70-300 Do IS ? a quandary

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Cobra

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As the falconry season is almost upon us ( well me anyway)
I don't really want to be dragging my 70-200 is f/2.8 around the sort of situations I get myself into ( too large too heavy and too damned expensive to go where only eagles dare :D)

I need a medium range lens and thought the 70-300 DO IS might be a good choice, small and compact is a great plus and they can be had from HK for around £600 inc P&P.

I did have a 70-300 is USM last year but was never really happy with it I can't say why because I don't know, it just never felt right for some reason :shrug: Anyone know what the IQ is like from these and are they good value?
Maybe a cheaper Sigma of the same sort of range might be a good idea but are they they physically large? & I don't want to compromise on IQ

All suggestions welcome. Ta in advance

Edit BTW anyone know what the sigma equivelant is to canon auto focus & IS is? ta
 

No one has an opinion? b****r! I though this was TP forum :D
My mistake, or as the yung'un's say my bad ( what ever that means :shrug: :lol:)

 
I have one. I think it's a great lens. Quality is pretty good but not 70-200L quality. AF is much faster than the cheaper versions and it is much more solid. If size and weight matter, then it is a good choice.
 
whiteflyer said:
I don't have this lens and have only once seen one in use. The is a good review at:
http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/Canon-EF-70-300mm-f-4.5-5.6-DO-IS-USM-Lens-Review.aspx
Click to expand...

Thanks for the link :D

grumpybadger said:
Although thinking about it, I'd probably now go 70-200 f/4L IS and 1.4x instead for more flexibility
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Its a thought but I am sorta hooked on the IS thingy and that starts to get a bit expensive by the time I have put my 2x Tc on the F/number starts to get a bit high plus its only an inch shorter and a couple of oz lighter than my 70-200 f/2.8
But thanks for the thought.
 
You will find mixed reviews of the 70-300 DO IS. It is not the sharpest of lenses but is pretty damn small for the range so can be great as a walkabout and especially good for candids as people wont realise how close you are getting to them (assuming you can leave the huge lens hood off). It has pretty fast AF and effective IS and has a build quality much closer to L lenses.

I rather naively bought it as my first lens purchase after my first DSLR and paid the full price as was then at just over a grand. I dont regret it though as it has served its purpose for me - I was coming back to SLRs after 15 years away and wanted something relatively compact but pretty capable (350D plus the DO lens). Now here I am hankering after a 1DMkIII and a 600mm F4L :cuckoo:
 
Why not consider the 70-200mm f4 L non IS

It's light at 700g, and still produces great quality shots. New it's around £420 and you can pick up second hand ones for £250-300
 
mfwild13 said:
You will find mixed reviews of the 70-300 DO IS. It is not the sharpest of lenses but is pretty damn small for the range so can be great as a walkabout and especially good for candids as people wont realise how close you are getting to them (assuming you can leave the huge lens hood off). It has pretty fast AF and effective IS and has a build quality much closer to L lenses.

I rather naively bought it as my first lens purchase after my first DSLR and paid the full price as was then at just over a grand. I dont regret it though as it has served its purpose for me - I was coming back to SLRs after 15 years away and wanted something relatively compact but pretty capable (350D plus the DO lens). Now here I am hankering after a 1DMkIII and a 600mm F4L :cuckoo:
Click to expand...

Cheers Mark thats a usuful review :thumbs:
Still undecided though and may even go for a Sigma ( they do a couple of "small" ones cheap enough
 
Byker28i said:
Why not consider the 70-200mm f4 L non IS

It's light at 700g, and still produces great quality shots. New it's around £420 and you can pick up second hand ones for £250-300
Click to expand...

Thanks biker but I've decided its going to be physically a bit too big for what I need and will get knocked about I am sure, going through undergrowth woodland etc
By the time I have all my falconry kit with me ( see 1st post) I just need something compact but I am still a little wary of paying around £600 for something that may get a bit "hammered" hence the Sigma reference
 
An 'option' if size matters would be an olympus E-410 or E-510 with the kit 40-150 lens (80-300 Equiv).

Can be picked up for less than the cost of some of the longer canon lenses and its really tiny for the range covered.
 
Chillimonster said:
An 'option' if size matters would be an olympus E-410 or E-510 with the kit 40-150 lens (80-300 Equiv).

Can be picked up for less than the cost of some of the longer canon lenses and its really tiny for the range covered.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the tip Chilli and I will certainly look into it
Re my follow up thread, though, I am also thinking that the new 55-250 IS will be a good idea small and compact and at around £200 shouldn't break the bank either when it finally arrives late Sept / early Oct
 
Also, Olympus are releasing a 70-300mm lens sometime in October. Use that with the 1.4x and you have the makings of a whopper.
 
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