Hello fellow photography enthusiasts,
Today let us discuss about various choices in telephoto lenses market. So, at first, what is a telephoto lens? In photographic term 50 mm (on full frame) is considered as normal perspective because it mostly matches the human perspective of vision. Technically anything below 50 mm is wide and anything above 50 mm is telephoto. However, in practice 35 to 70 mm is considered normal. Serious wide angle lenses start below 35 mm and telephoto range in all practical purposes start above 70 mm. In today’s topic we would discuss about various telephoto lenses (mentioned as tele lenses henceforth) and also will try to provide a brief guide about few of them which are most popular among photographers. Hope it helps enthusiasts to choose the best according to need and budget.
Few points I like to clear before we go into detail. These abbreviations/clarifications will help in understanding the topic better for the newbies.
IS – Image Stabilization – term used by Canon
VR – Vibration reduction – term used by Nikon
VC – Vibration Control – term used by Tamron
OS – Optical Stabilization – term used by Sigma
All these means the capability of a lens to reduce the shake at the hand of the photographer during shutter release. This feature is good (must above 200 mm in my opinion) to have in telephoto. Kindly note, it does not mean the capacity to freeze the movement of the subject as such.
VR – Vibration reduction – term used by Nikon
VC – Vibration Control – term used by Tamron
OS – Optical Stabilization – term used by Sigma
All these means the capability of a lens to reduce the shake at the hand of the photographer during shutter release. This feature is good (must above 200 mm in my opinion) to have in telephoto. Kindly note, it does not mean the capacity to freeze the movement of the subject as such.
Nikon lenses are called Nikkor and Macro is called Micro in Nikon term . In Carl Zeiss lens line up 'Macro' is spelled as 'Makro'. But in this write up we have mentioned them in the common term only (Nikon and Micro) to avoid confusion.
TC means teleconverters. Sometimes they are called extenders also. Usually 1.4x and 2x TC are available in the market. They provide a cheaper alternative to increase the focal length of a lens by 1.4 and 2 times respectively. All the lenses may not be compatible with TCs.
Prime lens – Fixed focal length lens
Zoom Lens – Variable focal length lens
Zoom Lens – Variable focal length lens
Now let us see various types of tele lenses available in market :
Short telephoto (70 mm to 200 mm) : This focal length is ideal for portrait and events. The very popular zoom in this region is 70-200 f/2.8 and 70-200 f/4. Almost all the manufacturer has multiple great lenses in this zoom range. The best is obvious Canon and Nikon 70-200 f/2.8 with IS/VR. Tamron 70-200 f/2.8 VC has received very good reviews and mentioned as on par with Canon and Nikon at 1K$ less price! Sigma cost somewhere in between but received less favorable reviews than the Tamron. Two very special lenses in the category are :
Canon 55-250 IS – One of the Canon’s most popular and versatile lenses. Probably the most value for money lens ever built other than 50 f/1.8
Sigma 120-300 f/2.8 OS Sports – Sigma has perfected it after 3 iterations in short cycle. Now it is one gem of a lens for indoor sports and wildlife but cost around 3.5k$
Sigma 120-300 f/2.8 OS Sports – Sigma has perfected it after 3 iterations in short cycle. Now it is one gem of a lens for indoor sports and wildlife but cost around 3.5k$
There are few 70-300 mm lenses from Canon and Nikon and other manufacturers but has not received much favors from serious amateurs and pros. Go for those only if you want a 300 mm even at a very cheap cost.
The popular primes in this range are 85 mm, 135 mm and 200 mm. All are very popular portrait lenses. May not be versatile enough for event because of the absence of the zoom range.
85 mm prime : All the manufacturer has very good 85 mm lenses. Sigma 85 f/1.4 and Canon 85 f/1.8 provide the most value for money and are great lenses for serious amateurs and professionals alike. Canon 85 f/1.2, Nikon 85 f/1.4, Carl Zeiss 85 f/1.4 are for more serious professionals. The king of this range is Carl Zeiss Otus 85 f/1.4 (Different from the regular CZ 85 f/1.4). It cost 4k$+ and get it only if you are sure about the investment.
135 mm prime : Canon, Nikon and Carl Zeiss has very good 135 f/2. If you can get past the manual focus (except on Sony mount) and 2k$ price Carl Zeiss is best in this range. Else Canon and Nikon provides very respectable alternatives.,
200 mm prime : The king here is Canon 200 mm f/2 which is successor of the legendary Canon 200 f/1.8. But is cost 6k$! Nikon also has a comparable 200 f/2 lens. Canon 200 f/2.8 provides a good alternative at 1/10th of price. It is a very respectable piece of glass and only thing lacks is IS.
Normal telephoto (200 mm to 400 mm) – This focal length range is ideal for wildlife (not birds though, they need more reach) and sports. We find mostly prime in this range. We also enter here a seriously costly territory. So be extremely careful about your need and budget while treading in this domain.
300 mm prime : Canon 300 f/2.8 is a legendary lens for its sharpness and autofocus speed. Nikon300 f/2.8 is not far behind. Sigma provides a more affordable 300 f/2.8 option but does not provide OS. Image stabilization is must at this range and hence it is not recommended unless you plan to use it on tripod only. A more affordable prime is 300 f/4 IS/VR from Canon and Nikon and provides very sharp option for entry level wildlife lens.
