Hi..Im looking to decide between these 2 lenses for my Canon 400d....
EF 70-200mm f/4L USM
or EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM
I'm looking at these particular lenses because I want a nice lens to take
with me on Safari to Kenya later this year.
I need a decent telephoto, and although the 70-200 mm is a *teeny* bit out
of my price range, I might push for it and get my 1st ' L' series glass.
However, i also like the 70-300mm because of the extra on the telephoto and
IS is important for me as I dont have the steadiest hands..I realise the 'L'
series lens dosn't have IS..I do have in my bag the 70-300 mm NON IS lens
that I'm thinking of ebaying to raise funds for one of the above 2 lenses.
I understand that the 'L'series lens will have much better build quality and
probably better Picture quality, but do those who use that lens use it hand
held, and if so what sort of results do you have?
I have used the 70-300 mm NON IS lens and kinda like it, hence the upgrade
to the IS version..on safari the extra 100 mm might prove to be very useful,
but maybe the IS might not be so useful at the 300 mm end with poor light?
any impartial ( or even partial!) advice would be really useful.
Just for the record, I am intending to take on safari with me ( there is
very little chance of any electrical points to charge equipment, maybe the
cigarette lighter of the overland truck)
Sony w12 with 5gb of duo memory sticks
Canon 400d
18-55 mm kit lens
50 mm 1.8 lens
70-300 mm NON IS NON USM lens ( that i will probably ebay)
28-135 mm IS lens.
Manfrotto tripod ( cant remember the model, but it weighs under 1kg and
packs really nice!)
Bean bags
Epson p4000
4x canon 400d batteries
1 battery charger that runs off a 12 v car cigarette lighter that charges 2
batteries simultaneously
If there are any I should leave at home, or general comments, i'd also
appreciate that, too...be nice to take an extra body, but I just can't
afford that :-(
> I understand that the 'L'series lens will have much better build quality
> and probably better Picture quality, but do those who use that lens use it
> hand held, and if so what sort of results do you have?
The "picture quality" is determined by much more than the potential
quality of the lens optics.
In you case I would suggest that the 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM would be
the better lens and is likely to produce better overall images for your
stated needs. The IS and the extra reach, I believe, will be far more
valuable than the difference in the optics.
If it were me, I would only take two lenses the 18-55 mm kit lens and
the 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM. I would likely reduce a fair among of other
stuff as well. Being free of extra weight and bother and worry of things
like lens choice will allow you to focus on the more important things like
the subject. You never get the photo that happens while you are changing
lenses.
I am a fan of tripods, but I believe that with the IS, you can do well
with out it. Bean bags are great, but you can use a shirt out of your suit
case if need be. Just go down the line and see what can be left behind.
Everything you get rid of is one less thing to carry and worry about along
the trip.
for a safari I use for shooting animals a Canon 100-400 L IS USM lens. I
use it mainly on a tripod but also with a bean bag on the car door window
ledge. When I use it on a tripod I usually turn IS off as the IS can
become confused when the lens is rock steady. This is a pricy lens but
google the "Luminous Landscape' web site and look at their advice.
I consider L lenses to be far better optically than non L lenses.
Malcolm
"the_niner_nation" <the_niner_nation@sf49ers.com> wrote in message
news:4682e89b$0$16369$88260bb3@free.teranews.com.. .
> Hi..Im looking to decide between these 2 lenses for my Canon 400d....
>
> EF 70-200mm f/4L USM
>
>
> or EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM
>
>
> I'm looking at these particular lenses because I want a nice lens to take
> with me on Safari to Kenya later this year.
>
>
>
> I need a decent telephoto, and although the 70-200 mm is a *teeny* bit out
> of my price range, I might push for it and get my 1st ' L' series glass.
>
> However, i also like the 70-300mm because of the extra on the telephoto
> and IS is important for me as I dont have the steadiest hands..I realise
> the 'L' series lens dosn't have IS..I do have in my bag the 70-300 mm NON
> IS lens that I'm thinking of ebaying to raise funds for one of the above 2
> lenses.
