Help with a decision

[seandudding]

Have been looking for a telephoto lense for my Sigma SD-10.

Came down to the Sigma 70 -200 EX everyone is raving about below.

The 100-300 EX

or the 80 - 400 EX OS. I have found a deal on a non DG version of this lense, brand new with a £500 saving. Should I pay it, as this is now the same price as the 1st 2 lenses????

[simpo two]

seandudding said:

Have been looking for a telephoto lense for my Sigma SD-10. Came down to the Sigma 70 -200 EX everyone is raving about below. The 100-300 EX or the 80 - 400 EX OS. I have found a deal on a non DG version of this lense, brand new with a £500 saving. Should I pay it, as this is now the same price as the 1st 2 lenses????

The main thing about the 70-200 is speed (f2.8). The 80-400 is f4.5-5.6; the 100-300 is fixed f4. So if you need speed, stay with the 70-200. If you need focal length, take the other/s.

[seandudding]

ST

Thanks, I am tempted by the OS as my head held shots are not the best. Main use will be general, some track day stuff, sailing, wildlife and moon shots.

If I go non os I guess I will need to buy a monopod I can carry easy, I have one aready but it's to big, can anyone recommend a good monopad, say 300mm long when colapsed???

Cheers Sean

[Black5]

£500 off the 80-400mm OS . . . that seems very good.

About £350 then?

If you regularly use 250mm + I'd go for that one.

But OS won't help you hold the camera with your head #!

>> Edited by Black5 on Monday 10th October 15:42

[simpo two]

seandudding said:

can anyone recommend a good monopad

Why not buy a mid-range tripod instead? It's not much more to carry about and you can let go without it falling over

[seandudding]

No it's £500 off RRP so it's £599

[HankScorpio]

I can let my monopod go without it falling over.

Manfrotto 682B

[simpo two]

HankScorpio said:

I can let my monopod go without it falling over. Manfrotto 682B

Ah yes, very clever!

[HankScorpio]

And the base stows away when not in use so can be a standard mono.

Not sturdy enough to use as a proper tripod but just handy on occasion.

[seandudding]

Ok I have been reading a little bit more.

The main thing I am looking for is a telephoto lense I can use hand held and get good shots with. I understand now that OS eliminates vibration mainly rather than wobble or shake.

So if I bought a fast lense such as the 70-200, and had it set a fast shutter speed it would cut down a lot of the blur due to camera shake as the shutter is open for less time????

Also does anyone know of a monopod that is less than say 350mm??

[simpo two]

seandudding said:

OSo if I bought a fast lense such as the 70-200, and had it set a fast shutter speed it would cut down a lot of the blur due to camera shake as the shutter is open for less time?

Yes. Amazingly, it is still possible to take shake-free pictures even without 'anti-shake' systems
The rule of thumb with 35mm cameras is/was to use a shutter speed at least as fast as the reciprocal of the focal length. IE if you have a 500mm lens, use at least 1/500th second, and so on. For DLRS with smaller chips, I think you should allow another 50%.

So, if you have a 300mm lens, keep the speed above 1/500th. The f2.8 70-200 will have an advantage, as you say, in that the larger aperture will allow you to get a faster shutter speed - bt it's not as long. Ultimately there's only so much light you can get down a tube full of glass!

If you're still struggling for shutter speed, you can increase ISO.

[seandudding]

I took the plundge and got the 80-400 OS delivered this morning. I just knew If I din;t buy it now I would in the future.....

Looking forward to this weekend to try it out.