Lens advice

[Groveland]

Hello,
Thank you for taking the time to read this message.
I have recently purchased a Canon EOS Rebel. I have to say I am not too familiar with lense opening settings or shutter speed :oops: but I am eager to learn.

I am looking to take wildlife shots. I live near a wildlife santuary and will have the opportunity to get some great shots.
I have been thinking of a lens that will go up to 300 mm.
I am basically looking for a lens that will give me the ability to shot a normal shot and then zoom in when needed.
Could one of you "Pro's" give me some advice of what to look for .
Any information will be appreciated.
Thank you.
Groveland

[reewik]

Not a pro but will chime in. I have the EF 75-300 IS that is a really good lens. Feels nice on the DR also.

[tim]

I normally try not to post about things I don't know from experience, but I don't like to see people led the wrong way...

The 75-300 is a cheap consumer grade lens, not a "really good lens" with simple IS - it has no panning mode. You'd be better off with a 100-300 lens, or if you can afford it, a 100-400L lens is much better for wildlife. Reviews can be found here (http://www.photographyreview.com/Lenses/PSC_3787crx.aspx).

I also suggest you look around your area for an introduction to photography class, I found mine very helpful, and (no offense) but it sounds like you need it.

[Persian-Rice]

The 75-300 is alright if you have no plans on anything serious with photography in the near future. As Tim said, the 100-300 would probably be the better choice considering the prices. The 100-400 is a great lens but I would categorise it as a "pro" lens, something you really don't need at this point. Unless you have $1300 of spare change in the sofa, don't even consider it.

Best bet is to invest some of that cash into a book or two or even a Intro photography course. Then get yourself a nice tripod a memory card or two and you will be set for the time being.

I also don't like to see people led the wrong way, so don't just go and buy "L" glass or pretty much anything white because 5-6 guys said so, that's my suggestion.

[Olegis]

Hi Groveland, welcome to the forum and congradulation on your first DSLR !
First of all, I would like to recommend a book on photography - it can help you alot, both learning the techniques and camera operation (for example - exposure which is combination of aperture, shutter speed and ISO setting; metering etc.) There is this thread (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=53846) with some nice recommendations, I suggest you try some of the books mentioned there. Then there are numerous web-based resources, you can find a lot of info at sites like http://www.luminous-landscape.com/ .

As of the lens recommendation - do you have an option to rent lenses in your area ? Because if you do - it might be the best for you to try a few lenses and see what each is capable of. The 70-300 IS USM seems to be like a very nice lens if you're shooting in daylight and not planning any big elgarements of the results. Just try and shoot at the smallest aperture possible without bringing the shutter speed too low (the "1/effective focal length" rule is always handy when you shoot handheld - if you zoom all the way to 300mm, then your shutter speed should be at least 1/500sec because your lens will be more like 480mm on a 1.6 crop body. If the zoom is at 100 mm, the effective focal length will be 160mm, so the shutter speed should be at least 1/200sec and so on). The Image Stabilizer system will help you to lower the shutter speeds a little bit - about 1.5-2 stops, depending on the shooting conditions (you can read a nice explanation about the f-stops here (http://www.uscoles.com/fstop.htm)).

Or, you can buy a nice sturdy tripod which will help you to stabilize the lens even further (the IS usually has to be disabled when working on a tripod). It's not as convenient as using the IS lens, but you'll get better pictures with it, trust me.

Another (really nice) lens is the Sigma 100-300 f/4 EX HSM (http://www.deltainternational.com/store/Item_SGL100%2D300C.htm) - constant f/4, very high quality optics and high speed, quiet and precise AF motor. It's not cheap at $800, but it's worth every penny.

[mdr]

If you're on a budget, go for the Canon 100-300mm USM. I traded mine in for a 75-300mm USM IS and I'm still regretting it. AF speed of the 75-300mm IS is very slow and, in my experience, struggles to track birds in flight. The 100-300mm USM is much faster.

If you have money to spare, you could consider longer 'pro' lenses such as the 100-400mm L or Sigma equivalents. Note though that these are much, much bigger and much, much heavier and will, most likely require a tripod or monopod for use.