I am debating between these two lenses and after a lot of research I cannot seem to find the answers I am looking for.
From what I understand, for macro work, the 180 may be a bit on the large/heavy side for hand held shots; however as I will be shooting with a 50D and battery grip, I am thinking the extra 70g should be barely noticeable. I have read that the 180 is well balanced, but cannot find if that is with or without a battery grip. Has anyone used this combination who could comment on its usability for hand held shots, specifically macro? How does it compare to a slightly smaller lens such as the 150?
Since my budget is limited, this will also be acting as my telephoto lens for a while until I can afford the 70-200 f2.8 IS. As such, it will be used for shooting sporting events, primarily skiing and soccer, some wild life, still lifes, and some portrait work; basically a solid all around telephoto lens. I have yet to read a single bad review of any macro lens in terms of image quality, so I am focusing my search on usability. Does the longer focal length make a substantial difference with the mentioned subjects? Yes, I know I will have to stand further away, but I do not know what kind of differences I could be expecting, 2ft? 5ft? 10ft? (for sake of comparison, lets assume I am taking just a tight head shot).
The 150 is 2/3 stops faster than the 180 (2.8 vs 3.5). While this has no bearing on macro work, how much will it affect the rest of my uses both in terms of quantity of light and bokeh?
I realize that no macro lens is known for its AF, but will either of these lenses provide me with any noticeable improvements? Will the smaller aperture of the 180 make AF any more difficult in reasonable lighting?
In the long run, this lens will probably end up as a dedicated macro lens once I obtain a 70-200. With that in mind the only long term drawback I can think of is the size and weight for hand held macro shots. However that may very well be 2 years down the road, so I dont want to have to sacrifice too much now, but at the same time, if it is only a marginal improvement in usability to go with the 150 now, I would probably go with the 180.
Price for both is within $50, so that is not a concern.
Thanks
From what I understand, for macro work, the 180 may be a bit on the large/heavy side for hand held shots; however as I will be shooting with a 50D and battery grip, I am thinking the extra 70g should be barely noticeable. I have read that the 180 is well balanced, but cannot find if that is with or without a battery grip. Has anyone used this combination who could comment on its usability for hand held shots, specifically macro? How does it compare to a slightly smaller lens such as the 150?
Since my budget is limited, this will also be acting as my telephoto lens for a while until I can afford the 70-200 f2.8 IS. As such, it will be used for shooting sporting events, primarily skiing and soccer, some wild life, still lifes, and some portrait work; basically a solid all around telephoto lens. I have yet to read a single bad review of any macro lens in terms of image quality, so I am focusing my search on usability. Does the longer focal length make a substantial difference with the mentioned subjects? Yes, I know I will have to stand further away, but I do not know what kind of differences I could be expecting, 2ft? 5ft? 10ft? (for sake of comparison, lets assume I am taking just a tight head shot).
The 150 is 2/3 stops faster than the 180 (2.8 vs 3.5). While this has no bearing on macro work, how much will it affect the rest of my uses both in terms of quantity of light and bokeh?
I realize that no macro lens is known for its AF, but will either of these lenses provide me with any noticeable improvements? Will the smaller aperture of the 180 make AF any more difficult in reasonable lighting?
In the long run, this lens will probably end up as a dedicated macro lens once I obtain a 70-200. With that in mind the only long term drawback I can think of is the size and weight for hand held macro shots. However that may very well be 2 years down the road, so I dont want to have to sacrifice too much now, but at the same time, if it is only a marginal improvement in usability to go with the 150 now, I would probably go with the 180.
Price for both is within $50, so that is not a concern.
Thanks