70-300mm IS II best? or?

[DoubleJoyner2]

Hi, I am wanting a lens to go on my T6 so I can get pictures of wild birds,  lizards etc - Canon says 70-300 IS II  is my best bet -  will this lens get me close enough - does anyone know what is the X on this lens I can not find it anywhere? I am trying to stick within a $500 range - is this going to be worth it for me? does anyone have any pics to share so I can see what pics look like?

I don't want to waste my money if it isn't going to be a decent shot - I have the 75-300 and it is only 4X which is not good enough for what I want.  Thank you, CJ

[ebiggs1]

Did you double post?

[DoubleJoyner2]

hi... I didn't double post but when I hit the "post" button after creating the post the site told me it didn't post to try later - so when I did try later... what do ya know - there were two of them... sorry

However - Thank  you for the information -  I am kinda new to all this and I don't want to waste $$$ if it is not going to give me what I want. Again - Thank you for answering me... I will check into other lenses. CJ

[kvbarkley]

The 70-300 will be the exact same "X" or magnification. *All* 300mm lenses will have the same magnification. If you want more the Tamron/Sigma 150 - 600 will get you double that for about $1000.

[shadowsports]

Greetings,

I own both lenses.  The Canon and the Sigma.

What kvbarkley says is true.

A 300mm lens even on your crop (480mm) equivlent is going to be a stretch for wildlife photography.  You have to get real close with the limited reach and this is not always possible or ideal. 

I had a T6s prior and took a bunch of shots with the 70-300.   The first 3 pics (only) in this album were taken with the crop and 70-300mm.  Was not an ideal day...  The striated rock face was shot at about 30 ft.  Lens fully zoomed.

Canon Album

Not overly exciting I'm afraid.  I did take the 70-300 to Russia last year with my 6D2.  Its a great compact travel zoom.  Lightweight, but is not "L" glass. That said, I took some nice photos with it.  It performed well, and I used it to take photos from the boat to shore.  Distant landscapes.  Don't have any to share at the moment. I can find some shots later this evening.  

The 70-300 wide open fully zoomed can be a little soft on the edges.  Starting at F6.3 or above it produces great quality images, center to the edge.  (true for so many leses in this class).  You can buy this lens for well under $500.  I know canon refurbs were on sale for 4th of July (still on sale, just checked).  I'll try to dig up some more shots for you later today.

[DoubleJoyner2]

Thank you for sending those pics...... they are good! and thank you for the info on that lens - sounds like I need to save for a better one for what I am wanting - Thank you again,   CJ

[shadowsports]

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@DoubleJoyner2 wrote:

Thank you for sending those pics...... they are good! and thank you for the info on that lens - sounds like I need to save for a better one for what I am wanting - Thank you again,   CJ

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Greetings,
Sure.  Based on your answers and the discussions, it sounds like the 150-600 will be the best option for you.  The 150-600C Refurb is le$$ than you might think.  Much less.  They've just lowered the price again (lens only).  Check out their website.  Plan to spent another $100 on a clear protective filter.  Its a big lens and if you are like me walking through brush, its worth it to put something on from a protection standpoint.  No tax either.     

[kvbarkley]

Actually for lizards, you probably want a macro like the 100 mm.

[ebiggs1]

CJ,

A 50mm lens is approx. 1x on a FF camera.  A 100mm lens would be about 2x so this equates to 6x for a 300mm lens.  A 300mm lens is a 300mm lens no matter what other specs it may have.  You can think of this like you were looking through binoculars or a rifle scope.

Now let's consider your situation.  You have a Rebel T6 which has a crop factor, a term I hate but never the less it is what we use. 300mm x 1.6 crop factor = 480mm. Or close to a 9x scope. Your 300mm acts like a 480mm would on a FF camera. Why that is important for you to know I have no idea but somebody will mistakenly tell you it does. However, that is pretty reasonable for BIF or birds in general.  Two things here, though, one is you never have enough FL so the idea of the 150-600mm super zoom is very good.  Number two is get closer to your subject.  Getting closer is always better than getting a better lens.  And best of all it is free!

"I don't want to waste my money ..."

OK, I would not buy the 75-300mm and you shouldn't either.  While the 300mm side down to maybe 250mm might do the job anything below 250mm will be useless.  Compare it to the 150-600mm option.  300mm up to 600mm is going to work beautifully.  Still the 250mm down to 150mm may not be as helpful but the gain is a huge improvement.

That is nearly 20x !  It is some serious FL.  It will take some learning about how to tame it for really great shots but at least you know it is possible.

" I am trying to stick within a $500 range ..."

You won't get one of the Sigma or Tamron super zooms for $500 bucks .... new any way but you might check out the used market.  New they reside in the $1000 area.  Either brand is very good and very sharp.  Your choice.

[TCampbell]

Magnification is the focal length of the lens divided by the diagonal measure of hte sensor.  For a Rebel T6, that's about 27mm.  300 ÷ 27 = 11.1   -- so it's about 11x magnification.

Most birders tend to select one of the 150-600mm lenses (Canon doesn't make one).  Sigma and Tamron both have a few choices... and both were updated in recent years (newer versions of the 150-600 with improved performance.)  

Sigma makes the lens in two editions... a "Contemporary" and a "Sport" edition.  The "Sport" edition is about $1800.  The "Contemporary" edition is about $1000.

Tamron's new version (called the "G2") is about $1300.  But you can still get their old version (not as good) for about $800.

All of this pretty much breaks the $500 budget.