Canon EF 70-300mm f ,4-5.6 IS USM Lense

[MikeinVa]

I recently purchased a Canon EOS Rebel T6,  I would like to take close-up pics. of 

birds from a distance of 20' to 25'.   Will this lense do this ?

[kvbarkley]

Well, 300 is not all that much longer than 250, the 600 would make it more than twice as big.

[MikeinVa]

I no longer have the 55-250, I returned it.    I am retired, & can't afford a $ 1000.00 lense, so I guess i'll just forget it.

[jrhoffman75]

If its a hobby for personal use what will you be doing with the photos? If you will be viewing on your computer or a digital picture frame then cropping to make the bird seem a alrger part of the final image is a vaible soultion. 

The 55-250mm lens is quite good from an image quality standpoint. I have cropped images and printed at 13x19 with very good results. Not gallery quality, and not going sell at a craft fair, but a nice result from a hobby shoot.

Don't be discouraged. You are correct, not everyone can afford a $1000 lens, but not everyone needs one to enjoy a hobby.

[ebiggs1]

 I am retired, & can't afford a $ 1000.00 lense, so I guess i'll just forget it."

Not so fast. Where there is a will there is a way.

"You are correct, not everyone can afford a $1000 lens, ..."

I understand totally, same boat as you!  The good news is, the super zoom lens category is a great one to buy on the used market.  Lots of folks get them and find out it is hard to do or lose interest real fast and they sit and sit.  They find their way to the used market at pretty reasonable prices. For an instance the Sigma 150-500mm f/5-6.3 APO DG OS HSM Lens usually sells for a very attractive price used. I have seen them in the $300 to $400 range. Sometimes even less, $250!  This is a good lens to check out and would be my first choice for you. Although not as good as the Siggy there is the Tamron AF 200-400mm f/5.6 LD-IF, around $150.

There is a whole range of full manual lenses in the 400mm to 500mm range that are below $100.  More difficult to use but they will certainly teach you photography. If you really want to do it, it can be done.

Look for a Sigma 150-500mm f/5-6.3 APO DG OS HSM Lens.

[ebiggs1]

"The 55-250mm lens is quite good from an image quality standpoint."

I agree it is a good lens but I don't agree it will do a good job on small birds.  You will be better served by the Siggy I suggested.  And, if you go used it will cost about the same around $300 bucks.

[MikeinVa]

+Thanks ! To everyone for the info.

[Waddizzle]

---

@MikeinVa wrote:

I no longer have the 55-250, I returned it.    I am retired, & can't afford a $ 1000.00 lense, so I guess i'll just forget it.

---

What is your budget?  

The EF-S 55-250mm offered an angle of view similar to the popular EF 100-400mm lenses on full frame bodies.  As noted the 70-300mm offered an angle of view similar to the 55-250mm.  Avoid the 75-300mm lenses, altogether.

https://shop.usa.canon.com/shop/en/catalog/ef-70-300mm-f-4-5-6-is-ii-usm-refurbished

The STM version of the lens is better than previous versions by a wide margin.

https://shop.usa.canon.com/shop/en/catalog/ef-s-55-250mm-f4-5-6-is-stm-telephoto-zoom-lens-refurbish...

Both Tamron and Sigma also offer 100-400mm lenses for around $700 to $800, which is likely out of your price range, too. If you can get your hands on a used Sigma 150-500mm, be advised that those lenses are beasts.  They will feel like a cinder block compared to your 55-250mm lens.

[Tronhard]

We have seen a lot of discussion about the size of the bird in the picture frame.  As the OP has Rebel camera, which is not called a "crop sensor" for nothing, the captured image with the 70-300mm will have a reduced FoV equivalent to a 112-480mm lens on a FF camera.  That will mean that the bird occupies a lot more of the image space than would be the case on a FF camera.  The 55-250, would have an Equivalent FoV of 88-395, which is not an insignificant difference.

With refrence to my Thread:

https://community.usa.canon.com/t5/Lenses/Non-L-70-300-Canon-Lenses/m-p/268361/highlight/false#M1534...

The images I took in my review of the two 70-300mm non-L lenses were taken on FF and Crop sensor bodies.  It is worth noting the image I took of juvenile Tui with an EOS 80D and shown as shot and then cropped, came out pretty well for a non-commercial image - which is what we are looking at here.

Bearing in mind the context of use for a lens - i.e. for hobby purposes - I think the 70-300 lens will do just fine if he is careful with his focusing, especially if he can get shots with enough light to get a decent shutter speed while having an f-value of at least 6.3 (5.6-10 seems to be a sweet spot for the lenses I used).  If money is really an issue use the MkI version instead of the MkII - just test the unit first, especially if it is second hand (I would suggest refurbished by Canon if that is available).  They are significantly cheaper, yet my first and last shots in that thread are taken by that lens!

[ebiggs1]

" I think the 70-300 lens will do just fine ..."

I agree with this and almost said so. But I checked the prices of used super zooms and concluded I would prefer one of them over the 70-300mm.  I still stand firm on, where this is a will there is a way.  It can be done which you already proved to be true.  If the OP can buy the Sigma 150-500mm f/5-6.3 APO DG OS HSM Lens for $300 in good shape, maybe less, that is how I would proceed.

[ebiggs1]

"The pic. of the robin is what I would like."

Exactly why I posted the samples.  A small bird is going to be small. 300mm isn't enough FL unless you are very close.  You have three options for bird photography.  A long FL lens, get as close as possible and crop the image in post.  And, I will tell you, that you will need all three most of the time. If you already have the 55-250mil it is not very smart to buy a 70-300mm to just gain 50mm. Make sense? In a FF camera each 100mm is equivalent to about a 2X pair of binoculars I.E. 600mm would be about 12X. If you have such binoculars look through them to get a good idea.  Your T6 has a small tele advantage that may help but usually it is eliminated by the cropping factor you would need in post editing.  Might help, might not. The lens I would suggest as of today is the Tamron SP 150-600mm f/5-6.3 Di VC USD G2.  It is a keeper lens that you will have to buy inly once as you grow in the photography hobby. You will probably out grow the T6 in a bit but the big Tammy will still be there for you. 

The EOS 80D and that Tamron would be a super cool bird combo.