I need some help picking a lens?

[tlake55]

I have a Canon 7D and the only lens I have so far is the kit lens (EF-S 18-135mm)...this is sooo not a long enough reach for me. I like to photograph the kids plaing (inside and out) and the birds and some nature shots and will be shooting auto racing in the summer (both from the pits and from the stands). I would like a "multi-purpose" lens, I am thinking I don't want to be swithcing lenses frequently...I find I use the long end of the 18-135mm most of the time and need even more reach (and will definitely need more come summer). I have looked at the Canon EF 70-300 f/4-5.6 IS USM, the Tamron AF 28-300 f/3.5-6.3 XR Di LD, and the Sigma 50-500 f/4.5-6.3 DG OS HSM APO (a little bulky to use for a "walk around"?...maybe??). I want range and reach and quality...do any of these lenses fit or does anybody have any better suggestions?? Help please

[inkista]

Consider renting lenses to see which one will fit your needs.

The 100-400L might be the lens you want, but not sure it'll fit your budget, given the lenses you're looking at. The Sigma 50-500 is good, but, as you say, probably not an easy lens to handhold for any length of time, and would probably do better paired on a monopod. Sigma also offers a 120-400 OS, but its reputation is not as nice as the Canon L.

[tlake55]

And with the Sigma 120-400 and I don't know if it is small enough on the short end (120mm)...as well as with the Canon 100-400L, that's why I was kinda looking at the Canon 70-300...but I do like the little bit longer reach of the Canon 100-400L (not so much the price tag). Renting is a good idea, and I have considered that but the more I rent the more it takes from the money I have to make the purchase?..uggghhh...I love this hobby!!!!

[inkista]

Well, you can also go down to a bricks'n'mortar store and try 'em out just to see, but a rental will give you more time to really play with one and get to know it.

The main thing you want to be aware of with telephotos and supertelephotos is that the technique required to shoot with one is going to be pretty different from what you're used to with the 18-135.

The 70-300 IS USM (non-L) is a great mid-budget telephoto zoom and a lot of people like it, but it's nothing like the sharpness/contrast you're going to get with an L supertelephoto. 70-300 is good for general wildlife shooting, but if you plan to shoot birds, which are small and tend to be hard to fill a frame with, you're going to want at least 400mm. And you're probably going to still have to crop.

[RichardTaylor]

If you want just a one lens solution to your outdoor shooting needs it will a compromise.

I use a Tamron super zoom (18-250) only when I have to travel light and I need a large focal length range. It is adequate in good light if you are shooting subjects that are not moving fast. The focusing can be slow and pics do need a lot of sharpening, especially when shooting at or near maximum apertures.
I would expect the Tamron 28-300 to perform similarly.

I also use a Canon 70-300 F4.5-F5.6 IS ISM and a Canon 100-400 F4.5-F5.6 IS L lenes.
I also shoot urban wild life (mostly birds) and motor racing (road racing) sometimes with a media pass & sometimes from the spectator areas.

For larger wildlife and wildlife that that is used to people the 70-300 sometimes does the job. However the 100-400 is my preferred choice mainly because of the extra reach and the 70-300 will be much too short for the small birds.

(1) This is what I mean about wildlife that is used to people.


This was shot with a Tamron 18-250 @ 77mm on a 40D

(2) This is what I mean about wildlife that is not used to people.

@400mm on a 40D


For motor sport there are two considerations.
(1) In the pits (not pit lane)
(1a)Rarely do you have enough working room.
(1b) The lighting conditions can be abysmal. (Think cave)
I am only shooting for myself when shooting in the pit & paddock area so I will normally have a 24-105 on a 5D for the car shots and sometimes a 135 F2L for the head & detail shots. I don't do a lot of shooting in the pits.

Example(3)

Canon 135 F2L, @ F2 on a 5D

(2) Trackside, and even mostly from trackside -with a media pass..
Especially from the spectator areas long is good.
If you just want a car in a scene then even a P&S camera may meet your needs, however if you want to get close then the longer the better.
I normally use my 100-400 on a 40D and it is very rare that I want something wider even when standing relatively close to a track (behind a barrier). I use my 70-300 as a back up lens.
On some tracks 400mm is the bare minimum even when shooting trackside.

Example (4)

190mm on a 40D
Here I was close enough to get covered with flying dirt (but behind a waist high barrier).

The bottom line - if you want to get close to the action go long.

[tlake55]

OK, so I am determining that I need at least 400mm...would the Sigma 50-500 f/4.5-6.3 DG OS HSM APO be too awfull big to be a "walk-around" lens? How does it compare in sharpness to the Canon 100-400 f/4.5-5.6L? How does the Sigma 80-400 f/4.5-5.6 DG OS HSM compare to the Canon 100-400 f/4.5-5.6L?

[RichardTaylor]

"Google is your friend"

See this.
Sigma 50-500mm f/4-6.3 EX DG HSM Lens Review

Is it too big for a "walk around"
Keep in mind you may have a mono pod attached.
On a race track or out in the wild shooting birds etc, No.
City street or on a vacation (where you are not mainly shooting wildlife) then probably yes.



For a comparison between the 80-400 & Canon see this.
Sigma 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6 EX DG OS Lens Review

[spcandrew]

Canon makes a 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6L IS USM Lens which is the closet thing you'll get to having a wide-angle (though not really a wide-angle on a cropped sensor) w/a long telephoto. Unless you are going to be shooting all the time off a tripod or monopod, IS would be extremely helpful, as is the fact that this is an L lens w/L lens sharpness. Of course, it's got an L lens price of around $2,450. On a cropped sensor, that's effectively 480mm on the long end though. I contemplated getting this as an all-in-one lens but ended up getting the 70-200 F/2.8 IS L instead. Personally, I think the main factor you need to consider is how sharp are lenses like the Sigma across the range, because having a 500mm lens isn't much good if it isn't sharp past 300mm...

[Glenn72]

Canon made (now discontinued) a 35-350mm f3.5-5.6 L lens that got good reviews.

Canon EF 35-350mm f/3.5-5.6 USM L - Review / Test Report

They are still available on ebay and used dealers. 350mm on a 1.6 cropped sensor will give you 560mm and the 7d has a lot of pixels to crop.

[tlake55]

I am in the process of renting the Canon 100-400L from rentglass.com (will let you know how that goes). I am wondering how good of an idea it is to buy a lens like this off Ebay..anybody have good/bad experience(s)? What to look for? What to look out for? Should I just not risk it and buy new?