Wanting to start wildlife Photography. Which Lens?

I carry a Sigma 150-500 OS on a gripped 5D3 all day long on a sling and don't have any problems. Quite often I'll be carrying my gripped 70D with 70-200 f2.8L IS MkII and 2x converter on the other shoulder as well when I'm out for a full day, and extra batteries etc in my pockets. I take both aviation and wildlife shots with mine and have got hundreds of great shots from the Sigma which haven't needed any PP to sharpen them up afterwards.

This is a shot at 500, f6.3, 1/800 and ISO1000 on my 5D3 with no PP apart from a heavy crop,

Dunnock (Hedge Sparrow) close up. by modchild, on Flickr

This is a shot of a Starling at a similar setup,

Starlings In The Garden 4 by modchild, on Flickr

And a metal type bird, again taken wide open at f6.3 but at 1/1000sec and ISO640 and 1 stop EXP Comp and again there's been no PP on this apart from a crop,

F16AM flypast at Waddington by modchild, on Flickr

I've recently bought a Canon 300 f4L IS to use with a 1.4x converter and now I'm looking forward to this year to see what shots I can get with this and my existing gear in the parks, zoos and airshows.
 
modchild said:
I carry a Sigma 150-500 OS on a gripped 5D3 all day long on a sling and don't have any problems. Quite often I'll be carrying my gripped 70D with 70-200 f2.8L IS MkII and 2x converter on the other shoulder as well when I'm out for a full day, and extra batteries etc in my pockets. I take both aviation and wildlife shots with mine and have got hundreds of great shots from the Sigma which haven't needed any PP to sharpen them up afterwards.

This is a shot at 500, f6.3, 1/800 and ISO1000 on my 5D3 with no PP apart from a heavy crop,

Dunnock (Hedge Sparrow) close up. by modchild, on Flickr

This is a shot of a Starling at a similar setup,

Starlings In The Garden 4 by modchild, on Flickr

And a metal type bird, again taken wide open at f6.3 but at 1/1000sec and ISO640 and 1 stop EXP Comp and again there's been no PP on this apart from a crop,

F16AM flypast at Waddington by modchild, on Flickr

I've recently bought a Canon 300 f4L IS to use with a 1.4x converter and now I'm looking forward to this year to see what shots I can get with this and my existing gear in the parks, zoos and airshows.
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If you ever sell that lens, I'll move to Canon for it!!!
 
well i might be 5"8 but i'm 57 :eek: oh and i have a 150-500 siggy ;)
 
I'm not a Nikon user but as a general rule a prime lens will always be a tad better than a zoom. However a zoom is far more useful, especially with wildlife which tends to move about a bit, take off the TC and remount lens, now what happened to that bird that was there a moment ago!
 
I think that so much depends on which wildlife you are shooting and also how skilled you are at approaching various animals regardless of their size. Also, you need to understand their ways of behaviour and habits.

In other words there will be times when a (talking Canon here) 100mm Macro is best, or a 70-200mm zoom with extender option is best, or the longest reach lens you can afford.

Love what you've got and not what you haven't got.

It's as my Ansell Adams signature quote says.....
 
Phil Young said:
I don't see Arnie complaining and he's got years on you! :LOL:

It's a good thing to have a heavier lens - it will add resistance to your walking which will imrove joint and bone strength, whilst giving your heart a workout too...ultimately, a heavier lens will make you live longer! :ROFLMAO:
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I am on feet walking most of the day Phil, and then often go out with the camera when I finish work, I don't use a sling but do have a harness
and often have 2 bodies with whatever lenses I feel I need attached.

If going a long distance to get a picture, yes I do know places where roe deer/foxes etc frequent in the wild, if can be cumbersome and I personally
feel that it's something people should be aware of when considering a lens,

No way could I ever carry or use some of those huge lenses you see
 
modchild said:
I carry a Sigma 150-500 OS on a gripped 5D3 all day long on a sling and don't have any problems. Quite often I'll be carrying my gripped 70D with 70-200 f2.8L IS MkII and 2x converter on the other shoulder as well when I'm out for a full day, and extra batteries etc in my pockets. I take both aviation and wildlife shots with mine and have got hundreds of great shots from the Sigma which haven't needed any PP to sharpen them up afterwards.

