Beginner - Which Lens to Start With?

[BabuFly155]

The question for the OP is though: What do you want? I spent a large amount of money to get to the 100-400, so if money isn't too tight, it may be wise to invest in a good lens and not the cheapest one you can get. Canon now also have a 70-300 5.6L lens. You may want to look into that as well.

Well yes, the "problem" at the moment is the money as my budget is not as much for a big Canon lens. I've been taking pictures of planes at airshows since I was 7, and always loved it; in the last 3 years I've been using a good Samsung camera WB250F (not a Canon I know, but pictures and videos are great!), but now I want to improve my skills with something more professional. Starting with a Tamron lens should be good.

@BabuFly155 I'm not familiar with the Tamron lens you mentioned but most lenses perform reasonably well, and with time spent learning good technique I'm sure it will produce great results. Technique really is the key here; I think too many people immediately want to go straight to a high end lens expecting to immediately nail every shot but the chances are that's not going to happen, especially if you're just starting to get into things. I look back through my archives now and I'm continually surprised at the quality of edits I can get from images I took 10 years ago on cheaper lenses and camera bodies - learn good shooting and editing technique and the combination of 1100D + Tamron 70-300 will be more than capable of great results in most situations.

I guess that too yes, thanks!
For sure the next one after the Tamron will be a Canon series "L", and the EF100-400L is pretty interesting

[PMN]

but 200mm is not so long (even on a crop camera like the 40D I had) and the lack of IS doesn't help either.

I used the 70-200L with a crop body for years before moving to full frame and found it was perfectly fine for 95% of what I wanted to do at all the airports I regularly visit, I also didn't have any problems at all with the lack of IS (bearing in mind that you only need a shutter speed of around 1/250th to be largely out of blur territory which isn't difficult to achieve even in cloudy conditions).

@BabuFly155 I'm not familiar with the Tamron lens you mentioned but most lenses perform reasonably well, and with time spent learning good technique I'm sure it will produce great results. Technique really is the key here; I think too many people immediately want to go straight to a high end lens expecting to immediately nail every shot but the chances are that's not going to happen, especially if you're just starting to get into things. I look back through my archives now and I'm continually surprised at the quality of edits I can get from images I took 10 years ago on cheaper lenses and camera bodies - learn good shooting and editing technique and the combination of 1100D + Tamron 70-300 will be more than capable of great results in most situations.

I do have to give another vote of quality to the 70-200L f/4 though. I own that, the 100-400L and 24-105L and I think the optical performance of the 70-200L is the best of all of them, it's nothing short of stunning. Unfortunately they're quite a lot more expensive now than they were a few years ago and the Canon is over twice the price of the Tamron, if your budget does stretch that far though it may be worth looking into. I don't think you'll find a sharper or more consistent zoom lens out there!

I would consider myself as an advanced photographer and I would NEVER go without Image Stabilization on a tele lens. We are living in the year 2017 and good stabilized lenses are affordable!

I'd consider myself an advanced photographer as well, but even as a beginner I didn't *need* IS and I certainly don't *need* it now. It can help in certain situations for sure, but it really shouldn't be a 'make or break' thing if all you're doing is taking plane photos. Unless you only ever shoot on overcast grey days your shutter is going to spend most of it's time at speeds so quick that IS makes no difference whatsoever.

[arnie]

Hi,
First I would say that going for the Canon is imo the best idea. Quality is WAY over what you would get from the Tamron and that 70-200 F4 is just a killer. Also an excellent walk around lens

I had that lens and most my early pictures were shot with this it (Don't look at my first pictures; my processing qualities weren't the best; I guess they would be rejected now with the current standards). Quality wise, it's a great lens, but 200mm is not so long (even on a crop camera like the 40D I had) and the lack of IS doesn't help either. I soon upgraded to the 100-400 (first version; there was no second version when I bought it) and never looked back (now on a 5D Mark IV). So I have to disagree with you. Most Canon plane shooters, I see around, use the 100-400 BTW. Keep in mind that 400 mm is often too long for planes on the ground because of heat haze (even in Germany during winter time).

The question for the OP is though: What do you want? I spent a large amount of money to get to the 100-400, so if money isn't too tight, it may be wise to invest in a good lens and not the cheapest one you can get. Canon now also have a 70-300 5.6L lens. You may want to look into that as well.

[Alex - Spot-This !]

Hi,
First I would say that going for the Canaon is imo the best idea. Quality is WAY over what you would get from the Tamron and that 70-200 F4 is just a killer. Also an excellent walk around lens

Personally I would ALWAYS recommend your local shop vs Amazon. It might be a tad more expensive but you're helping a local shop and local jobs instead of making a big corporate company make even more money (not talking the way they treat their employees...)

cheers
Alex

[BabuFly155]

Thank you guys, that's some great feedback and information!

At airshows you will get to the limits of the lens as the quality of the images drops from 250mm on.
To get an impression about what is possible with the Tamron at airshows check my gallery for images taken during Le Bourget 2015.

Checked your pictures, and they look great, thanks.
I'm pretty sure this Tamron model will help me build up experience, also because I'll attend 4 airshows this year and in 2018 maybe I can get an even better lens (and I won't have my budget limited from the ucoming wedding )

Have a look at Canon's 75-300 lenses too, or also the slightly more expensive 70-300. The basic 75-300's don't come with image stabilization, but with a good steady hand it's not always a necessary feature.

Thank you; I checked those lenses but I think that the Tamron will be the best compromise for me atm.

Just one more question...do you think is good to buy the lens on Amazon? I don't want to get it damaged during transportation you know...

Thank you again everyone!

[B7772ADL]

Have a look at Canon's 75-300 lenses too, or also the slightly more expensive 70-300. The basic 75-300's don't come with image stabilization, but with a good steady hand it's not always a necessary feature.

[PeterB]

It's priced at $599 US new right now.

As he/she lives in Austria the price is 600 Euros. The Tamron is half the price! So you can get even another good lens on top.

You will lose image stabilization

Please read the title: Beginner - Which Lens to Start With?
It is definitively the best option for a beginner to get an unstabilized tele lens. IRONY OFF!
I would consider myself as an advanced photographer and I would NEVER go without Image Stabilization on a tele lens. We are living in the year 2017 and good stabilized lenses are affordable!

[GFB]

I'd recommend going with the Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L USM Lens. It's in your price point, and it has excellent glass. It's priced at $599 US new right now. Quality used copies can be had for under $500. We've had several members of the Houston spotting group start with this, and in it's range you cannot tell it from a more expensive lens. You will lose image stabilization and some focal length, but the quality of this lens will allow cropping to a 300 mm field of view better than most.

[PeterB]

The Tamron is probably the perfect lens for you! I also started with it on DSLRs.

At airshows you will get to the limits of the lens as the quality of the images drops from 250mm on.
To get an impression about what is possible with the Tamron at airshows check my gallery for images taken during Le Bourget 2015.

[BabuFly155]

Hello all,
First post here, hopefully hasn't been discussed already.

From this year I will be able to use my fiancée Canon EOS1100D, but want to get a bigger lens to take better pictures at airshows and (hopefully) outside airports; I thought about the Tamron SP70-300mm F/4-5.6 Di VC USD, which has a good price and seems to be the perfect lens to build up experience... What you guys think? Any tips/suggestions?

Thanks a lot!