Camera Labs

Hey guys,

Im in the market for a telephoto for my 7D - Im going to shoot the Tennis next month in Melbourne. I also shoot for my school, on sports days so I need a nice sharp lens that can stretch most football feilds and get nice bokeh or at least some background blurring, nothing serious, just enough to make it look like trading card pictures (the school is trying to put some of the kids on post cards for the parents etc.)

I narrowed my choices to two very good but very different lenses.

70-200mm f2.8 IS II lens - $3000 Australian
and the
300mm f4 which is $2200 Australian

I dont plan on chasing action so IS really isnt such a MUST have for me, but I like the idea of having IS so when I do hand held portraits etc and all the other things that arent sports related the 2.8 and the IS of the 70-200 would be awesome.

Having said that, the 300 would mean that I get in closer, is a big honking lens and the element on the end is just beautiful, and I never seen lenses made like that ever. AND its cheaper

And I hate to say this, but I do like the 300mm just for the fact that the AF is soooo much faster and the lens hood makes the whole kit look like a monster, about 3 times larger than the 70-200.... When I rented the lens for a school sports day, so many parents and students stayed away from me in fear that they might break my lens.

Anyway - Any thoughts? if all else fails, I'll jsut rent the 500mm for the day and then fogure out if I want a 300 prime or the latest tele zoom.

Ty in advnce

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1) Olympus OM1 [Zuiko Auto-S 50mm f/1.8]
2) Pentax MZ-60 [Sigma 28-90 & 100-300]
3) Canon 7D [EF-S 15-85 & 70-200mm f/4 IS]

Leo's Flickr Page

Hi Leo

I own this 70-200 F2.8 mk2 lens and trust me its amazing lens.. terrific for sports so no second thoughts , but on football field i hope 200 might not be of much help for you unless you add 1.4x or 2X converters but then your 2.8 drops to 5.6 or so.... i dont know if you like that idea , i dont have knowledge on 300 F4 but you can also look for 400mm F5.6 , since you are not much interested in IS , this is fabulous lens for fast action , ideal for wildlife but i also think it will be good for sports as well , but i'll leave it to others here... 400 F5.6 is very cheap compared to the other two lenses you specified here but its worth for its money for sure... you can rent this lens and try out yourself... give a try..

Cheers
Mano

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Canon EOS 5D mk III|Canon EOS 7D | 70-200 F2.8 L IS II USM | 400 F5.6 L USM

Id like to add the Sigma 70-200 2,8 Macro and 70-200 2,8 Macro OS. Both fairly sharp, nicely built and dont cost a lot. Maybe then the step Sigma 70-200 and Canon 300 is a lot smaller. Or the Sigma and a teleconverter, I dont know.

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Ruben

Panasonic DMC-FZ18, Panasonic DMC-FZ28, Canon G5, Canon 350D, Canon 50D + BG-E2N
Tamron 17-50 2.8, Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L USM,
Canon 18-55 II plus lots of Minolta MD/M42 lenses and bodies

In this case - and if the money is there - I'd prefer the 300mm f4 - with a 1.4x converter you get a 420mm 5.6 as well - and you have the 300mm if needed.
Instead of the 400mm 5.6 I'd rather go for the 100-400mm (OK, I did indeed ) - it has IS and can zoom and still it's very sharp.

_________________
Canon EOS 500D + Canon EOS 5D Mark III
Canon EF 24-105mm 4L IS USM + EF 100-400mm 4.5-5.6L IS USM + EF 100mm 2.8L Macro IS USM + Sigma 12-24mm 4.5-5.6 EX DG HSM + Canon Speedlite 580 EX II + Nissin Speedlite Di 466

i heard that 400mm f5.6 is probably having the fastest AF (which is good for either sports or wildlife).. also the 100-400 @400 is not as sharp as 400mm F5.6 .. but i am not against either 300mm or 100-400..

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Canon EOS 5D mk III|Canon EOS 7D | 70-200 F2.8 L IS II USM | 400 F5.6 L USM

I would suggest the 70-200 because it is so sharp. It is also a much more versatile lens than the 300mm that can be used for much more than just sports. A friend of mine has this lens and produces some extremely sharp portraits and he even uses it as his general purpose walk around lens. However the 300mm can only really be used for sports or wildlife photography. If you need the extra length that the 300mm offers get one of the canon extenders.

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Camera: Canon 550D with battery grip
Lenses: Canon 24-105mm f/4L, Canon 50mm f1.4, Canon 18-55mm, Tamron 70-300mm,
Accessories: Manfrotto 055XPROB with 808RC4 head, Canon 430ex II speedlite, Lowepro Nova 180AW and Lowepro Pro Runner 450AW

Oh that is so lame, every hot girl who can aim a camera thinks she’s a photographer -Stewie Griffin

Hey Leo do you buy camera`s and lenses, because they are big and impressive or because you want to take pictures

There is also a Sigma 120-300 2.8 or the 70-300 L

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Canon Powershot S95, Canon 7D, 15-85, Canon 85 1.8 USM, Sigma 30 1.4, 50mm 1.8, Canon 100 2.8L IS Macro, Canon 70-300L IS USM+Kenko 1.4 Pro 300DGX, Canon 430EX II and RS 4 Classic

Ah the only reason I have the 300mm in my choice is because of the Uncle John that shows up to the same sports day or event I was asked to go to (and he keeps showing up to every one of the events for his kid) and he has a 5dmk2 and the kit zoom (I think its a 75-300mm) attached. (I call this guy "Uncle John" cause when I did weddings with video, I would never get work even if I did have a 10 grand camera the size of a football... so I save my money and bought a 2 grand camera the size of a small child, and the Uncle Johns of the world always point out that they believe you didnt need to be hired since they have better gear - despite having no knowledge.)

