Canon Lens input needed fast

[Spinner of Tales]

I have been doing a lot of dawn and dusk wildlife photography and am thinking hard about taking the hit and buying the Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L IS Lens to advance my shooting time.
If you have one how does it perform for you under these conditions?
My 100-400 Canon IS 1:4.5-5.6 though a great lens wont cut it under these conditions. The guys at B & H said the 70-200 should solve my problem.
There advice has been on the money in the past but I wanted to get some opinions from the Pro's here before buying.
Thanks for any input it weill be appreciated. Canon has a rebate going and I only have two weeks to jump on it.

Spinner

[bob_r]

You didn't state the conditions, but I owned a 70-200 f/2.8 and since it rarely left my bag after getting a 100-400, I sold it.
I've used the 100-400 handheld before sunrise shooting at 1/30s with acceptable results, so find it hard to imagine the conditions where f/2.8 would make a big improvement.

I think the main problem with using a 70-200 for wildlife is that it is rarely long enough. Have you checked your pics
to see how many shots you take at 200mm or less? If not, there is a program called Exposure Plot that will check your
pics for you and give you a summary of your aperture, ISO, focal length and shutter speed settings (and it's free!).
Here's a link if you want to download it: http://www.cpr.demon.nl/prog_plotf.html

[Spinner of Tales]

Thanks for the insight Bob I appreciate it.
Since I posted this I have been doing some research and talked to two friends who are Pro wildlife photographers and I think rather than buying that lens I'm going to upgrade my Canon Rebel 8mp to the new Canon EOS 50D I found a place where I can get the camera body with a 28-135 IS lens for 1400. As it stands now I think thats the best way to go.

If anyone has this camera PLEASE feelfree to jump in with your opinions, thay will be appreciated believe me.

Spinner

[bob_r]

Thanks for the insight Bob I appreciate it.
Since I posted this I have been doing some research and talked to two friends who are Pro wildlife photographers and I think rather than buying that lens I'm going to upgrade my Canon Rebel 8mp to the new Canon EOS 50D I found a place where I can get the camera body with a 28-135 IS lens for 1400. As it stands now I think thats the best way to go.

If anyone has this camera PLEASE feelfree to jump in with your opinions, thay will be appreciated believe me.

Spinner

Spinner,

I don't know what other lenses you have, but while the 28-135 is a fair lens, I don't think it's wide enough on a crop camera. I have one, but it hardly ever gets used. There are too many better choices. If you have other lenses, you might consider just getting the 50D body. BTW, Luca has a 50D. The 50D will handle higher ISO settings much better than your Rebel, so that should help your low light situations considerably.

[Bonish Photo]

I dont have the 100-400 to compare the 70-200 to, but I will say that this lens is as good as they come. If I'm ever shooting anything that is in lowlight, this is the first lens I grab for.

It focuses as fast as anything I've ever shot and with the internal zoom it is 100x's better than the push pull crap that the 100-400 and the 28-300 suffer from.

See if you can try this lens out and I'll guarantee if you use it for a day, you'll buy it the same day.

If you want, I can post a ton of pictures taken with this lens and either a 1D, 30D or a 5D body and all have been taken in very low light situations. It's my #1 lens to use for concerts or events. I really cant say enough about it. And it can accept a 1.4 extender or a 2x extender and still keep the Autofocus unlike the 100-400.

[gldiana]

Hi,

one of my cameras is the 50D and it's a great wildlife camera. It gives sharp images and works, as Bob stated, at high ISO without showing much noise (it's a huge step forward from the Rebel). I too have bought the kit with the 28-135 IS, but only because the price was right and had planned to sell the lens right away (which I did, at half the market price), so it made my camera a little cheaper than buying body only. If the 100-400 doesn't do it for you in low light, then the 28-135 most definitely won't. I think getting a 70-200 f/2.8 IS is your best option.

[Tom B.]

Spinner - what did you finally end up doing?

My brother kept the economy going yesterday by purchasing the 50 D and a 2.8 70/200 L...Sounds like the best of all worlds except for the final distance (since he shoots a lot of his kids' indoor and outdoor sports activities, length should not be an issue for him)...Now, he did not get the IS version of this lens and I questioned him on that. So, I am asking is IS a necessity if you are going to buy the 2.8 70/200? Or can you get by without the stabilizer? My 100-400 L is IS and I think he sold himself a little short by not getting the IS on his 70/200 lens...

I have been noodling over getting the 2.8 70/200 IS lens due to the light conitions I tend to shot in, but after reading this thread, I think that maybe getting the 50D might be a viable option, plus I would save about a grand (keeping my wife happy on that front is another BIG plus!)...Seeing how I have the 100/400 L, do you guys agree that getting the 50D should be my next move? (It would be nice to get everything at once, but the curb is not a nice place to sleep!)

Thanks Everyone!

Tom B.

[bob_r]

Tom,

I'd wait until the 7D comes out and check out the reviews. I know it's not supposed to be a competitor of the 50D, but I wouldn't be surprised to see the prices of the 50D drop a little after the 7D is released.

[Tom B.]

Hi Bob,

Thanks....The 50D will come down in price....Then, of course, human nature will take over and I will have to eyeball the 7D....

Tom B.

[Spinner of Tales]

I apologize for the delay in getting back to everyone who answered my post but things have been hectic around the homestead lately. Had a relative sick and have been driving back and forth every day four hour round trip.
I bought the Canon 50D and from what little time I have had to play with it, I love it.
I also have made the decision to go for the 70-200 2.8 IS L lens may as well jump in with both feet now all I have to do is find the best deal on it.

Thanks for all the help it is greatly appreciated

Spinner

[aprillove20]

Anyway, 50D it's a, awesome wildlife camera.