A choice of two....

[mindgam3]

After my previous long zoom lense thread i did a bit more research and narrowed it down to two lenses.

I'm planning on buying them in America which brings the second lens into my budget of roughly £350.

They are:

Canon 75-300 F4/5.6 USM IS

Pros; greater range, IS, barrel length, cheaper
Cons: Picture quality, one less stop at far end

Canon 70-200 F4.0L USM

Pros; Better quality, f4 throughout.
Cons; More expensive, weight, lack of IS, minus 100mm

I'll be using this lense primarily for trackside pictures.

I've had a play with my dads 70-300 DO IS USM lens and it seems extremely good, the IS works extremely well and is much more easy to find your subject but at the end of the day if your working within a good shutter speed range, the final quality of picture between IS on and IS off isn't that great.

Anyone had any experience with the two lenses mentioned above.... how much difference will the 100mm make at most tracks?

I've read that the IS is supposed to allow you to use a few stops less at the far end but the L series lense is f4 throughout so that half-counteracts that right?

I'm really can't decide between the two and any help from photographers who've used them would be good. I don't think there's any other lenses within my budget that i will consider

Cheers

>> Edited by mindgam3 on Sunday 14th August 17:04

[F1sh]

From what's been said before, try to get the 100-300L USM with either a 1.4 or 2x extender.

I got a 75-300L IS USM from here the other week, but work has been flat out and not really had a chance to play with it yet.

Fish

[55jnj]

The L series is pro quality & just about the best you can get from Canon. Be careful therefore that an extender doesn't nullify that lens quality (it will, naturally).

Bear in mind that on a digital camera, the actual focal length will be x1.6. This means your 75-300 lens will give you something like 480 at the top end. Plenty enough for the majority of your needs I would have thought.

Also remember that by buying in the US, you won't have a warranty to fall back on should anything go wrong (unless of course you are happy to ship the lens back to the US).

>> Edited by 55jnj on Sunday 14th August 23:12

[anonymous-user]

55jnj said:

Also remember that by buying in the US, you won't have a warranty to fall back on should anything go wrong (unless of course you are happy to ship the lens back to the US).

I believe Canon lenses (but not bodies) are covered by a worldwide warranty.

[55jnj]

Oh that's good - I didn't realise that.

[mindgam3]

100-300L ? didn't know they did one, you mean the 100-400 L?

It's nearly double my budget and so really out of the question

Will 200mm be significantly enough at races or at least good enough to make decent crops? (I have a 350D)

How much would a 2x (or 1.4x) conveter effect the quality of the pictures if i were to buy one after i bought the lense?

>> Edited by mindgam3 on Monday 15th August 23:25