Telephoto Lens Recommendation

mep916

mep916

Administrator
Staff member
My wife owns a Canon Rebel Xti 400D digital camera. For Christmas, I'd like to get her a nice telephoto lens. I don't want to spend more than $500, although I'd be willing if the price was truly worth it. I guess I'm looking for the best lens for a good value. She's basically an amateur photographer, so I don't think she'll need anything highly advanced.

Thanks. :)
 
jimmymac

jimmymac

VIP Member
canon EF 70-300mm f4-5.6 IS USM

Had this lens for my 400D for nearly a year now and its been fantastiv, hopefully you can find it for the right price :)
 
jimmymac

jimmymac

VIP Member
aye decent price that I think (cant say for sure as teh exchange rate is all over the place). I think someone else here has the same lens so they should confirm how good it is. One of the key things for me is the image stabiliser (IS), when your using the lens towards the extent of its zoom without a tripod its very difficult to keep your hand steady enough to get a sharp picture. The image stabiliser compensates for it and keeps it rock steady
 
jimmymac

jimmymac

VIP Member
would have thought there would be a bit more help on this one, theres enough camera buffs on here, come on folks!

As for the Lens hood, cant say I have bothered with one myself as of yet, not enough sun and such to worry about in this country :D
 
mep916

mep916

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Staff member
jimmymac said:
would have thought there would be a bit more help on this one, theres enough camera buffs on here, come on folks!
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I've sent a few threatening PMs to a couple members. :p

jimmymac said:
As for the Lens hood, cant say I have bothered with one myself as of yet, not enough sun and such to worry about in this country :D
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Right, so the lens hood protects the lens from sunlight? If so, then I may get her one since it can get very bright here in California, especially during the summer time.
 
tidyboy21

tidyboy21

Member
I know this may be way over your budget, but may be worth looking around for a Sigma 70-200mm f2.8. It's a great lens, f2.8 all the way through the zoom so great for low light conditions. Image quality is far better than any 70-300mm.

I think that vroom skies has one, may be worth asking him what he thinks of it.
 
vroom_skies

vroom_skies

VIP Member
Going along with tidyboy, glass is not where you want to skimp.
Is your wife serious about photography or does she just like to shoot for fun and what not? If she is quite serious I would really encourage you to look at the Sigma 70-200 2.8, however it is 800, but that's its only downside imo. Tidyboy is right, I do own the lens and its been awesome so far.

Also, you stated you want a telephoto lens, are we talking about a 70-300 (if so, jimmy's link looks like the best) or more along the lines of a mid range telephoto?

Either way I would recommend the Sigma 70-200, if she plans on being in the hobby awhile, it always pays to have good glass.

Hope that helps,
Bob
 
mep916

mep916

Administrator
Staff member
vroom_skies said:
Is your wife serious about photography or does she just like to shoot for fun and what not?
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She does it more for fun...she's definitely not a professional, but she wants to take the best shots possible, and she feels that her current hardware is her biggest limitation.

vroom_skies said:
Also, you stated you want a telephoto lens, are we talking about a 70-300 (if so, jimmy's link looks like the best) or more along the lines of a mid range telephoto?
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Right, I was thinking mid-range, although the Sigma is only $300 more than the Canon Jimmy recommended, so it sounds like it may be worth the additional cost. After all, if she takes care of it, she probably wouldn't need another telephoto lens, so it would be a one-time cost, I'm guessing. Understand that I have absolutely no clue about this type of lens accept that I believe it allows you to take long distance shots.

vroom_skies said:
Either way I would recommend the Sigma 70-200, if she plans on being in the hobby awhile, it always pays to have good glass.

Hope that helps,
Bob
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Thanks man. I appreciate it. ;)
 
scooter

scooter

banned
I just got a Sigma 120-400mm telephoto for my Canon 40D...fabulous lens'. It's a bit more then your preferred budget but at $899.99 Canadian its a great deal.

It's the first Sigma lens I've ever purchased as I'm a purist when it comes to Canon glass but, its slick..very very nice.
 
mep916

mep916

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scooter said:
Yeah, its nice..especially for us people with 1.6 cropped sensor cameras..

its like 640mm :D
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lol. I don't know what any of that means, but it sounds good. :p

Is this the Sigma that Bob and tidyboy recommended?

Scooter, is this the lens you recommended?

If I've got the wrong items, it would help to get some US links with the entire model name and number. Thanks a lot guys. :D
 
scooter

scooter

banned
that one for the 70-200 is for a nikon but yeh...same deal..f2.8 u just want canon mount.

and yeh...thats the one i recommended.
 
vroom_skies

vroom_skies

VIP Member
mep916 said:
She does it more for fun...she's definitely not a professional, but she wants to take the best shots possible, and she feels that her current hardware is her biggest limitation.

Right, I was thinking mid-range, although the Sigma is only $300 more than the Canon Jimmy recommended, so it sounds like it may be worth the additional cost. After all, if she takes care of it, she probably wouldn't need another telephoto lens, so it would be a one-time cost, I'm guessing. Understand that I have absolutely no clue about this type of lens accept that I believe it allows you to take long distance shots.

Thanks man. I appreciate it. ;)
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Lets see,
Well if that is the case I would probably lean with Scooter and recommend the Sigma 120-400. It's not as fast and has a slight degrade in IQ, I would assume, but it sounds like a great fit for you wife.
The only thing that worries me is the sheer size and weight of them. The 70-200 is 3 pounds and the 120-400 is almost 4 pounds. That's quite a lot of weight to be carrying around. do you think your wife would be up to it?

Here are the links on B&H:
Sigma 70-200 2.8:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/533555-REG/Sigma_579_101_70_200mm_f_2_8_II_EX.html#accessories

Sigma 120-400:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/549247-REG/Sigma_728101_120_400mm_f_4_5_5_6_DG_OS.html

Whats odd is that I thought the 70-200 from Sigma was stabilized, it doesn't look like the one B&H offers is though. When dealing with lenses of this length a IS or OS lens comes in extremely handy.
 
mep916

mep916

Administrator
Staff member
scooter said:
that one for the 70-200 is for a nikon but yeh...same deal..f2.8 u just want canon mount.
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Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 II EX = $701.95 after Live Cashback

Sigma 120-400mm f/4.5-5.6 = $755.63 after Live Cashback

Not much of a difference in price...

Okay, Bob. I found them a little cheaper elsewhere, but thanks for the links. I think I'm on the right track. If you guys think the 120-400mm would be better, I'll probably go that route, although I need to get an idea of the weight issue with my wife. I'll have to somehow strike up a photography conversation and ease her into giving me some answers. :D

The links above, those are correct, right. The links I've provided?
 
vroom_skies

vroom_skies

VIP Member
Yup they look like the right ones.

FWIW- You need to be comfy using the equipment. I would really hate for your wife to get a great lens and then not want to use it do to the weight.
 
mep916

mep916

Administrator
Staff member
vroom_skies said:
FWIW- You need to be comfy using the equipment. I would really hate for your wife to get a great lens and then not want to use it do to the weight.
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Yeah, I agree. That's a good point. I'll try to talk to her about it without giving anything away. One last thing...

Can you recommend a good lens hood? Is there anything else you think she would need? She has a tripod already.
 
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