Choice of Photography Equipment

[jimcat]

Suzie - it's probably best to hear from those who have used those lenses, or publications that have tested them. To that end:

 

Sigma:

 

http://www.photographyreview.com/cat/lenses/35mm-zoom/sigma/PRD_335765_3128crx.aspx

 

http://www.photozone.de/8Reviews/lenses/sigma_18200_3563/index.htm

 

http://www.ephotozine.com/equipment/tests/testdetail.cfm?test_id=365

 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0007U0GYS/002-8589379-7724819?v=glance&n=502394

 

Tamron:

 

http://www.photographyreview.com/cat/lenses/35mm-zoom/tamron/PRD_338018_3128crx.aspx

 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0007WK8MQ/sr=1-2/qid=1144117858/ref=pd_bbs_2/002-8589379-7724819?%5Fencoding=UTF8&s=photo

 

http://www.photozone.de/8Reviews/lenses/tamron_18200_3563/index.htm

 

http://www.ephotozine.com/equipment/tests/testdetail.cfm?test_id=351

 

The Tokina 18-200 seems to be too new to have gotten reviews. I love my Tokina 12-24mm, am lukewarm about my Tokina 80-400mm. Happy shopping... I have been doing the same thing ever since this thread started. I'm sorry it ever appeared here ;)

 

Sorry I got it started ;)

 

But it is fun

[CherylTN]

We have the new Canon 30D to take to Alaska, my question is do you think it is safe to leave lenses you are not using in your room on the ship while out on excursions? Are there any safes or anything onboard that would hold them?

[Suntan Sailer]

Speaking of carrying lens while on an excursion (Chery, if memory serves from my last cruise, Carnival has little safes in each room. They are not large enough to hold any serious telephotos though)

 

I would just like to express my complete joy over my new camera backpack.

 

I got a Kata R-102 a few weeks ago and am blown away by its build quality, functionality, and padding protection for equipment. It is the most comfortable backpack I have ever had (including a few general purpose Kelty backpacks). It comes with a detachable waist strap that is not needed as it distributes and stabilizes the weight wonderfully with just the shoulder straps.

 

Also, it is the only photo backpack I know of that allows you to get access to the camera without having to open the entire pack.

 

Most importantly, it doesn't look like a typical camera backpack. Both from a style standpoint, and a theive's standpoint.

 

Anyway, a good place to review bags for camera equipment is http://www.cambags.com

 

-Suntan

[as41shots]

Sorry I got it started ;)

 

But it is fun

Fun??? I'm just glad I had a positive balance in my Paypal account... makes it much less painful to buy new unnecessary toys, like the new ball head for my tripod (which will probably have to be replaced by a CF tripod since it was primarily used in a portrait studio and is relatively heavy).

 

I really can not envision lugging that 11 pound tripod around the bear watch sites (weight not including camera and tele lens).

 

I hope I have a good quarter coming up. :D

 

Troublemaker. ;)

[jimcat]

Fun??? I'm just glad I had a positive balance in my Paypal account... makes it much less painful to buy new unnecessary toys, like the new ball head for my tripod (which will probably have to be replaced by a CF tripod since it was primarily used in a portrait studio and is relatively heavy).

 

I really can not envision lugging that 11 pound tripod around the bear watch sites (weight not including camera and tele lens).

 

I hope I have a good quarter coming up. :D

 

Troublemaker. ;)

 

I was thinking of just taking a dog leash..Those plastic or cloth ones ya see at the wal marts of the world for like 4.99. Wrap it round my hand and then step on it to steady the hand if needed. Then fold it back up and put it in the pocket and move on again.

 

But I will leave a few lenses behind. I may bring the Cam ( video camera too) for the Glacier days. I do not know yet.:eek:

[as41shots]

I was thinking of just taking a dog leash..Those plastic or cloth ones ya see at the wal marts of the world for like 4.99. Wrap it round my hand and then step on it to steady the hand if needed. Then fold it back up and put it in the pocket and move on again.

