Travel Photography - Affordable 1000mm?

wife has gotten excited about shooting birds. some of them are pretty far away. the xxx are about 250-300ft away. she is using a sigma 170-500 on a canon t1l. the lens is just not big enough. a cannon 1000mm is megabucks. is there a secondary brand that will get her there?
these are cropped
http://slawecki.com/Jerry%20Files/#single:IMG_0702.jpg
http://slawecki.com/Jerry%20Files/#single:Osprey%25201.jpghttp://slawecki.com/Jerry%20Files/#single:Osprey2.jpg
not cropped
http://slawecki.com/Jerry%20Files/#single:osprey%2520with%2520fish1.jpg

these are shot off my back deck, 4 miles from dca 10/190

i would be willing to buy a camera with attached lens, if it were cost effective.

Your best/cheapest option for the SLR would be a teleconverter. You would lose a few stops with one but it's a lot cheaper than the $$$ lenses.

I have no ideas about all-in-ones that can zoom out that far, I'm sure someone makes one but I would think it would be horribly slow at that zoom range and the image quality would be subpar to the SLR.

Try Craigslist. Some very fine L lenses are often available used, especially in larger markets (I think D.C. / MD / VA would qualify).

Tell wife to head down to army surplus store and invest into some camo gear(or blind set) and face paint. Next have her leave the house at 3 or 4 am to get herself set up in the bush.
You my friend can now get some extra hours sleep and have full claim to the bed.;)^^
Let her sit motionless for hours (lets call it.. meditation) and wait for the different species to arrive. she really shouldn't need anything over 500mm to get shots. If not, she's not putting enough effort into it and that shouldn't empty your wallet. :D

A good quality 1000 mm lens on the cheap? Alas, such a beast does not exist.

There are some 800 mm f/8 mirror telephoto lenses that are affordable but their quality is questionable at best and total cr*p at worst.

You might be able to use a 1.4x teleconverter but probably not a 2x.

But quite frankly, a 1.6x crop body and a 500 mm lens is a better setup than most bird photographers can ever hope for.

Cheers,
T.

I was fortunate to avoid the urge to try to shoot birds. I tried once or twice and realized the equipment challenges (as you've found), the actual shooting challenges, the very low keeper rate, and, frankly, the lack of anything to get excited about even with a good shot, meant I was better suited for something else.

As noted above, 500mm on a crop camera is more reach than 99.99+% of photographers have. She may be now running into the same realizations I had.

Isn't lens was extremely expensive? I cannot affords it at all. I have try to save the money to buys a nice longer zoom. Why you want to get 1000mm? How much cost is that? Are you guys looking at Ritz Camera or Wolf Camera?

Your best/cheapest option for the SLR would be a teleconverter. You would lose a few stops with one but it's a lot cheaper than the $$$ lenses.

I have no ideas about all-in-ones that can zoom out that far, I'm sure someone makes one but I would think it would be horribly slow at that zoom range and the image quality would be subpar to the SLR.

Actually it isn't as only the higher end lenses can accept the quality T/Cs. Rather you'd be best off with a fixed focal length Mirror Lens. It's affordable long glass, at a really really slow aperture. I own the longest 2.8 lens current in production (400mm) from Nikon and it is unwieldy and impractical to use unless you're actually making money, plus it costs at least 5k used for an older model. I recommend trying out a mirror lens as they are pretty cheap, produce interesting bokeh and are usually rather light.

I've found a high quality lens can make up for shorter lens focal lengths by allowing a tight crop on the photo. I'm constantly amazed at the sharpness of my 70-200 2.8L II at full magnification. Something like the 400 mm F/5.6L would allow you maintain a sharp image after cropping, giving you a bit more reach. That might be a more expensive solution than you were looking for.

I'd pick the teleconverter approach first though.

1000mm is not viable. Based on the pictures you have linked, it seems like she wants sharper pictures. Now, I'm not sure what she has shot these at but the LOWEST you should hand hold a 500mm on a 1.6 Crop body like the T1I is 1/(500*1.6) =1/800 of a second, stopping the lens down for a sharper picture makes for some pretty ideal conditions for a picture. If she's not already using a monopod or tripod that could help.

Otherwise, if she is serious about birding, she should look into a 1.4TC and the 70-200 F/2.8 IS (or 70-200 F/2.8, 70-200 F/4 IS, 70-200 F/4 depending on budget) or maybe the 3 or 400L. I'm not sure if these fit into your affordable category, however.

500 f4L + 1.4xTC would be my preference. Between the crop factor & the teleconverter, you're at 1120mm effective focal length; I'd recommend shooting stopped down to f8 (with the TC, your maximum aperture drops to f5.6 as it is). Though it can be handheld--unlike the 600 f4--a good tripod + gimbal head would be optimal--though you're then adding in nearly the price of a shorter L-series lens just in that hardware alone.

You could use a 2x TC, but you'd have to either use manual focus or buy a 1-series body (since the lens would then have a maximum aperture of f8, which is beyond the AF capabilities of most of the Canon bodies). I know some nature photographers go with manual focus anyway and have been known to stack 2x TCs on either side of an extension tube ... but darn, you'd better be good with the manual focus and have great light given what your maximum aperture falls off to!

