photo:lenstelezoom
Table of Contents
telephoto zoom lens to 300mm
see also:
Introduction
- mid-sized telephoto zoom lenses are awesome tools when you just want to walk around and you don't have a specific subject or image in mind
- they are also great for travel (although can be a bit big and heavy) as it allows capture of scenes that can't be readily achieved by smartphones or standard zooms, and can save you time as you don't need to get to the front of crowds or walk that extra distance, plus by being further away from buildings, you can achieve less distortion
- the problem for travel in particular, is getting a lens that:
- covers the focal length range you want (eg. 80-300mm in full frame terms)
- has adequate image quality at a reasonably wide aperture (many are quite soft at the telephoto end which is exactly where you may be needing it most)
- preferably is weathersealed with a nice optional hood to prevent rain droplets hitting the front element
- is light enough and compact enough to carry around for a couple of hours by hand
- the best option is the Olympus 40-150mm f/2.8
- there are no equivalent options for the full frame cameras:
- Sony has a 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 but this is 1.4kg, 205mm long and extends on zooming and costs $US2499
- the next one down for Sony is the Sony 70-200mm f/4 which would need to be used with a 1.4x TC but this would make it softer that it already is at the edges and without the TC costs $US1500
- there are no native lenses of this type for the Nikon Z full frame mirrorless system or Canon R full frame and APS-C mirrorless camera system systems as yet although Nikon are planning on a 100-400mm in 2020
- for Canon dSLRs there are:
- CanonEF28-300mm f/3.5-5.6L at 1.7kg
- Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM which is 1.4kg and costs
- there are cheaper, poorer image and build quality and less weathersealed consumer options
80-300mm pro quality options
| Olympus 40-150mm f/2.8 | Canon EF 70-300mm L | |
|---|---|---|
| mount crop factor | 2x | 1x |
| focal length in FF terms | 80-300mm | 70-300mm |
| actual aperture | f/2.8 | f/4.5-5.6 |
| DOF equivalence | f/5.6 | f/4.5-5.6 |
| image stabilisation at 300mm | 5.5EV IBIS | 2EV OIS 1) |
| low light performance moving subjects at 300mm | similar as 2 stops less aperture and ISO | base level |
| low light performance static subjects at 300mm | 3.5EV better IS | base level |
| weight w/o tripod mount | 760g | 1050g |
| length | 160mm fixed | 143mm but doubles on zooming |
| tripod mount | included and removable | optional extra |
| stepping motor for mirrorless cameras | yes, dual motors | no, USM only |
| filter thread | 72mm | 67mm |
| close focus | 0.7m | 1.2m |
| teleconverters | 1.4x, 2x | not compatible |
| price in late 2019 | $US1149 | $US1100 excl. tripod mount |
| price in late 2019 | $AU1469 but can get 15% off | $AU1989 excl. tripod mount |
100-400mm options
| Pan. 50-200mm f/2.8-4 OIS | Sony FE 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 | |
|---|---|---|
| mount crop factor | 2x | 1x |
| focal length in FF terms | 100-400mm | 100-400mm |
| actual aperture | f/2.8-4 (f/3.9 at 150mm) | f/4.5-5.6 |
| DOF equivalence | f/5.6-8 | f/4.5-5.6 |
| image stabilisation at 400mm | 5.5-6.5EV IBIS | 5EV |
| low light performance moving subjects at 400mm | 1EV worse | base level |
| low light performance static subjects at 400mm | perhaps net 0.5EV better | base level |
| weight w/o tripod mount | 665g | 1395g |
| length | 132mm but extends | 205mm |
| tripod mount | nil | included |
| stepping motor for mirrorless cameras | yes, DFD | yes |
| filter thread | 67mm | 77mm |
| close focus | 0.75m | 0.98m |
| teleconverters | 1.4x, 2x | 1.4x, 2x |
| price in late 2019 | $US1699 | $US |
| price in late 2019 | $AU1848 | $AU2964 |
| comments | consider the Olympus 40-150mm option as offers f/2.8 at 150mm not f/3.9 | better image quality, better low light, shallower DOF but too heavy and expensive for travel |
photo/lenstelezoom.txt · Last modified: 2019/11/14 15:30 by gary1