telephoto zoom lens at DVinfo.net

Jeff McElroy · February 6th, 2006, 06:20 PM

Okay, I will keep this trite:

I need a good telephoto zoom lens for my Xl2.

I am currently doing a project on pelicans and various marine birdlife.
My 20x lens is just not cutting it.

I don’t care about weight or size, and image stabilization is really preferred*.
I don’t want to spend more than $1000.

Does anyone have any recommendations, and/or experience, field reports, etc?
What are my options…
and at what price?

*do I really need an IS function? Does it work with video cameras effectively?

Mike Teutsch · February 6th, 2006, 07:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jeff McElroy

Okay, I will keep this trite:

I need a good telephoto zoom lens for my Xl2.

I am currently doing a project on pelicans and various marine birdlife.
My 20x lens is just not cutting it.

Jeff,

If you think that you don't need IS, try zooming your 20X out to full, turn of OIS and try to hold it still. If you use a tripod and it is very stable, then you could get by without it.

Canon has a 1.6X adapter that retains your OIS, zoom etc...and pushes the stock lens out to 32X.

Beyond that, there is the Canon EF adapter, which allows you to use Canon lenses, or other after market adapters and then add a 35mm lens. I think the EF adapter maintains some camera functions, but I don't have one so can't say for sure. I know you will not have IS, and probably no autofocus either. The Optex adapter that I have maintains no camera function, but it works with my Nikon lenses.

Either one of these or other 35mm adapters adds a magnification function of approx 7.2 to what the 35mm equivalent is of the lens. A 100mm lens would equal about a 720mm lens on the XL2. Very neat indeed for getting real close, but your tripod better be rock stable and focus is a bit of a challenge. I have a cheap 1600mm I stick on my XL2 and you can count the flies on an apple from about a quarter of a mile away.

Hope this helps. There are many threads here that will give you more information, and also check Chris Hurd’s Watch Dog articles about the lens options on the XL line of cameras.

http://www.dvinfo.net/canonxl2/articles/article04.php

Mike

Ash Greyson · February 6th, 2006, 08:40 PM

Get the EOS adapter and the Canon 70-300mm USM OIS Lens. That will hit right under your budget and give great performance.

ash =o)

Mike Teutsch · February 6th, 2006, 09:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ash Greyson

Get the EOS adapter and the Canon 70-300mm USM OIS Lens. That will hit right under your budget and give great performance.

ash =o)

Ash,

That would be a great combo! What auto functions are maintained on this setup, if any. I can't find any definitive answers anywhere about the EF adapter inself as far as that is concerned. Very curious.

Thanks---Mike

Andrew Khalil · February 6th, 2006, 09:52 PM

I don't think any auto functions are maintained using the EF adapter.

Bill Taka · February 6th, 2006, 10:04 PM

Jeff, as Mike mentions you can find everything you need to know regarding the EF adapter and telephoto lenses throughout this forum by doing a search. In summary, with the EF adapter - No auto functions except aperture - if you flip the lever on the EF adapter you will have auto aperture.
Ash's recommendaton is as good as your going to get for the price. Don't forget, the more distance you use, the better the quality of your video head and tripod.

Ash Greyson · February 7th, 2006, 03:40 PM

Yes, all manual once you go EOS, the IS is built into the lens though. And yes, you will need a very nice tripod as well. At full length it will be hard to get sharp focus without an external monitor as well. I have used this set-up for some sports stuff and it looked really good.

ash =o)

Jeff McElroy · February 7th, 2006, 05:54 PM

Thanks guys.
I just got back from school and read your responses.

Ash’s combination looks great. I have no problem going all manual, and for my purposes, the Xl2's EF capability is looking really sweet.

I researched all the telephoto zoom lenses, and noticed something funny.
Why is the EF 300mm f/4L USM lens is being sold so cheaply, as compared to all the rest?
Is there something wrong with it?