>
> I understand that the 'L'series lens will have much better build quality
> and probably better Picture quality, but do those who use that lens use it
> hand held, and if so what sort of results do you have?
>
> I have used the 70-300 mm NON IS lens and kinda like it, hence the upgrade
> to the IS version..on safari the extra 100 mm might prove to be very
> useful, but maybe the IS might not be so useful at the 300 mm end with
> poor light?
>
>
> any impartial ( or even partial!) advice would be really useful.
>
>
> Just for the record, I am intending to take on safari with me ( there is
> very little chance of any electrical points to charge equipment, maybe the
> cigarette lighter of the overland truck)
>
> Sony w12 with 5gb of duo memory sticks
> Canon 400d
> 18-55 mm kit lens
> 50 mm 1.8 lens
> 70-300 mm NON IS NON USM lens ( that i will probably ebay)
> 28-135 mm IS lens.
>
> Manfrotto tripod ( cant remember the model, but it weighs under 1kg and
> packs really nice!)
>
> Bean bags
> Epson p4000
> 4x canon 400d batteries
>
> 1 battery charger that runs off a 12 v car cigarette lighter that charges
> 2 batteries simultaneously
>
> 2x 4gb SanDisk Extreme III
> 2x2gb Lexar premium 80 speed CF cards
> 1x1gb Lexar premium 80 speed CF card
> 2x 2gb SanDisk Extreme III
>
>
> If there are any I should leave at home, or general comments, i'd also
> appreciate that, too...be nice to take an extra body, but I just can't
> afford that :-(
>
>
>
> --
> Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com
>
"the_niner_nation" <the_niner_nation@sf49ers.com> wrote in message
news:4682e89b$0$16369$88260bb3@free.teranews.com.. .
> Hi..Im looking to decide between these 2 lenses for my Canon 400d....
>
> EF 70-200mm f/4L USM
>
>
> or EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM
>
>
> I'm looking at these particular lenses because I want a nice lens to take
> with me on Safari to Kenya later this year.
>
>
The L lens will deliver technically excellent pictures. To get extra reach
you could put a 1.4x extender on the 70-200 f4L. You can buy the pair of
them for £550 on eBay (UK seller). (This will give you up to the equivalent
of a 450mm lens on a full frame camera).
Once you have an L you will never want to part with it - unless it's to buy
the f2.8 version. I don't know the 70-300 but I do know that I sold all my
old Canon lenses once I bought my 70-200 f2.8L and saw the output.
"Eatmorepies" <xyztnday@lineone.net> wrote in message
news:468413ff_2@mk-nntp-2.news.uk.tiscali.com...
>
> "the_niner_nation" <the_niner_nation@sf49ers.com> wrote in message
> news:4682e89b$0$16369$88260bb3@free.teranews.com.. .
>> Hi..Im looking to decide between these 2 lenses for my Canon 400d....
>>
>> EF 70-200mm f/4L USM
>>
>>
>> or EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM
>>
>>
>> I'm looking at these particular lenses because I want a nice lens to take
>> with me on Safari to Kenya later this year.
>>
>>
>
> The L lens will deliver technically excellent pictures. To get extra reach
> you could put a 1.4x extender on the 70-200 f4L. You can buy the pair of
> them for £550 on eBay (UK seller). (This will give you up to the
> equivalent of a 450mm lens on a full frame camera).
>
> Once you have an L you will never want to part with it - unless it's to
> buy the f2.8 version. I don't know the 70-300 but I do know that I sold
> all my old Canon lenses once I bought my 70-200 f2.8L and saw the output.
>
> John
>
>
>
John...how well does the lens work 'handheld'...ie without a tripod, as when
shooting, i will more than likely be in a big safari truck with maybe a bean
abg as a means of stabalising....this is why id love the IS elns, but is way
out of my reach.
With an extender added, won't it make the whole thing too heavy for hand
held shooting?
