I'm looking to get a telephoto lens for my Canon mirrorless to shoot wildlife photos, mainly birds. What focal length would you recommend for good reach while maintaining decent image quality? I'd prefer to keep the price under $2000 if possible. Thanks for any advice!
Late to the party here but I've been reading through everyone's suggestions. Before I give you a final recommendation, I gotta ask... what kind of lighting do you usually deal with? Are you out at sunrise when the birds are active, or more of a midday hiker? It makes a massive difference. In my experience, if you're always in bright sun, the slower glass is fine, but low light changes the game entirely. I've spent a lot of time with both the Canon RF 100-400mm f/5.6-8 IS USM and the Canon RF 800mm f/11 IS STM over the last year. Here is a quick breakdown of my thoughts:
- The 100-400 is surprisingly snappy and way easier to carry for long days, but you'll definitely find yourself cropping a lot for small birds.
- On the flip side, that 800mm gives you incredible reach for the money, but f/11 is really demanding on your ISO when the clouds roll in or you're under a heavy canopy. Both are well under your $2000 limit tho, so thats a plus. Let me know about your lighting situations and I can give you a better steer.
Re: "Just catching up on this thread. Looks like..."
- Rodrick makes a solid point about the adapted glass. Over the years, I've tried many combinations and the technical side of the RF mount is actually pretty forgiving with older EF lenses. If you're looking for specific specs to maximize that $2000 budget, here's what I'd look at:
- The Canon RF 100-400mm f/5.6-8 IS USM is a sleeper hit. Its technical resolution is high enough that it holds up well even when you crop heavily, which is basically mandatory for birding.
- Adding a Canon Extender RF 1.4x gets you more reach, but you gotta be careful with the f-stop. On high-MP sensors, you hit the diffraction limit pretty early.
- If you go the EF route, look for a Tamron 150-600mm f/5-6.3 Di VC USD G2 for Canon EF. Use it with the Canon Mount Adapter EF-EOS R and you get 600mm for way under your budget. Honestly, the AF tracking on the newer bodies is so good that even slow lenses perform better than we ever expected. Just keep an eye on your shutter speeds and you'll be fine.
This is exactly what I needed to hear. Youre a lifesaver honestly.
RF 200-800mm lens is the best choice. But it is still out of stock everywhere.
