| sent on September 14, 2012 (6:25)
i wish to photograph small birds in aviaries form a distance of 2 to 3 meters . considerations are that i do not want to crop image too much . light is sometimes not that good and using flash is not a fantastic idea with someone elses expensive aviary stock. have considered canon 300 f4 , canon 100-400 or canon 70-200 f2.8. thanks |
| sent on September 14, 2012 (11:53)
I guess the 70-200 2.8 stands out of the crowd here due to being the fastest lens in your list. Small birds move pretty fast even in captivity. To get an image without motion blur due to the movement of the bird you need short shutter speeds (1/XXX). IS is - in this very situation - not so important as you can use a tripod to minimize lens movement/shaking (and the resulting decrase of image quality) but those small birds never ever sit still...
200mm should be plenty of reach for aviaries (if you get close to the net/fence). I myself use a EF 400mm 5.6 for birds (big or small but not in aviaries) and it is a fantastic lens because it has a very fast focus and produces tack sharp images. But minimum focus distance is 3.5m... What DSLR do you use? And what is the purpose of the shots? I am asking because if cranking up the ISO is not a no no, f4 or f5.6 are doing the job, too.
BTW, all lenses mentioned by you are amazing and will produce fantastic results given time and effort to learn how to use them.
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| sent on September 14, 2012 (13:01)
i have a CANON 7D .Purpose of photos will be for magazine articles. |
| sent on September 14, 2012 (14:33)
Uh oh. That sound like there might be a line noisewise/ISO-wise that should't be crossed. On the otherhand, print size might not exceed DIN A4...
I guess, the question is: 200mm with f/2.8 or 300mm with f4 or 400 with f/5.6. Any chance to rent lenses and try? I belive that with 200mm f/2.8 you are able to get decent shots with short shutter speed and that - if the reach is not enough (and on a 7D 200mm full frame equivalent equals 320mm on a FF) it might be more advisable to crop if neccessary than to switch to a slower lens to avoid cropping.
But (big one that is) that is just my guess! |
| sent on September 14, 2012 (14:56)
I have no experience with the 70-200 f/2.8, but I have used the 300/4 for several years and now use the 400/5.6. I also use a 7D. The 400 may be a bit sharper (although the 300 is excellent), but as Ziphius has said the longer minimum focusing distance can be a drawback with small birds. The 300 allows you to shoot much closer and would be my choice between these two lenses for small birds at close distances. Also, the 400 does not have IS, something to consider if you are going to shoot handheld. I understand the 70-200/2.8 is an excellent lens but I'm not sure what its minimum focusing distance is. |
| sent on September 19, 2012 (17:45)
@ Haggah :
Fast lens is not mandatory in a situation as you described. You may easily check that with 7D:
- at 2m, 300mm/f4.0 or 200mm/f2.8 render DoF cca. 1cm
- at 3m, 300mm/f4.0 or 200mm/f2.8 render DoF cca. 1,5cm
I assume you would want a DoF of at least double the above values, which would mean double f-number.
My current EF300 f/4L is sharper than my previous EF100-400. Before selling EF100-400 I checked with friends who owned EF 100-400 to be convinced that EF 300 f/4 is really better. And it was.
EF 70-200 f/2,8 is also a brilliant lens. But I believe 300mm would serve you better for the application you mentioned.
EF400 f5.6 could also serve you but be aware that MFD = 3,5m. With EF300 f/4 MFD is only 1,5m.
One more thing: both EF300 f/4 and EF400 f/5.6 are very old. Many users expect that these lenses will be replaced by Canon soon with new designs. Of course, nobody can say when this will happen. |
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