Quantaray - 70-300mm f/4.0-5.6 ?

[Groveland]

Hello,
Thank you for taking the time to read this message.
As the old saying goes "Spring has Sprung" around this area of Northeastern Mass.
During the month of December I purchased a Canon EOS Rebel (This is my second digital) but this Canon gives me the oportunity to change the lens.
I live near a wildlife santuary and pretty soon it will be full of wild life. When I first bought the Canon EOS I thought that when it came time I would get a telephoto lens somewhere around 300 mm.

I have seen some in the price range from $400 ~ $800 +.

I stumbled into RITZ camera today and told them I was looking for a nice 300 mm telephoto lens to take some close-up wild life shots.
They showed me a "Quantaray" - 70-300mm f/4.0-5.6 High Speed Auto Focus Zoom for EOS Canon (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00009V378/ref=ase_digitalcame06-20/102-0693736-2804947?v=glance&s=photo)

I know the saying goes you get what you pay for.
Could one of you "Pro's" tell me ... Is this Quantaray lens any good or should I avoid it.
Any information will be appreciated.
Thank you.

[Andy_T]

Groveland,

welcome to the forum :lol:

I am neither a pro nor have I used this lens... so all I can offer you is hearsay.

Every time I heard the words 'Quantaray lens' so far in my life, they were followed by either the recommendation 'stay far away from it' or 'get rid of it'.

You don't always get what you pay ... because there are very decent Canon or Sigma 300 mm lenses for this money that many people swear by. Some of the Canon 100-300 and 75-300 lenses might be a bit more expensive, but they are normally reported to be MUCH better.

Of course, you can get the 100-400L or L prime lenses to have even better image quality, but these are much more expensive
Best regards,
Andy

PS: I've heard of Quantaray lenses quite often on the forum.

[defordphoto]

Quantaray is to lenses as Hamm's is to beer.

[Nightcrawler]

What are you looking to spend on a telephoto zoom? I am sure that we can point you in the right direction.

[CyberDyneSystems]

Quantaray is to lenses as Hamm's is to beer.

:lol:

... as AMC Pacers are to sports cars... :lol:

[defordphoto]

:lol:

... as AMC Pacers are to sports cars... :lol:

:lol: :lol: :lol: Even better!

[cactusclay]

As the 99 cents store is to Macys.

[Groveland]

A "BIG" thank you too everyone for their input on the :

"Quantaray" - 70-300mm f/4.0-5.6 High Speed Auto Focus Zoom for EOS Canon (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00009V378/ref=ase_digitalcame06-20/102-0693736-2804947?v=glance&s=photo)

I am looking to spend around $500 for a nice lens 300 mm.
Could one of you "Pro's" lead me in the right direction ?

Again, thank you for all your help.

[defordphoto]

Ahhhh! A budget number. Got to love that.

Take a bit of a squeeze on the long end and get one of the best zoom lenses that money can buy. Get the 70-200L f/4.

Get it at B&H for $579

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=183198&is=USA

Spend the extra $79. It's worth every penny.

[Steve Parr]

I've got the Quantary 70-300mm. I paid $169.00.

All in all, considering what it is, I've been pleased with the results from it. I didn't have the budget of $500.00, I had the budget of about $200.00, so the Quantary certainly fit that bill. If my budget was $500.00, I would definitely spend an additional $79.00 and get the Canon 70-200mm L f/4.

If I were paying my mortgage with my photography (like, I suspect, some here do), I would not compromise. I simply needed a decent knock-around lens, and the Quantary is it.

Does anyone know who makes the Quantary lenses for Ritz? I've heard SIgma, but I don't know that for sure...

Steve

[CyberDyneSystems]

Quataray is not made by anybody,. and it's made by everybody,...

I'ts just like Sears "Craftsman" or "Kenmore" ...dozens of different manufacturers all over the world,. (well mostly Taiwan and Korea) all being rebranded with the "house name".

It's true that some Quantaryas are old Sigma designs.. (none are current and none will look identical with a current Sigma side by side) but some "Poop-arays" are "cosina" Kalimar Pheonix and other really lovely coke bottle optics companies :lol:

It's also tru that being the "house brand" Ritz makes the highest profit margin off of Quantaray... and there employees are given incentives for recomending them above all others.

[Nightcrawler]

I second the 70-200 f4L. That is going to be the next lens I get as soon as I have the funds.

[alfa1six4]

You might think about the Sigma 70-300 APO Macro Super II. B&H sells it for about $209, just a few $ more than the Quantaray. I got mine on Ebay for $150. So a search in the forums and you will see many happy owners(myself included). In this price range, it will give you the most bang for the buck.

[Jon]

For $20 more than Ritz is selling the Quantaray, B&H has the Canon 75-300 USM. For about $100 more, you can get the Canon 100-300 from them. For about $415 you can get the Canon 75-300 IS, and for $580 there's the Canon 70-200 f/4. Just Say "No" to Ritz.

[Big Hands]

One of the worst aspects of buying lenses (and flash units as well) such as Quantaray and Promaster to name a couple, is that their resale value is usually VERY low (I'm talking embarrassingly, insultingly low here) compared to the more mainstream brands (especially Canon).

Don't ask how I know this. :oops:

Whereas if you buy a Canon lens, you can usually get back quite a bit if you decide to sell it.

You can get a Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III USM Zoom Lens from Canoga Camera for about $179.

You can get the non-USM version for around $149, but for $30, the USM is well worth it.

I have used both of these and while they are not the equal of the 70-200 f/4L (which I currently own), they are going to be better than what you are looking at and retain some value too.

[ron chappel]

You seem to have the money to afford the excellent canon 70-200/4L so i'm reluctant to recommend anything else!;)

If you really want 300mm though you have several good options.
The most obvious quality option is to buy the canon 1.4 extender with the 70-200/4L lens but this will kill your budget by a fair bit:(
Another option is the sigma 100-300/4 EX lens. This is a pro quality lens that gets excellent reviews from owners and has image quality as good or allmost as good as the canon 70-200/4L. I'm not sure of the cost but it should be not much over us$500

If you decide to go for a cheaper option then there are only two very good consumer zooms to consider-

The canon 100-300 usm and the sigma 70-300 Apo macro super II
The canon is very nicely built and has genuinely fast focus while the sigma offers good macro ability (1:2)

[Groveland]

A "BIG" Thank you too all for the imput.
I appreciate "All" of your information.
Thank you very much.