Adventures of a Quantum Cowboy

I debated long and hard about which telephoto to get for my upcoming trip to New Zealand, and ended up choosing the Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM. The fairly long reach and the definite added bonus of the Image Stabilizer were prime factors in making the decision.

The close runner up was the Canon EF 70-200mm f/4 L USM, which besides being an Canon signature L-series white telephoto (the top of the line pro-grade), had constant aperture, superb clarity, and a non-rotating front piece (ring-type USM) as well. Surprisingly, this excellent piece of work was in a comparable price range to the 70-300 IS, which is a consumer-grade lens. The opportunity to purchase an L-series lens was difficult to pass up, but I sacrificed the superior build quality and slightly better image quality for the lighter weight, longer reach, and the IS feature, which is a huge advantage for wildlife and airshows and allows slower shutter speeds. For reference, a great debate about these lenses can be found on the Canon Digital Photography Forums. There is a nifty lens comparison tool which I used as well.

Other lenses I considered but eventually discarded before the final showdown were much less expensive:

Canon 75-300mm f/4.5-5.6 III USM (*not* recommended at all)
Canon 100-300mm f/4.5-5.6 USM (pretty decent, but the IS seduced me)
Sigma 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 APO DG Macro (neat macro feature and good optics, but LOUD and SLOW autofocus)

The last two are decent lenses and should be considered if you are relatively new to SLR photography and/or on a budget and are looking for a telephoto in this range.

I purchased from King Photo Supply in Lancaster, CA for $650.00. This is more than what I could have gotten it for online, but several factors made me buy in person:

1. I could test out the lens on my camera against other lenses… important, especially for spending this much.
2. The personal advice and information from the experienced shop guys (who mostly know me by now) is invaluable.
3. It’s good to support good locally-owned camera shops, especially if you’re in the middle of nowhere like me, because otherwise someday the big online giants will put them out of business and you’ll be stuck squinting at online pictures and trusting only user reviews for your pricey equipment.

So that’s a wrap on this post. Look out for some nice telephoto shots from New Zealand when I return in January. Happy Holidays everyone!