Over 5 years ago now, I got my first digital compact camera to start taking some (albeit terrible) photos of garden birds. I had a Fujifilm Finepix S700, with 7.1 megapixels and 10x optical zoom. The optical zoom part was the bit I was mostly interested in. It allowed me to get closer to some of our garden birds. Admittedly, 10x zoom was still relatively useless for my needs, but it was a start.
After a while though, I decided that a DSLR was going to be my next step. Digital compacts really are quite ineffective for any kind of decent bird photography. Nearly 3 years ago now, I got an SLR camera - the Canon 500D (with 18-55mm kit lens). I loved using the camera, and discovering how to use all of its functions was exciting. I can remember at the time being especially interested in trying to use the movie mode, as it was the first Canon SLR (I think) to include a full HD movie mode.
After a few months, I was able to afford to buy a cheap telephoto lens. I bought the Canon 75-300mm f/4.5-5.6 lens. This allowed me to take some much better quality photos of all kinds of wildlife. According to online reviews, it was about the best quality telephoto is was possible to buy for the money (just under the £150 mark). I was thoroughly enjoying taking photos with this lens and, although it was much more challenging to get used to than what I was using before, the images I was taking were much, much better.
I've now been using this setup for about 2 and a half years, and I think now is possibly the time to make another step. This lens has been very good for me as a beginner, but for some time now, I've been thinking about upgrading. I want to now get a high quality bird photography lens that will give me a bit more reach for taking photos of birds at a slightly longer distance.
I've been doing lots of research on the internet on the options available to me. The main issue with bird photography is that it doesn't come cheap. There just isn't a good lens available for less than about £500. And me being a student doesn't help matters much either. But I thought it would still be good to set myself a target so I have something to aim for. The selection of lenses include a couple from Canon, and one Sigma lens, and are as follows. I have included some information I found from the research I did. Maybe this information can help anyone else who is looking to buy themselves a bird photography lens at some point in the future.
- Sigma 150-500mm f5-6.3 (approx £700-£800)- Cheaper than the other two, and gives the flexibility of a 150-500mm focal length. Can produce good images but isn't as high quality as the Canon alternatives. Apparently, high quality images can be obtained if you are willing to stop down a few times. Relatively heavy, but apparently popular with lots of birdwatchers.
- Canon EF 400mm f5.6 L USM Prime (approx £1000)- No zoom on this lens so its just got the single focal length of 400mm. Image quality is supposed to be the sharpest lens available around this price mark. Lots of places online recommending this lens for bird photography. No Image Stabilisation.
- Canon EF 100-400mm f4.5-5.6 L IS USM (approx £1200)- Has the advantage of being a zoom lens (not just a 400mm like the one above). Good image quality but not as good as the 400mm prime apparently. Also has Image Stabilisation. Apparently very tempting to bird photographers because of the perceived flexibility of the focal length range and IS, but many experts state that almost all the time, the lens would be used at 400mm, and the better image quality of the 400mm prime gives it the edge.
So I am definitely leaning towards the Canon 400mm f5.6 lens for a number of reasons. Unfortunately, bird photography is not a cheap hobby to have, and although £1000 is actually relatively cheap compared with some available on the market, its gonna be some time before I can afford one of these. But at least I now have a target to aim for. Not only this, but it's definitely a long term investment. I want this lens to last me as long as possible. Maybe I'll have the money at some point in the summer but we shall see. I may decide to rent this lens
Hopefully, this post may be of use to anyone in the same situation as me. Below are a set of links to some of the sites I have used for my research. There are lots more websites which I have looked at, but finding them all is very difficult, so here's a few of the ones I could find:
- http://mikeatkinson.net/Tutorial-3-Equipment.htm
- http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=43436
- http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=240617
- http://www.alexsukonkin.com/reviews/Canon-EF400f56-L-USM_en.shtml
- http://www.michaelfurtman.com/comparing_canon_400s.htm
Any more information anyone has on this would be much appreciated, as my mind isn't completely set on this lens just yet.
I think I'll leave today's post at that. Sorry for posting so much about things such as this, but without my SLR, posting photographic content isn't really possible at the moment. My camera has now been sent back home after its repairs, and I should be able to bring it back to uni next time I go home at the weekend (probably next weekend, or the one after that). Tomorrow I may post about my morning birdwatching session in my ecology module but we shall see. Until then, enjoy the rest of the week :D
7 comments:
Joe. I've been using the same lens as you and whilst the results are fairly good I constantly wish I had something better for those distance shots.
My preference is for a fixed prime with IS as I hate carrying too much gear but I don't think I can justify the cost to Mrs. B!!
A very interesting read again Joe. This is a journey I have been on myself. I am lucky enough to own both the Sigma and the Canon 100-400 and no, I'm not wealthy but I used some money I was left! You won't see many photos on my blog taken with those lenses though because they are both soooo heavy :-( and I'm not keen on taking a tripod out with me. I really should get myself used to that but of course you can't be as spontaneous with a tripod I feel. I cannot believe it is impossible for Canon to make a quality lighter lens. Of course you may not have such a problem, I know lots of my male blogland friends hand hold the heavier lenses and get excellent results. When I bought the Canon 100-400 it was either that or the 400 fixed lens but I saw excellent reports of both and thought the former would be more versatile. On reflection though you are quite correct, most bird photos are taken at the longest length. I would always, always go for IS though, I think that is essential!
Good luck with your eventual, final decision, do keep us informed.
Frank- Thanks for the comment. Ahh yes its such an awkward situation to be in. Hopefully we will both be able to get a suitable lens soon.
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Jan- Thank you for the comment. Ahh wow, amazing that you own both. But yes the weight does sound like an awkward problem. I guess all these lenses are designed to be used on a tripod, but as you say, not everyone is keen on having one with them all the time. It really is difficult to get the perfect lens for someone. Ah thank you, I will :)
Hi Joe,
Thanks for visiting my blog :-)
As for which lens you should buy, well, there are many birders who use the 100-400 canon lens, it seems to be the standard choice. However, I decided to opt for the Sigma 150-500, it gives me that little bit more reach, and weighs not much more than the Canon 100-400. All the photo's on my blog are taken with this lens, ( apart from Butterfly/dragonfly shots) and I'm very pleased with it. :-)
Like Jan I find the IS helps a lot. The Canons with ultrasonic focussing motors are fast at focussing. I have a couple of Sigmas as well and they are noticeably slower.
Hi Warren,
No problem, I'm glad I came across it :) Ahh yes it seems both the Canon and Sigma lenses are very popular with birdwatchers. You, and many other people have taken some very good photos with the Sigma, so it's a very difficult decision to make. Thanks for the help, all the advice is very useful
Hi John,
Yes, it seems IS is an important factor too. The lens I'm using at the moment doesn't have IS so I would really notice the difference. On the other hand though, the fact I don't currently use IS might mean that it's less of an important factor for me. Ahh all of this is so difficult!
And yes, the USM is another reason why I'm leaning slightly on the Canon side of things. May still change my mind yet though :)
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