 

But I will leave a few lenses behind. I may bring the Cam ( video camera too) for the Glacier days. I do not know yet.:eek:

I don't have a steady foot.

[JohnQ]

I used a monopod for our bear viewing day at Hallo Bay on Katmai with my 400 lens. It worked very well as we were sitting on the gravel bank, or kneeling more than standing. If you stand the bears will not get as close to you. And 15' is better than 50', right? On whalewatching and glacier viewing, it can get crowded on deck plus I was shooting faster for the action and didn't need one.

[as41shots]

I used a monopod for our bear viewing day at Hallo Bay on Katmai with my 400 lens. It worked very well as we were sitting on the gravel bank, or kneeling more than standing. If you stand the bears will not get as close to you. And 15' is better than 50', right? On whalewatching and glacier viewing, it can get crowded on deck plus I was shooting faster for the action and didn't need one.

John, is your 400 a zoom or a prime? Right now I am planning on bringing a Sigma 120-300mm zoom with a 1.4x and 2x TC, hence the need for as much steadiness as I can get. The hands aren't as steady as they used to be. My son will have an 80-400 zoom, so he will use the monopod, as I have found that lenas is a little soft at 400 even on a good day (unless I pick up some Canon L glass between now and then). Can you post any of your bear pics here?

 

Thanks.

 

David

[tinkerme1]

We have the new Canon 30D to take to Alaska, my question is do you think it is safe to leave lenses you are not using in your room on the ship while out on excursions? Are there any safes or anything onboard that would hold them?

 

Hi Cheryl! Just picked up my 30D last week, although I couldn't use it since I was on travel and didn't have time to have proper introductions and unpacking. I'm thrilled! Bought the 50 1.4/70-200 L/17-40 L I'll fill in shortly where there are gaps, but for now, I'm thrilled! Have you used yours yet? Hope you're loving it!

[momeason]

We have the Canon Digital Rebel XT, 8 megapixel with several lenses. We are also frequent Ebay users, mostly as a buyer, occasionally as a seller. He has been tracking the prices of the used bodies like our camera. My husband is probably going to buy another body so we can both shoot and put a telephoto on one and a wider angle on the other. When we return, he will sell the extra body used on Ebay.

He figures we won't lose much and he likes the digital flexibility. I like to shoot, shoot,shoot and shoot again...so digital is great.

[eaglcoach]

I just purchased the Rebel XT and now I am looking for a tele lens. The choice comes down to the 70-300 IS or the 70-200 L/4.0. They are priced about the same. You pick up a better lens with the L series but lose out on the length significantly. I upgraded especially for our Alaska trip but also love to photograph sporting events. Any opinions? Thanks

[OldCodger73]

We have the Canon Digital Rebel XT, 8 megapixel with several lenses. .... My husband is probably going to buy another body so we can both shoot and put a telephoto on one and a wider angle on the other....

 

Canon is running a rebate right now on the Rebel XT for $100. Personally, I stay away from buying photo gear on eBay as I feel there's too much chance of fraud. I really like the Fred Miranda site's Buy and Sell forum. I've bought two lens there and sold one. So far the scammers haven't seemed to have found it. You do have to do a free registration before you can access the B&S forum. Be aware though that reading that forum will make you realize there's this lens or that lens that you just have to have. Who said digital DSLR photography is a cheap hobby, grin?

[tinkerme1]

Be aware though that reading that forum will make you realize there's this lens or that lens that you just have to have. Who said digital DSLR photography is a cheap hobby, grin?

 

LOL! Ain't that the truth.

