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Thread: An alternate for Canon 500MM

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    Default An alternate for Canon 500MM

    Hello I am a newbie to bird photography. I currently have a Canon 7D camera and I am looking out for a camera lens suitable for bird photography within a budget range of $3000 - $5000 NZ dollars. When I checked with my retailer he suggested me a CANON EF 500MM F/4L IS II USM LENS which is too far from my budget. Can anyone suggest me a camera lens similar or something which is good for bird photography, which is also within my budget . Also I am not fixed with canon any other brand lens suggestion is also welcomed.

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    Billy
    You don't mention what your budget is....

    so with that in mind: (and working down)
    1) Many of the version I Canon 500mm f4 have shown up for sale at reasonable prices (~$5200-5700). Generally lenses don't "wear out" -- you should check that they have not been dropped or subjected to other issues. Many people traded/sold up due to the Mark II's superior focusing,etc (or moved to 600 v2)
    2) you may also find some of the original version 1 600mm - but these are big and heavy.
    3) Artie for years used the original 400mm f5.6; this might be useful as a starting point
    4) there is the venerable, and soon to be replaced 100-400; many birders use this as their lense of choice due to cost. Lots has been said about the push-pull zoom, and the high f stop number at the 400 end. But the birders do use this, and at least one of the moderators was quite successful using this as his lens. With an possible upcoming replacement by Canon in the Photokina timeframe, prices for used lenses might be coming down a bit as people "trade up" to the latest version.
    5) Artie and others like the 300mm v2 with a TC 2x, in some situations. The version 1 of this lens works very well optically.
    6) There are a number of newer zooms offered by non-camera lens companies -- for example the TAMRON 160-600. Find someone that has one and talk with them about their experiences (I have never used one).
    so there are lots of options without going to the 500mm II
    Find something that works for you, start making some images and learn.
    Make the tradeoff to get close instead of getting a longer reach in the lens to save some $$$.
    best regards
    Don

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    Hi Billy

    Dons covered it all except he missed seeing your budget figures. I am an expat Kiwi living in Perth that uses a Canon 500 F4 series 1. Love it.. 2nd hand copies of this lens has been advertised locally for about $5000 AUD, slightly over your top end budget figure but only by 5% ish.. maybe you could stretch? I have also seen copies of the Canon 300 F2.8 series 1 for $3000 AUD advertised locally so that and a TC would fall within your budget. I never used the 300 but its on the wish list. Of course there are the Tamron and Sigma options Don mentions which will fit your budget too. Not sure what type of birds you shoot, but unless they are big dumb and slow, go for as much length as you can afford. If you want to do BIF, you have to consider focusing speed also. I think the Canon primes would have the edge here.

    DON

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    I would also look into getting a used 500 f/4 IS (MKI).
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    The 500 would be a great choice, but the 300 f/2.8 "IS" -- the "Mk I" -- could also be a good option for your budget. I've had one for years and love it. (Before that there was a non-IS version of the 300 but I wouldn't recommend it.) I thought I'd sell mine when I got the 600 II but I still use it often, for subjects I can get close to. (Min focus distance is half that of the 600, and putting an ext tube on it doesn't change the MFD by very much and looses enough light to be a factor.)

    It is amazingly sharp even with the 1.4x and 2x, and hand-holdable with good technique. Wide aperture is very important for the best AF performance, and these primes, even though now supplanted by newer models, perform better than the affordable zooms and are sharper. Sharpness is very important for birds, where cropping is often needed. With the crop factor of the 7D, the bare 300 is already 480. Reach is very important and the 500 certainly gives you more, but if a 300 is easier to find or afford, it wouldn't be a bad choice.

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