28-135mm EF vs. 55-250mm EF-S, please help me understand crop factor.

[klavender]

Sorry for the newbie question but I've searched Google and couldn't really understand this. I have a 40D with a 28-135mm EF lens. I understand this is a APS-C camera and since the lens is an EF that the effective zoom is 44-216mm. I would like to get more zoom but the EF-S telephoto is 55-250mm. 250mm doesn't seem like much more that 216mm and I'm not sure it's worth it. I've also looked at the EF 70-300mm which would be 112-480mm. It's twice as much money and would think I would want it slightly wider at the low end.

Also, if I go with the EF-S 55-250 would the STM be worth it over the standard? I want a quick focus as this will be used mainly for wildlife. How does the standard and STM compare to the USM of my current lens?

[RobertTheFat]

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@Waddizzle wrote:

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@RobertTheFat wrote:

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@ebiggs1 wrote:

In spite of all the relevant or irrelevant chit-chat, that is a Eastern Blue Bird.

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I thought he looked like a barn swallow. But one thing I'm not is a bird photographer, so I'll defer.

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Wow, I just looked up "eastern bluebird" and "barn swallow, and, boy, do they look alike!  But, the eastern bluebird has more of that white breast and belly than the barn swallow does.  I think Ernie's right.

All of which just makes me wonder, what is this critter?

I was thinking it was a "blue jay".  I'm no bird photographer, either.  But, it's a fun as fishing, at least to me.

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Male bluejays usually have a fairly distinctive tuft of feathers on top of their heads, and this one doesn't. I don't think his body shape is quite right either. Conceivably it could be a female bluejay. But females of songbird species are usually dull in color, to avoid attracting the attention of predators while they're spending time in the nest. Bottom line: your guess is at least as good as mine.

[TTMartin]

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@RobertTheFat wrote:

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@Waddizzle wrote:

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@RobertTheFat wrote:

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@ebiggs1 wrote:

In spite of all the relevant or irrelevant chit-chat, that is a Eastern Blue Bird.

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I thought he looked like a barn swallow. But one thing I'm not is a bird photographer, so I'll defer.

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Wow, I just looked up "eastern bluebird" and "barn swallow, and, boy, do they look alike!  But, the eastern bluebird has more of that white breast and belly than the barn swallow does.  I think Ernie's right.

All of which just makes me wonder, what is this critter?

I was thinking it was a "blue jay".  I'm no bird photographer, either.  But, it's a fun as fishing, at least to me.

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Male bluejays usually have a fairly distinctive tuft of feathers on top of their heads, and this one doesn't. I don't think his body shape is quite right either. Conceivably it could be a female bluejay. But females of songbird species are usually dull in color, to avoid attracting the attention of predators while they're spending time in the nest. Bottom line: your guess is at least as good as mine.

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Looks like a male Blue Jay to me. I think the crest isn't real noticeable due to the position of the bird. Also having a pet Cockatiel, I can tell you it has a lot of control on if its crest is up or down.

[ebiggs1]

It's a blue jay.

[Waddizzle]

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@ebiggs1 wrote:

It's a blue jay.

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It's an EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM, set at 400mm, at a distance of, two car lengths, about 50 feet, on an overcast day looking for worms,  which it found, just before a rainstorm.   1/800 sec, f/6.3, ISO 1250

[klavender]

Thanks! I did a quick Google search and came up with the wrong bird. I've never seen one before. Must not be very common where I live.

[klavender]

I noticed something strange about my refurb. 55-250mm lens I just bought. When holding the camera button halfway to focus, the lens moves slightly down and to the right of what I'm aiming at. When I release the button, it goes back to what I was aiming at.

[Waddizzle]

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@klavender wrote:

I noticed something strange about my refurb. 55-250mm lens I just bought. When holding the camera button halfway to focus, the lens moves slightly down and to the right of what I'm aiming at. When I release the button, it goes back to what I was aiming at.

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What do you mean by "the lens moves ...."?  Is it properly attached?  It should change length to focus.  But, ... ...????

[RobertTheFat]

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@klavender wrote:

I noticed something strange about my refurb. 55-250mm lens I just bought. When holding the camera button halfway to focus, the lens moves slightly down and to the right of what I'm aiming at. When I release the button, it goes back to what I was aiming at.

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Does it do the same thing with image stabilization turned off? Depending on what you mean by "slightly", one conceivable possibility is that pushing the shutter botton moved the camera enough to trigger the IS mechanism.

[ebiggs1]

"I noticed something strange about my refurb. 55-250mm lens I just bought."

It is the IS.  It is also most likely why the lens was returned and is in the refurb store.  If I were you, I would return it tomorrow. It may be in spec so Canon will not fix it more.

BTW, no Canon lens I know of turns the IS off when attached to a tripod.  Certainly none of the consumer lenses.  Plus I have never seen it hurt to leave it on.  The IS is way better than it used to be and perhaps there was a time that was true. I almost never turn it off.

[Waddizzle]

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@ebiggs1 wrote:

"I noticed something strange about my refurb. 55-250mm lens I just bought."

It is the IS.  It is also most likely why the lens was returned and is in the refurb store.  If I were you, I would return it tomorrow. It may be in spec so Canon will not fix it more.

BTW, no Canon lens I know of turns the IS off when attached to a tripod.  Certainly none of the consumer lenses.  Plus I have never seen it hurt to leave it on.  The IS is way better than it used to be and perhaps there was a time that was true. I almost never turn it off.

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That is simply how that lens behaves.  It doesn't have the smarts to shut down IS when it is on a tripod.  As long as the camera is "awake" the IS keeps trying to adjust itself.  The lens doesn't seem to know when the AF is active in the camera, and when it is not....in other words, knowing when the shutter button is being pressed, or not.

I say leave the IS off when using a tripod.  It is only a drain on the battery when mounted on a tripod.