Which telephoto lens to buy?

Amethyst

Amethyst

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Dec 21, 2008
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Tour company advised bringing at least a 300mm telephoto lens for SLR cameras. I have no experience with TP lenses.

We have a Canon Rebel T5i SLR camera. The Canon 300mm TP lens runs anywhere from $85 to $250 on various sites. Space, not price is the issue. The 300MM will fit in the gadget bag along with the camera.

I also see ads for a 500-1,000mm lens, for not much more money, but the durn thing must be a foot long. Would require its own bag, more to hang around one's neck, safeguard from accidents, etc. We need to travel light.

Would the big lens be that much better for getting long shots of wildlife and so on?

Thanks

Amethyst
 
The big lens would be better if the wildlife is far away. I have a 70-300 and a 150-600. I very seldom use the 150-600.

I would get something in the 300 range and a teleconverter if you need to boost it up a bit. You wouldn’t be happy toting around a big lens.
 
what's a teleconverter?

Ronstar said:
The big lens would be better if the wildlife is far away. I have a 70-300 and a 150-600. I very seldom use the 150-600.

I would get something in the 300 range and a teleconverter if you need to boost it up a bit. You wouldn’t be happy toting around a big lens.
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Amethyst said:
what's a teleconverter?
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It’s a small magnifying device that fits between the camera and lens. I don’t have one, but I read that photo resolution can be lessened a little by using one. Lots of savings on size and weight though compared to a big lens.
 
Tell us a little more about the trip and what you will be photographing.
 
Ronstar said:
And I find my big lens difficult to handle for shooting moving objects. Tough to hold steady also.
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Yes. Then have to start thinking about a tripod which adds more space. Plus, is a tripod practical at the place you are shooting?

There was a time I used to own an SLR (pre-digital days) with add on lenses. But I'm not serious (or good enough :)) of a photographer to justify all the extra carry and add on accessories.

My camera (when I want something that feels more like a real camera and not a phone) now is a used point and shoot with with a built-in zoom of up 16x optical zoom. I know the quality isn't as good as for more serious shots, but the positive trade off is I can carry around in a pouch clipped on my belt.

I have used a teleconverter in the past. Did fine outdoors on a sunny day to increase a 300mm lens to 600mm magnification.
 
Amethyst said:
Tour company advised bringing at least a 300mm telephoto lens for SLR cameras. I have no experience with TP lenses.

Amethyst
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You may also want to look at the Nikon P1000, which gives you a 24-3000mm :)coolsmiley:) range. I do not think you can change lenses on this camera, but with that range you may not need to. It also shoots 4k Video. The P900 is the older model at about half the price.

https://www.amazon.com/Nikon-COOLPI...F8&qid=1536415840&sr=8-1&keywords=nikon+p1000

I do not own any of the above cameras btw, just remember reading about them.
 
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I have a Canon picturetaker and a Canon 300mm telephoto lense that I use often. when I bought the camera, I also bought a 500-1000mm lesser-known-brand (inexpensive) lens. I use the 300mm regularly, it stays in my go bag.


The 500-1000mm lens gets used every 2 or 3 years. The aperture (opening that lets light in) is too small for use other than on the very brightest days and on stationary object. Even with the perfect conditions and a tripod, the pictures don't look very sharp.


I've never been trained/educated in photography so there are probably more technically accurate ways to describe this...
 
IMHO, lens speed is more of an issue than a long focal length. A 300mm f/4 will give you better photos than a 400mm or 500mm f/5.6 lens since you can shoot at faster shutter speeds. Avoid telephoto zooms unless you get a really good one (IOW, pay a lot of $$'s). They are usually to slow.

The more 'telephoto' the lens is the more things shake and get blurry. Set your camera's ISO high 800, 1600. Bring a small bean bag to put the camera/lens on to brace the camera and lens so they shake less. Bean bags make a great cheap tripod.

.
 
Chuckanut said:
IMHO, lens speed is more of an issue than a long focal length. A 300mm f/4 will give you better photos than a 400mm or 500mm f/5.6 lens since you can shoot at faster shutter speeds. Avoid telephoto zooms unless you get a really good one (IOW, pay a lot of $$'s). They are usually to slow.

The more 'telephoto' the lens is the more things shake and get blurry. Set your camera's ISO high 800, 1600. Bring a small bean bag to put the camera/lens on to brace the camera and lens so they shake less. Bean bags make a great cheap tripod.

.
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Agree. To get a really good long lens you are going to pay big money and not likely worth it for anyone who is not going to be using the lens quite a bit. A long APO lens which will be quite 'fast' meaning large aperture so that holding it steady is going to be less of an issue is going to be over a thousand dollar range. And truly long lenses are dramatically more.



I hauled all kinds of camera gear to various parts of Africa for many years. Including even a super telephoto mirror lens. More recently I have taken my iPhone and a if I really want to take a big camera just a DSLR with an 18-300 zoom. But honestly my goal now is to be in the moment and enjoy the experience. Someone else will always be able to get better pictures. Maybe get chummy with someone on the trip. If you do buy a lens for your Canon don't forget to look at Tamron and Sigma lenses. Both quality products at less cost. If you decide to buy used be sure to take your camera and computer and shoot a bunch of pics with the lens to make sure it doesn't have any issues.
 
