Which lens for surfing

I have a 7d(1.6 crop) and a 70-200 II and find that this is not long enough for surf so ethier I can trade for a 300 2.8 or trade plus cash for 300 2.8 is or I can get a 400 5.6. I plan to get serious with surf on somewhat of a budget what do you think.

If you're on a budget, have you thought about a Canon 2x Extender?

k3v11n wrote in post #12191542
If you're on a budget, have you thought about a Canon 2x Extender?

Ya I was but someone on here said it made the iq really bad. Is that true

The new 2X Mark III Extender with the new 70-200/2.8 IS Mark II is supposed to be pretty good. I haven't tried it, though, so this isn't from personal experience.

I'd still suggest get the 400/5.6, though... It will likely be better image quality. You'll probably want a monopod or tripod, though.

A 300mm lens, by itself, will generally not be long enough for a lot of surfing shots. On the other hand, the 300/2.8 works very well with both 1.4X and 2X Extenders (even Mark II versions, which can be bought a lot cheaper than the Mark IIIs).

An interesting alternative might be a Sigma 150-500 OS. It's an f4.5 to f6.5, if memory serves.... But most surf shots are done in elatively bright light. I think it's about $1000 US lens.

laselects06 wrote in post #12191675
Ya I was but someone on here said it made the iq really bad. Is that true

I'd only recommend using the 2x with the best long primes. It delivers decent quality with the 300mm f/2.8 especially if you don't have to crop much. As was mentioned in the 300 thread, with surfing, 300mm is really not enough, only a possible starting point. The 400 or (ideally and expensively) the 500mm would give you longer starting points -- maybe the 500 + a 1.4c TC would be all you needed, but of course that 500 costs the price of a decent used car. This is a specialized field!

Do you want to shoot surfING or surfERS?

The former can be nice seascapes with people in them which doesn't have to be with humongous glass.

The latter is very much in need of as long as you can get.

FlyingPhotog wrote in post #12191784
Do you want to shoot surfING or surfERS?

The former can be nice seascapes with people in them which doesn't have to be with humongous glass.

The latter is very much in need of as long as you can get.

Yeah, that's a great point!

laselects06 wrote in post #12191675
Ya I was but someone on here said it made the iq really bad. Is that true

'Really bad' is a relative term. What one person won't accept another will be quite happy with.

Almost certainly you will get a better resolution from a TC than if you were to take a picture without one and then make an equivalent enlargement (crop) using Photoshop.

You probably won't get as good a picture as if you bought a much longer lens, but a TC is a lot cheaper and it isn't as if the images are unrecognisable or anything.

I can't guess what you personally will find acceptable for a given cost, but I wouldn't just write the idea off. Is there any chance you can borrow or hire some gear to get a feel for them both before you buy?

In the end however I suspect that composition and content will be more important than the last ultimate bit of quality anyway. If you spend a fortune on lenses and take dull pictures nobody will be interested. If on the other hand you get really exciting images that capture the spirit of surfing then everyone will like them as long as the quality isn't too awful.

TCs are worth owning regardless IMO, especially given the price of the Kenko ones. ~$300 and you can have a Kenko 1.4x and 2x, try them on the 70-200, and if the quality isn't sufficient you can put them behind some sharper and/or longer glass down the track.

Another option: get an underwater casing for your 7D with strobes. Then you can take pictures in the water from a short distance with different angles....

I would go with the Canon 1200mm L. Anything shorter would be to hard to stand on!

Where's my plane ticket? I have the ideal surfing lens but they do not surf here. Sigmonster on a tripod. Sigma 300-800/5.6.

GregoryF wrote in post #12194021
I would go with the Canon 1200mm L. Anything shorter would be to hard to stand on!

haha that made me laugh.

gasrocks wrote in post #12194428
Where's my plane ticket? I have the ideal surfing lens but they do not surf here. Sigmonster on a tripod. Sigma 300-800/5.6.

i have a idea you can stay home send the lens to me ill even pay for the baggage