Right now my main bird photography lens for my Canon EOS 60D is the Canon 400mm f/5.6 prime. I am thinking of getting a low-priced telephoto that zooms in fairly far, but not as far as 400mm. Here is what I am thinking of:

Canon EF 100-300mm f/4.5-5.6 USM
Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM
Canon EF 75-300mm f/4.0-5.6 III USM
Sigma 70-300mm F4-5.6 DG Macro
Sigma 70-300mm F4-5.6 APO DG Macro
Sigma 70-300mm F4-5.6 DG OS
Tamron 70-300mm F/4-5.6 Di VC USD
Tamron 70-300mm F/4-5.6 Di LD
Tamron 75-300mm F/4.0-5.6 AF LD

I am not sure if all the lenses I have listed have auto and manual focus. If I get one of these lenses, I want it to have both auto and manual focus, so if you know that one of the lenses I have listed does not do both, please let me know. Also, if there are more lenses I should know about like these, please let me know.

Which lens do you think is best overall? (quality for price, how sharp it is, etc.)

Thanks for the info!

_________________
Liron

Bird photography equipment
Canon EOS 60D
Canon EF 400mm f5.6L USM
Sigma Flash & Vello Flash Bracket

http://lironsnaturephotography.com
http://lironsnaturephotogalleries.yolasite.com/
http://flickr.com/photos/lirons-nature-photography

Hi Liron,

I'm using Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM and I'm very satisfied with results. People call it "hidden L". Well...it's not an L lens but it gets the job done. It has 3 stop IS (according to Canon) and it's very useful in moody Vancouver weather and in low light situations. I was getting nice results with shutter speeds as low as 1/30 on 300mm with IS on. It has MF and AF of course and IS has two modes 1 and 2. No2 is for panning.
I'm using it on XTi and you'll probably get way better results with 60D.
My next main lens for birding will be 300 F4 IS or 400 F5.6 but 70-300 stays in the bag

There's lots of reviews online, check them out.
Hope this helps.
Cheers!

P.S Are you satisfied with 400mm on 60D?

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http://www.flickr.com/photos/66492722@N05

Thanks for the info!

I am very satisfied with the 400mm f5.6 on the 60D. If you get the 300mm f4 with a 1.4x you will get a focal length of about 420mm, but the autofocus will be much slower than on the 400mm 5.6 and the sharpness will be degraded. You can also use the 300mm f4 by its self and get fast autofocus and good sharpness, though it still won't be as sharp and fast as the 400mm f5.6. In my opinion, if you are thinking of getting one of those two lenses (like I did), you should go for the 400mm f5.6.

I just recently got my Canon EF 400mm f5.6L USM lens. I am shocked. It is much better than I expected. The photos are tack sharp. The manual focus is perfectly smooth. One of my favorite things about this lens is that the autofocus speed is like lighting. This is surprising as this lens has an aperture of 5.6. Another great feature of this lens is the lightweight. The Canon 400mm F/5.6L weighs just 2.7 pounds, enabling you to take handheld photos on most days (all days with some sun, or even bright days without sun). The price is also great. I think the right price of this lens (new) should be about $2000 or more, but that is not the case. You could be able to get this lens new on some websites and stores for $1,200.

Pros:
-Tack Sharp
-Super fast autofocus
-smooth manual focus
-extremely lightweight (can be used handheld)
-telephoto
-price
-can focus fairly close (3.5 meters)

Cons:
No IS (image stabilizer)

I hope this helps!

_________________
Liron

Bird photography equipment
Canon EOS 60D
Canon EF 400mm f5.6L USM
Sigma Flash & Vello Flash Bracket

http://lironsnaturephotography.com
http://lironsnaturephotogalleries.yolasite.com/
http://flickr.com/photos/lirons-nature-photography

Thanks, this sure helps!

I tried 400mm f5.6 (borrowed it for a few hours from a friend) and I agree that it is an amazing lens. Tack sharp wide open with lightning fast auto-focus, even on my XTi.

I'm leaning towards 300mm f4 though... because of it's IS and close focusing distance of 1.5m. Great for macro shots of butterflies and closeup's of small animals. I find 300mm just fine for now and if I need a bit more I can always add 1.4x tcon. It will degrade image quality for sure in some way. Thing is how big that degradation is and is that degradation acceptable for me. I've seen lots of amazing shots with 300mm f4 + 1.4x combo.
I like to walk and take photos. It's 99% hand held and I definitely want to be able to take some shots when weather is dull and moody. I'm not sure how IS on 300mm f4 will help though cause it's one or two stop system. Well it's sure better than none...
Anyway I think I'll rent it prior buying and decide between 300 and 400.
If you want to try 70-300 pm me. We can meet and you can try it and see how it works on 60D.

Cheers

_________________
http://www.flickr.com/photos/66492722@N05

Here is a great site to compare and contrast lenses - you can even compare image quality one lens to another (on the menu in Tools - ISO 12233 Resolution Chart Comparison). I've used this site extensively to help make my lens buying decisions. The comparison tool will give you a fair assessment of the difference between lens brands and different focal lengths and you can make a decision whether it's acceptable or not.
I've used the 300 f4.0 with and without the 1.4 TC, but found for all around versatility, the 100-400 is great. It's light enough that carrying it isn't a chore (so you'll take it more places, unlike the bigger telephotos), it's small enough you don't get a lot of attention from people if you are in more populated areas (unlike the larger primes that can be a curiosity magnet) and the zoom function is extremely handy.

Here's the lens review site.
http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/

Investing in a lens is serious commitment. You'll want to do lots of homework to make sure you invest wisely.

Good luck and look forward to seeing the results.

if anything, i'd sell the 400mm prime and get a 100-400mm to get the optional wideness you want and stay in your budget.

Should mention that if you are in or near Vancouver, you can rent lenses from Beau Photo on 5th and Granville. I've done this with a number of lenses to narrow down my purchasing decisions. Can't say enough good about their rental service AND, if you rent on Friday, you get the whole weekend for the price of one day's rental. They have all the great Canon lenses most photographers are considering.

meh. you mean if you miss some work time to return it monday? lol. plus, take a 300mm f2.8, $75 to rent plus tax! way too much. can't you rent a car for cheaper than that?