Bigger camera lens

sheff · Dec 15, 2014

Christmas shopping for my wife. She has a Nikon 35mm with a 55-200 mm f/4-5.6 lens. She wants a bigger lens with more zoom to take a few wildlife pictures. Any suggestions? I don't know a thing about camera lens. Looking to spend around $500-750, maybe $1000. It doesn't have to be professional quality as she only shoots for fun. I've read alot of older posts here and don't really want to look at the photgraphy forums because of time.

Thanks in advance,
Sheff

Big Sky Dreamin · Dec 15, 2014

I have a Sigma 150-500mm Optically Stabilized that I have been happy with. It's kinda slow at f6.3 at 500mm but the OS helps quite a lot. It is pretty large though and closer to the grand side. Otherwise Nikon has a 70-300mm VR lens that worked for me as well. It's smaller, less bulky and slightly faster at f5.6 at 300mm. I think Tamron came out with a zoom that goes to f6.3 at 600mm. Good luck shopping.

mtmiller · Dec 15, 2014

Big Sky Dreamin said:
Otherwise Nikon has a 70-300mm VR lens that worked for me as well. I

I have been very happy with the lens. I can't compare it with others, but for the price I think this is great glass.

St52v · Dec 15, 2014

I know nothing about camers but there a few posts and guys who do on rokslide. Ceraland in NY even poated up a special for members. I am sure Doug from cameraland could help you.

FAIR CHASE · Dec 15, 2014

I have been quite happy with a Tamron 150-600mm. This lens has also received great reviews and plenty of Youtube videos as well. Street price is $1059.

mtlion · Dec 16, 2014

I shoot Canon gear and don't really play with third party glass so I have no opinion there. However as far as focal length I shoot a Canon 100-400 f/4.5-5.6L IS 99% of the time. I typically am shooting at 400 mm and I rarely find I want more lens. If I do get close or have a bird come flying in I can quickly adjust my focal length down to get everything in frame. That being said I have a friend who is a pro wildlife photog that shoots a 300 mm prime lens (Canon L series) most of the time and his images are some of the best I see. If it was me I wouldn't worry so much about a big focal length (500-600 mm) but would focus on the best ($$) lens you can get in a 300 or 400 mm focal length. I would much rather have superb pro-quality glass and a faster lens (smaller f stop value) that works better in low light situations which to me is one of the biggest challenges in photographing wildlife. My 2 cents.

sheff · Dec 16, 2014

Is going from 200mm to a 300mm a big step or should I look at 400mm?

mtlion · Dec 16, 2014

sheff said:
Is going from 200mm to a 300mm a big step or should I look at 400mm?

Not to contradict myself from above but it is somewhat a matter of bigger is better...400 just gets you closer to those spooky critters. To be honest my dream lens is a 500 or 600 prime Canon L series but I don't have the extra $10-14k laying around

Just about everything in photo is a matter of trade-offs, to me the biggest hurdles in wildlife photo are getting close to the subject and getting good photos in less than ideal lighting. Striking a balance here is the tricky part. So basically look for the longest focal length with the smallest f-stop value you can afford. I'm not sure what Nikon has for lenses but I seem to recall there was a lack of a 400 mm lens in their line up, someone may correct me if I'm wrong. Someone who shoots Nikon may have better advice on specifics, I haven't looked at their products in a long time. Also I don't have direct experience but I know there are some of those third party lenses that are good for a serious hobbyist.

mtlion · Dec 16, 2014

Here is a photo I took the other day that stretched my body and lens to the utmost limits. Very low light at dawn, trying to freeze motion. This is an uncropped image and the doe was 82 meters. I was at 400 mm with my aperture at max (f 5.6). You gotta take them when you can get them!

Mule Deer Doe (Odocoileus hemionus) Jumping Fence by Ryan Richards Photography, on Flickr

pabearhunter · Dec 16, 2014

Mtlion, That is a beautiful picture.

shootist · Dec 16, 2014

I use a Sigma 120-400 through my Canon. It is a pretty good lens and might be in your budget.

Cornell2012 · Dec 16, 2014

Did a quick search on B&H. Looks like you have a bunch of options out to 300 mm, but if you want more reach in this price range you'll have to look at Sigma (150-500mm zoom) and Tamron (150-600mm zoom).

sheff · Dec 16, 2014

B&h ???

Cornell2012 · Dec 16, 2014

B&H is a photo and video store that (I think) is based in New York. They are one of the most well-known companies that specializes in photo/video/audio equipment. A number of pros swear by them.

FAIR CHASE · Dec 16, 2014

I agree with mtlion.
Here is my next dream lens:
http://www.usa.canon.com/cusa/consumer/products/cameras/ef_lens_lineup/ef_500mm_f_4l_is_ii_usm

I will still say that for the money the Tamron 150-600mm is hard to beat. Contact Doug at cameralandny.com and tell him you are a member here.

mtlion · Dec 16, 2014

pabearhunter said:
Mtlion, That is a beautiful picture.

Thank you, right place right time.

Cornell2012 said:
B&H is a photo and video store that (I think) is based in New York. They are one of the most well-known companies that specializes in photo/video/audio equipment. A number of pros swear by them.

I get most of my gear here, but believe it or not there's not much for camera shops here. I've made several purchases in the thousands of dollars and so far they are 100% by my book.

FAIR CHASE said:
Here is my next dream lens:
http://www.usa.canon.com/cusa/consumer/products/cameras/ef_lens_lineup/ef_500mm_f_4l_is_ii_usm

Yeah, that one

FAIR CHASE · Dec 16, 2014

B&H has a few of my nickels as well.

mtlion, what Canon body you using?

I have been using the 70D for a few months and my only complaint is that the AF is sometimes not as fast as I would like.

mtlion · Dec 16, 2014

FAIR CHASE said:
B&H has a few of my nickels as well.

mtlion, what Canon body you using?

I have been using the 70D for a few months and my only complaint is that the AF is sometimes not as fast as I would like.

Right now I'm shooting a 7D. Absolutely love it and I can't afford the new 7D mkII just yet so I'll keep shooting it for a while.

starvingoutdoorsman · Jan 5, 2015

I bought a 170-500 Sigma for around $360 used a couple years ago. The 150-500 has a zoom lock and would probably be my new choice if I could find one for a decent price. Below are some samples I have taken with the 170-500 with a Pentax K5 body. Never mind the dust spots on my sensor on the duck photo. I did not even realize they were dust when I posted.

Duck by Starving Outdoorsman, on Flickr

GOOSE by Starving Outdoorsman, on Flickr

Trap Shooting by Starving Outdoorsman, on Flickr

mtmiller · Jan 31, 2015

Just messing around with a new host site. This was taken with Sigma 120-300 2.8 w/1.4 tc

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