Affordable telephoto lenses Which is the best telephoto lens for hobbyists or prosumers? There is no one answer. It depends on need and budget of the user. A brief discussion is hereby offered covering both Canon and Nikon brands. Hobbyists and Enthusiasts have long been pondering over it and perhaps will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. Naturally, as photography is not their profession; they are unlikely to have clear ideas re how to go about it. Pros don’t suffer from this dilemma. Since I fall into one of the first 2 categories; have done some research on consumer and prosumer items. Although I read about premium glasses but, since those are not my cup of tea, decided to refrain from discussing about them. Nikon (Consumer) Majority hobbyists and enthusiasts use crop bodies that Nikon calls DX. These bodies with smaller sensors are by no means negligible as they can perform almost all the tasks of full-frame bodies known as FX. Rather the former offers little bit more for the outdoor shooters. The 1.5 crop sensors help capturing subjects 1.5 times closer than full-frame images. However; due to its limitations in high ISO performance, continuous shooting and gimmicky but detrimental pixel density; professionals prefer the full-frame variety. On lenses. For general purpose and non-commercial use; AF-S DX NIKKOR 55-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR telezoom lens can be a very good choice. This is a rather new addition to Nikon lens lineup. 300mm gives 450mm equivalent of reach on FX. It costs US$ 400/-. If used in good light, its images can be as sharp as premium glasses’ outputs. However, it might struggle in reproducing vibrant contrast and saturation like its high-end siblings. It’s a strategy followed by both Canon and Nikon to install higher quality optics in the premium lenses. Bottomline is; this lens serves the hobbyists’ purposes very well. The other consumer telephoto glass is AF-S VR Zoom-Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED that costs US$ 590/-. The main difference between the 2 is – it offers faster autofocus. The rest are same as those of 55-300mm. Nikon (Prosumer) This manufacturer offers 2 excellent telephoto lenses in this segment. One of those is a prime while the other being telezoom. The first one is AF-S Nikkor 300mm f/4D IF-ED selling at $1,495/-. One of my user friends confirms it accepts 1.4 extenders well. That’s a lot of lens as, with the extender on, it provides 630mm equivalent of reach on FX at f/5.6. Image quality is also great. Many users find it convenient for both portrait and action shots. The other one is AF VR Zoom-Nikkor 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6D ED that sells at $1,850/-. It produces excellent images at the long end (400mm) at f/5.6. However, images get sharper when stopped down to f/8. Details, contrast and saturation are also great. This is the recently updated version of the lens. Older version is also great selling at $ 1,100/- Canon (Consumer) The EF-s 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS II is a great choice for consumers. This is the recently updated version of the glass selling at $ 300/-. I used the older version which was also excellent. For casual shooters; the best kit comprises of 3 equipment: this telezoom lens, the EF-s 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II and a Rebel body (like EOS 500D or 600D). You can do everything with this package. Please note EF-s lenses cannot be used on full-frame bodies whereas all EF lenses are useable with crop bodies. The other little bit more advanced telezoom lens is Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM selling at $ 650/-. It offers a faster autofocus and little more reach. If one is on safari in a genuine national park; this lens alone can serve all his needs. I experienced this on my first visit to the world famous Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya in July 2009. If you own it; retain it for as long as possible. Canon (Pronsumer) Canon offers more variety in this segment that consists of 2 primes and 2 zooms. All are great guns. Those are: EF 400mm f/5.6L USM $1,340/- EF 300mm f/4L IS USM $1,450/- EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM $1,700/- EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM $1,600/- All these lenses are made with quality optics and produce decent images. The first 3 will accept extenders while the last one won’t. As you can see this one is the L version of a previously discussed consumer glass. However, I’m skeptical about the weather sealing of these lenses as my 400mm f/5.6L collected fungus around the edges of the front element. Now that development seems to have slowed down following my action of preserving my equipment in weather sealed plastic boxes with silica gel for the last 2 years. Would therefore, recommend proper protection against humidity during wet seasons (in this region, April – October). Interesting point to ponder: If you are out doing bird photography at locations like Tangua Haor, Hakaluki Haor, Baikka Beel for waterfowls or the coast for Spoon-billed Sandpipers; 800mm super telephoto lens might prove to be inadequate.
Posted on: Tue, 11 Mar 2014 03:40:20 +0000
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