This guy always comes up to me and holds his camera next to my Oly (which is half the size) and then comments its only a 40-150mm (which is 80-300 equiv) and says "I thought they hired a professional photographer."

Then I got my 7D and he says "why does it only go to 85mm?" while pointing to his kit telephoto zoom. He doesnt hold his camrea up to mine though anymore but he does mention his is bigger and then he looks at my film SLR and says "why you still using film? This is the way to go now man" forgetting that I HAVE A DSLR right there, TWO OF THEM ><

And when people talk to me like that I always reply "People want to buy my photos though" and keep shooting. really really really shats me.

And thats not the worst part - he has one of those flash guns that attaches to the side with a handle AND he has his macro flash attached to the end of his lens and he always points out "You need a fill flash mate" and thats when I get my 7D by the straps and swing it at his head (joking)

In the end I NEED a 200mm+ lens for my work but I want it to be a good one and part of me is thinking, I like the 70-200 but its too short sometimes and the 300 seems perfect AND its got the added bonus of being cheaper, longer, bigger and sharper. Apparently its sharper than the 70-200. And thats a big selling point for me.

_________________
1) Olympus OM1 [Zuiko Auto-S 50mm f/1.8]
2) Pentax MZ-60 [Sigma 28-90 & 100-300]
3) Canon 7D [EF-S 15-85 & 70-200mm f/4 IS]

Leo's Flickr Page

I get it now,its what other people think and the size of the gear that matters

Maybe its my midlife crisis but I give a
http://legalectric.org/f/2010/03/rats-ass.jpg about what other people think about my gear

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Canon Powershot S95, Canon 7D, 15-85, Canon 85 1.8 USM, Sigma 30 1.4, 50mm 1.8, Canon 100 2.8L IS Macro, Canon 70-300L IS USM+Kenko 1.4 Pro 300DGX, Canon 430EX II and RS 4 Classic

Well, I dont really have the money to splash on the 70-200 and its what I want, but the 300 is actually really sharp and cheaper and just keeps the uncle johns away from me while I shoot.

Its just more about being taken more seriously, I lost a lot of work because of the Uncle Johns of the world.

_________________
1) Olympus OM1 [Zuiko Auto-S 50mm f/1.8]
2) Pentax MZ-60 [Sigma 28-90 & 100-300]
3) Canon 7D [EF-S 15-85 & 70-200mm f/4 IS]

Leo's Flickr Page

Hey guys - found a second hand 300mm Lens on evilbay for 300 bucks USD. But its was made in 1997 (the date code starts with a U)

Seller is a store that trade-ins lenses and cameras, and claims the lens has been hardly used and everything works and is clean, the only thing is that it has a scaratch on the lens hood and thats pretty much it.

Anyone here can attest to second hand lenses? The photos Ive seen on it seem really good and Im (....) this close to purchasing it.

_________________
1) Olympus OM1 [Zuiko Auto-S 50mm f/1.8]
2) Pentax MZ-60 [Sigma 28-90 & 100-300]
3) Canon 7D [EF-S 15-85 & 70-200mm f/4 IS]

Leo's Flickr Page

It all depends on the actual used lens what the condition is. There is no general statement on condition, as they can and will vary. Established reputable sellers are lower risk though.

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Canon DSLRs: 7D, 5D2, 1D, 600D, 450D full spectrum, 300D IR mod
Lenses: EF 35/2, 50/1.8, 85/1.8, 135/2+SF, 28-80 V, 70-300L, 100-400L, TS-E 24/3.5L, MP-E 65, EF-S 15-85 IS
3rd party: Zeiss 2/50 makro, Samyang 8mm fisheye, Sigma 150 macro, 120-300 f/2.8 OS, Celestron 1325/13
Tinies: Sony HX9V.

Seems fine - in any case, is there a huge difference between the 70-200 IS mark 1 and the mark 2?

I was looking at the two of them at a store that just happened to have both (no one in the store knew anything about the lenses) so I had to go with the feel, but other than small cosmetic differnces, I dont know what the huge difference between the two are.

Anyone have a clue?

_________________
1) Olympus OM1 [Zuiko Auto-S 50mm f/1.8]
2) Pentax MZ-60 [Sigma 28-90 & 100-300]
3) Canon 7D [EF-S 15-85 & 70-200mm f/4 IS]

Leo's Flickr Page

Mark II version have entirely new optical design, meant to produce sharper and less chromatic aberrations
It has been said that over all IQ of the mark 2 version is better than Mark 1( even though its marginal)- Many reviews points out that the mark 2 version can compete to any Prime lenses in its focal range

Other differences between these two models are minimum,,, because there is not much( i can say almost NO) arguments aginst the mark 1 version( in terms of Build quality, Handling, IQ, speed, accuracy ........... u name it..)

So how can they improve the BEST????

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Nikon D800
Nikon AFS 50mm F1.8 G
Sigma APO 70-200 F2.8 EX DG OS HSM
Sony H50