[PhotoBug]

i have a question regarding some of the more technical Aspects of purchasing a lens for a canon camera(Rebel XT). Alright i need a 70-300mm Telephoto lens, and the store i went to today was selling them new for 189$ for the "Single motor"(?), ~$215 for the double motor, and ~$300 for the triple motor. the more motors it has apparently the smother if operates.(I'm not a camera tech savvy photographer)

i found a "Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III Telephoto Zoom Lens" for Canon SLR Cameras but i don't know if this is the triple motor(it doesn't say under the specs). i thought maybe it was because of the "III" part but wasn't sure. any help with this would be great.

it was listed at $150 which sounds great so if you know of any 70-300 telephoto/macro lens that i could get for that price or lower as well let me know.

[Railroader]

I think at that level of lens there won't be a whole lot of difference between them. Even the "expensive" one you listed gets horrible reviews at fredmiranda.com FM Reviews - EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III USM

A good place to look is Normancamera.com out of Kalamazoo, MI. Their Canon zoom options: NormanCamera.com - Len: Canon: Telephoto
I buy a lot of stuff there.

If you really want to get a lens at that quality level and for a VERY cheap price, I recommend the Sigma 70-300 f/4=5.6 NormanCamera.com - SIGMA 70-300mm F4-5.6 DG MACRO CANON MOUNT *FREE GROUND SHIPPING*

[keekeeree]

Single, double and triple motors? If I were you, I'd consider taking your business elsewhere because I've never heard Canon lenses (or lenses for Canon from a different manufacturer) described like that. I even googled "triple motor canon lens" and came up with nothing.

"More motors" ≠ smoother
"More motors" = more $ in the salesperson's pocket

The Canon lens you found for $150 isn't a bad lens. Back in the day ('93) I shot with the first generation of the same lens. While it's definitely not as sharp or fast as 300/2.8, it's also not $5000 like that lens is. For the money, it's a solid lens. I used it while working for my college newspaper. I shot in rain, snow, freezing temperatures, scorching summer days and it survived all of it.

My first venture into the faster lenses was a Sigma 70-200/2.8. It was a good lens. Felt solid and was sharp although not the fastest focusing lens. The only problem I had with it was it literally started falling apart on me. Something inside started coming loose and it felt like it was going to fall into two pieces.

One thing you'll discover is you'll always have lens-envy. When I bought the Canon lens, I immediately wanted a faster lens. Got the faster Sigma lens, then wanted the Canon version of it. Got the Canon version of it, then wanted a 300/2.8. Thankfully by that time I was working for a newspaper that had a couple 300/2.8 lenses that the photographers shared so I didn't have to drop $5000 of my own cash into one.

But it'd still be nice to own one...



Have fun shopping and let us know what you decide.

[OreoCookie]

I have no idea what you mean by single, double and triple motor lenses.
In any case, I'd suggest you have a look at Sigma lenses as well. I'd also recommend to take a lens that starts at about 50 mm, it might save you a lot of time since you don't have to change lenses as often (50 mm are closer to what used to be 80 mm on film).
(I have an 80-200 zoom and I find myself changing lenses a lot; I'll sell it and get a 50-135 mm zoom to replace it.)

[PhotoBug]

ok so I'm not crazy for never having never heard about triple motors. I have been told to stay away from sigma. If that lens i described is a good deal i think I'm going to go for it.

[OreoCookie]

Originally Posted by PhotoBug 

ok so I'm not crazy for never having never heard about triple motors. I have been told to stay away from sigma. If that lens i described is a good deal i think I'm going to go for it.

Third-party lenses are usually superior to their similarly-priced original manufacturer counterparts. However, don't expect too much from the built-quality of a $200 lens. With your budget, I don't think you'll have a lot of choices. If you had $600 to spend, then the choice would be harder, but in your situation, one of the Sigmas is clearly the better deal.

That said, I won't hesitate long to sell my Nikon 2.8/80-200 zoom (older design) and replace it with a Tokina zoom. People who tell you to stay away from third-party lenses usually compare lenses that play in different leagues money-wise.

[GSixZero]

I have the Canon EF 70-300 f/4-5.6 USM IS lens. You can get a well loved, but used one for about $450. If it's in your budget, I think it would be a better investment.

It's a much better lens, and has IS which will really help you as soon as it starts to get a little darker.

[Railroader]

Originally Posted by PhotoBug 

I have been told to stay away from sigma.

That's too bad. I hope you don't take that advice. They make excellent lenses.

I have a Canon 200mm f/2.8L II and a Sigma APO 70-200mm f/2.8 EX DG MACRO HSM and I think the quality between the two is negligible. And I am the guy who takes pictures of brick walls at all apertures and micro-inspects the corners of the images.

