• 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.

Advice needed on birding lens (1 Viewer)

S

SteveClifton

Well-known member
I bought a used 40D recently, and have borrowed a friends 100-400L lens for the past couple of weekends just to see what results I can get from it.

After my second outing I'm becoming increasingly impressed by the quality of the images I've got with relatively little practice (4 examples attached, all cropped at least 50%, and processed in Picassa-sharpened a little etc). The light wasn't great yesterday so I was on 400 ISO or above, quite typical of the light at this time of year.

I had it in mind that I wanted a 400f5.6, mainly for its reputed sharpness, lighter weight, integrated hood, lower cost etc, but now I'm not so sure.

Am I going to find it harder to get pics as sharp as these without the IS which this lens has? or will I need to use a tripod with the prime lens most of the time, therefore offsetting its weight advantage ?

I would also consider the 300 F4 IS with a 1.4TC if anyone thinks it would be a viable alternative, as I take a lot of dragonfly and butterfly pictures with my current 50-200SWD Olympus lens during the summer months. The close focus of the 300 would therefore be a bonus, though I think a Sigma 150 macro will soon fill this niche.

Thanks for all and any advice,

Cheers,

Steve
 

Attachments

  • IMG_7327-3.JPG
    IMG_7327-3.JPG
    100.5 KB · Views: 205
  • IMG_7948-1.jpg
    IMG_7948-1.jpg
    67.1 KB · Views: 220
  • IMG_8059-1.jpg
    IMG_8059-1.jpg
    75.3 KB · Views: 185
  • IMG_8087-2.jpg
    IMG_8087-2.jpg
    49.8 KB · Views: 186
Between the 400 f/5.6, 300 f/4, and the 100-400, the zoom is definitely the most versatile. It's constantly mentioned in forums that it's not as sharp as the the primes which somehow leads people to conclude that the 100-400 is soft. But, I think the 100-400 is a very sharp lens. Also, I think the sharpness advantage of the 400 f/5.6 prime is mostly academic and is lost unless the lens is very well stabilized.

They're all very popular lenses, though. On balance, I think the 100-400 is the best choice for most people. I'd almost be inclined to recommend the 400 prime mostly to people with a fair amount of experience and who have consistent opportunities to get stabilized well. I always bring a tripod when I'm shooting for those opportunities that I can get set up quickly or the birds are cooperating. But, easily more than 50% of the photos I end up taking and that I'm happy with are handheld with the 100-400. The IS at long focal lengths is really valuable.
 
I have the 300F4L with a 1.4 TC...which I use depending on the situation. But I am happy with it as many are with the other two you mentioned (400 F5.6 and 100-400 zoom). I don't miss a zoom as when you are birding you are just not going to use anything much lower than 300 if that.

Both the 400 and the 100-400 are great, you can't go wrong. ....For me, I wanted the IS and that was why I opted for the 300 plus the 1.4 tc. It just depends on how you like to bird. I prefer having my camera and a pair of bins, thus not wanting to also lug around a mono or tri pod.

And I believe IS does make a difference if you are not using a mono or tripod. I always use IS and a few months back I was birding and was getting substandard shots. I looked and the IS was not on. So, in my opinion, IS made a difference thus justifying my thinking.
 
Steve the two replies above are very good.

Personally I am not a big fan of converters and quality tends to drop quite a bit in all but the best glasses.

There is no perfect lens for bird photography. It's a deliberate ploy by the big manufacturers because if there was one then all their other lenses wouldn't sell.
You have to see what's best for you. If you shoot in low light situations frequently then the 100-400 IS is the right choice. The sharper 400 f5.6 will be of little use on cloudy days (I would imagine in N Yorks more often than not the lighting conditions aren't perfect). I own both the 100-400 and the 400 and have noticed that with the 400 5.6 for best results you have to shoot at speeds of 1/800-1000 or more. There is no doubt that the 400 outperforms the 100-400 when conditions are perfect (bright sunny days) but you have to ask yourself how often are conditions perfect in your part of the world. The 100-400 is a versatile and quite sharp lens and is probably a very good choice as a starting lens for anyone with a Canon setup.
 
jameslj said:
Between the 400 f/5.6, 300 f/4, and the 100-400, the zoom is definitely the most versatile. It's constantly mentioned in forums that it's not as sharp as the the primes which somehow leads people to conclude that the 100-400 is soft. But, I think the 100-400 is a very sharp lens. Also, I think the sharpness advantage of the 400 f/5.6 prime is mostly academic and is lost unless the lens is very well stabilized.
Click to expand...

I definitely agree with this. I have been through all three of these similar set ups over the last few years I started with a 100-400, changed to the 400 f5.6, then the 300 f4 and finally went back to the 100-400. All three are good lenses and can produce very good results, but for ease of use and versatility the zoom was the clear winner for me.
 
Hi Steve,

I use a 40D with a 100-400 zoom. My main interest is birds where I normally am shooting at 400 most of the time. If the light is good I usually set the aperture to f/8 to allow for a little more depth of field and contrast. The lens will give good results at maximum aperture if your focusing is spot on. With a sturdy tripod it is possible to obtain good results with teleconverters, particularly if you check the focus by using Live View. Make sure though that the IS is switched off when using a tripod.

For butterflies, dragonflies and flowers, etc., I add an extension tube to allow much closer focusing. I find the IS useful for close up work due to the need for small apertures.

Mike
 
SteveClifton said:
Anyone bought anything from this company?

http://stores.hdewcameras.com/-strse-23/CANON-100-dsh-400%2C100-dsh-400%2C100-dsh-400%2Cdigital-camcorder%2CSLR-DIGITAL/Detail.bok?gclid=CLLtivGxpJ4CFVtn4wod6BIzlw

Their price for this lens is comparable to Simply Electronics who I believe sell grey imports and have mixed reviews by customers who've used them.

Not sure how they can sell at these prices if their stuff is genuine UK stock.

Any thoughts/experiences would be helpful.

Steve
Click to expand...

http://www.ephotozine.com/topic/t-73267
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1021&message=32713773
 
I have the 40D and the 100-400 was my first lens, as a beginner I found this set up to be very forgiving and I have managed some decent shots even though I still don't really know what I am doing. I love this lens though.
 
SteveClifton said:
Many thanks for all of your replies. Looks like a 100-400 zoom might be winging its way to me in the next few days.

Cheers,

Steve
Click to expand...

You won't be dissapointed. I too have a 40D with the 100-400IS. I found my 100-400 to be pin-sharp right out of the box, so the added flexibility of the zoom is a bonus. The 40D handles ISO400 exceedingly well, and Neat Image takes care of any noise that might arise!
 
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.

Similar threads

W
Considering a Partial Camera Upgrade - D500 w/ 200-500mm lens
2
Replies
34
Views
4K
BriLee
B
M
Advice for first (high-end) binoculars : Safari & Birding
2 3
Replies
49
Views
6K
Elkhornsun
E
M
Advice for first spotting scope (+ tripod)
2
Replies
21
Views
4K
Hermann
Hermann
T
Camera choice for birding around 3000 Euros with lens?
Replies
3
Views
1K
Tsvetan
T
J
Lens advice please
Replies
6
Views
1K
justabirdwatcher
J

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 2 (members: 0, guests: 2)
Back
Top