Expensive zoom lenses

Most of my shots are outdoors. Ideally, I would like to shoot wildlife/bird shots. The problem is cost....

A zoom lense to shoot at 40 metres for example, is way above my means. I am currently looking at a Olympus C-750 as an upgrade but i'm still undecided.

Is there a way that I can photograph small-medium sized birds at ranges of up to 40 metres, in normal light conditions (and still shots) for £600 (or a max of £800)?

What camera are you using?
Stop thinking about the distance (what size bird at 40m - Blue Tit orGolden Eagle?) and zoom lenses and go for a prime telephoto.
More details please and I'll try and help.

At the moment I have an Olympus D-490, but for the shots that I want, i know that i'm going to need something with a higher MP (2.1 at the moment), and a reasonable zoom.

The bird size will vary from Sparrow to Buzzard.

As I was saying, i need an upgrade, and a sensible to match my skill level and budget.

Right, thanks for your reply so promptly.
I hope you will not think that I am 'laying down the law' here - all these thoghts are mine and mine alone, but I think I have some idea of what I am doing and saying about photography so please bear with me.

I presume you are thinking about a 10D?
OK, then you have no lenses to go on this so you are starting with a clean sheet.

1/ Try to afford to buy the best lenses you can even if you think they are not wide or telephoto enough for you at the time, always aim for Canon if possible.

2/ Start off slowly and learn to use the camera with just one lens - try the 50.1.8 Canon (cheap and excellent optically), or a 28-135 IS, for a more flexible lens.

3/ Put thoughts about the bird photography away until you can afford something much, much longer than the normal run of lenses. Pro bird photographers use 500 or 600/4L lenses with extenders on them. The Canon 400/5.6 gets good reports and is lots cheaper and more portable, a Sigma 400/5.6 is a possibility.

4/ A word of caution - long zooms are never as good as prime telephoto lenses, forget cheap wide range 'superzooms' whatever the salesman might say.
Sigma supposedly do some good long zooms although I've not used these myself - the 135-400mm and 50-500mm but the prices still aren't cheap.

5/ Always try to use the lenses you are thinking of buying on your body and look at the images on the computer before deciding. If possible get the shop (if they are a good photo store they will do this) to let you try the lens and put it on one side until you let them know if you want it - this way you get the lens you have tested and know that it works OK and is up to standard.

Don't forget that the 10D gives you that 1.6 multiplier so a 400mm is effectively = 640mm on a film camera so you will need a good monopod at least when walking and a decent tripod if you are in one place for any length of time.

All the best and enjoy learning and owning some decent gear to take photos with - that's what it's all about.

You might want to look into digiscoping. I don't have such a setup myself but I've seen some pictures taken with a digital camera attached to a scope and they were impressive. Even more impressive was the fact that they were taken from quite a distance. One of the disadvantage of the digiscoping setup is that the scope probably always need to be on a tripod.

BigWigg,

Before I got the 10D I had invested in the Olympus C2100 UZ which is the GrandDady of the C750 you mention. (both have a zoom range of 28-280mm equivelent)

The C 750 is the best you will be able to do without getting a DSLR.

A word of warning though. I had the C2100 with its 10X zoom for quite some time,. but it did not take me long to realise I needed interchangable lenses to get those wildlife shots I desired.

So,. yes I think the C-750 is one of the best choices for what you intend,. BUT....

....you may want to go for the 10D if the cost is at all feasable for your budget.

There's some pretty sound advice in what you are all saying I think.

Paul, to start with I will place the bird photography on the back-burner... I really dont want to do this, but I think that I can see where your coming from. Until I can afford the equipment, I think that I should build on my general skills...

Thanks for your help.

One option here is renting.

If you plan on a bird watching trip that will result in numerous good photo ops, think about renting. An investment of a rented lens, resulting in a few fantastic shots may well be worth it.

You may be able to rent some long lenses for a reasonable cost. This would allow you to fully test the lenses, and see which gave you results you really like.

Check with some of the pro shops around for what they have and the cost. You might even be able to pick up some good used equipment there too (sure it's abused, so do not buy used equipment without a warranty unless you feel lucky!)

I bought my nice, new C750 yesterday lunchtime....

So far i'm impressed to say the least, for the moment and near future I think that it's going to more than meet my needs!

I have checked out the digital zoom first hand, and to be honest I cant see me having to use it. I have photoshop to "touch up" images.

Stopbath, that's a good idea, and a possible avenue for me to go down in the future. Thanks.


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Your welcome, I've rented a few lenses (not for digital use) before and it's great way to use a lens that would have set you back thousands of dollars. Check into several different places, see what they have and their costs. The stock and prices may vary widely.

Congratulations on your new purchase.