Which Zoom Lens?

SimpsonBrothers

After using the Bigma I have decided to pick up a telephoto zoom lens.
I'm looking for a pro series (which the bigma is not) that will shoot really clear shots.

Any recommendations?

Budget under $2000

Canon mount.

mercphoto

70-200

SimpsonBrothers

I was looking for something more in the 50 or 70 to 400-500 range

ziggy53

The Canon EF 100-400mm, f4.5-5.6 L IS USM is close to matching your criteria in price and range. I rank it as slightly better than the "Bigma" and the IS definitely helps with many subjects. It is not that different from the Sigma in terms of sharpness and speed, so if you're thinking a level of magnitude better you would be disappointed.

I have an earlier Sigma 50-500mm, f4-6.3 EX HSM "Bigma" and it was marginally competent on both crop 1.6x and 1.3x Canon bodies. When I tried it on the 5D MKII it finally showed its real promise and that makes a great combination. (I suspect that it would work well on the 1Ds series too.)

The 100-400L is similar. On the crop bodies you may need a fair amount of software sharpening to get images that "pop".

If you mostly need the long end the Canon EF 400mm, f5.6 L USM is both sharper and higher contrast than the lenses previously discussed. That means less software sharpening and better color definition overall.

A Canon 70-200mm, f2.8L plus a 1.4x teleconverter plus the 400mm, f5.6L makes a very nice combination altogether (along with suitable support, of course.)

Do remember that on a crop 1.6x body a 400mm-500mm lens will often show atmospheric deterioration that you may misinterpret as lens softness. The angle of view and the typical distances involved just make atmospheric issues more visible. Shooting across water or heated land can be difficult no matter which lens you use at those focal lengths.

mercphoto

24-70/2.8. In the 400-500 range not sure what to get with that budget. Except the 400/5.6 prime, but then its not the zoom you are wanting.

Qarik

70-200mm with a good 2x TC?

mercphoto

SimpsonBrothers wrote: »

I was looking for something more in the 50 or 70 to 400-500 range

Wait a minute.... I just realized you are wanting a zoom of approximately 70-400, give or take, for under $2,000 that is pro quality and better than the Sigma. Hmmm..... not going to happen. Even a 70-200/2.8 will top your budget on its own and not leave room for a teleconverter to extend the range further. A 100-400 is really your only option but I'm not sure its any better than the Sigma.