Help. What lense to buy.

[Marc38]

Hi all and thank you in advance for your help! I want to buy a new lense for my dad. He has the cannon 550d. He loves wildlife n taking photos of birds etc. Money is not important it just has to be a really good lense for the job. As im sure you can tell i know nothing about any of this and would really appreciate some pearls of wisdom from the experts! I tink he has a lense that goes 150-500 a sigma i think. I can find out.

[Marc38]

Slight error i just found out some better detail. Dad's camera is a cannon EOS 550D & the zoom lens he has is a SIGMA DG 50--500mm

[cicopo]

That's a rather good lens for it era but the current Sigma 150-600 Contemporary is better in many ways & has Image stabilization. Tamrom also makes a 150-600 which gets good reviews  Another feature the 50-500 DIDN'T have that hurt it's AF performance was it did not have a focus limiter switch. That feature helps the lens achieve AF faster.

[ebiggs1]

Here's the facts, the Sigma 50-500mm f/4.5-6.3 APO DG OS HSM Lens is a pretty decent lens in its own right.  It gained a love it or hate it persona from the folks that own one.  I had one for a short time and it is what it is a big super zoom.  If that is what you want, it worked for you.  Not me.  I still have the lesser 150-500mm copy of that lens.  He will not see a huge improvement with it and any of the newer super zooms.  But that said the newer current lenses are better.  Why would they not be?

The Sigma 50-500mm f/4.5-6.3 APO DG OS HSM Lens does everything it is supposed to.  Decent AF, decent IQ. Well controlled CA for something in this class.  Nothing LR can't handle.  The downside is mostly the fact it doesn't go to 500mm in FL.  It is closer to 450mm in my tests.  Why do I make a big deal about that?  Because the newest model out the Tamron SP 150-600mm f/5-6.3 Di VC USD G2 does extend to nearly 600mm. Your Dad will see a 150mm benefit from this lens over his current Siggy.  Another plus on its side, it is the sharpest of the 150-600's available right now.

So bottom line I would get him the Tamron SP 150-600mm f/5-6.3 Di VC USD G2.  While on upgrading his gear, you should really consider the camera, too.  The T2i is getting aged.  The 80D will be a nice leg up for him.  Keep in mind on an 80D that big Tammy will act like nearly 1000mm.  That is serious FL in anybodies book.

Make sure the lens you buy him has the G2 in its name. (Tamron SP 150-600mm f/5-6.3 Di VC USD G2)

[Waddizzle]

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@Marc38 wrote:
Hi all and thank you in advance for your help! I want to buy a new lense for my dad. He has the cannon 550d. He loves wildlife n taking photos of birds etc. Money is not important it just has to be a really good lense for the job. As im sure you can tell i know nothing about any of this and would really appreciate some pearls of wisdom from the experts! I tink he has a lense that goes 150-500 a sigma i think. I can find out.

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If money is “not important”, then go for the more current lens, the Sigma 150-600 “C”, with a Sigma dock.  It is a WAY better lens than the much older design of the 150-500.  Besides, Sigma released a firmware update for the 150-600 “C”, which totally rewrote the AF firmware, and they really NAILED it.

Just be aware that if you buy a third party lens, Canon’s DPP software will not provide lens correction.  You should expect some noticeable vignetting with 150-500, and a bit less with the 150-600.  Software like Adobe Lightroom cleans it up, though.

As for the Sigma 50-500mm lens, I think I would pass on it.  The focal range, 10:1, is too wide for image quality not to have been compromised to achieve that wide of a ratio.

[ebiggs1]

BTW, the Sigma 50-500mm f/4.5-6.3 APO DG OS HSM Lens' nickname is "the Bigma".  

[cicopo]

I had a very good copy of the Bigma way back. Sold it because it couldn't AF fast enough for my R/C use.

[Marc38]

Thanku for all your advice. Some good choices. I do rather like the idea of an upgrade to the base. Sterling idea. Will check it all out!

[Marc38]

I wondered if i could afford to move my dad up on the eos dslr camera whether no matter what base i buy he could still use the sigma 50-500 lense he has. Or if u move toward the professional range it makes his exsisting redundant? Thanks

[Waddizzle]

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@Marc38 wrote:
I wondered if i could afford to move my dad up on the eos dslr camera whether no matter what base i buy he could still use the sigma 50-500 lense he has. Or if u move toward the professional range it makes his exsisting redundant? Thanks

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The 18MP EOS 550D was, and still it, a pretty good camera body.  The fact that it is till working so well after all of this time is one proof of that fact.  Many of the Rebels, or ##0D models, available today are not quite as well built, are do not offer significantly improved performance.  

Most of the current lineup should be regarded as replacements, not upgrades.  Most have slightly better ISO ranges, but the results will be comparable to the 550D for all but the highest ISO shooting scenarios.  Anything shot at ISO 800, or lower, will be arguably identical in image quality.

If you want to pursue an upgrade in an APS-C body, then I would point at the two top models, the 80D and 7D Mark II.