Hypothetical Question: Super Telephoto with appropriate body...

EdinburghGary

EdinburghGary

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The thread RE Olympus vs Everything else got me thinking about Super Telephoto Lenses....now...I would love a Nikon 600mm F4....my wallet is not too keen though.

What brand and body is best for SUPER reach, with a view to nature shots? Sorry to open this can of worms, but brand loyalty means nothing to me, other than a good excuse for a laugh.

Can someone lay out all the option? Canon, Nikon, Oly, etc etc...!
 
I dont think any is better than any other, but i think Canon has the bigger range of 'longer' lenses, but at a cost (Both ££££'s and Weight).

My ideal setup would be full frame Nikon for the wide / low-light stuff and Oly for the longer stuff as its nice and light in comparison.
 
Think it would have to be 50D coupled with 800/5.6 if you want to use a RAW lens without teleconverters. Has a high pixel density too.

Having said that, there is all this talk about reach but I really find much more than 700mm or so a real handful to control and find subjects in the viewfinder...
 
Canon + 1200mm, not exactly portable or cheap but I think it's about the longest lens that you "could" just about take out on a wildlife shoot. There are longer lenses but unless you're shooting from the back of a low loader you'd be stuffed :lol:
 
pxl8 said:
Canon + 1200mm, not exactly portable or cheap but I think it's about the longest lens that you "could" just about take out on a wildlife shoot. There are longer lenses but unless you're shooting from the back of a low loader you'd be stuffed :lol:
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Isn't the 1200mm like $100,000 and there are 10 of them or something?
 
Siggy 300-800, or a good old 600 F4 M/F..........:D
 
EdinburghGary said:
Your lens is a fantastic prce....however, I am so scared of Manual Focus!!

Gary.
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Hell, why?.....:cuckoo:

Focus on it is fast and sweet, it just involves the minor effort of turning a smooth actioned ring............oooo`er........:D
 
I'd suggest a canon 1.6 crop camera (50D or 40D!). Canons long lenses are cheaper than Nikons but they still cost an arm and a leg.
The 500 F4 may not sound super-long but it takes a 1.4 converter with barely any quality loss to make a great 700mm F5.6.

Another option is the 300-800 sigma but it is enormous, has no IS and really isn't hand-holdable at all.

Depends how long a reach you want and what money you want to spend?

EdinburghGary said:
The thread RE Olympus vs Everything else got me thinking about Super Telephoto Lenses....now...I would love a Nikon 600mm F4....my wallet is not too keen though.

What brand and body is best for SUPER reach, with a view to nature shots? Sorry to open this can of worms, but brand loyalty means nothing to me, other than a good excuse for a laugh.

Can someone lay out all the option? Canon, Nikon, Oly, etc etc...!
Click to expand...
 
For lenses you'll have to consider the Canon super teles which are WAY cheaper than the Nikon versions, you'll save enough to buy a 30D for example.

Also consider the big Sigma glass ie 500mm f/4.5 too, which is really very good.

I've never seen or used the Sigma 300-800 in the flesh, but if you ever see one, I'd just grab it regardless of mount and buy a body to match.
 
What do you hate about the bigma Gary?
If it's the aperture at 500mm and the difficulty it causes with camera shake and slower shutter speeds, then remember if you get an even longer lens they can be just as much trouble even if it's faster.
All these long lenses take a certain getting used to and technique to get reliably sharp shots.
 
Werecow said:
What do you hate about the bigma Gary?
If it's the aperture at 500mm and the difficulty it causes with camera shake and slower shutter speeds, then remember if you get an even longer lens they can be just as much trouble even if it's faster.
All these long lenses take a certain getting used to and technique to get reliably sharp shots.
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Thats exactly it werecrow, and that Sigmonster whilst droolworthy is going to be even harder to use.

I think I need therapy basically, I don't need any new kit at all, and anyone with half a brain would hone whatever skill they could muster on the kit they have. Not me :lol:

Is there a Doctor in the house? :help:
 
EdinburghGary said:
Just looking, you could get a Canon 50D and 600mm F4 for the same price as the Nikon 600mm F4, no body...

Crazy :D
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Exactly.

And this Nikon price premium is why I am looking to the Sony A900 rather than D3X. The difference will buy me a Zeiss 24-70...

I was very close to getting a 500mm f/4 IS + 30D a while ago, as the body is free + some change...:lol:
 
Yeh thats the main reason i chose canon in the first place.
It was always my eventual aim to get a lens like that even when i started with my first dslr :nuts:
 
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