I am looking for some advice with regard to a long telephoto lens. My current lens line up as you can see below comprises of a couple of F4 zooms and a few fast primes with my longest being 200. I am thinking about adding something longer for wildlife/birds and i have researched various options - 300 F2.8/4L, 400 5.6L, 100-400 etc. My concern is really that here in sunny Scotland it is often pretty overcast so if i am going to keep the shutter speed high enough i am either going to be at high ISO or need a fast lens. At some point i am planning a safari so i would also take this lens. There is a ton of threads on all of these lens but i am particulary interested in how much use folks get of long telephotos when your conditions are less than ideal ?
The ideal, a 600/4.0L IS and a very expensive legset
With that in mind, everything is a compromise of FL and money.
In your shoes, I'd buy a "used" Bigma (Sigma 50-500), play with it awhile and see how much use you get, in real terms and at what focal length, then decide what you're gonna want for your needs.
You can always sell the lense on the "Buy & Sell" forum if the 50-500 doesn't meet your needs but it's the least expensive alternative, for entry level eval purposes.
OK
I feel i have a right to contribute because
a) Im in Scotland too
b) I own the 50-500mm
c) I own the 300f4 and 1.4 tc
The 50-500 is great BUT you need a tripod (in scotland) and it focuses too slowly for flight shots. It is fine if you are taking shots of a bird stting on a perch.
The 300f4 focuses much much quicker. If you attach a 1.4 TC the AF slows but is still faster than the 50-500mm. I find it is also easier to handhold due to the size, weight and the IS.
Image quality wise my 300 is sharper than the 50-500 but the 50-500 has the added reach. I had to decide whether to buy the 400f5.6 or 300f4 to complement the 50-500 and chose 300 as iot offers me more flexibility and has IS - a must in Scotland as far as I am concerned.
If you plan on shooting smaller perched birds, you could get away with the Sigma 50-500 (aka Bigma). However, if you'd like to capture anything in flight, you'll likely want the AF and the stabilization the Canon 100-400 or Sigma 80-400 have to offer.
I have the 100-400 and I've got many excellent shots taken with this lens. However after picking up an even longer prime, it sees little use. Most likely due to the fact that I haven't got a second body to use it with.
With less than ideal light however, you will want the widest aperture possible, if even for the sake of better focusing. The two zooms I mentioned will perform flawlessly on a flawless day, however if overcast weather is something you deal with frequently, you might reconsider.
Based upon all of the above, I might suggest waiting a bit more till you can swing the 300/2.8, particularly if you don't see a 500 or 600 prime in your future.
