Have you considered renting a lens for the trip?
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stever

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Tele lens for Canon
« Reply #3 on: November 18, 2007, 02:11:55 pm »

unfortunately, the 100-400 remains the best zoom alternative to get to 640 equivalent with a crop-frame camera

quality wise the 70-200 f2.8 with 2X is not too far behind and will focus about the same as the 100-400

the 70-200 f4 will probably work with the 2X and pins taped (like the 100-400 with 1.4X) but unfortunately will probably focus like the 100-400 + 2X  -- anybody tried this?

the 70-300 lenses are not sharp at the long end to begin with - with some examples being better than others  - with a converter both focus and quality get pretty bad.  I've used the 70-300 DO as a backup for wildlife and found it not to be long enough even with a crop-frame camera and the sharpness disappointing compared to the 100-400.  my sister and a friend used my old 75-300IS in Africa on crop-frame cameras and under good conditions were able to get images of medium to large animals that could be printed up to 9x14, whereas i can consistently print 13x19s from the 100-400 and crops of smallish birds and animals 8x12.

my 300 f4 IS with a 1.4X is slightly sharper than the 100-400, but so much less convenient that i rarely use it - on safari you'd have to have a 70-200 or 300 on a second body - extra weight and complication.
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stever

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Tele lens for Canon
« Reply #4 on: November 18, 2007, 02:15:25 pm »

the 400 is a good lens, but i really wouldn't recommend a non-IS lens with small aperture - and again, i've found that too many opportunities happen on safari before you can switch lenses (not to mention the dust issue)
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steeliejim

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Tele lens for Canon
« Reply #5 on: November 23, 2007, 02:00:33 am »

I just returned from 3 wks in Zambia with my new 40d.  My most used combo was the 300 F/4.0 L IS with the 1.4 tc.  the 40d focused really well, much better than my EOS 3's ever did, even in low light (spotlight on animals a fair distance away, no flash).  

I also had a 70-200mm f/4.0 L IS that I used with and without a tc.  It's a great mid-range lens, focuses really fast, and its IS is really effective.  I don't have a backup digital SLR as yet (used a P&S for grab shots and walking around in public),, plus there were occasions when the wildlife was so close I needed to use a shorter lens.  So I did do some lens changing but would guess around 75% of my photos were with the 300/tc combo and was quite happy with it.  The sensor cleaning system really works.  The only dust spots I ever saw on an mage were early on when I left the camera on for a long period of time, so the device didn't activate.
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matt4626

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Tele lens for Canon
« Reply #6 on: November 26, 2007, 03:38:36 pm »

I purchased a 70-300 DO for our trip to Africa last year. My wife used it on a 30D and I thought of it as back up for my 100-400 if a problem came up. When we got back to the USA it became part of my light weight travel kit. Seem to be a very good lens IMHO.
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