Please suggest zoom lens for bird photography with EOS 500D.

[Sanghamitra]

I have a canon EOS 500D and use a canon zoom lens EF 70-300mm  1:4 - 5.6 IS USM lens with a C-AF 2X teleplus pro 300. For the smaller birds this is not at all satisfactory, I need something more powerful. . Please suggest a better lens, It needs to be able to walk around with it so don't want anything too cumbersome.

[TTMartin]

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@Sanghamitra wrote:

I have a canon EOS 500D and use a canon zoom lens EF 70-300mm  1:4 - 5.6 IS USM lens with a C-AF 2X teleplus pro 300. For the smaller birds this is not at all satisfactory, I need something more powerful. . Please suggest a better lens, It needs to be able to walk around with it so don't want anything too cumbersome.

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The Canon 100-400 L IS II is a great birding lens.

If that is not in your budget the solution is to work on getting closer to your subject. techniques for that can include camouflage clothing or 'hunting blinds'. 

I would stop trying to use the 2X teleconverter with that lens, you are killing its ability to autofocus, and significantly cutting down on the light to the camera. You will be much better off with a heavy crop of a well focused photo taken at a lower ISO, than what you are getting from your current set up.

[ebiggs1]

Right now there are three choices for you.  And one is not the EF 70-300mm with a Kenko 2x converter.

Of course the EF 100-400mm version 2 is one.  The Tamron 150-600mm f5-6.3 and the Sigma 150-600mm f5-6.3 C.

The addition of a 2x tele converter on any of these lenses is a bad idea.  Even Canon's own, never mind the Kenko.

The closer you can get to your subject all the better.

Although reduced for the web so IQ is nearly lost, this shows getting close is best.  Better than any lens you can buy.  Both were shot at 30 to 35 feet away.  Both was shot with the original EF 100-400mm lens.

[ebiggs1]

Remember on the T1i when you use a telephoto lens there is an apperant focal length advantage.  The EF 100-400mm will act like a 640mm lens.  And one of the 600mm lenses mentioned above will perform like a 960mm lens.

That is serious focal length and it is plenty.  Actually using it is going to take some practice.  Consider a good tripod.

Forget the Kenko.

[amfoto1]

The 100-400 already recommended is a good possibility. There is a new "Mark II" version recently released that's very good. The earlier, now discontinued version also is pretty good and has been popular with "birders". If the Mark II is too expensive, the original version can be found used for less money. These are both larger than your current lens, but still handholdable and reasonably portable.

I'm reluctant to suggest anything other than a Canon product on a Canon website...  But Sigma has made 120-400mm and 150-500mm lenses until recently, both with OS image stabilization.They are widely available used.. Those have been replaced with a new 150-600mm OS lens. And there is a Tamron SP 150-600mm VC too. All these are fairly large and heavy, though. You might want to use a monopod or a tripod with them. But those would help stabilize the lens, too.

However, if you are already using a 70-300 with a 2X teleconverter, that's equivalent to 600mm (which is a huge amount of focal length on a 500D camera). None of the above will give you any more reach than you already have. And none of the longer lenses will work very well with a 2X: You'll have no autofocus, your viewfinder will be quite dim making manual focus very difficult, and I suspect image qualiy will be quite poor.

Birders have a saying: There's no such thing as a "long enough" lens. No matter how long a lens you have, there will always be shy subjects just a little too far away. Some birders use 600/4 or 800/5.6 lenses, even with 1.4X teleconverters. But those are $10,000+ lenses that are very big and heavy, so figure another $1500 for a sturdy tripod to use either of them.

Probably the best solution has already been suggested... find ways to get your subject to come closer to you or to get closer to them yourelf. This may require a lot of patience. Rig up a blind. Find locations where the birds are more accustomed to people and will let you get closer, and/or where ambient noise and motion will help cover you. Use attractants such as calls, decoys or food.

But, no matter what you do... sometimes there will be a small subject that's just a little too far away. Those are the times to just stop shooting and enjoy the show!

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Alan Myers
San Jose, Calif., USA
"Walk softly and carry a big lens."
GEAR: 5DII, 7D(x2), 50D(x3), some other cameras, various lenses & accessories
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