300mm APO f/2.8 or 400mm APO f/4.5 ???
May 30, 2018 21:11:00 #
I'm planning a Yellowstone trip this winter and I am torn between picking up a 300mm APO f/2.8 or 400mm APO f/4.5. Longer reach vs "faster" lens. Opinions?
May 30, 2018 21:17:47 #
jmccl wrote:
I'm planning a Yellowstone trip this winter and I am torn between picking up a 300mm APO f/2.8 or 400mm APO f/4.5. Longer reach vs "faster" lens. Opinions?
For the wildlife the longer reach is critical. I recommend a 150-600mm zoom for best results.
May 30, 2018 21:50:10 #
jmccl wrote:
I'm planning a Yellowstone trip this winter and I am torn between picking up a 300mm APO f/2.8 or 400mm APO f/4.5. Longer reach vs "faster" lens. Opinions?
400 is not much longer than 300, but 2.8 is quite a bit faster, than 4.5!
May 30, 2018 22:21:42 #
jmccl wrote:
I'm planning a Yellowstone trip this winter and I am torn between picking up a 300mm APO f/2.8 or 400mm APO f/4.5. Longer reach vs "faster" lens. Opinions?
I agree with MT Shooter...you’ll more likely to use the reach than need the speed. I’d go with a 150-600 too.
May 30, 2018 22:22:05 #
The Minolta 300mm F2.8 is overall my favorite lens but the 400mm F4.5 is not far behind. In this case, I would take the extra length of the 400.
May 30, 2018 22:34:48 #
jmccl wrote:
I'm planning a Yellowstone trip this winter and I am torn between picking up a 300mm APO f/2.8 or 400mm APO f/4.5. Longer reach vs "faster" lens. Opinions?
I assume you are on Sony .....full frame or crop ?? Exactly what time of winter ??
Due to the possibility of lower light and if you are on crop frame use the 300 2.8 and Clear Image Zoom to get to 600mm f2.8. On lower MP/better ISO of full frame, use the extra reach slower 400.
..
May 31, 2018 05:53:02 #
jmccl wrote:
I'm planning a Yellowstone trip this winter and I am torn between picking up a 300mm APO f/2.8 or 400mm APO f/4.5. Longer reach vs "faster" lens. Opinions?
If you budget permits, what about the 300mm f2.8 + a 2 x TC? I used to use a Canon 300mm f2.8L IS + Canon 2 x TCIII on my Canon 7D mark II and achieved high quality images. There will probably be times when you do not need to use a TC, so you will have the advantage of the f2.8 aperture.
May 31, 2018 07:25:29 #
May 31, 2018 09:11:26 #
Tours are the only way to get into the park in Winter, either by couch or snowmobile. Bison may be from 6ft sharing the road or a mile.
May 31, 2018 09:56:32 #
fetzler
Loc: North West PA
There are opportunities for taking pictures with focal length ranging from 10mm to at least 500mm in Yellowstone. As for your choices I would choose the 400mm. Lenses like the Nikon 200-500mm and Sigma 150-600mm would offer focal length flexibility. I took a nice photo in Yellowstone of Elk using a 50mm lens.
May 31, 2018 10:13:52 #
Bultaco wrote:
Tours are the only way to get into the park in Winter, either by couch or snowmobile. Bison may be from 6ft sharing the road or a mile.
For MOST of the park, yes. But the North entrance and road from Mammoth to Roosevelt, through the Lamar Valley and out the Northeast entrance to Cooke City, MT is open year 'round and can be travelled by anyone in any vehicle.
May 31, 2018 10:14:23 #
What camera are you shooting? If you're shooting something like the 850 it would mean not only excellent resolution but the ability to crop more than other cameras. That might affect your choice of lens. However, Benno Ibold, my fb world traveler friend, has gotten fantastic results with Canon dx cameras and a Sigma 50-500 lens. I think he spends most of his budget on travel. However, he's just purchased the Sigma 150-600 Contemporary to improve his reach.
May 31, 2018 10:18:39 #
billnikon
Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont
jmccl wrote:
I'm planning a Yellowstone trip this winter and I am torn between picking up a 300mm APO f/2.8 or 400mm APO f/4.5. Longer reach vs "faster" lens. Opinions?
Limiting yourself to a single point focal length will really limit you and you may miss a lot of shots. If Nikon, I would go with the 200-500. If Canon, the Canon 100- 400 with 1.4. If on a budget, a third party 150-600 would do.
May 31, 2018 14:16:40 #
amfoto1
Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA
jmccl wrote:
I'm planning a Yellowstone trip this winter and I am torn between picking up a 300mm APO f/2.8 or 400mm APO f/4.5. Longer reach vs "faster" lens. Opinions?
You don't mention what system you are using. It would be helpful to know.
300mm f/2.8 might be very usable with a 2X teleconverter, a combo that will make for a 600mm f/5.6. That would give you two different focal lengths to work with.
400mm f/4.5 might work with a 1.4X teleconverter, making for 560mm f/6.3... also a possibility if your camera can autofocus f/6.3. (Note: Most cameras can't autofocus or would really struggle with f/9, which is what the 400/4.5 with 2X would be... plus 800mm equivalent is difficult to keep steady, more likely to need a tripod.)
If traveling by car, why not take both? If traveling by air, which one is lighter and more portable (I would guess the 400mm)?
You also don't mention what other lenses you have and might be planning to take, which would be helpful to know, to give you better advice.
May 31, 2018 14:47:04 #
MT Shooter wrote:
For the wildlife the longer reach is critical. I recommend a 150-600mm zoom for best results.
Me too!
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