My eyes are bigger than my wallet. Help!

BrownSparrow · 4 Mar 2008 at 17:11

I need a little advice, i'm in the market for a zoom lens to complement my 40D and my f1.4 50mm but i'm having trouble with the 'ohhhh if i just spend just another £200 i can have xyz' factor, which is something i'm sure one or two of you may have experienced!

I want a zoom that can cover a lot of subjects, i.e. candids, wildlife, sports etc, so i initially looked at the Canon EF 70-200mm f/4.0L USM as it can be had for around £380. I was looking at the 70-200mm L lenses as i thought they would give me a good usable range, great quality, and feel its best to invest my hard earned into the best glass i can afford.

The problem is i have seen the Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM for £850, with the cashback offer that falls to £775! It's a bit more than i want to pay but to be fair it seem to be a bargain!

What advice/comments would those of you who have 70-200mm L glass have for me? Which is the pick of the bunch? Is IS a must have? Will i regret not going for the 100-400 or would that lens be too much too soon for a relative beginner such as myself. A lot of questions i know, but i really would appreciate any advice you can spare.

Over to you..

BrownSparrow · 4 Mar 2008 at 18:06

Damn you little devils with your tales of tempting shiny things!!

How did you get on with the push-pull zoom? Does it take a while to get used to it?

BrownSparrow · 4 Mar 2008 at 19:49

I know this will sound stupid but is it physically a (relatively) large lens? Is it going to fit in my Mini trekker AW?

BrownSparrow · 4 Mar 2008 at 23:56

Thanks for the pics SDK!

9designs2 said:
Or you could get a 70-300 IS, works great on a crop sensor, does ok on my 5D as well, much smaller, lighter and easier to handle. Plus saves you a lot money. Plus gives more range than the 70-200.

I have looked at few of these lenses but i feel that even though i am a relative beginner, its best to invest in the best glass i can for the quality of the shots and for depreciation. Some may feel that's not the best way to go about it and what's the point if you haven't got the skills to make the most of it. What do you and those reading this post think?