Which telephoto lens to get for Canon 400D (sub-$800)

Hi all,

I have a Canon 400D, with a Canon 17-85 IS lens. I'm going on safari
next Feb, and so want to get a better lens for telephoto zoom shots.

My budget is less than 800 USD (less than 600 euro), and I've managed to
find the following lenses that fit my budget:

- Canon 70-300 IS
- Sigma 18-200 DC

and at the higher end...

- Sigma 70-200 f/2.8
- Canon 70-200L USM f/4 (this is 2nd hand mint, hence the lower price)


Anyone have views on these, and which would be best for the type of
envinronment I intend on shooting in?

Or recommendations on any others I should consider? (IS/OS is a plus,
but not a necessity)

Thanks!

--
________________________________________
www.globenotes.com/member/peterforan/

On Sat, 20 Dec 2008 11:33:56 -0800 (PST), PixelPix
wrote in
:

On Dec 21, 4:54*am, Stimp wrote:
Hi all,

I have a Canon 400D, with a Canon 17-85 IS lens. I'm going on safari
next Feb, and so want to get a better lens for telephoto zoom shots.

My budget is less than 800 USD (less than 600 euro), and I've managed to
find the following lenses that fit my budget:

- Canon 70-300 IS
- Sigma 18-200 DC

and at the higher end...

- Sigma 70-200 f/2.8
- Canon 70-200L USM f/4 *(this is 2nd hand mint, hence the lower price)

Anyone have views on these, and which would be best for the type of
envinronment I intend on shooting in?

Or recommendations on any others I should consider? (IS/OS is a plus,
but not a necessity)

No question.... the 70-200 f4 L is miles ahead of the rest! (This
lens matches the much more expensive 2.8 version for image quality)

Agreed.
--
Best regards,
John
[Please Note: Ads belong (only) in rec.photo.marketplace.digital]

On Sat, 20 Dec 2008 PixelPix wrote:
On Dec 21, 4:54*am, Stimp wrote:
I have a Canon 400D, with a Canon 17-85 IS lens. I'm going on safari
next Feb, and so want to get a better lens for telephoto zoom shots.

- Canon 70-200L USM f/4 *(this is 2nd hand mint, hence the lower price)

No question.... the 70-200 f4 L is miles ahead of the rest! (This
lens matches the much more expensive 2.8 version for image quality)

If you find that you need more reach, you can couple it to Canon's
1.4x extender and still have excellent quality. IMHO I don't think
this combo can be beat for the price.

great thanks! I had a friend that personally preferred the high-end
Sigma over the Canon L ... but all the reviews I've read seem to point
to the superior quality of the Canon L.

I wasn't aware of the 1.4 extender either, that sounds perfect!

--
________________________________________
www.globenotes.com/member/peterforan/

PixelPix wrote:
On Dec 21, 4:54 am, Stimp wrote:
Hi all,

I have a Canon 400D, with a Canon 17-85 IS lens. I'm going on
safari
next Feb, and so want to get a better lens for telephoto zoom
shots.

My budget is less than 800 USD (less than 600 euro), and I've
managed to find the following lenses that fit my budget:

- Canon 70-300 IS
- Sigma 18-200 DC

and at the higher end...

- Sigma 70-200 f/2.8
- Canon 70-200L USM f/4 (this is 2nd hand mint, hence the lower
price)

Anyone have views on these, and which would be best for the type of
envinronment I intend on shooting in?

Or recommendations on any others I should consider? (IS/OS is a
plus,
but not a necessity)

Thanks!

--
________________________________________www.globen otes.com/member/peterforan/

No question.... the 70-200 f4 L is miles ahead of the rest! (This
lens matches the much more expensive 2.8 version for image quality)

If you find that you need more reach, you can couple it to Canon's
1.4x extender and still have excellent quality. IMHO I don't think
this combo can be beat for the price.

Hardly "miles ahead"--the 70-300 IS comes very close to matching it in
resolution, has IS, gives you another 100mm without a teleconverter
(and Canon's teleconverter isn't cheap). Major downside is that the
mount is not as durable.
--
--
--John
to email, dial "usenet" and validate
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)

Stimp wrote:
Hi all,

I have a Canon 400D, with a Canon 17-85 IS lens. I'm going on safari
next Feb, and so want to get a better lens for telephoto zoom shots.

My budget is less than 800 USD (less than 600 euro), and I've managed to
find the following lenses that fit my budget:

- Canon 70-300 IS
- Sigma 18-200 DC

and at the higher end...

- Sigma 70-200 f/2.8
- Canon 70-200L USM f/4 (this is 2nd hand mint, hence the lower price)


Anyone have views on these, and which would be best for the type of
envinronment I intend on shooting in?

Or recommendations on any others I should consider? (IS/OS is a plus,
but not a necessity)

You should be able to find a used Sigma 100-300mm f/4 for that budget.

