[kkr2k2]

Originally Posted by navin

Well I shoot kids (school stuff) and animals (at sea and on land). I need to change lenses fast and my camera are exposed to dust and spray so changing lenses quickly is not easy - like while being rocked in a small sail boat.

Woah!!! Thats tricky. Recently I have seen a video in which a lady does her make-up while being rocked in a SUV doing axle articulation and the sort of tests. One thing she does is rock herself in the same way as the vehicle, basically she is maintaining the the relative distances between her hands and face with the make-up tools same. You can try this once and let us know.

[harishsegar]

Originally Posted by navin

Well I shoot kids (school stuff) and animals (at sea and on land). I need to change lenses fast and my camera are exposed to dust and spray so changing lenses quickly is not easy - like while being rocked in a small sail boat.

The best choice is then to use two camera bodies. One with a 100-400 IS and other with a range on both sides of 50mm such as a EF 24-70. This way you can shoot wide & tele without ever having to change any lens.

As for the two bodies, use a full frame for 24-70. This will give you a nice wide angle and a proper normal for portraits. For tele, use a 1.6 crop camera such as 40D. With the 100-400, you would get that extra reach.

Alternatives to 100-400:
EF 200 2.8L with a 2x
EF 300 L F/4 with 1.4x
Sigma 150-500

[navin]

Originally Posted by harishsegar

The best choice is then to use two camera bodies. One with a 100-400 IS and other with a range on both sides of 50mm such as a EF 24-70.

For tele, use a 1.6 crop camera such as 40D. With the 100-400, you would get that extra reach.

Da old man recomended something similar only he insisted on full frame and a 24-105/100-400 combo but the 5D and these 2 lenses broke my budget so I got the 40D and 17-55. Then I figured that the 70-300 on a 40D is like a 100-400 on a full frame so I got that.

We ought to remember that FF (24x36) is a legacy of Eastman Kodak. There is no reason for us not to use 20x30 instead. WHy Canon and Nikon settled for 25 × 16 mm beats me.

[govigov]

which one is better of the 3 of the tele zoom lenses? the latter two has a better range, but lacks IS. kind of confused, should we go for IS or for the higher range?

which of the lenses has a better Image Quality? (not the L kind of quality, but among these three, which is the best?)

1. 55-250 IS
2. 70-300 USM
3. 70-300 APO DG Macro

[sree70]

Originally Posted by govigov

which one is better of the 3 of the tele zoom lenses? the latter two has a better range, but lacks IS. kind of confused, should we go for IS or for the higher range?

which of the lenses has a better Image Quality? (not the L kind of quality, but among these three, which is the best?)

1. 55-250 IS
2. 70-300 USM
3. 70-300 APO DG Macro

Bought 70-300 APO DG Macro about a week back for 12K.
Worth the money spent, but little heavy any way getting used.
Macro can be used in between 200 to 300 mm focal length only.
Getting good quality images upto 250mm & beyond that slightly reduces.
I dont have any idea of the other two.

[livyodream]

Originally Posted by govigov

which one is better of the 3 of the tele zoom lenses? the latter two has a better range, but lacks IS. kind of confused, should we go for IS or for the higher range?

which of the lenses has a better Image Quality? (not the L kind of quality, but among these three, which is the best?)

1. 55-250 IS
2. 70-300 USM
3. 70-300 APO DG Macro

Canon 55-250 IS blindly . I sold 70-300 Macro APO GD and bought 55-250. 70-300 is way too slow for photography (good only for astro). Trust me, IS makes a hugeee difference. And night photography in 70-300 is really bad.

[clevermax]

Originally Posted by livyodream

Canon 55-250 IS blindly . I sold 70-300 Macro APO GD and bought 55-250. 70-300 is way too slow for photography (good only for astro). Trust me, IS makes a hugeee difference. And night photography in 70-300 is really bad.

What are the max apertures in both? Are they constant throughout zoom range?

[HellwratH]

Originally Posted by sree70

Bought 70-300 APO DG Macro about a week back for 12K.
Worth the money spent, but little heavy any way getting used.
Macro can be used in between 200 to 300 mm focal length only.
Getting good quality images upto 250mm & beyond that slightly reduces.
I dont have any idea of the other two.

