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70-300mm IS II best? or?

DoubleJoyner2
Contributor

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

27 REPLIES 27

I only meant don't fall for all the stupendous photos you see. Pictures don't lie is an outdated obsolete phrase.  Smiley Very Happy

EB
EOS 1DX and 1D Mk IV and less lenses then before!

Or pretty much anywhere in Albuquerque. 8^)

One of my recurring themes in these situations is that we need to know not only what you want to shoot in terms of input, but we must consider what you will produce in terms of output.  There is an important point to this: If you want to produce large, high resolution prints then you will need great gear - especially a quality lens.  However, if your intent is to produce modest prints, or to produce for electronic media - i.e. on-screen or web viewing, then you might want to consider an alternative to the DSLR with a zoom lens..

 

For the money you are prepared to invest you might want to consider a bridge camera.  These have a much smaller sensor,  but a massive zoom range.  For example the Canon Powershot SX60HS has an Equivalence range of 21-1365mm.  However its small sensor will want a decent amount of light, but when it does so it can produce some excellent results for birding. 

For an example of a review from a bird photographer see: http://www.365daysofbirds.com/2014/12/19/review-canon-sx60/

 

The enclosed image is a PPT page of two shots I took hand held to compare the SX60HS with my Canon 7DII mounting the 100-400L MkII, with the MKIII 1.4 teleconverter. The birds in question were about 150m away - the different colours of the trees are beacause one tree was a bit sickly.

 

Please note that these images are taken from a PowerPoint presentation that I created on the subject of purchasing a camera. I cropped both from landscape to portrait for side-by-side comparision. The treatment of both is similar and make a point that is worth making, depending upon your needs.

 

When you compare the two images, to me the SX60  offers great value for money.  Prices quoted were current in April 2017 and are in Canadian currency.  Over time the prices of both units will have reduced.

 

Comapring images.jpg

 

For clarity I enclose the original image as shot on the SX60HS which I have reduced to within the 5MB limit.

 IMG_0197-1.jpg


cheers, TREVOR

"All the variety, all the charm, all the beauty of life is made up of light and shadow", Leo Tolstoy;
"Skill in photography is acquired by practice and not by purchase" Percy W. Harris

You have a point, I often make myself. The disclaimer is, they are great if you only intend to shoot for the web or a PP presentation.

I have a Powershot G1x that goes with me on all my professional shoots.

EB
EOS 1DX and 1D Mk IV and less lenses then before!


@ebiggs1 wrote:

You have a point, I often make myself. The disclaimer is, they are great if you only intend to shoot for the web or a PP presentation.

I have a Powershot G1x that goes with me on all my professional shoots.


Ha! I have a G1X too, but it lives int the box most of the time I am afraid because I want the longer reach and while the lens and sensor are great I must admit the viefinder is a bit of a disaster IMHO.  They got things about right with the later G5X, having a more DSLR EVF type configuration.

 

As to the discussion in hand...  I see this issue almost every time someone asks for advice on camera equipment.  We get to hear about the input but not the output, which in terms of matching performance to budget is critical. If one is going to produce high resolution prints of a significanct size one needs to invest in the appropriately more expensive gear.  However the trap is to do so when in fact the print sizes will be smaller (say 8"x10") or maybe even A3, or for digital use - I post images taken by the SX60hS on my 60" HD screen and they look great.  So often people, with the best of intentions, make suggestions, based on THEIR preferences, that the inquirer simply cannot afford, or will not give them the required spec.  This is particularly a challenge when, as in this case, budget is an issue.

 

Looking at the conundrum of getting a big reach for a limited budget a superzoom bridge camera is a great solution as long as one has the appropriate expectation of output.  Looking at the reviews of the Powershot it is very popular with birders in exactly this situation: i.e. they have a DSLR but not with a decent long lens, which they have no budget to get.  So they keep their DSLR as is and get the Powershot for the birding at longer range.  The camea is so light and small it can be carried with the DSLR to offer long reach imaging before closing in for a shot with the bigger camera.

 

So the question remains for the original poster: i.e. what are the output requirements?


cheers, TREVOR

"All the variety, all the charm, all the beauty of life is made up of light and shadow", Leo Tolstoy;
"Skill in photography is acquired by practice and not by purchase" Percy W. Harris

I don't disagree with hardly any of what you say.  Any camera is better than no camera.  You have to buy what you can afford but you should try to get the best you can afford.

 

"I post images taken by the SX60hS on my 60" HD screen and they look great."

 

This is largely a factor of the quality of the monitor more than the camera.  It is still a low resolution requirement.  Web or TV not really too different. Try doing the same thing with a 60" print.

 

My G1X is my third Powershot.  They do a good job, bottom line.  Upon occasion it is the only camera I take.  We are on the same page.

 

I was a member, for a short time, of our local birder club.  The people had every type photographic gear you can imagine. from a P&S to a $10,000+ DSLR/lens combo.  There were great photos and not so great photos.  However, the greater ones tended to not come from the P&S crowd.  It is what it is.

EB
EOS 1DX and 1D Mk IV and less lenses then before!

Yep I think we are singing from the same songbook pretty much!  I have been moving around so much that I have only got capacity for images on electronic media, so my purposes the HD TV works just fine.  And really that's what it's all about I think, the outcome has to match our capacities and expectations.

 

For me camera gear, like so many things in life, is about balancing a bunch of elements that often results in some kind of compromise.  I am usually looking at what the intended purpose is (just for fun vs. professional), the type of subject I am capturing (say birds or bears vs. butterflies or portraits), the budget (always important), what I am prepared to carry - especially if I am going bush with my gear and have to hump it some distance over days. Then there is performance of the gear itself for the purpose - sometimes I use light but not pro gear that is appropriate for my purposes, and the handling - I have tried some obviously excellent gear but hated the ergonomics or the interface.  Finally, but really very critically, there is the quality of output I want.

 

So far I have not, despite my efforts, found a cheap, light, high performance camera and lens that does everything I want on every occasion, but one lives in hope that ONE day....  Smiley Tongue


cheers, TREVOR

"All the variety, all the charm, all the beauty of life is made up of light and shadow", Leo Tolstoy;
"Skill in photography is acquired by practice and not by purchase" Percy W. Harris

Thanks for taking the time to share your info....guess one just has to try different lens out to see what works for them. I hope you get to see your bears..... be safe tho!
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