topic Re: Zoom lens for surfing - SL1 in EOS DSLR & Mirrorless Cameras

Zoom lens for surfing - SL1

Stocktsi — Tue, 08 Oct 2019 03:51:33 GMT

I’ve been trying to get some good pics of my son surfing, but he’s typically a little far out for my 55-250 STM. While I really like this lens for my daughter’s soccer games it’s just a little too short for surf shots.

Budget is a moderate consideration (don’t want to spend $1,000 but a couple hundred is Ok) I was looking at the Canon 75-300 but I’m worried about no image stabilization. Only other lens that looks like it would fit the bill is the 70-300, either gen 1 or 2. Is there a big difference between these if I can find the gen 1?

Any other lenses (Canon or non-Canon) that I should consider?

thanks in advance.

Re: Zoom lens for surfing - SL1

MikeSowsun — Tue, 08 Oct 2019 05:51:03 GMT

There is no lens you can buy for about $200 that will take better photos than your EF-S 55-250 STM.

There really isn’t that much difference between 250mm and 300mm. Plus, the 75-300, and both versions of the 70-300 are not as sharp at 300mm as the 55-250 is at 250mm. You could just crop the 250mm image slightly to match 300mm and still have a better photo.

I would suggest saving your money until you can afford something 400mm or longer.

Re: Zoom lens for surfing - SL1

Tronhard — Tue, 08 Oct 2019 07:53:46 GMT

Hi Stocksi:

Three questions on your photography, if I may.

a) How far away is your son when he is surfing?

b) What are the conditions like normally when you are taking photos. Do you usually have plenty of light or is it likely to be pretty dim?

c) What do you want to produce from the images you take? For example, are they to post on social media, put on computer or tablet screens, make small prints 8x11 or larger prints?

cheers: Trevor

Re: Zoom lens for surfing - SL1

Tronhard — Tue, 08 Oct 2019 08:59:56 GMT

@MikeSowsun wrote:
There is no lens you can buy for about $200 that will take better photos than your EF-S 55-250 STM.

There really isn’t that much difference between 250mm and 300mm. Plus, the 75-300, and both versions of the 70-300 are not as sharp at 300mm as the 55-250 is at 250mm. You could just crop the 250mm image slightly to match 300mm and still have a better photo.

I would suggest saving your money until you can afford something 400mm or longer.

I must strongly disagree with Mike on his low opinion of the relative merits of the 70-300mm lens. I own both versions of this lens and I spent some time investigating the performance of both the MkI and MkII and can say they both take decent photos, the MkII in particular because of its blazingly fast and accurate focus,which is a leader in its class and offers 4 stops of IS, which has been proven to be an accurate value.

I refer you to my thread on this: 70-300mm Non-L lenses to judge the images for yourself.

With just one search effort I found that one can get the EF 70-300 MkII version for around $500 from Adorama and if you went to Canon you could well get a refurbished one for even less.

One of the questions I have asked is what you want to do with your photos. An SL1 is not a pro or prosumer level camera, so I am trying to establish what level of quality is required. The trap we enthusiasts fall into is to suggest a level of gear that WE want for the kind of images we would like to create instead of what is adequate, both technically and financially for the person seeking advice. You asked for a ZOOM lens, and if you were to follow Mike's advice about a 400mm reach you would either have to go for a fixed focal length lens or pay dearly for a heavy zoom unit.

For example, if the budget is roughly $400, how long will he have to wait until you get enough money to get a decent super tele, zoom and while time goes by how many irreplacable moment will be missed? If the intent is to post on social media, or on tablets and screens, or produce reasonable sized prints the EF 70-300 MKII IS USM would be perfectly adequate, even if cropped as I demonstrated in my thread.

There is also the question of physical balance. The SL1 is a pretty small unit and to my knowledge does not support a battery grip. so sticking a large, heavy lens on the front of it will not be a good balance. The 70-300 units are a reasonable weight and bulk for such a dminutive body.

Re: Zoom lens for surfing - SL1

Stocktsi — Tue, 08 Oct 2019 14:29:50 GMT

Thank you for the info so far. Yes, I did see the 70-300 at the Canon site for $500, plus $50 off. I meant to say that I was looking to spend in the hundreds as opposed to $1,000 so wasn’t trying to limit it to $200 just keep it reasonable,

i cant tell how far out he’s surfing - hard for me to judge distance over water. It’s far enough that with my 55-250 lens at max I still have to crop a fair amount of the image to get a tight shot. Attached are before and after examples to give you an idea. Most of the time I expect good lighting, but there will be cloudy days to deal with. We’re in San Diego so there’s a pretty good marine layer over the beach in the AM so there’s light but not full sunshine.

for my target, yes of course social media is important these days. If I can get some good ones I’d like to be able to get good 4x6 prints, and outside chance of 8x11 if I was lucky enough to get that magic shot at the right time.

i realize the SL1 isn’t a top of the line camera, but it’s my entry back into SLR and I’d like to be able to upgrade in the future as needed without having to buy all new lenses.

