Telephoto lens and extender

[farmergemgem]

Hi.

 

My lens (Tamron 70 -300mm) has just broken and the only available lens is a tamron 55mm-200mm.

 

I am going to Scotland in a week and so need a large zoom to get decent pictures of the fantastic wildlife.

 

Is it worth looking at teleconverters to increase the zoom on my lens or would you sujest any other practice to get

closer photos of wildlife? As i don't think 200mm will be enough.

 

I'm thinking of pictures of deer, and birds mainly and am in need of a quick fix. Can any one help?

 

Thanks Gemma

[Two23]

Don't waste your money on a teleconverter for that lens. Use a tripod for max sharpness, and crop.

 

 

Kent in SD

[aether]

Agree with Kent, maybe even take test shots to see if you can find a sweet focal length? At 200mm it may be soft but you may find it's sharper at 150 ... not ideal but a sharp shot cropped is better than an uncropped soft shot!

[bruce_margolis]

I must be confused. Why not get another 70-300 instead of the 55-200? I assume by "available", you mean from some local dealer(?). You can always purchase it online and have overnight delivery if you really want the 70-300.

 

IMO, forget a t/c completely with either lens. Don't know what camera you use but at a minimum, you are looking at an f/8 lens at the long end and probably f/11 for a decent shot. With most cameras, this will be a big stretch, especially for birds.

 

Needless to say, longer and faster are better if your want to photograph deer and birds but I assume your budget is somewhat tight.

[SteveH]

Hi Gemma. If you are choosing equipment, it is probably best to think first about what your photographic goals are. If your

main interest is sharing photos on the web or making small prints for family and friends, then you can live with a little

softness. On the other hand the requirements to make a large print are much more stringent and you might want to save

your money for a good telephoto from your camera manufacturer (Canon?). A 1.4 tele-extender won't bother the sharpness

much on a good lens, but for a more marginal one, it may be unacceptable. If you have an opportunity to test before you

buy this is good. A simple way to test a lens it to put your camera on a tripod, focus carefully, use a cable release and

photograph a newspaper laid flat or taped to a wall. Then look at 100% crop on your computer. Good luck.

[geoff_foale]

I'm with Steve here. For what you spend on a Tamron 55-200 plus extender you would be well on the way to a really decent lens. As it has already been mentioned, extenders work well on prime lenses and some of the better quality zooms but they do produce a softer image on cheaper zooms.

 

What camera? Do you have to get a Tamron lens?

 

I use the Canon 70-300 IS and would fully recommend it, the Image Stabilisation really does make a difference when hand holding. A lot of wildlife photographers use Sigma with good results. I feel sure that a suitable lens of the correct size must be available somewhere within a week, either locally or from mail order. The best mail order companies usually deliver within 2 days.