Here's a recent picture taken with the Sigma:

[Railroader]

Originally Posted by GSixZero 

I have the Canon EF 70-300 f/4-5.6 USM IS lens. You can get a well loved, but used one for about $450. If it's in your budget, I think it would be a better investment.

It's a much better lens, and has IS which will really help you as soon as it starts to get a little darker.

I 2nd this good advice.

[PhotoBug]

Hmm ya. i have always wondered how much the "IS" is helpful. I started off with studio shots with not much movement but now i love going around and getting pics of everything in all lights and types. im gonna check out about getting a IS lens on the telephoto.

And i didn't mean that sigma was "Bad" in the sense of bad pictures only that they can sometimes short your canon camera, resulting in a $150 repair. Cool pic Railroader, i have been sucked in to that close up of insects lately and its just adding onto my list of reasons to get a good telephoto.

[OreoCookie]

Originally Posted by PhotoBug 

And i didn't mean that sigma was "Bad" in the sense of bad pictures only that they can sometimes short your canon camera, resulting in a $150 repair.

This is the first time I hear that a lens kills a camera, original manufacturer or otherwise. I certainly don't think this is a reason against buying from Sigma, Tamron or Tokina.

[JustinHorne]

Ok, let me set you straight on some stuff here:
First, the single/double/triple motor thing they're trying to sell you on is BS. I'd HIGHLY reccomend NOT buying anything more there, and furthermore, speaking to a manager about it. It's BS. Buy at bhphotovideo.com

Secondly: Image stabilization IS helpful, and a great piece of technolofy. Want proof it works? Get a semi heavy lens with IS, put it on a camera, turn the IS off. Hold the camera using only one hand (right hand only on the grip) and try to keep one of the focus points over a specific object. SEe all the little shakes? You can't stop them, no matter what you do. Now, flick the IS switch on. It's afiun thing to do, and I assure you, you will instantly see the result. IS is NOT a gimmick, at least not the Canon IS.

Thirdly: Sigma makes some very good stuff. The 75-300 you are looking at is quite craptacular. A freind of mine has one, the build quality is trash, and you won't get a sharp image out of it, period.

The 75-300 USM IS lens, as suggested, would be a very good buy for you. USM motors are high quality, silent, and focus fast.

Any more questions, let me know...
BTW, if you're curious, I shoot a 20D, my freind a Rebel XTi.

[iMOTOR]

The only Sigma lens I own is in a box somewhere broken, the focusing crapped out shortly after the warranty expired. But, it was a cheap lens, so maybe the more expensive Sigma lenses better.

Just to back up what's already been said, that salesman was making crap up about triple motors, even the L- series lens I serviced once only had one motor assembly , a high torque motor but one motor nonetheless. If you're concerned about focusing speed then ask the salesperson to let you demo the lens on your camera.

Be careful what you trust from a salesperson at an electronics store. It makes me cringe sometimes to hear the bs salespeople tell their customers.

[PhotoBug]

hmm well it was a camera store... and the one he as pointing out to me was cheaper so i just thought it was something new i hadn't heard of. well i wont be going back there.

The 70-300 isn't a heavy lens, and IS is 4X the price, should i try and save up for it instead of buying the Non IS now?

[Photocro]

Just saw your post. I think the way to look at lenses is fairly straight forward. I am a Nikon shooter and I think the Canon lenses are very fine. though I am not well versed on Canon per se I want to point out a couple things. A Canon brand lens will come in two classes, just as Nikon or Olympus etc. There are what are called in the business "Prosumer lenses" and Pro lenses. the differences are in the glass and the build. A prosumer lens is usually a lens with a max aperture of f 3.5 or higher and is built to take average use. A Pro lens is made, the lens elements, with bettr coatings on the lens and finer glass to give better "bokeh" or, better out-of-focus (OOF) rendering of background and foreground. the difference is significant to a trained eye and not very obvious to an "amateur" eye. the Pro lenses are built to withstand weather and abuse. The prosumer lenses are not. Hence, the dramatic cost difference.

As to Sigma, they do make some very nice lenses but, they are not built like the premium Canon or Nikon lenses. I love their ultra wide angle and have several photographer friends who own and swear by them. A good forum to check on Sigma (I never check lenses reputations from sales people) is photo.net of which I have been a member for many years. Just go there and peruse the categories and see what pros and amateurs have to say. A little homework will stand you in good sted on your purchase. Just like I came here to learn about the Mac Pro before I finally purchased it. A forum, for the most part, is the best environment to get knowledge.

[powerbook867]

Before I even think about actually purchasing new glass, I go here...

FM Reviews - Main Index

Research it then buy it online at a reputable vendor (check resellerratings.com or something similar).

While I know a lot of folks starting out going to the local photoshops, your experience is a mirror image of mine. I would personally rather research it myself to learn more and grow as a shooter.