Canon EF 28-300mm USM lense...alternatives???

dogk1cker · Nov 8, 2006

Canon EF 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6L IS USM Lens ...Alternatives??

Hi, I am one of the owners of 3dskylines.com. I do a lot of helicopter photography and I am eyeing to buy the Canon lense listed above. The reasons are obvious why I need a lense like this... fast focus, image stabilization, quality, and flexibility. I often fly with the doors open and sitting on the edge of the helicopter so changing lenses in the air is not an option. I know this lense is a beast but weight is not an issue since I often use a monopod on the heli.

The question I have is, is there an alternative or one that is close to the functions and features of this lense? Before I plunk down $2100, I would love to hear your recommendations. Thank you.

darich · Nov 9, 2006

Can't help on the lens front i'm afraid but i wonder why you'd use a monopod in the helicopter??
The monopod sitting on the floor of a vibrating machine compared to hand holding and using your arms as "shock absorbers"?

i would have thought that hand holding would be the preferred option?

dogk1cker · Nov 9, 2006

You are absolutely right. With heavey lenses, I use a monopod so I can rest my arms in between shots but still have the camera sight near my eyes just incase I see a shot. When I do take a shot, I always lift the camera and the monopod so not to transfer the vibration. Then, when I am hunting for the next shot I can rest my arms again.

darich · Nov 9, 2006

ahh....it all becomes clear now!!

thanks!!:mrgreen:

dogk1cker · Nov 11, 2006

Also, I try not to rest my monopod on the heli floor, I usually rest my monopod on my thighs. This keeps much of the vibration from going to the camera and lense. To understand how how tiring it can get up there, imagine this..... take a 5 pound weight and lift it up and down for an hour.

For fun, here is a photo I took in Perth, Australia. The air space over the downtown is in the flight path of the local commercial airport. We could only loiter over the downtown area for few minutes at a time. The pilot didn't tell me about the sharp turn he was going to make and I wanted the shot so I kicked up my legs to counter balance myself. Hence the feet!