Help! Telephoto lens advice required for a complete newbie

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a11y

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Ally
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Hi folks :wave:

Just a quick intro then I'll fire away with my question(s). I'm a complete beginner when it comes to photograpy, so please go easy on me :D. I've always enjoyed taking pics and had been using a Canon IXUS 430 for years, but I finally bought a DSLR earlier this year. I got a Canon 350d with the standard EFS 18-55mm 3.5-5.6 II lens and - although I gather it's not the best lens out there - it's doing me fine at the moment. Most of my photograpy tends to involve cars, motorsport/trackdays, mountain-biking, and other fast-moving sports. I'm very much into sports photography as I'm heavily involved in mountain-biking and enjoy a bit of motorsport too.


I'm needing advice on which telephoto lens to buy - I need something:
- with a good zoom range (because in motorsport you can't always get close)
- which will be work well with fast-moving subjects (MTBers or cars/bikes moving at speed)
- within my budget of £200...

I was about to order a Canon EFS 55-250mm f4-5.6 IS lens, but before I do I thought it'd be a sensible idea to check if I've chosen something appropriate, and the best for my money.

Would this lens be a good choice, or is there a better alternative within my £200 budget? I've had a bit of a search already on here but TBH I think I'm getting more confused the more I read...

Thanks in advance
Ally
 
I've been "watching" this lens too since Sept. the delivery date keeps getting "knocked back" a few weeks at a time but the latest up-date, if it can be belived, is for monday 3rd, I am quite tempted to use one for a "walk-about"
the UK price seems to be around £220

Edit just seen the link good price :thumbs:

 
Thanks for the responses.

I'm in no great rush for the lens - my local motorsport venue is Knockhill and it's too bloody cold at this time of year anyway...


Ian - cheers for the link :). Cheapest I'd found before that was £199.

Cobra - so this lens isn't available at the moment? I might get one ordered but am a bit wary if there's no known date for stock to be expected in.
 
a11y said:
Cobra - so this lens isn't available at the moment? I might get one ordered but am a bit wary if there's no known date for stock to be expected in.
Click to expand...

Nope 'fraid not.
Its supposed to be out Monday but then its supposed to have been released in Sept. best bet is to keep watching the web sites until they say "in stock" I would ( am going to) then phone the shop concerned to confirm
don't get confused with the 55-200 I think it is, thats "in stock" but is not a 4 speed IS version.

Nicked from Pixmania's site
This EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS telephoto zoom lens from Canon comes with a 4-speed image stabiliser and a UD glass element, and is made up of a system of 12 lenses, which are divided up into 10 groups. It features a circular aperture diaphragm, which is ideal for emphasising subjects in photos shot against distracting backgrounds, and an image stabiliser with an automatic panning detection to reduce the effects of blur caused by camera movement. It also corrects chromatic aberrations and puts Canon’s exclusive technology to good use by limiting image distortion. Thanks to its increased focal range, the EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS is suitable for use by seasoned users, and for those looking for a flexible optical complementary telephoto lens and impressive-quality close-up photos
 
Thanks again.

I'll wait and see then - fingers crossed for tomorrow but who knows...

Ally
 
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