Steve Siegel · February 8th, 2006, 10:07 PM

Bill,
You mentioned flipping a "lever" on the EF adapter to get auto aperture.
What lever is that? My EF adapter is several years old and has no such thing. Are you saying that new ones support auto aperture?

Steve Siegel
Miami

Henry Gray · February 12th, 2006, 02:02 PM

I have an EOS / XL adaptor which is about a year old and I can auto expose
with it.
The lever on the side is a lock but their is a button in the centre of this lever
which when pressed auto sets the exposure.

How about this for a stupid idea,

An XL to XL adaptor which will fit between the standard 16x or 20x lens and
the camera and give a 7.2x magnification above the stock lens with all auto
functions still working.

Jeff McElroy · February 12th, 2006, 02:58 PM

I think you can stack a bunch of 1.6x extenders to achieve such results, but that is not recommended.

FYI… Two American bald eagles are nesting in a wooded area down the street from me... and, although absolutely beautiful, they don't like me very much (hence my EOS glass needs). I will post some images when I am done with my project.

Also, even though I am on a tripod (bogen 503... should be enough, right?) and it won’t matter, I am kind of happy that my camera won’t weigh so much now, and the white/black combo looks cool.

Per Johan Naesje · February 13th, 2006, 04:18 AM

Did a shoot couple of weeks ago with my XL-2 rig (Miller Arrow HD head/tripod, Ronsrail + Ronssight, Sigma 300mm f2.8 + 2.0x extender), for a picture of the rig click here:

http://www.video-film.no/galleri.html (Sorry, but the text is only in norwegian).

You find a sample video here:
http://www.video-film.no/snutter/maane.avi (Note: you need a DivX codec to play - http://www.divxmovies.com/software/)

On a 35 mm SLR-system this is equivalent to 4680 mm! It's just wonderful to use such a huge telephoto in wildelife filming even though it's very heavy, it weights almost 35 pound ! But to use that kind of telephoto you really need a rock steady tripod (the tripod itself weights appr. 20 pound).

- Per Johan

Jeff McElroy · February 13th, 2006, 03:26 PM

I just watched your lunar video... magnificent! Were you actually panning at that focal length? WOW!

I am not patient enough to tackle a narrative story without getting frustrated, so I am becoming very interesting in doing things like visual tone poems and such. Images like these excite me…

The more I learn about this camera, the more I am falling in love it.

Jimmy McKenzie · February 13th, 2006, 03:56 PM

Just a hunch, but that appears to be a natural motion path with the camera locked down.

Per Johan Naesje · February 13th, 2006, 04:10 PM

Jeff, the camera was locked down and the footage speeded up in post

- Per Johan

February 6th, 2006, 06:20 PM	#1
Jeff McElroy Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 91	telephoto zoom lens Okay, I will keep this trite: I need a good telephoto zoom lens for my Xl2. I am currently doing a project on pelicans and various marine birdlife. My 20x lens is just not cutting it. I don’t care about weight or size, and image stabilization is really preferred. I don’t want to spend more than $1000. Does anyone have any recommendations, and/or experience, field reports, etc? What are my options… and at what price? do I really need an IS function? Does it work with video cameras effectively?

February 12th, 2006, 02:02 PM	#10
Henry Gray Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Selkirk, Scottish Borders, Scotland, UK Posts: 60	Telephoto Zoom Lens I have an EOS / XL adaptor which is about a year old and I can auto expose with it. The lever on the side is a lock but their is a button in the centre of this lever which when pressed auto sets the exposure. How about this for a stupid idea, An XL to XL adaptor which will fit between the standard 16x or 20x lens and the camera and give a 7.2x magnification above the stock lens with all auto functions still working. __________________ henry g