>>
>> The L lens will deliver technically excellent pictures. To get extra
>> reach you could put a 1.4x extender on the 70-200 f4L. You can buy the
>> pair of them for £550 on eBay (UK seller). (This will give you up to the
>> equivalent of a 450mm lens on a full frame camera).
>>
>> Once you have an L you will never want to part with it - unless it's to
>> buy the f2.8 version. I don't know the 70-300 but I do know that I sold
>> all my old Canon lenses once I bought my 70-200 f2.8L and saw the output.
>>
>> John
> John...how well does the lens work 'handheld'...ie without a tripod, as
> when shooting, i will more than likely be in a big safari truck with maybe
> a bean abg as a means of stabalising....this is why id love the IS elns,
> but is way out of my reach.
>
> With an extender added, won't it make the whole thing too heavy for hand
> held shooting?
> thanks!
IS works on a hand held camera or a hand held panning camera - I don't know
how it would do on a bouncing truck. I suspect nothing will. I assume the
driver stops to afford photo opportunities. There will probably be plenty of
light in Africa, even France seems to be about 1 stop brighter than the UK.
Your 400D should be fine up to 1600 ISO and excellent up to 400 ISO, the f4
or f5.6 (with extender) lens will give you high shutter speeds in bright
light so IS won't be necessary. L lenses are built to a high standard and
will outlast any amateur photographer - more importantly they can be used at
full apeture and return sharp images. At £355 the 70-200 f4L is the best
value L lens in the uk - you will need to find the seller on eBay, 123fstop.
I've had 5 lenses off him, he is to be trusted. He has the 1.4x at £185 to
£195.
The 1.4x hardly adds any weight (6oz?), I use my 70-200mm f2.8L with my 1.4x
for sports matches and get good results. I hand hold it and keep the shutter
speed above 1/800s, if I have to drop to1/400s I try to lean on a post or
something. The 1.6 FOV crop of Canon DSLRs like the 400D and 30D don't
suffer from the edge softness an extender can introduce because of their
smaller sensor size.
£550 may seem a lot to spend in one go but you won't be spending it again.
If you stick with photography you will be changing your camera body in the
next few years, but you won't need to change your L lens unless you want the
f2.8 version - which cost about twice as much as the f4 one.
On IS - it's good, but it's expensive on the better lenses. The 70-200 f4L
IS is almost twice the price of the non IS version. As I wrote above, Africa
should give you lots of light and make IS unnecessary.
"Eatmorepies" <xyztnday@lineone.net> wrote in message
news:46842b86_1@mk-nntp-2.news.uk.tiscali.com...
>
>>>
>>> The L lens will deliver technically excellent pictures. To get extra
>>> reach you could put a 1.4x extender on the 70-200 f4L. You can buy the
>>> pair of them for £550 on eBay (UK seller). (This will give you up to the
>>> equivalent of a 450mm lens on a full frame camera).
>>>
>>> Once you have an L you will never want to part with it - unless it's to
>>> buy the f2.8 version. I don't know the 70-300 but I do know that I sold
>>> all my old Canon lenses once I bought my 70-200 f2.8L and saw the
>>> output.
>>>
>>> John
>
>
>> John...how well does the lens work 'handheld'...ie without a tripod, as
>> when shooting, i will more than likely be in a big safari truck with
>> maybe a bean abg as a means of stabalising....this is why id love the IS
>> elns, but is way out of my reach.
>>
>> With an extender added, won't it make the whole thing too heavy for hand
>> held shooting?
>
>> thanks!
>
> IS works on a hand held camera or a hand held panning camera - I don't
> know how it would do on a bouncing truck. I suspect nothing will. I assume
> the driver stops to afford photo opportunities. There will probably be
> plenty of light in Africa, even France seems to be about 1 stop brighter
> than the UK.