Re: Zoom lens for surfing - SL1

John_ — Tue, 08 Oct 2019 14:44:37 GMT

Get yourself either an SX50HS, SX60HS or SX70HS and you'll be able to get quality pictures of his toes and toenails on the board...my 2 cents 🙂

Re: Zoom lens for surfing - SL1

Waddizzle — Tue, 08 Oct 2019 14:46:02 GMT

Can you post a sample uncropped image of the surfer? Maybe a Sigma or Tamron 100-400 has enough reach.

Re: Zoom lens for surfing - SL1

kvbarkley — Tue, 08 Oct 2019 15:12:57 GMT

Your exif data might tell you how far out he is.

Re: Zoom lens for surfing - SL1

wq9nsc — Tue, 08 Oct 2019 15:27:36 GMT

With the distance involved in surfing, you need reach far more than you need zoom. And remember you will keep a good quality lens for a lot longer period of time than a camera body so it is worth stretching to get the best within your budget.

You should have decent light most of the time so seriously consider a Canon 400 F5.6 prime, new it is a tad over $1,000 while used you can find one in great condition for well under $1,000. It is a much higher quality lens than the zoom lens you are currently considering and will also take the Canon 1.4X converter (provides 560 at F8) but I don't think your SL1 will provide autofocus at F8 so would need to focus manually when coupled with the 1.4X.

I bought a 400 F5.6 many years ago when I purchased a 1D Mark II and I shot a lot of my daughter's soccer games with it among other uses. I still have it and use it occasionally but most of the time I now use faster telephoto primes but that doesn't mean that the 400 F5.6 isn't still a very good lens. The image below was shot at the end of a fast moving play so I was way out of position from the goal and this highly cropped image is from just under 10% of the sensor area and it shows the ability of the 400MM F5.6 to provide excellent resolution.

Rodger

Re: Zoom lens for surfing - SL1

Tronhard — Tue, 08 Oct 2019 18:52:28 GMT

Thank you for your information. The output was critical to me in establishing what kind of glass you really need. Neither social media, nor the prints up to 8x11 should test the cropping ability of the 70-300 I suggested.

However, like John, also on my mind was the thought of a superzoom camera. These units have an amazing reach - I have an SX60HS which has an equivalent FoV of 21-1365mm! The only drawback is that it has a small sensor, which makes it unsuitable for making large prints from its images. However in the range you are looking at the pull factor of the lens should mean you don't need to crop much at all and you could probably pick up one of those refurbished within your budget. - I just saw listings for these units for just over $300.

I know that that SX70HS has superceded my model, but frankly I prefer the SX60 for my own purposes because it has a hotshoe and it has not gone to an even greater MP count. I personally think pushing too many Pixels onto a small sensor makes them noisier in less than optimum conditions. The SX70 has boosted from 16 to 20 MP and takes 4K video, if that is of interest, but that is heading towards the $500 mark

You will find the controls of these powershots very similar to your current camera and the feel is just like a small DSLR.

One good thing is that the camera is all one unit, so dust, sand and salt are much less likely to find their way into your camera body. That would leave your SL1 to work on other scenes.

I would suggest taking a look at the specs of a couple of Canon's superzooms. Here is a link for you assistance

Canon Superzooms

I have posted on the performance of the SX60HS a couple of times:

Comparison of SX60 to Canon 7DII, 100-400 with 1.4 MkII extender

Set of SX 60 HS Images showing the lens range and performance

Re: Zoom lens for surfing - SL1

Waddizzle — Wed, 09 Oct 2019 01:07:47 GMT

"One good thing is that the camera is all one unit, so dust, sand and salt are much less likely to find their way into your camera body. That would leave your SL1 to work on other scene."

I would think that an all-in-one would be more vulnerable to dust and mist getting into the lens mechanisms than a DSLR.