February 13th, 2006, 04:18 AM	#12
Per Johan Naesje Trustee Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Akershus, Norway Posts: 1,413	Telephoto lens Sigma 300mm f2.8 + Sigma 2x extender Did a shoot couple of weeks ago with my XL-2 rig (Miller Arrow HD head/tripod, Ronsrail + Ronssight, Sigma 300mm f2.8 + 2.0x extender), for a picture of the rig click here: http://www.video-film.no/galleri.html (Sorry, but the text is only in norwegian). You find a sample video here: http://www.video-film.no/snutter/maane.avi (Note: you need a DivX codec to play - http://www.divxmovies.com/software/) On a 35 mm SLR-system this is equivalent to 4680 mm! It's just wonderful to use such a huge telephoto in wildelife filming even though it's very heavy, it weights almost 35 pound ! But to use that kind of telephoto you really need a rock steady tripod (the tripod itself weights appr. 20 pound). - Per Johan Last edited by Per Johan Naesje; February 13th, 2006 at 10:53 AM.

February 6th, 2006, 08:40 PM	#3
Ash Greyson Trustee Join Date: May 2003 Location: Tulsa, OK Posts: 1,689	Get the EOS adapter and the Canon 70-300mm USM OIS Lens. That will hit right under your budget and give great performance. ash =o)

February 6th, 2006, 09:52 PM	#5
Andrew Khalil Major Player Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 424	I don't think any auto functions are maintained using the EF adapter.

February 6th, 2006, 10:04 PM	#6
Bill Taka Regular Crew Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 82	Jeff, as Mike mentions you can find everything you need to know regarding the EF adapter and telephoto lenses throughout this forum by doing a search. In summary, with the EF adapter - No auto functions except aperture - if you flip the lever on the EF adapter you will have auto aperture. Ash's recommendaton is as good as your going to get for the price. Don't forget, the more distance you use, the better the quality of your video head and tripod.

February 7th, 2006, 03:40 PM	#7
Ash Greyson Trustee Join Date: May 2003 Location: Tulsa, OK Posts: 1,689	Yes, all manual once you go EOS, the IS is built into the lens though. And yes, you will need a very nice tripod as well. At full length it will be hard to get sharp focus without an external monitor as well. I have used this set-up for some sports stuff and it looked really good. ash =o)

February 7th, 2006, 05:54 PM	#8
Jeff McElroy Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 91	Thanks guys. I just got back from school and read your responses. Ash’s combination looks great. I have no problem going all manual, and for my purposes, the Xl2's EF capability is looking really sweet. I researched all the telephoto zoom lenses, and noticed something funny. Why is the EF 300mm f/4L USM lens is being sold so cheaply, as compared to all the rest? Is there something wrong with it?

February 8th, 2006, 10:07 PM	#9
Steve Siegel Major Player Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA Posts: 840	Bill, You mentioned flipping a "lever" on the EF adapter to get auto aperture. What lever is that? My EF adapter is several years old and has no such thing. Are you saying that new ones support auto aperture? Steve Siegel Miami

February 12th, 2006, 02:58 PM	#11
Jeff McElroy Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 91	I think you can stack a bunch of 1.6x extenders to achieve such results, but that is not recommended. FYI… Two American bald eagles are nesting in a wooded area down the street from me... and, although absolutely beautiful, they don't like me very much (hence my EOS glass needs). I will post some images when I am done with my project. Also, even though I am on a tripod (bogen 503... should be enough, right?) and it won’t matter, I am kind of happy that my camera won’t weigh so much now, and the white/black combo looks cool.

February 13th, 2006, 03:26 PM	#13
Jeff McElroy Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 91	I just watched your lunar video... magnificent! Were you actually panning at that focal length? WOW! I am not patient enough to tackle a narrative story without getting frustrated, so I am becoming very interesting in doing things like visual tone poems and such. Images like these excite me… The more I learn about this camera, the more I am falling in love it.

February 13th, 2006, 03:56 PM	#14
Jimmy McKenzie Major Player Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Waterloo Ontario Posts: 721	Just a hunch, but that appears to be a natural motion path with the camera locked down.

February 13th, 2006, 04:10 PM	#15
Per Johan Naesje Trustee Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Akershus, Norway Posts: 1,413	Jeff, the camera was locked down and the footage speeded up in post - Per Johan