I typically use the 300f4 + 1.4x TC on a 50D for birds. Decent length, though the AF is a bit slow--much slower than the 400 5.6 on its own. It's too bad there's not a (good) Canon 400 f4 (the 400 DO does NOT count for various reasons). The 400 5.6 has lightning-fast AF and is very sharp, but lacks IS and cannot take a TC and still retain autofocus on non-1-series bodies (as it again would become an f8 lens).

And yes, I would always prefer a longer lens for birding.

500 f4L + 1.4xTC would be my preference.

There's a wee problem with that setup: the lens costs 7 grand. Unless you are talking a well-paid pro or a wealthy person, it is simply not an option.

Cheers,
T.

Digiscoping would be an affordable alternative and would have better quality than a mirror lens (and probably cost about the same / not much more with an entry-level birding scope + mounting adapter). I've seen some pretty good results from digiscoping with small point & shoots.


There's a wee problem with that setup: the lens costs 7 grand. Unless you are talking a well-paid pro or a wealthy person, it is simply not an option.

Cheers,
T.

I'm seeing it more and more often in use by serious amateurs & enthusiasts. It's something to aspire to... and I know folks who spend more than that on their hobbies (heck, I bet a lot of FTers spend that much over a couple of years on leisure travel... just cut back on some travel and save up ;)).

I don't own it, though, precisely due to that $7k figure, and I do sell some bird photos (just not enough to afford the lens).

Even if you get the lens, it's not so easy to use and doesn't guarantee best results, there is atmospheric haze too.
It's much better to learn how to approach the birds, use camouflage, choose the best spot and be there at dark so as not to scary the birds...
Otherwise, what you can get with less money will be manual focus, probably mirror and extremely difficult to use.

I have a 500mm mirror lense and I'd just like to caution you that it won't get close ups of smaller birds, even if they are near by. Sitting in a blind and getting close up that way is far better. The alleged magnification of a smaller crop area doesn't magnify the object (I know because I am shooting from digital cams that have APS-C and full 35mm sensors).

FWIW, focus isn't a problem as it is the only mirror lense that is AF.

that was the superb idea. I like to get it.

If you do go with a fixed lens camera, check out the Canon SX30 "superzoom". It has a 35x zoom lens.

The results look pretty good after some post processing.

There is a guy named Ken on the DPReview forum that post his excellent bird shots with the SX30 all the time.

The quality definitely won't be like a DSLR with a $x,xxx lens, but good for about $400.

If you do go with a fixed lens camera, check out the Canon SX30 "superzoom". It has a 35x zoom lens.

The results look pretty good after some post processing.

There is a guy named Ken on the DPReview forum that post his excellent bird shots with the SX30 all the time.

The quality definitely won't be like a DSLR with a $x,xxx lens, but good for about $400.

we have a panasonic superzoom p&s. it is pretty good at mid zoom, but not much at superzoom.

i purchased a canon 400mm from adorama. it is great. i ordered, and will receive a kenko 1.4x extender, which is scheduled to arrive monday. will post a few images when the whole package is assembled.

a note about adorama. they have more than one price posted for some of their items. same filter, 60 or 25. same extender, 250 or 140?? they shipped fast, very clean sales. ups from nyc to dc is one day.

........i purchased a canon 400mm from adorama. it is great........a note about adorama.....they have more than one price posted for some of their items......

Thanks for your business - but I'm confused by your comment about pricing!

Could please email me: Helen@adorama.com so I can check this out?

Many thanks

Thanks for your business - but I'm confused by your comment about pricing!

Could please email me: Helen@adorama.com so I can check this out?

Many thanks

My guess is he is referring to the official US imports vs. grey imports. But the given examples do sound a bit odd...

Cheers,
T.

There's a wee problem with that setup: the lens costs 7 grand. Unless you are talking a well-paid pro or a wealthy person, it is simply not an option.

Cheers,
T.

This person is looking for a 1000mm. That sure isn't going to be cheap.

it's not a big deal to approach these birds. the birds stay put. i was working on my boat lift, which is within 30 or 40 feet of the nest, and they stay put. the problem is getting up and down the hill. the drop from the house to the dock is around 70 or 80'(that's 7-8 flights of steps).

the box is down there.

http://slawecki.com/Jerry%20Files/#single:RainMaker-tow%2520small.jpg

am now trying to figure out how to generate the money for a 500 or 600mm f/4 canon and a 2x.

Try renting candidate lenses to get an idea about how they fit your needs. Borrowlenses.com as well as others rent the kind of high end glass necessary to get sharp photos as a distance. You aren't going to find a 1000mm lens that meets your needs though.

Try renting candidate lenses to get an idea about how they fit your needs. Borrowlenses.com as well as others rent the kind of high end glass necessary to get sharp photos as a distance. You aren't going to find a 1000mm lens that meets your needs though.

i'm currently searching for a canon 500mm f/4 and try it with a 2x extender. used but not abused are not all that available. an alternate is the sigma 500mm. they are really rare in the canon config. i shall start searching nikon listings. the least expensive work around would be a sigma 500mm with a sigma 2x extender(i think that works) on a nikon camera.

we have a very heavy duty tripod set up indoors, and hope that will work.

any recommendations for the nikon board?