Options for More Distance?

I currently have a Rebel T3 & use my 75-300mm lens for my wildlife shots. Is there anything I can buy to increase my range? I see all kinds of attachments and filters, but they sound like they're for close up macro shots; I have a diopter for that. I'm needing to be able to zoom just a little closer in on birds, etc that are not close.

100-400 or 400 5.6

You can add a t-con either a 1.4 or a 2.0 and get more range but you will loose quality and the AF will no longer work. A better option but more expensive would be to get a longer lens The new Tammy 150-600 get you quite a bit more range and the general consensus seems to be that the quality is quite good for such an inexpensive long lens.

Have you tried just cropping the images? Any cheap option for more "reach" will look about the same as cropping your 300mm image.

To get more reach and quality results will cost money. Consider one of the used Canon 100-400mm lenses being dumped by the thousands as their owners upgrade to the new 100-400mm II. The old 100-400mm lens is fantastic and versatile. There is also the 400 f5.6 as huntersdad also mentioned, but it lacks IS. Put it on a tripod and it will be great too.

The 75-300mm lens does not have a good reputation. You won't be able to do much with it for distant subjects.

1. Cheap
2. Quality
3. Reach

Pick 2.

Cheap + Quality: EF 400 f/5.6
Cheap + Reach: Tamron 150-600
Quality + Reach: EF 500 f/4, EF 600 f/4

jeetsukumaran wrote in post #17346350
1. Cheap
2. Quality
3. Reach

Pick 2.

Cheap + Quality: EF 400 f/5.6
Cheap + Reach: Tamron 150-600
Quality + Reach: EF 500 f/4, EF 600 f/4

Outstanding reply!

Sorry to say you cant do much to your current lens. Its one of canon's worst ( I'm not being mean or snotty, I had one) and the quality loss from a teleconverter would make your images pretty soft. As mentioned above going longer than 300 isnt cheap. If your budget can abide it canon recently introduced an update to ghe 100-400L and the used version of the original are dropping to decent prices.

+1 to everything Gonzo said. If you don't think the 100-400 is enough added reach, I would recommend the Tamron 150-600 that others have mentioned. Not sure if it's quite as good as the new Sigma Sports lens of the same range, but the Tammy is almost half the price and I find it to be a decent lens.

nightcat wrote in post #17346538
Outstanding reply!

+1

LV Moose wrote in post #17346588
+1 to everything Gonzo said. If you don't think the 100-400 is enough added reach, I would recommend the Tamron 150-600 that others have mentioned. Not sure if it's quite as good as the new Sigma Sports lens of the same range, but the Tammy is almost half the price and I find it to be a decent lens.

I agree. There seems to be a lot of white lens snobbery out there. But from the images I've seen the Tammy seems to be quite good.

If i am in that place and knowing that Tamron 150-600 is that good then i will try hardest to save for Sigma 150-600, i am waiting to see more reviews about it, even it is bigger and more price but i think it is also better quality overall, at the end i will not waste money on middle solution, 70-300 with 2x will give you 140-600 with regard of quality for sure, but then if you want a pure or bare 150-600 then go for the best quality version of available when you can and don't look back.

the cheapest way to go long with decent IQ is one of the old sigma super telephoto zooms...the 120-400OS, and 150-500OS...on the used market you can probably grab them in the $600 range if not cheaper

I cannot know the OP's financial situation, but I guess that for a person with a T3 and the 75-300 the budget is not very high (I can be totally wrong, of course). If that's the case, the Tamron or Sigma 150-600 or the Canon 100-400 are not "cheap". Sigma 120-400 or 150-500 used would be more palatable choice, at around $600 used. Still, as many people already said, reach costs money.

Lbsimon, you're completely correct about my budget. LOL. I understand that everyone is saying theses lenses are cheap in comparison to the other options though. I guess trying an extender is my better option now. I've found used Kenko extenders for $100 or less, that's more my price range. Lol. I've asked a few people, and they say that some of those extenders still retain AF with the right lens.