[OldCodger73]

I just purchased the Rebel XT and now I am looking for a tele lens. The choice comes down to the 70-300 IS or the 70-200 L/4.0. They are priced about the same. You pick up a better lens with the L series but lose out on the length significantly. I upgraded especially for our Alaska trip but also love to photograph sporting events. Any opinions? Thanks

 

I had a Canon 70-200L f/4. It was a excellent lens, exceptionally sharp with great color and contrast. It came with a hood and soft case. The longer Canon L lenses are a distinctive whitish-beige. It’s kind of a truism, once you use an L lens, you start wanting more L lenses. However, for me the lens didn’t meet my needs—at 200mm, 320mm in 35mm terms with the 1.6 crop factor--it didn’t have the reach I wanted for shooting wildlife. I also found that I couldn’t hold it particularly steady, which meant either shooting with a fast shutter speed of at least 1/320, or pushing up the ISO, or both. So I sold it and bought a Canon 100-400L. This is a beast of a lens but with IS I found that using slow shutter speeds wasn’t a problem.

 

I’m not familiar with the 70-300 IS other than what I’ve read. It seems to get consistently good reviews. The lens does not come with a hood or case, they’re extra cost options. Here’s a link to some owner reviews on the Fred Miranda site. Be aware that the FM sites has the same problem as the Cruise Critic one with occasional server overloads, so it may take up to a minute to access the site.

http://www.fredmiranda.com/.webloc

 

You should probably do a search on both the FM and dpreview sites for the 70-300 IS. Also you may want to do a search on Google for reviews.

 

So as your post states, ultimately you need to make a choice between better lens quality against good quality, extra length and IS. Take your camera to a full fledge camera store and see if they’ll allow you to take some pictures with each lens. At least handle the lenses on a camera body to get a feel for them.

 

Presently Canon is running a rebate on both lenses, I think it’s $40 on the 70-2ooL f/4 and $25 on the 70-300 IS.

 

Post what you decide. I’m sure other people are also interested.

[eaglcoach]

Wow, great info. I'll look for more reviews at the sites you mentioned. Since I work in NYC I'll go over to B&H Photo to 'play' with the lenses and see what they recommend. I'm looking to make the purchase in the next few weeks to get some good practice before our cruise to Alaska.

 

By the way, is it necessary to have a hood. I can see why you would want the case.

 

Thanks again.

[as41shots]

As usual, good advice from the OldCodger.

 

Another set of reviews can be found at http://www.photographyreview.com. To save you the trouble, here is a link for the Canon 75-300IS --

http://www.photographyreview.com/cat/lenses/35mm-zoom/canon/PRD_83423_3128crx.aspx

, where 51 reviewers gave this lens an average score of 3.67 (out of 5), and the Canon 100-400mm L lens, where 54 reviewers gave it an average score of 4.72. Hmmmm, that "L" glass thing again. http://www.photographyreview.com/cat/lenses/35mm-zoom/canon/PRD_83410_3128crx.aspx

 

On the FredMiranda site, 105 reviewers gave the "L" lens an 8.9 out of 10, while the 75-300 lens, which was reviewed by 51 again, received a 6.5.

 

Food for thought. If it were me I would skip a few dinners out and go for the "L" lens. :D

[wolfnature]

Hello everyone. I'm late in joining this thread since I just registered, but have found it interesting to read. I am going on an Alaska cruise this summer and am looking forward to the photo opportunities. Just to give a quick background I have been doing photography for about 17 years, almost exclusively with various SLRs. I currently have a Canon 20D that has been great.

 

It seems like most of the questions so far have been answered, but hopefully I can contribute and help with any future questions.

[OldCodger73]

as41shots the lens we're talking about is the new, as of last year 70-300 IS, not the old 75-300 IS. The new 70-300 IS is a much, much better lens that the old one.

[wolfnature]

I just purchased the Rebel XT and now I am looking for a tele lens. The choice comes down to the 70-300 IS or the 70-200 L/4.0. They are priced about the same. You pick up a better lens with the L series but lose out on the length significantly. I upgraded especially for our Alaska trip but also love to photograph sporting events. Any opinions? Thanks

 

Hi Eaglecoach. This choice will have to come down to what is more important for you. The 70-200 will most likely be the better lens for sports photography, however you will get more reach with 70-300. One thing about the 70-300 lens that you should be aware of is that the front element moves during focusing, which makes using a polarizing filter difficult (if you plan on using one). The 70-200 is rear focusing, so that wouldn't be an issue.

