D5100 vs 650D

vanandjuanunited

vanandjuanunited

vanandjuanunited

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20 Oct 2005
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Hi

Looking at these two cameras and cant decide between the two.

Main use will be for airshows , zoos holidays etc.

Lenses I am considering are
D5100 and Sigma 120-400

650D and either 300mm L F4 or 100-400 L or Sigma 120-400

anyone any experience of these combinations for my intended use? Autofocus performance/image quality - is there a clear winner

Budget £1400 max cheaper being preferred unless absolutely needed which is why I am leaning toward the Nikon.
 
The Nikon is the clear IQ winner, the sensor is much better. Have a gander at www.dxomark.com for objective tests.


I noticed you listed a couple of lenses for canon but not Nikon. The Nikon 300mm f4.0 is superb, I use that for all my wildlife work now.
 
vanandjuanunited said:
Reviews of the nikor 300 are mixed. Some say its not great on moving targets. Will look around at more reviews
Click to expand...

Never read a mixed review on this lens, it is painfully sharp form wide open and has decent AF performance. With a TC the AF slows down and has hunting issues when too far from correct focus, but bits quickly when not too far out. Never had an issue.

Would be interested where you saw the mixed reviews. My bet is it would focus better than the Sigma.
It is likely slower than a lens like the 70-200mm f/2.8 or 300mm f/2.8 but that isn't surprising.


For airshows, zoos and holidays the 300mm is fine. For fast sports then yeah, I would imagine faster focusing lenses are better but at 300mm there isn't much out there. I expect the 300mm without a TC focuses faster than a 70-200mm f/2.8 with a TC. 300mm f/2.8 is veyr big and expensive.
 
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I highly respect Tom Hogan but I think you are reading something between the liens with regards to speed. AF speed hasn't improved noticeably over the older 300mm AF-D but it is still fast enough for most situations, certainly most wildlife related shots.

The hunting with a TC is the same as what I found. If the lens is close to the correct focus it is very fast to snap. If the lens has to pull the focus from a long way out it tends to get lost. I resolve that issue by using the large manual focus ring to get approximately correct and let the lens focus the rest. I don't ever notice that without the TC. When it is bare it is at least fast as all y other lens, in fact faster than most. Only my 70-200mm f/2.8 is faster, but not if you put a f/1.4 TC on it to get 280mm.


Compared to the other lenses you listed I believe the Nikon 300mm to be the fastest AF lens except for perhaps the Canon 300mm L.

There is no VR, I don't think this is a big issue as I tend to use it on a tripod.

Anyway, that is getting a little off topic. I just wanted to make you aware of what the 300mm can do. It has limitations but the limits of that lens will require a much larger investment to overcome. The Sigma alternatve you suggest wont be faster to AF and has worse IQ.
 
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What other lenses are you thinking of buying?
What kind of photos do you really want to take?

The Nikon 300mm f/4.0 will probably get updated in the next year or 2 but I personally wont upgrade my lens because the addition of VR wont be worth the price to upgrade.

Another lens to consider is the Nikon 70-300mm is you think 300mm is long enough.
i have no issues getting photos like this :
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8365/8454059555_5d9b3c66d2_c.jpg


Here is a BiF taken with the Nikon 300mm f/4 with 1.4xTC
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8384/8455167196_2bf0065f87_c.jpg

Focus tracking was fast enough, the issue in that scene was there was so much dynamic movement that any lens+camera would struggle
 
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Ideally 300 plus. The lenses listed are the ones I had narrowed down to. Possible sports use as well. Hockey cricket etc. Budget is limited to £1400 hence the options noted.
Airshow use would a couple of times a year. Then holiday use and pics of my kids etc

Also looking 35 or 50 mm lenses to supplement kit lens
 
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