This is a shot at 500, f6.3, 1/800 and ISO1000 on my 5D3 with no PP apart from a heavy crop,

Dunnock (Hedge Sparrow) close up. by modchild, on Flickr

This is a shot of a Starling at a similar setup,

Starlings In The Garden 4 by modchild, on Flickr

And a metal type bird, again taken wide open at f6.3 but at 1/1000sec and ISO640 and 1 stop EXP Comp and again there's been no PP on this apart from a crop,

F16AM flypast at Waddington by modchild, on Flickr

I've recently bought a Canon 300 f4L IS to use with a 1.4x converter and now I'm looking forward to this year to see what shots I can get with this and my existing gear in the parks, zoos and airshows.
Click to expand...

Very nice images!
 
Cagey75 said:
The 300 f4 + 1.4x TC is a nice combo. Giving 420mm, @ f/5.6. I plan to make much more use of mine over the coming months as the seasons change. Hopefully I'll get some nice wildlife shots along the way, nothing intense, just want to try out some more outdoor/nature photography this year.

One from last Aug - taken through the kitchen window, using that very combination. f/8, ISO 500, 1/500 sec.

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Very nice image! Think i've try this combo out!!
 
markyboy.1967 said:
Nothing wrong with the Nikon 300f4 and 1.4tc as its a starting point fir many people wanting to get into wildlife stuff but remember its a slippery slope and you will eventually be spending stupid amout of cash.lol
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Now that is so true. The 300 f4 is a great lens and works really well with the 1.4tc. I was deciding between the nikon 300 f4 and the sigma 150-500 a couple of years ago, I ended up going for the 300 f4 as it was slightly smaller, being a prime IQ is excellent and the fact it's at least a stop faster at 300mm and a little faster at 420mm. I can understand that a zoom can be worth it if you can't move position. I've recently upgraded from the 300 f4 and my choice was a sigma 120-300 f2.8 and the nikon 300 f2.8. I've ended up going with the 300 f2.8 as I already have nikon TCs that wouldn't work with the sigma 120-300 f2.8 and that I have a 70-200 f2.8 that's the perfect size and weight for zoos on a crop body.

For me I would either go for the 300 f4 and keep your 80-200 f2.8 or save a bit more/sell your 80-200 f2.8 and go for the sigma 120-300 f2.8 OS and sigma 1.4 TC. The sigma 120-300 os would be a great wildlife lens if you had only one lens, it's also faster too. I'm not sure if mpb still have one for sale.
 
Personally I would say 400mm is a minimum as I have a Canon 100-400mm. If I was buying another relatively cheap lens then I'd try either of the Sigmas (50-500 or 150-500) or the new Tamron which has an extra 100mm on those (600mm total but F6.3 rather than 5.6)
 
I took these on a sigma 120-400 and I'm over the moon with it on a cropped sensor
 
Joeturner11 said:
I have used the sigma along side the Nikon 300mm f/4 in the past when I borrowed the sigma from a friend and the sigma is not a patch on the 300mm f/4 quality of images the sigma is pretty unusable after 400mm in my experience, Better to use the 300mm f/4 with 1.4x or 1.7x converter if you need the extra reach, this is my opinion after using both
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No they are not Joe- that is a very bold statement to make fella- maybe its your photography skills rather than the lens??? I shoot using the Sigma and get very USABLE results

They are cracking for close upshots too Tell me this aint usable - shot at f6.3 and 500mm


DSC01198 4 spot chaser by lesmoxonphotography, on Flickr

Les :p
 
Just my twopeneth but i dont shot wildlife

The OP has a D600 and is wanting an expensive lens upgrade for more reach, would it not be a better decision to look for a cheap D7000 at about £375-400 which with the crop factor will give him 1.5x more reach with any lens he sticks on the end
 
Gary Coyle said:
Just my twopeneth but i dont shot wildlife

The OP has a D600 and is wanting an expensive lens upgrade for more reach, would it not be a better decision to look for a cheap D7000 at about £375-400 which with the crop factor will give him 1.5x more reach with any lens he sticks on the end
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Wouldn't just cropping those 24mp give the same image???
 
everyones needs ,tastes,skills etc differ .the nikon will be sharper under a variety of circumstances the sigma will start to suffer under low light ,not heard of many i/q problems with the nikon lens but plenty with the sigma ,they do have the reputation of being a monday or friday lens ,has the 150-500 myself it was o.k but just that o.k .
now i have changed back to canon have on my back up camera a sigma 120-400mm os ,thats a good copy and produces some good images . i feel with sigma that you have to try before you buy to especially if buying s/hand
 
I have sigma 400mm telemacro. It is a great lens at a very good price. I will post some photos soon.
 
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