Lens Advice

[carl hammond]

Hi all,

I have not been on for a while due to work etc but I have got a little cash spare (not too much) and want to know others views and opinions on what I could buy as a new lens (if it's worth it) or not etc.

So my Setup is a Canon 550D body and I have 3 lenses as below:

Canon 18-55mm lens (that the camera came with) with AF and Stabilizer
I also have a Tamron 18-270mm lens which has AF and the Tamron Stabilizer system
and finally I have a Canon EF 75-300mm f/4.0-5.6 III USM (which has AF but no Stabilizer).

I have yet to use the 18-55mm as for holidays etc I take the 18-270 and this is what I bought it for due to the range of photo's it can take. I also use the 18-270 for aviation photo's at aerodromes such as Headcorn etc as I can get close to the runway and also get shots of the aircraft as they come in, however the 75-300mm is my maximum lens for airshows.

I have been considering replacing the 75-300mm with another lens which will have a Stabilizer system built in due to some of my photo's getting a slight blur and was wondering what your thoughts are on the below lenses or whether there are any you'd recommend for between the 300-450 range (even second hand). I could go a little over budget and sell the 300mm lens I have to recoup some of the money.

Lenses I have looked at so far (with very little knowledge).

Sigma APO 80-400mm F4.5-5.6 EX OS ZOOM LENS
Sigma 50-500mm f/4.5-6.3 APO DG OS HSM
Sigma 120-400mm f/4.5-5.6 APO DG OS HSM

Canon EF 100-400mm F/4.5-5.6 L IS USM
Canon EF 75-300mm IS USM f/4-5.6 Image Stabilizer Ultrasonic Lens (with a canon or Kenko Teleplus Pro 300 DGX 1.4X Teleconverter) for extra range

Basically I am looking for the best budget lens / setup with reasonable price for next season as I aim to get some sharper clearer images with good prob blur and also decent vapour etc off of the jets, one thing I struggle with is getting the air moving over the jets and the prob's spinning properly.

Any info and advice would be greatly appreciated including any feedback on other lenses etc.

Thanks

PS some of my images can be seen on my others posts on this forum.

[carl hammond]

Hello,

I only have experience with the Sigma 120-400mm lens, I personally find it a cracking lens and have used it for not only Airshow photo's but also Football photo's too, I'm using mine on the 40D at the moment until I've saved enough to upgrade the camera.

For me these where the pro's and con's when I bought the one I had:

Pro: Under £400 at the time, Extra zoom range, OS capability, used previous lenses so knew of the build quality/glass quality, Balanced weight when on the camera.

Cons: even after seeing some photo's taken with it was concerned about the image quality (needless to say that isn't a con now I have the lens!), Quite heavy if your not used to the lens.

Most of my photo's posted from Southport or RIAT this year have been taken with the 120-400!

Not entirely sure though but if you added a Teleconverter to the Canon 70-300 IS USM f/4-5.6 there's a chance that it may not work at all, somethings stirring in my mind from my time working at Jacobs in Liverpool about them working better with Prime lenses or fixed Aperture lenses (possibly may be wrong though).

Hope this helps a little bit.

Thank you very much for the reply, the Sigma 120-400mm lens is currently and was top of the list as I have heard good things about it, I will have a look through some of your images later

Thanks again

Carl
PS - Any advice on how to get better prop blur and the vapour / heat from jets?

[TKK 140]

Go for the best glass you can get, the 100-400 L is a good lens if not a little soft at 400.

[xkekeith]

I bought a good example of a second hand Canon 100-400 which was soft at the 400 end but after a service by Canon is much sharper. Plenty of these available now but quality does vary so you need to try before you buy.

[Blackbird]

You (should) have a PM

Andy

[carl hammond]

[quote="carl hammond
Thank you very much for the reply, the Sigma 120-400mm lens is currently and was top of the list as I have heard good things about it, I will have a look through some of your images later

Thanks again

Carl
PS - Any advice on how to get better prop blur and the vapour / heat from jets?

Hi Carl,

I generally go for a shutter speed of around 1/400 or slightly lower for prop's and around 1/500 upwards for heat/Vapour coupled with either Auto ISO or 400-640 ISO[/quote]

Thanks again mate, any links to images you've taken with this Sigma lens?

