Simviation Forum - Lens choice question

Sep 18^th, 2011 at 4:43pm

jrom Offline
Colonel
Go CAP!
Location: Earth

Posts: 203

Could I get an opinion here?

I need a new telephoto lens for my Canon Rebel T3i. My current telephoto lens is a Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III lens.
There is nothing in particular I take pictures of, I just photograph pretty much everything. However, I am starting to take pictures of aircraft and wildlife.

I am wanting a new lens due to the fact that the 75-300 III has a TON of chromatic abberations at the tele end (and the wide end, but not as bad), and an IS would be extremly useful, in addition to kind of slow auto-focus.

Now, I just don't have the money for an "L" lens, so don't even try..... Wink

I would also like to stick with Canon lenses.

I am trying to decide between the EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS II and the EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM .

The problem I am having in deciding is the fact that the 55-250 is $350 cheaper than the 70-300.
This makes me wonder why there is the difference in price, and also makes me lean towards the 70-300 just because it is more expensive.

Canon says the 55-250 has one more stop of Image Stabalization than the 70-300.

I can't really compare the MTF charts on the Canon website for the two, being different focal lengths.

So, being a relative noob at lenses, can anyone here give me some guidance?

Thanks in advance!

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Reply #1 - Sep 18^th, 2011 at 4:55pm

machineman9 Offline
Colonel
Nantwich, England

Gender:
Posts: 5255

As much as it goes against everything you've just said... The Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 IS USM with the 2x converter is a phenomenal pair for aircraft and race days Grin

I know you want to stick with Canon, but their range is a little limited. If I were in your position, I would lean towards the Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 HSM. Perhaps with a teleconverter on it too. Sigma's lenses can be a little bit hit-and-miss in terms of quality (if you get a good batch, or a worse one) but generally the performance is very good. I wouldn't bother with the IS HSM version, as when you're in that realm of money, you might as well just make a whole hearted investment and go for the Canon ones.

The DigitalRevTV channel on Youtube has reviewed such lenses too!

Canon, unfortunately, make great cheapos, or great pro level. Their basic lenses have good quality for the price, but don't offer many gadgets. Hence why

L

series stands for 'we

L

ove to charging you a fortune, but we will reward you for your faith!' Wink

Just some food for thought. Sigma is one of the top brands, alongside the manufacturer's own lenses, as well as the likes of Tokina. Tokina do produce a massive zoom lens, although this has micro-motor focusing (IIRC) and it is fairly expensive. The same equivalent would be achieved with a 70-200 and a teleconverter.

In terms of future proofing, I would try and get a full frame lens wherever possible (EF, not EF-S) as lenses can last you many many years, and you may want to get a full frame camera at some point. That said, Canon do produce some fantastic EF-S lenses, which I think is a shame as they could easily make EF lenses (which still work on cropped sensor bodies)

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Reply #2 - Sep 19^th, 2011 at 6:48am

Mictheslik Offline
Colonel
Me in G-LFSM :D
Bristol, England

Gender:
Posts: 6011

The 70-300 IS is a decent little lens for that price range....I have a lot of friends who use it for aviation.

Give us an idea of how much you're willing to spend and it'd be a little easier to find the right bit of glass

(you'd be surprised what you can get....especially in the second hand market Wink

)

.mic

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Reply #3 - Sep 19^th, 2011 at 10:40pm

jrom Offline
Colonel
Go CAP!
Location: Earth

Posts: 203

Yes, I'm aware of what I can get second-hand (or from a reputable store on eBay or Amazon).

I'm not looking to spend more than $500 at this point, I know I can get a 70-300 IS for less than that on amazon or ebay.

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