>
> Your 400D should be fine up to 1600 ISO and excellent up to 400 ISO, the
> f4 or f5.6 (with extender) lens will give you high shutter speeds in
> bright light so IS won't be necessary. L lenses are built to a high
> standard and will outlast any amateur photographer - more importantly they
> can be used at full apeture and return sharp images. At £355 the 70-200
> f4L is the best value L lens in the uk - you will need to find the seller
> on eBay, 123fstop. I've had 5 lenses off him, he is to be trusted. He has
> the 1.4x at £185 to £195.
>
> The 1.4x hardly adds any weight (6oz?), I use my 70-200mm f2.8L with my
> 1.4x for sports matches and get good results. I hand hold it and keep the
> shutter speed above 1/800s, if I have to drop to1/400s I try to lean on a
> post or something. The 1.6 FOV crop of Canon DSLRs like the 400D and 30D
> don't suffer from the edge softness an extender can introduce because of
> their smaller sensor size.
>
> £550 may seem a lot to spend in one go but you won't be spending it again.
> If you stick with photography you will be changing your camera body in the
> next few years, but you won't need to change your L lens unless you want
> the f2.8 version - which cost about twice as much as the f4 one.
>
> On IS - it's good, but it's expensive on the better lenses. The 70-200 f4L
> IS is almost twice the price of the non IS version. As I wrote above,
> Africa should give you lots of light and make IS unnecessary.
>
> Post a link to some pictures when you come back.
>
> John
>
Im not going until september, John but you are making a great deal of
sense...the investment will be a life long one and I think i'll go look for
the ebayer you mentoioned
> IS works on a hand held camera or a hand held panning camera - I don't know
> how it would do on a bouncing truck. I suspect nothing will.
Actually, it helps. In January I shot several
sequences at 8.5 frames/sec while bouncing along off
road at up to 30 km/hr showing animals getting out of the way.
More importantly, when the safari vehicle stops
for viewing, the vehicle still rocks around with
people moving in the vehicle. So IS helps
mitigate that problem, especially in great light
near sunrise and sunset when exposure times are longer.
> I assume the
> driver stops to afford photo opportunities. There will probably be plenty of
> light in Africa, even France seems to be about 1 stop brighter than the UK.
When there is plenty of light, the light is harsh!
In east Africa you are close to the equator and the sun rises
pretty much vertically. The light gets harsh very fast.
Light is bright, harsh, and poor from at least 9am to 3pm.
This is the time of day most safari vehicles go out, and the
time of day when animals are least active.
If your driver and companions are up for it, the best animal
viewing is early and late. Be up BEFORE sunrise leaving
camp so you are on site at sunrise. Same for sunset.
Pack a breakfast with you or come back to camp after
9 am for breakfast. It is best to arrange this schedule
with the safari operator before you go, because few
will do this. In my January safari, our 2 vehicles were
usually the only 2 vehicles leaving before sunrise,
and at most only one additional vehicle. That meant
we were pretty much by ourselves, an awesome experience.
Often were were on our way back to the lodge after a great
morning and pass vehicles on their way out at 9+ am.
> Your 400D should be fine up to 1600 ISO and excellent up to 400 ISO, the f4
> or f5.6 (with extender) lens will give you high shutter speeds in bright
> light so IS won't be necessary.
See above.
> As I wrote above, Africa
> should give you lots of light and make IS unnecessary.
If you do all your shooting from 9am to 3 pm on sunny days!
Eatmorepies wrote:
[]
> Once you have an L you will never want to part with it - unless it's
> to buy the f2.8 version. I don't know the 70-300 but I do know that I
> sold all my old Canon lenses once I bought my 70-200 f2.8L and saw
> the output.
> John
That doesn't say a lot for the other non-L Canon lenses, does it?
the_niner_nation wrote:
[]
> Im not going until september, John but you are making a great deal of
> sense...the investment will be a life long one and I think i'll go
> look for the ebayer you mentoioned
>
> cheers!
If cost is an issue, you can get a brand new Nikon D40 with 18-55 and
55-200 IS (VR) lenses for about £550 - and receive a £60 cash-back from
Nikon....
Lens and kit suggestions, please? 
Linear Mode
