Newbie! Which lens to choose for wildlife/bird photography

vellalar · 01-02-2009, 07:00 AM

Dear Frenz,

I'm a newbie to photography. I was motivated to photography, as i do a lot of trekking. I have a Canon 450D with 18-55mm lens. I need advice on the best lens for wildlife/bird photography. I'm more concerned about the prices too, i hope to start with some low rage lenses and then switch over to a high end model later.

Cheers!

dxqcanada · 01-02-2009, 07:40 AM

At least 300mm in focal length.
A wide aperture is also an advantage.

Many wildlife photographers use lenses like ... 400mm F2.8 ... but most of us cannot afford it.

We use a Sigma 400mm f/5.6 APO and a Sigma 300mm f/4.0 APO lens (+1.4x PRO teleconverter).

You will find non-Canon lenses of these types that may be affordable.

Samanax · 01-02-2009, 10:41 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by vellalar

I'm a newbie to photography. I was motivated to photography, as i do a lot of trekking. I have a Canon 450D with 18-55mm lens. I need advice on the best lens for wildlife/bird photography.

How much are you willing to spend?

Quote: Originally Posted by vellalar

I'm more concerned about the prices too, i hope to start with some low rage lenses and then switch over to a high end model later.

My advice is to skip over the real cheap Canon lenses (the ones with the silver ring on the body) and get their mid-range lenses instead...they cost more but the image quality (especially with their longer reach telephoto and telephoto zoom lenses) will be so much better. Their cheap telephoto zoom lenses tend to have a lot of CA (chromatic aberration) when zoomed all the way out and are slow to focus.

Resist the urge to get the cheap EF 75-300mm f/4.0-5.6 III lens...the CA can be pretty bad.

I haven't heard bad things about the EF 100-300mm f/4.5-5.6 USM lens.

I heard some people say the EF 70-300 f/4.0-5.6 IS USM lens is pretty good for wildlife photography.

patrickt · 01-02-2009, 12:49 PM

I don't do Canon but I believe for the longer telephotos you would want image stabilization. I'm not really a bird guy, either, but my Pentax 55-300 works okay for birds. My brother-in-law is a bird nut and at least half his joy is in stalking the elusive prey and getting close enough to get his shot.

gsgary · 01-02-2009, 12:58 PM

The 400mmF5.6L is a great lens or 300mmF4L but you really need more than 400mm for birds

icassell · 01-02-2009, 12:59 PM

As mentioned above, the longer and faster the better. I can't afford the really long ones, but have been relatively happy with my Sigma EX 100-300mm f4. I don't think you'd be happy with anything shorter or slower for bird photography. The Sigma EX series is their high-end and the optics are excellent -- I just wish it were a little longer and faster (it becomes a 420mm f5.6 with the EX series 1.4X Teleconverter which is OK for daylight, but not great at dawn or dusk which is when the best birding seems to be). The lens cost me about $500 on e-bay in pristine condition (it runs about $1K new). This is an image from the aviary at the San Diego Wild Animal Park which I took with this lens without the TC.

Remember that if it's for occasional use (or if you are thinking of shelling out alot of $$), you could rent first.

gsgary · 01-02-2009, 01:00 PM

The Sigma 100-300F4 is a very sharp and good lens

01-02-2009, 07:00 AM	#1
vellalar TPF Noob! Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: India Posts: 3 My Photos Are OK to Edit Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts My Gallery: (0)	Newbie! Which lens to choose for wildlife/bird photography Dear Frenz, I'm a newbie to photography. I was motivated to photography, as i do a lot of trekking. I have a Canon 450D with 18-55mm lens. I need advice on the best lens for wildlife/bird photography. I'm more concerned about the prices too, i hope to start with some low rage lenses and then switch over to a high end model later. Cheers!

01-02-2009, 07:40 AM	#2
dxqcanada TPF Junkie! Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada Posts: 1,006 My Photos Are NOT OK to Edit Thanked 17 Times in 17 Posts My Gallery: (0)	At least 300mm in focal length. A wide aperture is also an advantage. Many wildlife photographers use lenses like ... 400mm F2.8 ... but most of us cannot afford it. We use a Sigma 400mm f/5.6 APO and a Sigma 300mm f/4.0 APO lens (+1.4x PRO teleconverter). You will find non-Canon lenses of these types that may be affordable. __________________ . Panasonic FX-35/Canon nF-1/Canon T-90/Sony Alpha a100/Bronica SQ-A/Yashica-A Photography is about mentally visualizing what you see/sense ... then having the technical ability to reproduce a print/image that reflects that mental vision. My Website Silvano Colour Lab Dunnaggan MIR