You did great, thanks. I understand what you are saying.
FmrLurker said:
I

The 500-1000mm lens gets used every 2 or 3 years. The aperture (opening that lets light in) is too small for use other than on the very brightest days and on stationary object. Even with the perfect conditions and a tripod, the pictures don't look very sharp.


I've never been trained/educated in photography so there are probably more technically accurate ways to describe this...
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@Amythest, you haven't said what kind of trip/what kind of photography, but I'll make a few comments as someone who has been into photography for many years:

For travel, zoom lenses are the preferred choice. Using single focal length telephotos is like looking at a map through a toilet paper tube. Very hard to find things, especially wildlife. The animals and birds will not stay still while you hunt for them with your lens. A zoom minimizes the problem because you can find your subject with a wide angle setting and then zoom to get it the size you want. Another problem with a fixed focal length is that you get the framing the lens gives you, whether it is right, too tight, or too loose. I would strongly advise against that 300mm lens.

If you are planning to print your images poster size (over 24" on a side) or plan to sell them, high-quality lenses are important. If you are doing Facebook and web pages, they are not. So don't waste the money.

For most inexperienced photographers, the "super zooms" are an excellent choice. The FZ1000 was mentioned. My wife carries a Panasonic ZS50 and it is a fantastic little camera. Look for a wide angle of 24mm, stated as an equivalent to 35mm focal length: (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/35_mm_equivalent_focal_length (Frankly, your Canon is probably not a good choice for a novice.) DPReview is a good source of information: https://www.dpreview.com/reviews/buying-guide-best-cameras-for-travel

Maybe you are doing an African photo safari. If so, try: https://www.mu-43.com/search/3657529/?q=africa+safari&o=date for more than you ever wanted to know. In Africa, long lenses are essential. Like for this little guy shot at 800mm equivalent 35mm focal length:


full

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If, OTOH, you are going to the Galapagos Islands, focal length is much less important. There, the wildlife is fearless and you are more likely to accidentally step on an iguana than you are to need a long lens.
 
I had a large selection of lens back in my old SLR days. But for me, the 70-210 always seemed to be a very useful lens. Now, when I travel, the iPhone7 does a fine job, and no camera stuff to lug around. I even had a large framed pic made of a buffalo at Yellowstone taken with an iPhone from about 50 feet (me in car!). The detail is excellent, you can see individual hairs on the animal.
 
Amethyst said:
I don't suppose this will do? I'm not consciously trying to save money, but it looks like you can spend thousands on zoom lenses, so this seems suspiciously cheap.

https://www.amazon.com/Canon-75-300...824&sr=8-3&keywords=canon+rebel+t5i+zoom+lens
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Unless you are printing your photos poster-size, I wouldn't worry about lens quality. Any good brand, and certainly Canon, will be more than adequate.

That said, I keep trying to guess what your trip involves. In Africa, that 75mm end of the zoom range would probably be too much magnification for some shots. Animals can come very close to the game drive vehicles. In the Galapagos, it would definitely be too much magnification as you can get close enough to touch many of the animals.
 
Amethyst said:
I don't suppose this will do? I'm not consciously trying to save money, but it looks like you can spend thousands on zoom lenses, so this seems suspiciously cheap.

https://www.amazon.com/Canon-75-300...824&sr=8-3&keywords=canon+rebel+t5i+zoom+lens
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My DSLR days are over, longest lens I had was 55-300mm though I had a doubler so I could reach 600mm. But you definitely get what you pay for with lenses IME. If you’re trying to capture something still in daylight you can get away with a cheaper lens with a tripod or something to steady the camera. If it’s something moving quickly and/or low light, you’d have to spend thousands for a lens and have some good shooting skills - most amateurs will have trouble framing some fast moving with a long lens.
 
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chris2008 said:
I bought the Panasonic Lumix FZ 1000 for a trip to Namibia and I am perfectly happy with it.
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Our Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ47K has a 24x optical zoom, and it's what I used to take pictures from a safari vehicle, including the one of the zebras in the photography thread. It did great considering sometimes we were a quarter of a mile away, although often closer. I couldn't have gotten nearly as detailed a shot as OldShooter, but I got some great shots of the wildlife for a novice. I actually blew up some of the better ones and framed them, including the zebras, and they're still pretty detailed.
 
Rather than a tripod I recommend a monopod, if you're going to get a larger lens. A tripod is great if you're shooting a static subject but if they move then a monopod allows you to keep up with the action much better. I used a monopod with a Canon 1D3 and 300mm f2.8 lens, big and heavy, when shooting sports.
 
folivier said:
Rather than a tripod I recommend a monopod, if you're going to get a larger lens. A tripod is great if you're shooting a static subject but if they move then a monopod allows you to keep up with the action much better. I used a monopod with a Canon 1D3 and 300mm f2.8 lens, big and heavy, when shooting sports.
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+1 I always carry a monopod with a small ball head on trips. If you're going to Africa, using a tripod will be almost impossible because you will be in a game drive vehicle almost all the time.


The shot of the leopard cub was made from a game drive vehicle using a monopod. It was angled to the left with its tip against my foot and angled to the rear to brace it against the seat. The ball head let me level the camera even though the monopod was heavily angled. The thing to remember is that a monopod is not simply a stick that supports the camera vertically. A "using a monopod" internet search will show you some creativity.
 
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