Thanks

Carl

[carl hammond]

Thanks very much for the replies so far guys, hope to get the right lens soon, any additional info or advice would again be greatly appreciated.

[Brevet Cable]

Whilst it's outside your budget limit of £450 ( and to be honest you won't get much for your 75-300 USM III if you sell it or trade it in ) , given that there's still about another 5 months until the airshow season starts , you could always keep your eyes open for a Tamron 150-600 ..... at the moment you can pick up a used one for around £650 , so about the same price as a good used Canon 100-400 L

[helired3]

Tamron 150-600 is £579 new on eglobal i got mine from them early this year no problems at all.

[carl hammond]

Tamron 150-600 is £579 new on eglobal i got mine from them early this year no problems at all.

Is this better than the 120-400?

Would I be better off saving for a few months and getting a canon 100-400 L lens?

[helired3]

Tamron 150-600 is £579 new on eglobal i got mine from them early this year no problems at all.

Is this better than the 120-400?

Would I be better off saving for a few months and getting a canon 100-400 L lens?

I cant answer that one sorry I haven't used the 120-400. I have a Tamron 150-600 that I use on my Nikon it works well the sweet spot I think is at about 500.

[carl hammond]

Thanks for the replies all,

I managed to get a really good deal on a Sigma 120-400mm f/4.5-5.6 APO DG OS which is apparently like new and comes complete with everything from new and is confirmed to have no dust, no balsam separation, no fog on the inside of the lens, no tiny fungus and no scratches on either lens so fingers crossed the description is true when it arrives. As soon as it's here I will let you know and be seeking advice on how best to use this with my Canon 550D for optimum results

[DerekF]

I've used the Sigma 120-400mm with a Nikon D7000 for a number of years now and I have achieved some pretty decent results with it. A better lens than the old Nikon 80-400mm I think.

[carl hammond]

Thanks for the reply and good comment on the lens Derekf,

Does anyone know the size UV filter to buy for this lens and if so is it worth it? I normally have one on my lenses to protect the glass, just a clear UV lens

Thanks

[DerekF]

It's a 77mm filter size. Worth it? I always put filters on my lenses to save the front element from damage and dirt so in my case , yes.

[carl hammond]

It's a 77mm filter size. Worth it? I always put filters on my lenses to save the front element from damage and dirt so in my case , yes.

Awesome, thanks Derek I will order one now

[carl hammond]

Hi all, I finally got my Sigma 120-400mm lens through and it's in superb condition (looks like new).

Just wondering if anyone knows how easy it it to manually zoom whilst panning at airshows etc, also is it right for the focus ring to move (has the ability to be moved) when the Focus switch is set to AF?

Finally it has OS off, 1 and 2, what's the difference between 1 and 2?

Thanks

Carl

[Homer]

Just wondering if anyone knows how easy it it to manually zoom whilst panning at airshows etc,

Unless you are using a monopod the hand you are using to zoom will also be supporting the lens so you can't expect to go from full zoom to full wide with a flick of the wrist as you may be used to with lighter lenses. I don't find it too restrictive though.

also is it right for the focus ring to move (has the ability to be moved) when the Focus switch is set to AF?

Yes, I believe it has a system whereby you can manually focus even when in AF mode.

Finally it has OS off, 1 and 2, what's the difference between 1 and 2?

IIRC 1 is normal, 2 is panning mode.

[carl hammond]

Just wondering if anyone knows how easy it it to manually zoom whilst panning at airshows etc,

Unless you are using a monopod the hand you are using to zoom will also be supporting the lens so you can't expect to go from full zoom to full wide with a flick of the wrist as you may be used to with lighter lenses. I don't find it too restrictive though.

also is it right for the focus ring to move (has the ability to be moved) when the Focus switch is set to AF?

Yes, I believe it has a system whereby you can manually focus even when in AF mode.

Finally it has OS off, 1 and 2, what's the difference between 1 and 2?

IIRC 1 is normal, 2 is panning mode.

Superb, thanks for the updates mate and I will before the season begins get some practice in to ensure I don't miss some good opportunities

[carl hammond]

Well here it is, the lens of choice I purchased: