Looking for advice on wildlife lens

huitzilopochtli

Hi all,

Looking for some advice on getting a new lens. I have a 3 week trip coming up and I'd like to be able to photograph some wildlife. I have a Canon EOS 700D and the basic lens it comes with. I'm looking to upgrade to something I can point at things reasonably far away and see as more than a speck.

My budget is limited (less than €200 and might not even be that much:(), but hopefully there's something out there that's suitable. I have used a 300mm lens and it was alright, but underwhelming for photographing birds. I'm guessing I want something a little longer than 300mm but other than that I don't really know what I should look for. Should I sacrifice aperture for focal length, for instance? Any general advice you can offer would be appreciated.

More specifically, I'm interested in any ideas you might have of lenses that fit what I'm after.

Thanks in advance for any and all replies. I look forward to reading them.
H

flyingsnail

There is not much out there in the 300 + range for sub €200. You have some things like this http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00UJVHLCK/ref=s9_simh_gw_p421_d0_i1?pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_s=desktop-1&pf_rd_r=0STCQ14TNCP7Z4HXGTR1&pf_rd_t=36701&pf_rd_p=577048787&pf_rd_i=desktop but it has no auto focus and at F8 the viewfinder would be rather dark for manual focusing, which would be a killer for wildlife, and even the picture quality of the trees looks very soft.

What was it about the 300 you did not like? Honestly I think it might be your best option.

huitzilopochtli

flyingsnail wrote: »

What was it about the 300 you did not like? Honestly I think it might be your best option.

It just didn't seem to be able to capture birds all that well, as they tend to be smaller and further away I guess. Larger animals and landscape shots it managed fine, but if I remember correctly birds any further away than maybe 10-20 metres it had trouble getting the images I wanted. Admittedly I'm probably asking for something impossible for €200.

Since I'm looking for any advice I can get if you'd like to recommend a 300 please do. (For reference I think the one I used was this: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Canon-75-300mm-4-0-5-6-III-Lens/dp/B00005K47Y/ref=pd_sim_sbs_421_2?ie=UTF8&dpID=41IGuCXUXVL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR120%2C160_&refRID=03MYM3G61EM9RQZEYC6N.)

Silva360

What kind of birds are you thinking you would like to photograph? For birds in fight you really need reach and speed, but that usually equates to big money.

Most serious birders would go for long primes (f/2.8 or f/4), sometimes with teleconverters. Others will use those super zooms (150mm - 600mm for example).

The lens you mention might be ok if the light is really good (you can always crop if you have the detail).

Depending on what you want to photograph on your trip, it might be worth considering a rental lens.

CabanSail

For the budget you have the options are really limited.

Even if you are able to get a longer lens it will not be that fast, which is going to present problems, especially in low light. You have to keep the shutter speeds high or images will be soft.

With a Canon cropped body a 300mm has the equivalent field as a 480mm full frame. I have a 150mm-600mm zoom and you still have to be fairly close even at full stretch.

ValueInIreland

You can get a new Samyang 500mm f6.3 Mirror lens for under €300. It fits different cameras via a thing called a T2 Mount.
It's Cheap
It's Light
Quality is OKAY
It's ONLY Aperature is f6.3
No Autofocus
-But it's cheap!

gzoladz

ValueInIreland wrote: »

You can get a new Samyang 500mm f6.3 Mirror lens for under €300. It fits different cameras via a thing called a T2 Mount.
It's Cheap
It's Light
Quality is OKAY
It's ONLY Aperature is f6.3
No Autofocus
-But it's cheap!

Maybe I am late but if it is for a trip, use that money to rent a proper lens?