Wildlife Photography across the Water: New Lens-Camera Manufactuers or 3rd Party

Wednesday 5 August 2009

New Lens-Camera Manufactuers or 3rd Party

You would think that by purchasing a Canon or Nikon lens to go with your body you would be getting the best possible quality in both build and image but thats not always the way and sometimes you can get better IQ buy purchasing a lens from a 3rd party manuafactuer and it will also save you money, I dont think you will get better IQ in long lenses than from the camera manufactuers but Sigma do make some different focal lengths than usual like their 120-300F2.8 and their Sigmonster 300-800 both are very good lenses, Not as fast focusing maybe but have very good IQ and are very versatile and nowhere near the cost of a Canon or Nikon, I certainly would say both are well worth a look and i would be happy to have the 120-300 in my camera bag, I read an English camera mag the other day and whilst most things have been written before or are somebody else's words rewritten i do tend to read camera and lens reviews, The review i read was about macro lens in the 100mm range, I used to own the Tamron SP90 and it was a great lens and i doubt you would find a sharper lens, In the review the new Tamron SP90 wiped the floor with Canon and Sigma and just pipped the new Nikon 105VR to take top marks which is amazing, Last year when i renewed all my gear i chose the Sigma 180mm Macro over Nikon's own 200mm macro as i believe Sigmas 150 and 180mm macros are top of the macro pile for that focal length, I would have made the same decision if i had stayed with Canon, not that Nikon's and Canons macros are bad as they are well built and give good results but i can get just as good results or better with a lens that's half the price and probably faster focusing in Canons case , So what am i saying-well don't be blinkered into thinking that because you have a Canon body that you need to use a Canon lens to get the best results,also if you ask for advise on a certain lens on a forum beware of people who have that particular lens and will tell you how good it is without knowing what other lenses in that range are like, i see it all the time and one persons 'pin sharp image' is another persons 'soft' image, Lenses are something that will last for years unlike camera bodies so take your time to make sure that you make the right decisions

Dave

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Bio's

David Courtenay, a self taught wildlife and nature photographer, has been capturing images for over 30 years. He has had a passion for wildlife since early childhood and remembers being glued to the television whenever Survival, Wildlife on One and other natural history documentaries were shown. In the 2006 he swapped his established career for the life of a wildlife photographer, such a move demands a measure of uncompromising passion and commitment.

David has travelled extensively throughout Europe as well as spending more than 7 months in India working with local guides and trackers in search of Bengal Tiger, Asian One horned Rhino and Asian Elephant. He has also photographed Wildlife in Australia, Malaysia, Thailand, Sumatra, Africa, Canada and America. Working closely with Conservation companies he tries to raise funds to help Wildlife that has been put on the endangered list by poaching and habitation loss

Martin Dyer has had a passion for avian wildlife since childhood, particularly raptors. Photography was also another keen interest and it was with the specific availability and control of the whole process that digital offers that Martin was then able to combine the two in 2003. Based in the UK, Martin is a regular visitor to Scotland, specifically the Isle of Mull to watch the Eagles resident there. Other trips to Europe and around the UK are usually part of Martin’s agenda in a typical year.

However, as a firm believer on making the most of the local patch, Martin has spent a lot of time and hard work creating a wildlife garden which is reaping the rewards with many new species and varieties of wildlife. A keen member of a number of wildlife photographic groups, Martin is keen to expand his portfolio into other areas of wildlife, and has already established a wide portfolio of images of fungi.