www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

Thou shall not forget Canon MP-E 65!

As a technical question I'd like to point out that limiting the choice to one might not be quite correct. Is it possible to allow more than one choice?

Good point! Unfortunately, the polling mechanism only allows one response.

Cheers,

- Pete

Malcolm,

Great list but for me you missed off two important Nikon lenses, the 300mm f/2.8 VR and the 300mm f/4 AFS. The latter is arguably the finest butterfly lens on the market. I still miss mine but I had to sell to get the 300 2.8VR lens, though a friend of mine bought a 300/2.8 VR but kept the 300 f/4 as well just for butties.

John

The glowing reports of the Sigma 150mm lens on this site have led to me becoming the newest convert. Whether I actually get to use it in anger this year depends on whether there are any butterflies left after the monsoon season ends. Perhaps I should be on the lookout for a bloke in a boat who is collecting 2 of every species

Trev

wildscenes wrote:Malcolm,

Great list but for me you missed off two important Nikon lenses, the 300mm f/2.8 VR and the 300mm f/4 AFS. The latter is arguably the finest butterfly lens on the market. I still miss mine but I had to sell to get the 300 2.8VR lens, though a friend of mine bought a 300/2.8 VR but kept the 300 f/4 as well just for butties.

John

Hmmm. If we go down that route then we need to look beyond dedicated macro lenses, and you'd need to include all the telephoto lenses too, such as the Canon 100-400mm L IS lens.

Cheers,

- Pete

Since the purpose of the poll would be to see what are the most popular lenses for butterfly photography I'm happy to include any serious suggestions in the poll. Can I suggest that if anyone would like a lens included, that's not listed at the moment, just add to this thread over the nest couple of days or so.

In the meantime, assuming the sun appears, I hope to take some pictures over the weekend!!!

Best wishes

Malcolm

Canon100-400L IS

Martin.

Hi Martin

I was thinking of getting a canon 100-400 IS myself to use as a general wildlife lens. I've heard that the auto focus will still work if you attach a 1.4 converter, have you tried this
Also what is your opinion of the lens for using to photograph say eagles and whales!! and do you turn off the IS if you use a tripod. Don't tell me i'll never have to use a tripod, as I only weigh seven stone

Gwenhwyfar wrote:Hi Martin

I was thinking of getting a canon 100-400 IS myself to use as a general wildlife lens. I've heard that the auto focus will still work if you attach a 1.4 converter, have you tried this

Sorry Gwen, don't have a X1.4

Gwenhwyfar wrote:Also what is your opinion of the lens for using to photograph say eagles and whales!!

It's an awesome lens for any subject matter...

Gwenhwyfar wrote:and do you turn off the IS if you use a tripod. Don't tell me i'll never have to use a tripod, as I only weigh seven stone

Yes, IS off on a tripod.

It also has a second mode on the IS for following moving objects such as birds in flight.

This is a top lens...I will never, NEVER, sell it!

HTH...Martin.

I also have this lens, and it's amazing! I've used the lens with extension tubes and it still autofocuses OK.

For general wildlife photography, it's the bees knees. For butterflies and other insects, without a converter or extension tubes, the subject won't fill the frame (unless you're dealing with a large butterfly, such as a Swallowtail) if the critter is small, since there's a minimum focusing distance of 1.6m. Nick Sampford's Swallowtail photos on the UK Butterflies website are taken with this lens.

Whenever I've used it, I've used it handheld, and the pictures are pretty sharp. Here's one for Xmas ...



Cheers,

- Pete

Thanks guys for the info - so lets verify, i'm on a boat or a guided golden eagle tour!! it's a bit of a dull day, my subject is a bit far away, I stick on the 1.4 converver/extension tube, would you be confident that the lens would still perform

If so i'm getting one

Yes.

Cheers,

- Pete

[This is the shortest reply I've ever provided ]

Yes.



Martin.

Ok, I think I have been persuaded, but there is also two other option, but I am leaning more towards this lens.

Other options are

Sigma 300mm f/2.8 EX DG HSM - Looks a great lens, but also the
Sigma 120-300 f/2.8 EX DG HSM is tempting, as it has a zoom like the Canon. If I use converters I can get out to 420mm at F/4 with a 1.4x and out to 600mm at F/5.6 with a x2.

Hi Gwen........

In fact the 100-400 won't autofocus as is with a 1.4 converter. To get autofocus you have to tape over two of the contacts between the camera and the lens.
I have the 100-400, but only use it for bird photography. I never fancied taping contacts in case I ended up damaging the lens.

Robin

Hi,

This outfit are selling these lenses on special offer at the moment - follow this link

http://www.hidigital.co.uk/index.asp?fu ... lAod61S2OQ

they are £840

Good luck!

Thanks Robin and George for the info.

Gwenhwyfar
Don't dismisss the Sigma 50-500.
It is a fantastic lens.
You will have a chance to play with one in a couple of months!

I tried the taping of the pins trick - but the tape was not 'adhesive' enough, and lifted.
It didn't cause any damage, and actually worked whilst the tape stuck!
http://photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=0078YS
HTH
Roger

I have a few months to decide which one I will go for.

Roger it's next month

A Minolta 75-300mm D lens on my Sony A100 with a Canon 500D close up lens is quite good for most butterflies. My August brimstone and September speckled wood competition entries were both shot with this combo. I have since managed to get a bargain Sigma 105 Macro but I think the former set up will still be my preferred choice for butterflies. Although the Sigma has the edge on resolution, the extra shooting distance of the zoom lens gives a higher success rate.