• Welcome to BirdForum, the internet's largest birding community with thousands of members from all over the world. The forums are dedicated to wild birds, birding, binoculars and equipment and all that goes with it.

    Please register for an account to take part in the discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.
ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Can i pick your brains please? (1 Viewer)

shinytopman

Active member
Hi Guys,

Im quite new to digital SLR photography to snap birds, the wife got me a EOS 550D for my birthday, im now looking for a decent lense.

I've been looking at the sigma 50-500 and the canon 100-400 as this is such a large investment i can only afford one or the other.

Any help or advice would be much appreciated.

Thank in advance,
Shiny.
 
Yes it is. The new version of the Sigma 50-500 does have optical stabilisation. Having sadi that I would still go for the 100-400L it's a great lens.
 
Being a newcomer myself and having been through similar debates/ confusing information before buying my Canon 300 f4 IS maybe I could offer some general tips, rather than technical detail. So here are a few "rules" I developed during my recent experience:

1. None of the lenses you list are "bad". They are all shades of excellence.
2. Owners of a particular model will always say their choice was the best. It's just himan nature!
3. The people who have owned both often provide the most relevant information. But still beware of Rule 2 above.
4. YOU MUST COMPARE THE LENSES PHYSICALLY YOURSELF. For what it is worth, it was only when I handled the Sigma 50-500 and the Canon 300 that I realised how big and heavy the Sigma was (but see Rule 2 above ;)). Similarly, I personally did not like the pump action zoom on the 100-400 when I held it in my hands (Rule 2 squared).
5. Whicnever you select. you will really enjoy it. You will have a few days of angst over whether it was really the right choice, but then you are likely to become a Rule 2 zealot!!
6. This Forum is a unique way to access the knowledge gained through years of experience from some great people. You would never have had access to this information in the past and might have made choices based on conversations with one or two people. But it does come down to the "balance of the scripture" i.e. you don't take single lines from the Bible, but look at what it says overall about the issue. It's the same with Forums and lenses.

Back to others for the technical bits......

Michael.
 
Hi Shiny,

I sold my Sigma 50-500(non-IS) and purchased a Canon 100-400 three years ago and never regretted the decision. Despite the Sigma having more "reach", the image quality was not up to that of the Canon when cropped to a similar size. The 100-400 focuses down to around six feet making it suitable for larger butterflies, dragonflies and plants if ever you decide to branch out sometime in the future. By adding a 21mm extension tube it also makes a good close-up lens.

Mike
 
Looks like i need to get the yellow pages out.......

Locally ive only got a jessops full of kids, and two small local photo shops.

I have a cosina 100-400 lens which i bought because it was cheap about 10yrs ago to go on safari in kenya. At the time i didnt understand opticsand the fact you only get what you play for.

But getting back to the point i find the 400mm end of the scale was not long enough to use in my garden either that or im not patient enough to get the picture.

I sit out in the garden quite reg so the birds get used to me being there. that is why i looked towards the 500mm lens in the hope it give me the extra reach.

Cheers for the replies by the way guys, any help or advice is much appreciated ?

Cheers,
Shiny.
 
Looks like i need to get the yellow pages out.......

Locally ive only got a jessops full of kids, and two small local photo shops.

I have a cosina 100-400 lens which i bought because it was cheap about 10yrs ago to go on safari in kenya. At the time i didnt understand opticsand the fact you only get what you play for.

But getting back to the point i find the 400mm end of the scale was not long enough to use in my garden either that or im not patient enough to get the picture.

I sit out in the garden quite reg so the birds get used to me being there. that is why i looked towards the 500mm lens in the hope it give me the extra reach.

Cheers for the replies by the way guys, any help or advice is much appreciated ?

Cheers,
Shiny.

Its all about getting nearer and filling the frame, then its easier to get a sharp quality image, you must use better fieldcfraft. I know easier said then done, but thats the way to go with any lens.
 
But getting back to the point i find the 400mm end of the scale was not long enough to use in my garden either that or im not patient enough to get the picture.

I sit out in the garden quite reg so the birds get used to me being there. that is why i looked towards the 500mm lens in the hope it give me the extra reach.

A decent 400mm lens should allow for a small but sharp image of the bird that can be cropped, it's better to have such an image that a softer slightly larger one from a cheaper 500mm lens. I'm sure most birders with a 400mm lens regularly crop their shots, I know I do.

The 550D has 15 (or is it 18?) megapixels so you have lots of leeway to crop your photos and still have decent quality shots for small to medium sized prints and web posting.
 
Warning! This thread is more than 14 years ago old.
It's likely that no further discussion is required, in which case we recommend starting a new thread. If however you feel your response is required you can still do so.

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top