Telephoto Lense Recommendation

[zioneye]

I'm going to Yellowstone NP in May and expect to see lots of wildlife. Any recommendation for a good telephoto lense for use with a Canon 20D?

Z

[mjs1973]

What kind of a budget are you working with? Do you want a zoom lens or a prime? The Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L gets very good review, but is kind of expensive for some budgets. Get the IS version and the price goes up a bit more. I have heard good things about the Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS as well. It's not a pro quality lens, and isn't as fast as some of the others, but the IS should help. Don't be afraid to look at other brands as well. Sigma and Tamron both make some good quality lenses as well. My big lens for wildlife is a Sigma 170-500mm. It's not a pro quality lens, but as long as I have good light, it does pretty good. Give us an idea of how much you're willing to spend, and I'm sure we can give you some more choices.

[paulnj]

Call me crazy, but if your going to chase wildlife for a good part of the trip, WHY not just rent a 500F4IS or 500F4.5L even ;) The rental fee will be about the price of a consumer 70-300 lens.

Do you own a GOOD strong tripod?

To purchase I would suggest a.....

100-400IS
300F4IS
400F5.6L
SIGMA 50-500

[mjs1973]

I think Paul has some good advice. When it comes to shooting wildlife, you will always want a longer lens. Below is a link to another thread with some good adivce about 400mm lenses you might find usefull.

Need a 400mm lens

[zioneye]

Thanks for all the feedback, since I intend to have this camera for a while I guess I'm looking at a price range up to $700 - $1000.

Z

[paulnj]

my suggestions were in the 900-1400 range ;) USED at KEH.com may be your ticket for keeping in your price range?