Ok, I think I’ve reached the limit of my kit. I have a Canon 300D with 75-300mm non-IS lense, and just don’t seem to be getting the images I want. At airshows the aircraft are usually too far away, if I crop/zoom my pics to get an aircraft to fill the frame I start seeing blurring, softness and chromatic aberrations.
Soooo…birthday coming up and looking at my options.
1) Canon EOS 30D (seeing as they’re coming down in price) coupled with a 75-300mm IS
2) Stick with the 300D (and hope I don’t have a mirror failure anytime soon!) and get a 100 – 400mm IS L series
3) Stick with 300D and get a 300mm IS L series F4 Prime
Any thoughts? Does IS make a big difference to airshow photography? Will I notice improvement in quality from the 100-400mm’s L series glass, as well as from its IS? Will I get the same problems with ‘softness’ at full focal length with the IS 75-300mm compared to my current zoom? Answers sooner rather than later folks, not long ’til my birthday!!
Cheers
Bob
By: George J - 31st August 2007 at 18:46
If its airshow then the single greatest investment you can make is the EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS. And even a 70-200mm f/2.8 IS with a 2x TCII (140-400mm f/5.6) does not come close to 100-400mm (I learned that the hard way).
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By: GliderSpit - 24th August 2007 at 14:03
I have a 100-400 L IS since a couple of months. I’m very happy with it. On my EOS20D it performs much better than my 75-300 non IS (I keep that one only because it’s very compact and light-weight).
You can use a lens for maybe 10-20 years or more. New cameras with better performance will be available for less money every year.
Yes, IS makes a lot of difference with aviation photography.
By: Manc - 24th August 2007 at 07:58
If you can, get the 100-400 AND 30D. I use them and they are superb. I upgraded from a 350D and 70-300 IS which was soft as up at 300mm. 400mm on my copy is tack sharp.
By: Global express - 23rd August 2007 at 23:40
The 40D was announced on 20 August 2007 and available in October 2007. 30D stocks are probably clearing quite fast and prices going down.
Link:
OMG!! – thanks for that. Went on holiday for a week and completely missed that. Thanks again ….. time to place my order.
By: mantog - 23rd August 2007 at 23:09
Thanks guys, your input is appreciated. Anyone got any experience of the 135 – 400 Sigma? Will I wish I had some IS as I approach its full focal length, because presuamably shooting wide open with a lense like this will result in soft images??
By: SEMAE - 23rd August 2007 at 19:40
The 40D was announced on 20 August 2007 and available in October 2007. 30D stocks are probably clearing quite fast and prices going down.
Link:
By: Global express - 23rd August 2007 at 17:09
Wouldn’t get the 30D just yet. the 40D is due out very soon and when it’s released, prices of the 30D will plummet. I’ve got the Canon 100-400 4.5-5.6 IS, and it’s ideal for air shows.
You’ll find that for most small jets and props you’ll be at the 300 to 400 range, so a prime 300mm or 400mm would be good.
By: EN830 - 23rd August 2007 at 17:07
I moved from a Sigma 170-500 F5.6 to the 100 – 400L ISM last year, at thr time it was coupled to a 10 D and I fot some reasonably good results. However I’ve Just invested in a 1D Mk3 to compliment it, not tried it at any airshows yet, but initial results from the various test shots I’ve tried at the local airport are encouraging.
I think the downside with the 300D is it’s lack of servo focusing.
By: johndm1957 - 23rd August 2007 at 17:01
I used a 300D and 100-400mm IS L series for two years and was more than happy with the upgrade from a 75-300 non IS.
You gotta put quality in to get quality out…so you’ll find a massive improvement in quality, plus that extra reach.
IS helps a great deal for fast panning or low light situations, but it can’t do miracles. You will get more keepers, but smooth panning is still required.
My recent upgrade was to get a 400D for a bit more resolution, but I’m keeping my 100-400L for the foreseeable future.
By: mantog - 23rd August 2007 at 16:27
Oh, and now I’ve seen the 135-400mm APO Sigma lense (no IS though). Is that any good?!
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August 23, 2007 at 12:13 am