Rental lens question

[jaree2]

Hi all,

In about a month I'll be leaving for a 3-week trip to Malawi in Africa. I've got pretty much everything lined up, but had a question regarding a lens rental. I'm looking to rent a telephoto lens - borrowlenses currently has the Tamron 200-500mm f/5-6.3 SP AF Di LD IF and the Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM. I had previously planned on the Tamron lens for the extra reach, but the lack of IS concerns me a little bit. I anticipate that I will be doing freehand shooting relatively frequently - would the extra 100mm make a large enough difference to make it worthwhile, and more importantly, would it be possible for me to get decent shots without using a tripod? I'll be shooting with a Canon 70D. Thanks for all your help in advance,

Jack

 

[syaudi]

Hi there! In all honesty, I own a Tamron telephoto lens too, but even at roughly 400mm shooting freehand is a real pain in the ass, as I can never get the lens to stop moving long enough to focus properly on what I want and taking the shot. Most of the time I either use a tripod, or lay the end of the lens on a branch or something to steady it. Either way IS doesn't make as much of a difference in long-range telephoto lens as you'll generally need to support it on something that's not your hand, but I'd say go with the Canon, as OEM lens always work best with OEM bodies.
Also, in a purist's view I would say you don't need that extra 100mm, as it' a lot more fun to move and get closer to your subject, but that might not be applicable where you're going.

 

[Derrel]

I would rather have the 100-400 for the SHORT end, and the faster aperture. 100-400 will be more useful than 200-500, IMHO.

 

[jaree2]

Thanks for the help! I'll go with the 100-400, I appreciate all the insight.

Jack