 

Another difference is that the 70-300 uses the USM micromotor, which is slightly slower focusing than a regular USM lens.

 

I have also heard complaints about using the 70-300 in vertical mode.

 

As far as photo quality goes, they will be similar, but the quality will be slightly better with an 'L' lens.

 

I'm not sure of your budget, but one thing you might consider is getting the 70-200 and a converter. That way you could have the 70-200 as a sport lens, but add the converter when you want the extra reach.

 

Hope this helps.

[eaglcoach]

Wolfnature - thanks. I'll take a look at both lenses but make sure to see the 'L' lens with the converter. Question - with the converter on the 'L' lens, will I be able to crop photo's and maintaint the sharpness? It sounds like the other lens loses something at the 300 range anyway. Taking those sport photo's from a distance I sometimes need to work with them in photoshop to get what I'm looking for. Sounds like you're moving me towards the 'L'.

[tinkerme1]

Wolfnature: I have never used a teleconverter before with my 70-200 L lens. I'm still quite the amateur, but always up for learning something new. Could you recommend some tips for using the converter, and also what type converter to purchase. I know that this will cause an f stop difference....is it big? Thanks in advance for any info you can lend!

[wolfnature]

Hello Eaglcoach and Tinkerme1. Using a converter is pretty easy, but there are some things to be aware of. The biggest thing to keep in mind is the aperture. With a 1.4x converter you loose one f-stop and with a 2x converter you loose 2 f-stops. So basically you want to make sure that you have good light when using one, which if you're shooting outdoors shouldn't be a problem. The other thing to keep in mind is focusing. There is a possibility depending on the lens you are using that you may have to use manual focus (this is more of a possibility with the 2x converter). However, if you are using a Canon 'L' lens that will pretty much eliminate that.

 

Since you will be using a Canon lens, I would highly recommend using a Canon converter because of the quality and also possible compatibility issues. As far as deciding between a 1.4x or 2x, it's really up to you. There is really no difference in price, so you have to weigh how much reach you want versus the f-stop loss. If you are looking at getting it for the cruise and plan to use it outdoors, I would probably go with the 2x since you will have the longer reach and there should be enough light to counter the f-stop loss.

 

As far as cropping while using a converter, that shouldn't be any problem at all, especially with an 'L' series lens.

 

Hope this helps. :)

[tinkerme1]

Wolfnature: Thank you so much for your information! This is exactly what I was looking for and now think I'll go for the 2X converter since I'm using the 70-200 L lens. I was surprised to hear that you thought this lens was too short for nature since the effective length is much better. I guess I was hoping for the moon without the big price tag! LOL! Thanks for joining in on the discussion. We have some very good information here.:D

[momeason]

My husband is in the researching the camera stuff. He bought a Canon Digital 20D used yesterday on Ebay. We already have the Canon Digital Rebel. We are going to use both in Alaska so we can both shoot a lot ( digital is great for that) and then maybe sell one on Ebay when we get back. Lots of Ebay buyers are paying more for the Digital Rebel than he paid new in December. He always researches a lot and gets a good price. Now we will see if he really sells one when we get back. I plan the trips...he buys the cameras.

We have a Canon SLR also. Not worth much in the market now although it is just a few years old. When we go Glacier Trekking we will take this so we don't have to worry about falling on the expensive stuff.

[wolfnature]

Tinkerme1: The 70-200 isn't really too short for nature, but if you are thinking of getting any wildlife shots it is on the short side. When you mention the effective reach I assume you are talking about the 1.6 crop factor (which is a bit misleading). If you do end up getting the 2x converter I think you will be happy with it.

 

momeason: If your husband does actually sell one after your trip, I would highly reccomend keeping the 20D instead of the Rebel. Although keeping both of them wouldn't be a bad idea :) By the way, I wouldn't worry about falling on the expensive stuff. The 20D is actually a pretty rugged camera.