A cheap and light wildlife kit
Posted: Mon Mar 30, 2009 11:27 am
I wandered around my local patch yesterday with my Sony A700, Sony (rebadged Tamron) 55-200 zoom, Sony 500mm AF Reflex, Canon 500D achromatic close up lens and a Jessops 330 monopod.
I shot these two: The mirror should not be confused with those things called Centon or Sirius. It is in a totally different league, being almost totally free from chromatic aberration. It autofocusses, and with a touch of USM during PP can pull in some very good detail.
The little zoom is small, light, and yes it feels cheap, but stop it down a bit and it'll give nice punchy photos with a useful short tele range. It comes with a hood that is of decent depth.
The Canon close up lens is superb. I frequently use my 58mm version with a beercan (70-210 F4) using a step-down ring, and combined with that lens it gives very sharp results. Backgrounds with that combo are smooth and subtle, and significantly better than from my Sigma 105 macro. It's still very good with the 55-200, easily resolving butterfly wing scales and filling the frame with a small tort. With the zoom backed off to about 150mm it's just right to include a bit of environment with a medium sized butterfly.
Shopping around, the reflex currently costs around £480 and the 55-200 Tamron equivalent a mere £60. The close up lens to fit the 52mm Tamron filter size can be had for about £40 or less.
There are undoubtedly sharper lenses out there but not by much, and this little kit will give the best a run for their money. Besides, the alternatives are a lot heavier, and a whole lot more expensive.
I shot these two: The mirror should not be confused with those things called Centon or Sirius. It is in a totally different league, being almost totally free from chromatic aberration. It autofocusses, and with a touch of USM during PP can pull in some very good detail.
The little zoom is small, light, and yes it feels cheap, but stop it down a bit and it'll give nice punchy photos with a useful short tele range. It comes with a hood that is of decent depth.
The Canon close up lens is superb. I frequently use my 58mm version with a beercan (70-210 F4) using a step-down ring, and combined with that lens it gives very sharp results. Backgrounds with that combo are smooth and subtle, and significantly better than from my Sigma 105 macro. It's still very good with the 55-200, easily resolving butterfly wing scales and filling the frame with a small tort. With the zoom backed off to about 150mm it's just right to include a bit of environment with a medium sized butterfly.
Shopping around, the reflex currently costs around £480 and the 55-200 Tamron equivalent a mere £60. The close up lens to fit the 52mm Tamron filter size can be had for about £40 or less.
There are undoubtedly sharper lenses out there but not by much, and this little kit will give the best a run for their money. Besides, the alternatives are a lot heavier, and a whole lot more expensive.