Zoom/telephoto lens recommendations

[Twiddler]

Hi 

This is my first post.

I have an EOS90D with a 18-135 lens nano USM which I bought about 9 months ago. Love it. 

Recently I bought a pancake lens EFS 24mm and Im blown away by the improvement in the quality of my photos. So Im now hooked on Prime lenses and can see why the experts like them. 

I was going to get a bigger Zoom - say up to 70-300 but wonder if a bigger Prime would be a better investment. I don’t want to spend a fortune - it’s just a great hobby. Any advice or tips welcome.

I have read a few of the threads on this site and really enjoy the quality of discussion.

Any advice welcome 

Mark in Yorkshire UK

[johnrmoyer]

I have those two lenses as well as the EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS II USM.

It seems to me that all three are very good lenses, especially for the price.

EOS 80D ; F/7.1 ; 1/790 second ; 300 mm ; EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS II USM ; A mallard couple (Anas platyrhynchos) were flying over Lake Thunderbird State Park in Oklahoma, United States on January 9, 2019 ; https://www.rsok.com/~jrm/2019Jan13_birds_and_cats/2019jan09_ducks_IMG_4760c.html

[Tronhard]

Hi Mark and welcome

The difference between the EF-S 18-135 and 50mm is not surprising.  That zoom range from wide angle to moderate telephoto is a very challenging one to pack into one optic, but it is well done for that lens.  The prime 50mm has a much simpler job to do.

Really, there are a couple of factors to consider when deciding on a prime or zoom:
1.  Control over Field of View:   For subjects that are static, or whose position and distance to you that you can control - such as portraits or landscapes, a prime lens is a good option.  For subjects where you cannot control distance to subject: such as wildlife, then a zoom offers benefits to control that without having to move (and risk disturbing the subject) or crop afterwards.

2.  The type of output:  If you are going to produce for social media, digital display or up to moderate prints of say 11"x17" (A3), then a zoom should really be fine.

I have owned the EF 70-300 MkII, and it is an excellent optic with good resolution, stabilization and super fast, silent focus. I did a review of the EF 70-300 lenses, if you are interested: 70-300 Canon Lenses In-Depth Analysis - Page 4 - Canon Community

[Twiddler · Accepted solution]

Thanks for both these great answers -  you’ve just articulated what was floating around in my head. It’s taken me 6 months to master all the tricks the EOS90D offers and now I feel ready to step up a notch.

I should have said that currently my photography is around birds and wild life on nature walks + I’m a bit of a railway nerd and seek out old viaducts and routes that offer good visuals with 19 century architecture. 

Thanks for your help - I guess I can see two lens coming soon.

Twiddler

[ebiggs1]

"The prime 50mm has a much simpler job to do."

Absolutely as do any prime. If IQ is top most thing try the ef 300mm f4L before you buy any zoom in the 300mm FL. The ef 300mm f4L will shame the zoom. Its an extremely sharp lens.