400 mm prime : 400 f/2.8 from both Canon and Nikon are considered the most preferred lens by sports photographers for its huge 400 mm reach, wide open aperture at f/2.8 and legendary sharpness and auto focus speed. Canon has 400 f/5.6 but it does not provide IS. Get it only if you think 300 f/4 is not enough and you don’t care about IS. In my opinion IS is must at 400 mm range.
There are two very good zoom lenses in this range. Nikon 200-400 f/4 and Canon 200 – 400 f/4 with built in 1.4 TC. The Nikon one is more affordable but the Canon one exceeds even the primes in sharpness and has the convenience of adding and removing a 1.4 TC at the flick of a lever. However, it cost almost 12K$ !
The more affordable and hence very popular zooms in this range are :
Canon 100-400, Tamron 150-600, Sigma 150 – 600 Contemporary and Sigma 150-600 Sports. All are very good alternatives to their costlier counterparts. The sigma ones are new in the market and got very good initial reviews.
Canon 100-400, Tamron 150-600, Sigma 150 – 600 Contemporary and Sigma 150-600 Sports. All are very good alternatives to their costlier counterparts. The sigma ones are new in the market and got very good initial reviews.
Super Telephoto (500 mm and above) : This range is used by bird and astro photographers mostly. All of 500, 600, 800 mm primes from Canon and Nikon are legendary lenses. Out of these 500 f4 is more popular because of being the ‘cheapest’ (at 10K $ at that !!!) among these and also because it can be used handheld at least for certain amount of time. Others cannot be used handheld and tripod is must because of the weight and bulk. There was a 500 mm prime from Sigma which is discontinued now but still available in used market. In sharpness it is comparable with Canon/Nikon at a much cheaper price but lacks OS and hence cannon be used without tripod. Sigma 800 mm prime is still available but because of weight, bulk and lack of OS cannot be used handheld. I doubt whether Canon/Nikon 800 mm can be used handheld either. So this may be a cheaper option (8K $ still !!) for someone looking for a 800 mm prime.
There are two zooms from Sigma in this range.
Sigma 300-800 f/5.6 : Because of weight and lack of OS it cannot be used without a tripod.
Sigma 200-500 f/2.8 : Well, it looks and costs more like an astro instrument than a dSLR lens. This is the costliest glass I know of at a whooping 26K $ !!!
Sigma 300-800 f/5.6 : Because of weight and lack of OS it cannot be used without a tripod.
Sigma 200-500 f/2.8 : Well, it looks and costs more like an astro instrument than a dSLR lens. This is the costliest glass I know of at a whooping 26K $ !!!
Macro Telephoto (100 – 200 mm macro) – Macro Lenses provide a good option for short telephoto apart from their macro capabilities. They are very good choice for portraits especially. Below are few of the options :
Canon 100 mm f/2 (Non L, non IS) – One of the sharpest lenses at a very decent price. A very good value for money
Tamron 90 mm – Again a very good lens at an affordable price.
Canon 100 mm L IS – One of the best piece of glass one can dream to own. Price is not low (1K $) but still it is considered a great value for money.
Sigma 1800 f/2.8 OS – Only 180 mm glass with f/2.8 and OS. Tack sharp.
Canon 180 f/3.5 – Good one but losing to the Sigma because smaller aperture (f/3.5 to f/2.8) and lack of IS. Price is comparable for both the lenses.
Nikon 200 f/4 – The sharpest lens from Nikon as mentioned in few reviews and that is some compliment!
Carl Zeiss 100 mm f/2 : Manual focus (except on Sony mount) and not macro in truest sense (provide 1:2 magnification at the most). But optically among the best glasses on the planet.
Tamron 90 mm – Again a very good lens at an affordable price.
Canon 100 mm L IS – One of the best piece of glass one can dream to own. Price is not low (1K $) but still it is considered a great value for money.
Sigma 1800 f/2.8 OS – Only 180 mm glass with f/2.8 and OS. Tack sharp.
Canon 180 f/3.5 – Good one but losing to the Sigma because smaller aperture (f/3.5 to f/2.8) and lack of IS. Price is comparable for both the lenses.
Nikon 200 f/4 – The sharpest lens from Nikon as mentioned in few reviews and that is some compliment!
Carl Zeiss 100 mm f/2 : Manual focus (except on Sony mount) and not macro in truest sense (provide 1:2 magnification at the most). But optically among the best glasses on the planet.
As we have seen, like any other photographic gear, world of tele lenses offer huge options. Unfortunately this is the territory where the cost of equipment is highest. So, you need to be extra cautious about selecting your gear. Good news is that now many renting opportunities are open even in India in almost every major city. Renting and using a lens before deciding to buy is not a bad idea. There are many used markets as well. The most notables are Fred Miranda (US), JJMehta (India) and various FB groups on almost all major cities. Because of the huge prices of tele lenses and longevity of these lenses the used market is quite buzzing and worth a visit before you take the decision to spend exorbitant amount for a new one.
With this I end my write up. Hope it provides a good insight into the ‘bazooka’ world. Please let me know your feedback.