there is a very short leap from “hey let me casually take some pictures of birds with this inexpensive zoom lens” to “what do i need to sell to afford this ultra-telephoto lens so i can get a proper close up of the red-tailed hawk that occasionally takes a perch in the neighbor’s tree”
And depending on what you end up with, there's the possibility of it being gateway optics for some astrophotography too!
(If it serves dual purposes, surely that might justify a bit more spending...)
I got a 75-300mm EF-S for my Canon (300D/original digital rebel) a few years ago and it’s been with me through a couple of upgrades (70D now). The lens was off of eBay and seems at least as old as Rebel from 2003. And I’ve had better luck with eBay vs. Amazon Renewed or such.
If you see one cheap, I found the EF-S 55-250mm to be so much sharper you get more detail by using that and cropping than the 75-300mm.
Though then I bought an EF 100-400mm f/4L second hand, and oh boy. Welcome to spend town.
Have you tried the Canon direct refurbished lens program? It's not bad - the lenses are good for home use. Slightly janky but not in ways that effect the photos, would just drive you insane if you were using it 600 times a day or needed it for work.
Is it catodioptric? I got one of those for a song from the used desk at b+h in the early aughts, in nikon mount. Still have it, but I don’t think I’ve ever taken a photo I liked with it! 🤦♂️
Yes, it is! Here it is on a Micro 4/3 camera. Shot this picture of the moon with it back in November 2022. It's not as sharp as higher end lenses, but it sure gave me the best photos I've ever taken of the moon!
Oh nice!
I knew there were a lot of versions of cheap manual mirror 500 f8s floating around with different badges but all mostly the same, but that looks nicer (and more Tamron-y) than my lens which turns out to be a Kalimar!
I think I tried it adapted to m4/3 but other options worked better! 😅
Oh hey I have that exact same lens! It's on permanent loan from my mother, who I believe got it secondhand in the '80s.
Can confirm, it's a lot of fun to go birding with.
I told myself that, but stepping up from a Sony a6000 to an A7 IV with a full-frame sensor is a WILD difference. I can't go back.
If you don't mind going in the other direction, though, you could get an ultrazoom camera like a Canon SX70. Not an IC camera, but way less than the lens alone.
A Sony RX10 IV would work really well. Still not quite as big as Micro Four Thirds, but it's a 1-inch sensor and a 25x lens. You can get it used for around $1,400, or go a generation back for the RX10 III for around $900.
I have terminal tech reviewer brain, I'm compelled to offer suggestions.
My long lens right now is a m43 40-150 zoom, which is *not quite* long enough for the hawk photos. I have been slowly persuading myself that I need a 300.
I just recently swapped my kit over from an older Canon full frame setup to Fujifilm APS-C, and having greater reach at a lower cost and with *much* less weight has been so nice for wildlife in particular.
If you were looking for advice, which I doubt, since you seem to have all the relevant knowledge: @stonekettle.bsky.social might have recommendations.
Either way, you both take such great photos, please keep it up. Now I'm looking forward to hawk photos
micro four thirds also means you can buy a few different brands that all fit together (olympus and panasonic for example), which means a bit more flexibility in both options and price :)
Although I have caught myself checking out the little g-mount cameras Panasonic makes but out side of the small primes the cost of lenses doesn’t seem that much cheaper.
