Good lens for spotting with Canon 70D

Hi everyone,

This is my first post and as my first statement I must say that I am very happy with Airplane Pictures. I still have a lot of room to improve myself, both in taking pictures as in post-processing my images. I am learning a lot by reading this forum and practicing many tips and tutorials that you guys have been posting here (special thanks to Angelo Bufalino and Andre Nordheim).

I have a Canon 70D and my lenses are the Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS and the Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM. I am seriously considering acquiring one “L” series; I am in doubt about the 70-200 (and its variants) or the 100-400mm (and its variants) and I am looking for information about which one could be the best choice.

Is it really necessary to look for new lenses? Are there good alternative lenses (Tamron, Sigma)?

I have already made some searches in the web, but I would like to hear tips specifically from aviation spotters. US $ 2.000 should be the limit I would be able to spend in a new gear.

Thank you in advance, best regards,

Ricardo.

This post has been edited by Ricardo Hebmüller on 25th April 2015 - 13:22

Hi Ricardo,

I recommend the 70-300L for your 70D. I have the same setup and have produced images such as this;

http://www.airplane-pictures.net/photo/441555/g-xlec-british-airways-airbus-a380/

The quality of the 70-300 is stellar, providing a focal length of 480mm on your 70D and the IS and AF speeds are second to none.

If your willing to spend more than the £800 this will cost you then the 100-400L MkII is the obvious choice after that.

Cheers

Good advice from Jimmy. Work with what you have right now and aquire equipment as you go. A bit hard to give perfect advice as locations often predict what focal lengths you want. However, you've got a very diverse setup of lenses so you should be covered.

Thank you Wallace for your tip. I wasn’t aware there is a Canon 70-300 “L” series lens. Yesterday I visited some camera stores in Sao Paulo and I couldn’t find it. But it has an affordable price at BHPhoto. By the way, your BA A380 picture is superb.

Hi Andre, most of my pictures are made from a relatively short distance (“ramp” shots), but many times I lack a longer range lens (airshows or when outside airport terminals).

Best regards,

Ricardo.