Originally Posted by livyodream

Canon 55-250 IS blindly . I sold 70-300 Macro APO GD and bought 55-250. 70-300 is way too slow for photography (good only for astro). Trust me, IS makes a hugeee difference. And night photography in 70-300 is really bad.

Guys, you guys are not considering the second option he has mentioned. It's the 70-300 USM IS lens. No doubt that it's the best lens among the three. IQ is supposed to be similar to 70-200 f4L and with IS. I'd say go for the 70-300 IS USM.

[livyodream]

Originally Posted by HellwratH

Guys, you guys are not considering the second option he has mentioned. It's the 70-300 USM IS lens. No doubt that it's the best lens among the three. IQ is supposed to be similar to 70-200 f4L and with IS. I'd say go for the 70-300 IS USM.

@HellwratH : He never mentioned about IS, he said 70-300 USM (Guess its from sigma, AFAIK canon comes with 75-300 IS, not sure though)

[HellwratH]

Originally Posted by livyodream

@HellwratH : He never mentioned about IS, he said 70-300 USM (Guess its from sigma, AFAIK canon comes with 75-300 IS, not sure though)

70-300 USM is a canon lens and comes with IS. 75-300 is not that good and you have to stop down a lot to get usable images but not worth it. Sigma doesn't call it USM as that's canon's terminology. Sigma calls it HSM (Hyper Sonic Motor).

[govigov]

The price difference is huge, almost twice between the 55-250 IS and the 70-300 IS USM.

another thing that i liked was the 70-300 APO DG Macro comes with graduations on the lens, which is easier for DOF calaculations, whereas the 55-250 IS does not.

if one is looking at the 55-250 IS, what are the alternate lenses that one should consider before finalising?

[clevermax]

Originally Posted by clevermax

What are the max apertures in both? Are they constant throughout zoom range?

Got the answers myself, both (55-250mm IS & 70-300 Apo DG macro) are f/4 - f/5.6.

Originally Posted by livyodream

And night photography in 70-300 is really bad.

Then I wonder why the 70-300 alone is bad for low light photography. I think the 70-300 @70mm can offer a wider max aperture (f/4) than 55-250 @ 70mm.

[CRV2010]

I am using Sigma 70-300 APO DG from past one week and i am very happy with the results though at 300 range its bit slow

[HellwratH]

Originally Posted by govigov

The price difference is huge, almost twice between the 55-250 IS and the 70-300 IS USM.

another thing that i liked was the 70-300 APO DG Macro comes with graduations on the lens, which is easier for DOF calaculations, whereas the 55-250 IS does not.

if one is looking at the 55-250 IS, what are the alternate lenses that one should consider before finalising?

Agreed, but you get what you pay for. No doubt 55-250 IS is a wonderful lens, but the build quality is equally important as well. May be 50mm would make that difference for the OP, I wouldn't know. But, just looking at those three, I would go for Canon 70-300 IS USM.

Trust me, on field DOF calculation is almost impossible unless you are carrying an iphone app and the subject you are shooting is not moving at all. That's one reason I do all my calculations and decide on what apertures I would be shooting at, in the morning before I head out. Always helps me.

[amitk26]

Originally Posted by HellwratH

Trust me, on field DOF calculation is almost impossible unless you are carrying an iphone app and the subject you are shooting is not moving at all. That's one reason I do all my calculations and decide on what apertures I would be shooting at, in the morning before I head out. Always helps me.

On Canon 500D body there is a DOF switch which is quite helpful , If you press and look in viewfinder you will see the final image WYSIWYG.

About 70-300 Sigma APO DG this is quite good lens , Only thing is at the long end you need to use some support as Image stablization is missing. So If you are OK to use a tripod go for Sigma 70-300 DG , I do not think Canon 55-250 is any faster.

Canon 70-300 IS USM is in a different league but then it is more then twice the price of Sigma 70-300 APO DG.

I have seen many people who actually use Sigma 70-300 APO which costs just 8K and then criticize APO DG which is about 11.5 K.