Telephoto Lens for EOS 350D

[jonathanp]

Hello everyone,

I was wondering if any one could possibly help me. I have come to the decision that it is time to buy a telephoto lens for my Canon 350D. However, i am pretty new to the world of DSLR Photography and i have found myself a little dead in the water with regard to lenses. I am on a budget of no more than £250 and am looking for the best quality lens with the greatest zoom available. By saying this I understand that for only £250 I am contradicting myself but you get the idea.

If anyone can spare a keen to learn photographer a bit of advice in the right direction i would very much appreciate it

Thank you

JP

P.s) Sorry if this is post is in the wrong area on the forum

[MueveloNYC]

I was happy (relatively) with the Sigma 70-300 APO DG Macro which is in that price range. Make sure you get the APO one, as the non APO is much cheaper but is total crap.

This is the review that made me want to buy the lens (back when I was a student and poor as heck):
http://www.ephotozine.com/article/Sigma-70-300mm-F4-56-APO-DG-Macro

It did its job, and for it's price was better than the canon 70-300 III, and the tamron in the $200 price range.

I know this is an unfair comparison, but use this as a comparison point against my L:

Sigma 70-300mm APO DG Macro (Note: Shot in the fall when the air was drier...
http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w31/MueveloNYC/Portfolio/Places/NYC/empire_night.jpg

Canon EF 70-200mm /2.8L IS (shot with 70% humidity and somewhat hazy night)
http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w31/MueveloNYC/Portfolio/Places/NYC/EmpireL.jpg

[Uhland]

Tamron 70-300
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=296290
I like tamrons better than sigmas and has a 6 year warranty vs sigmas 1 year.

Its for sale if you are interested.
$180 with insured shipping.


Also, the non apo sigma isnt as bad as others would lead you to believe.
I had one fro a weekend and it was very good. Id still recommend spending the extra on the apo however.

[MueveloNYC]

you know he's in England right? That's gonna be costly shipping to England! :)

[crn3371]

That's roughley $500 US. For about $200 US, the Sigma 70-300 is considered the best of the budget telezooms. It's probably at the top end of your budget, but take a look at the Canon 70-200 f4L. I believe there is a European version of the rebate going around so it might be worth a look. Even a used one would be a good investment. The 2 posted shots are kind of an unfair comparison, as one is a $200 lens, the other is a $1600 lens.

[MueveloNYC]

Well I said it was an unfair comparison, it was just there for reference. In my opinion though the $200 sigma did pretty damn well for being only 12% of the cost of the L :)

[Uhland]

you know he's in England right? That's gonna be costly shipping to England! :)
:oops:


I keep forgeting this forum has so many non-americans on it. :eek:

[JackProton]

For a small budget, the Sigma 55-200mm isn't a bad choice. Very small and unobtrusive. Makes a nice companion to the kit lens. The Tamron 70-300mm "macro" is pretty good but a little soft after 200mm or so. The Sigma 70-300mm APO gets good reviews. Any of these should give you fairly good results as long as you stop them down a bit and watch your shutter speed when hand-holding.

[EOS Man]

Canon 70-300 f4-5.6 IS USM

[Pete-eos]

Canon 70-300 f4-5.6 IS USM

Thats £100 over said budget...


See what you can find your budget here http://www.camerapricebuster.co.uk/

[adam LC]

EF100-300mm f4.5-5.6 USM and
Sig.28-300mm F3.5-6.3 DG Macro would be my second choice, with some cash left over.

[Matatazela]

See whether you can get a 70-200 f/4 L. Even 2nd hand, if you can.

The image quality and build qualityof this lens is virtually as good as the 2.8 version, and it knocks six colours of cr@p out of the 7X-300 lenses in performance terms. It is a lens that you will not sell in a hurry either.

I am a known hater of anything with 7X-300 in the title, based on some very bad experiences in the past, and I have only the highest accolades for the 70-200 f/4.

[jonathanp]

cheers for all the help guys, done some research on all the lenses you recomended most . I think i am going to have to get myself to a shop to get some hands on advice but thanks alot of all the help, least now i don't look like such a newbie in the shop ;)

cheers again

[MueveloNYC]

yeah - go to a shop and hold each lens. Find out which one works best for you in terms of weight and size.

[adam LC]

Don't forget that if you go to a shop like Jacobs or something, they usually have a good range of 2nd hand lenses, worth remembering as you can get some great deals.

[phylet]

how much is the 70-200 F4 non-IS used? might be able to find one for £250, that'd be amazingly good, otherwise, the sigma 70-300 really is quite good, wind it up to around F8 and it will actually give you stuff worth seeing.

[gcogger]

The 70-200 F4 non-IS usually sells for around the £340 mark in the UK - well over budget, I'm afraid...