--
Paul Furman
www.edgehill.net
www.baynatives.com

all google groups messages filtered due to spam

On 20 Dec 2008 18:54:54 GMT, Stimp wrote:
: Hi all,
:
: I have a Canon 400D, with a Canon 17-85 IS lens. I'm going on safari
: next Feb, and so want to get a better lens for telephoto zoom shots.
:
: My budget is less than 800 USD (less than 600 euro), and I've managed to
: find the following lenses that fit my budget:
:
: - Canon 70-300 IS
: - Sigma 18-200 DC
:
: and at the higher end...
:
: - Sigma 70-200 f/2.8
: - Canon 70-200L USM f/4 (this is 2nd hand mint, hence the lower price)
:
:
: Anyone have views on these, and which would be best for the type of
: envinronment I intend on shooting in?
:
: Or recommendations on any others I should consider? (IS/OS is a plus,
: but not a necessity)
:
: Thanks!

Is the Sigma 70-200 a constant-aperture lens? If not, you might consider the
Sigma 50-150 f/2.8, which is.

Bob

"Stimp" wrote in message
...
Hi all,

I have a Canon 400D, with a Canon 17-85 IS lens. I'm going on safari
next Feb, and so want to get a better lens for telephoto zoom shots.

My budget is less than 800 USD (less than 600 euro), and I've managed
to
find the following lenses that fit my budget:

- Canon 70-300 IS
- Sigma 18-200 DC

and at the higher end...

- Sigma 70-200 f/2.8
- Canon 70-200L USM f/4 (this is 2nd hand mint, hence the lower
price)

The 70-200L f4 is a very, very nice piece of glass. I have one that I
use for shooting bicycle races. I do at times wish it was IS, but the
quality of the lens is extraordinary. And yes, it's paired with the same
17-85 IS you've got.

Oh right, one significant downside. When you see the images possible
with the 70-200 f4, you're going to have a difficult time going back to
the 17-85. Seriously!

--Mike Jacoubowsky
Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReaction.com
Redwood City & Los Altos, CA USA

Stimp wrote:
Hi all,

I have a Canon 400D, with a Canon 17-85 IS lens. I'm going on safari
next Feb, and so want to get a better lens for telephoto zoom shots.

My budget is less than 800 USD (less than 600 euro), and I've managed to
find the following lenses that fit my budget:

- Canon 70-300 IS
- Sigma 18-200 DC

and at the higher end...

- Sigma 70-200 f/2.8
- Canon 70-200L USM f/4 (this is 2nd hand mint, hence the lower price)

Anyone have views on these, and which would be best for the type of
envinronment I intend on shooting in?

The 70-200 lenses are very nice, but they don't have a very long reach.
If I was going I'd take either the 70-300 (if I wanted a cheaper lens
that I could stand losing) or the 100-400 to pair with the 17-85. The
drawback with that one being no IS.

--
Ray Fischer

On 21 Dec 2008 07:13:25 GMT, (Ray Fischer) wrote in
:

Stimp wrote:
Hi all,

I have a Canon 400D, with a Canon 17-85 IS lens. I'm going on safari
next Feb, and so want to get a better lens for telephoto zoom shots.

My budget is less than 800 USD (less than 600 euro), and I've managed to
find the following lenses that fit my budget:

- Canon 70-300 IS
- Sigma 18-200 DC

and at the higher end...

- Sigma 70-200 f/2.8
- Canon 70-200L USM f/4 (this is 2nd hand mint, hence the lower price)

Anyone have views on these, and which would be best for the type of
envinronment I intend on shooting in?

The 70-200 lenses are very nice, but they don't have a very long reach.
If I was going I'd take either the 70-300 (if I wanted a cheaper lens
that I could stand losing) or the 100-400 to pair with the 17-85. The
drawback with that one being no IS.

Why do you think you need such a long lens? Friends of mine on safari
have done well with much less -- the guides got them pretty close.

With a crop factor of 1.6x, the 70-200 on the 400D becomes 112-320 in 35
mm terms, which I'd call a long reach.
--
Best regards,
John
[Please Note: Ads belong (only) in rec.photo.marketplace.digital]

"John Navas" wrote in message
...
On 21 Dec 2008 07:13:25 GMT, (Ray Fischer) wrote in
:

Stimp wrote:
Hi all,

I have a Canon 400D, with a Canon 17-85 IS lens. I'm going on safari
next Feb, and so want to get a better lens for telephoto zoom shots.

My budget is less than 800 USD (less than 600 euro), and I've managed to
find the following lenses that fit my budget:

- Canon 70-300 IS
- Sigma 18-200 DC

and at the higher end...

- Sigma 70-200 f/2.8
- Canon 70-200L USM f/4 (this is 2nd hand mint, hence the lower price)

Anyone have views on these, and which would be best for the type of
envinronment I intend on shooting in?

The 70-200 lenses are very nice, but they don't have a very long reach.
If I was going I'd take either the 70-300 (if I wanted a cheaper lens
that I could stand losing) or the 100-400 to pair with the 17-85. The
drawback with that one being no IS.

Why do you think you need such a long lens? Friends of mine on safari
have done well with much less -- the guides got them pretty close.

And there is nothing to indicate that his guides will do the same.

Long is good in this situation but I would personally go for an IS lens and
choose the 70-300mm IS.