Helping My Mother buy A New Lens

How about a used 100-400 L?
Would be in the range you are looking for

Then again you could loan mother yours and she could at the very leat test it out

What a surprise, another poll where the only "L" lens, despite being the least suitable for the job, is winning

Trust me when I say the 70-200 is not what you want for birds!

seriously...who the hell votes for the 70-200f4non IS as a birding lens...i wish the results were public...

I have the 100-400, it isn't as good as the 70-200. But for birding, the 100-400 would be a good choice, but not on the list above.

Edit: For real hobbyists who shoots birds (no pun intended), the primes are best because the speed of the lens makes a huge difference. But those lenses are very expensive, heavy and really not for carrying around all day. I have also tried the 70-200 with the Canon extenders, and that isn't great either, but useable.

DreDaze wrote in post #14524203
seriously...who the hell votes for the 70-200f4non IS as a birding lens...i wish the results were public...

was kind of surprised when I saw those results... I mean really? even for the crop factor, 200mm is simply not enough. 300mm bare minimum, and preferably 400 of some sort.

Even the 400 F/5.6L would be a better choise than the 70-200 for Birds.
But again it falls outside his specified price range, unless he can find a nice
condition used one. For the most part the more reach the more chances you
will have at getting pictures of Hawks. Unless you are going to set out
plates of chicken for them

--Evan

Thanks for the help people.

I think importing from the US or any other part of the world is out of the question mostly for customer service and warranty issues that may arise.

She's not a huge fan of second hand gear but Trademe.co.nz might be worth a browse just incase there is a bargain to be had

One of the main reasons she wants to get away from the 55-250 is the noisy and slow af. I should have made more mention of the differing subjects she shoots and that getting this Hawk shot is just what she's working on "Right Now" she shoots a variety of subjects often going to childrens sports and other community type events.

To add a bit more info to the Hawk "studio shoot" she has a roadkill possum tied to a fence post about 20-30 meters from her house and the hawk(s) visit regularly.

Another thing to mention she has held my 100-400 and found it very heavy and at almost 1.4kg she is correct

Try holding the 5D2 with 24-70 with flash on a bracket, and a 7D with 70-200 2.8 IS with hood all day long for a wedding. Yeah, I need meds to keep my back from breaking. The 100-400 is hard to hold while not shooting with the barrel needs to be secured.

You should also consider the Canon 70-300mm f/4-5.6 L, a bit lighter than the 100-400.

Milutiche wrote in post #14525403
Thanks for the help people.

I think importing from the US or any other part of the world is out of the question mostly for customer service and warranty issues that may arise.

She's not a huge fan of second hand gear but Trademe.co.nz might be worth a browse just incase there is a bargain to be had

One of the main reasons she wants to get away from the 55-250 is the noisy and slow af. I should have made more mention of the differing subjects she shoots and that getting this Hawk shot is just what she's working on "Right Now" she shoots a variety of subjects often going to childrens sports and other community type events.

To add a bit more info to the Hawk "studio shoot" she has a roadkill possum tied to a fence post about 20-30 meters from her house and the hawk(s) visit regularly.

Another thing to mention she has held my 100-400 and found it very heavy and at almost 1.4kg she is correct

It may be time for her to invest in a good tripod. That will both improve the quality of her shots and help with the lens weight issue.

Check out the latest issue of PhotoPlus Canon Edition mag from UK. They did a review of mid range telephotos. The winner was Tamron 18-270 PZD (the second generation of this lens). If someone wants a serious wildlife lens, go with a Canon 100-400. On a crop body you would have an effect range of 150-600. Nothig like getting your first L lens.

70-200 f4 Non-IS, $1100? Closer to $700, right?

Scott M wrote in post #14528284
It may be time for her to invest in a good tripod. That will both improve the quality of her shots and help with the lens weight issue.

I agree. If you're going to sit and wait for the hawks to come to the bait,
a good tripod is well worth it. She can set the camera up, focus on the
spot, and just wait for them to get hungry. And that works with all kinds
of birds, big and small. She could even pick up an intervalometer on e-bay
or deal extreme for $25.00 and let the camera snap a picture every
minute, if she doesn't want to sit and watch. It may catch some action
for her, and if all else fails she can make a simple time laps of the
afternoon.

--Evan

koufax80 wrote in post #14529215
70-200 f4 Non-IS, $1100? Closer to $700, right?

NZD its a bit different to the USD