Re: Zoom lens for surfing - SL1

Waddizzle — Wed, 09 Oct 2019 01:21:07 GMT

@Stocktsi wrote:
Thank you for the info so far. Yes, I did see the 70-300 at the Canon site for $500, plus $50 off. I meant to say that I was looking to spend in the hundreds as opposed to $1,000 so wasn’t trying to limit it to $200 just keep it reasonable,

i cant tell how far out he’s surfing - hard for me to judge distance over water. It’s far enough that with my 55-250 lens at max I still have to crop a fair amount of the image to get a tight shot. Attached are before and after examples to give you an idea. Most of the time I expect good lighting, but there will be cloudy days to deal with. We’re in San Diego so there’s a pretty good marine layer over the beach in the AM so there’s light but not full sunshine.

for my target, yes of course social media is important these days. If I can get some good ones I’d like to be able to get good 4x6 prints, and outside chance of 8x11 if I was lucky enough to get that magic shot at the right time.

i realize the SL1 isn’t a top of the line camera, but it’s my entry back into SLR and I’d like to be able to upgrade in the future as needed without having to buy all new lenses.

Okay, I see that we cross posted. You posted the exact type of images I was looking for.

I think your shots would benefit immensely if you used a monopod, or tripod. For action photography, a monopod seems to work better for most people. Eliminate camera shake the old-fashioned way, support your gear.

Long telephoto lenses are not inexpensive. No half-stepping. Either take the plunge and by a $1000 lens, or save your money. I think the suggestion of an all-in-one camera is a good one. Again, the longer the focal length, the more you need a means of supporting your camera to reduce camera shake.

Re: Zoom lens for surfing - SL1

Tronhard — Wed, 09 Oct 2019 01:34:48 GMT

@Waddizzle wrote:
"One good thing is that the camera is all one unit, so dust, sand and salt are much less likely to find their way into your camera body. That would leave your SL1 to work on other scene."

I would think that an all-in-one would be more vulnerable to dust and mist getting into the lens mechanisms than a DSLR.

With the wide range of the super zoom bridge camera there is no need to swap lenses (even if one could). However a DSLR with a limited range is likely to be opened to the elements to swap lenses - that was really my point.

Certainly the SL1 is not likely to be any more environmentally resistant that the Superzoom. If I was on a beach with an onshore breeze I would protect any camera with a plastic bag to reduce sand and salt being deposited on the zoom extension.

Re: Zoom lens for surfing - SL1

Stocktsi — Wed, 09 Oct 2019 03:21:58 GMT

What great info, and quick responses!

My initial thought when the suggestion came up about the SX60/70 was I don’t want another camera, but now that I’m looking at them it might be an option. It looks like Best Buy has then so I’ll try to swing by there and look at it. They also carry an SX540 which is a couple years older. Half the price, but 6 vs 10 shots per second and give up a little bit of zoom on the long end. Will that difference be noticeable?

there was a mention of the Tamron 100-400. I used to have a Tamron lens that I really liked for my Canon AE-1 (back in the day). Is this lens worth considering? Or a Sigma?

I often use a monopod for my daughters soccer game, but didn’t think about taking it to the beach for some reason. Will take it next time...

@wq9nsc - my daughter is a goalie as well, and that’s a great picture. $1,000 is out of the budget, plus I like the zoom vs. a fixed length.

Re: Zoom lens for surfing - SL1

Tronhard — Wed, 09 Oct 2019 03:39:24 GMT

You might want to check the prices on any 100-400 lens before you lust after one! 😳

Re: Zoom lens for surfing - SL1

Tronhard — Wed, 09 Oct 2019 03:42:53 GMT

If you were happy with the field of view of a 100-400 on a SLR film camera it is worth realizing that the FoV of the 70-300 lens on your APS-C camera is equivalent to 112-420mm.

Re: Zoom lens for surfing - SL1

Tronhard — Wed, 09 Oct 2019 03:59:54 GMT

Correction the equivalent FoV is 112-480mm

Re: Zoom lens for surfing - SL1

ebiggs1 — Thu, 10 Oct 2019 15:09:38 GMT

I didn't read all of this thread but I suspect it has the same BS most of these queries have in replies. You mentioned the Tamron 100-400mm f/4.5-6.3 Di VC USD Lens. In truth all these lenses in this level or price point have nearly identical IQ and AF ability. However, I would prefer to stay Canon if at all possible so I would certainly consider Canon lenses first.

The Tamron lenses of today are not anywhere near comparable to the old film lenses. Tamron has made strides in lens design and improved a horrendous CS department. Same is true of Sigma, much better today and much better CS. Tokina is to be avoided in lenses and CS, IMHO of course, unless much has changed recently.

Remember most kit lenses are better than most people want. They like'em. There are a few duds for sure but as a rule they are pretty good. Even though the Tamron 100-400mm f/4.5-6.3 Di VC USD Lens is not made by Canon, it is still a "kit" lens.