Looking for beginner lenses

[SilverFox]

I am new to the camera world when it comes to anything above a point and shoot. I have a Canon XS and was wanting to upgrade to a better zoom lens. I would like to be able to photograph deer or birds out to about 100 yards with decent quality. I have no clue what I am looking for and I know no one personally who is into photography that I can ask. I don't want an "L" lens since I don't plan on spending that kind of money. I'm just looking for something decent to take some pictures with. I have seen the 55-250 lenses at a decent price but I don't know about the quality or the range. Thanks for any and all advice.

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[pbelarge]

I have this lens, and it is relatively inexpensive. Just remember one gets what one pays for.

less expensive lens are not as good as more expensive lens...JMHO

Canon | EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM Lens | 0345B002 | B&H Photo

[JeffieLove]

tamron 18-200mm lens The only lens you should need That I don't have lol

[SilverFox]

I don't plan on spending a lot of money... Maybe if it's something I get into more then later but right now, it's just something I enjoy doing. I have tried reading the reviews on several lenses but like I said, I don't know the ranges of any of the lenses that I read the reviews on. My camera came with the 18-55 IS lenses but it just isn't cutting it. I want more range. One of my normal locations usually has tons of deer and ducks that are around 100 yards or so away. I would like to get some better pictures of them. Thanks for the replies and keep them coming. I'm hoping for several opinions and options.

[KmH]

In photography they call it 'reach'.

At 300 feet even a 300 mm lens will not give you much subject scale in the image.

That just means you will have to crop the image heavily. Cropping heavily effectively reduces the MP count of your camera. You take a picture thats 10 MP but then you crop away 6 MP to be able to increase the subject scale so you can see what it is you took a picture of.

Use a tripod and a middle aperture to maximise the sharpness of the lens so your crops are as clear as possible.

[SilverFox]

OK, now I am lost. I have a tripod. What size lenses would you recommend to take decent quality wildlife photos at 100 yards? How does the aperture number affect the picture? From what I read, the aperture going up brings more of the picture in focus before and after the intended center piece. Going down blurs the picture behind the center piece. Am I understanding this right or am I way off track?

As you can tell, I am truly new but willing to listen and learn. Thanks

[pbelarge]

Setting the aperture to its highest setting may cause other issues.
So, you should get better results using the info that Keith has suggested.

[philaw123]

The problem with a 70-300 is difficulty with taking close-up pics but since you're primary purpose is shooting wildlife from afar, that won't be an issue. I have a Sigma 70-300 but I rarely use it now because of the long focal reach on the short end (70).

Now, I use a Tamron 18-250 as my travel lens cos it's light and produces very good IQ, while giving me a lot of versatility with its wide focal range. They also make an 18-270 VC (Vibration Controlled) which is image stabilized. My lens cost me a little over 200 bucks while the VC version should set you back around 6 benjies.

The advantage of Canons though, is their quick and silent auto focus. If you'll be hunting birds, you might want to give that some thought.

[KmH]

OK, now I am lost. I have a tripod. What size lenses would you recommend to take decent quality wildlife photos at 100 yards? How does the aperture number affect the picture? From what I read, the aperture going up brings more of the picture in focus before and after the intended center piece. Going down blurs the picture behind the center piece. Am I understanding this right or am I way off track?

As you can tell, I am truly new but willing to listen and learn. Thanks

Yes, you have it right at a basic level. It's called depth-of-field (DOF) if you'd like to google other sources. The variable is the depth (in feet) of the in focus zone.

DOF is also effected by the focal length of the lens and subject to lens distance, in addition to aperture.

At a middle aperture like f/8, using a 300 mm lens to shoot a subject 100 yards away:

Subject distance - 300 ft
Depth of field
Near limit - 260 ft
Far limit - 354.6 ft
Total - 94.6 ft
In front of subject - 40 ft (42%)
Behind subject - 54.6 ft (58%)
Hyperfocal distance - 1943.6 ft
Circle of confusion - 0.019 mm


There is a online DOF calculator at www.dofmaster.com which is where I got these numbers based on the camera being one of the Canon XXD family.