01-02-2009, 12:59 PM	#6
icassell TPF Junkie! Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Arizona Posts: 4,498 My Photos Are NOT OK to Edit Thanked 53 Times in 51 Posts My Gallery: (3)	As mentioned above, the longer and faster the better. I can't afford the really long ones, but have been relatively happy with my Sigma EX 100-300mm f4. I don't think you'd be happy with anything shorter or slower for bird photography. The Sigma EX series is their high-end and the optics are excellent -- I just wish it were a little longer and faster (it becomes a 420mm f5.6 with the EX series 1.4X Teleconverter which is OK for daylight, but not great at dawn or dusk which is when the best birding seems to be). The lens cost me about $500 on e-bay in pristine condition (it runs about $1K new). This is an image from the aviary at the San Diego Wild Animal Park which I took with this lens without the TC. Remember that if it's for occasional use (or if you are thinking of shelling out alot of $$), you could rent first. __________________ Ian Digital: Canon EOS 7D, Canon EOS 30D, Sigma 10-20mm EX f/4.5-5.6, Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8, Canon 50mm f/1.8 Mark I, Sigma 50-150mm EX f/2.8, Canon 100mm f/2.8 Macro, Sigma 100-300mm EX f/4, Sigma 1.4X & 2X EX TC, Canon 430EX, Bogen 3021 Tripod/Gitzo 1377M Ballhead, Misc. Other Gizmos and Gadgets 35mm: Minolta XD-11, Rokkor X 24mm f/2.8MD, Rokkor X 35mm f/1.8MD, Rokkor X 50mm f/1.4MD, Rokkor X 50mm Macro, Soligor 135mm MC, Rokkor X 300mm f/5.6MD, Vivitar 2X TC, Vivitar 283 MY PHOTOGRAPHS "If I have seen further , it is by standing on ye shoulders of giants." -- Sir Isaac Newton in a letter to Robert Hooke 15 February 1676 (... and a long telephoto doesn't hurt either ...) Last edited by icassell; 01-02-2009 at 01:05 PM.

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01-02-2009, 10:41 AM	#3
Samanax TPF Junkie! Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Kaneohe, Oahu Posts: 2,559 My Photos Are OK to Edit Thanked 64 Times in 64 Posts My Gallery: (0)	Quote: Originally Posted by vellalar I'm a newbie to photography. I was motivated to photography, as i do a lot of trekking. I have a Canon 450D with 18-55mm lens. I need advice on the best lens for wildlife/bird photography. How much are you willing to spend? Quote: Originally Posted by vellalar I'm more concerned about the prices too, i hope to start with some low rage lenses and then switch over to a high end model later. My advice is to skip over the real cheap Canon lenses (the ones with the silver ring on the body) and get their mid-range lenses instead...they cost more but the image quality (especially with their longer reach telephoto and telephoto zoom lenses) will be so much better. Their cheap telephoto zoom lenses tend to have a lot of CA (chromatic aberration) when zoomed all the way out and are slow to focus. Resist the urge to get the cheap EF 75-300mm f/4.0-5.6 III lens...the CA can be pretty bad. I haven't heard bad things about the EF 100-300mm f/4.5-5.6 USM lens. I heard some people say the EF 70-300 f/4.0-5.6 IS USM lens is pretty good for wildlife photography.

01-02-2009, 12:49 PM	#4
patrickt I spend too much of my life on TPF! Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Oaxaca, Mexico Posts: 293 My Photos Are OK to Edit Thanked 6 Times in 3 Posts My Gallery: (0)	I don't do Canon but I believe for the longer telephotos you would want image stabilization. I'm not really a bird guy, either, but my Pentax 55-300 works okay for birds. My brother-in-law is a bird nut and at least half his joy is in stalking the elusive prey and getting close enough to get his shot.

01-02-2009, 12:58 PM	#5
gsgary TPF Junkie! Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Chesterfield UK Posts: 2,142 My Photos Are OK to Edit Thanked 42 Times in 34 Posts My Gallery: (0)	The 400mmF5.6L is a great lens or 300mmF4L but you really need more than 400mm for birds

01-02-2009, 01:00 PM	#7
gsgary TPF Junkie! Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Chesterfield UK Posts: 2,142 My Photos Are OK to Edit Thanked 42 Times in 34 Posts My Gallery: (0)	The Sigma 100-300F4 is a very sharp and good lens

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