[ampere]

Originally Posted by adimicra

I am not a photography enthusiast. So, spending a fortune on lens is something I would like to avoid. So, for all normal people like me, will the 55-250 lens from Canon be good enough?

55-250 or 70-200 wont be enough for birding/wildlife. You need at least 300mm to begin with. So 70-300 it will have to be.

1> Canon 70-300 IS USM
2> Canon 70-200 F/4 IS USM L
3> Tamron 70-300 with VC
<1> and <2> cost around 45K while <3> costs 25K approx.

A new 70-200 F4 IS is about 80K I think and not 45K.

[bluevolt]

Any recommendations for a VFM zoom lens with auto focus for Nikon D3100?

I checked thisone[/b] on flipkart but it doesnt support auto focus!

[M35]

Originally Posted by bluevolt

Any recommendations for a VFM zoom lens with auto focus for Nikon D3100?
I checked thisone[/b] on flipkart but it doesnt support auto focus!

Nikkor AF-S 55-200 VR @ Rs. 8450
Nikkor AF-S 55-300 VR @ Rs. 20,xxx

If you have the budget, 70-300 AF-S VR is the best budget zoom for a 300mm reach, IMO.

[NetfreakBombay]

Originally Posted by adimicra

And if I have to invest/rent a better quality one, which ones among the following make better sense -

1> Canon 70-300 IS USM
2> Canon 70-200 F/4 IS USM L
3> Tamron 70-300 with VC

70-200 is is quite expensive.

Go for Canon 70-300 IS if budget permits, otherwise Tamron 70-300.

[speed_edge]

Originally Posted by speed_edge

Guys need help with Nikon D5100.

When I bought my DSLR, I never though of requirement like GPS tag on photo, bluetooth, wifi etc options in camera. Now I started thinking its good to have a geotag on photos. The Qs I have now is

1. How to transfer photos from DSLR to mobile? is there any attachment available which can do this job?
2. Is there any app/way which can use mobiles location and tag it to photo? I use Galaxy S4.

Appreciate if someone can guide me on this

Regards
SE

Guys, looking for some answer. Thanks.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by speed_edge

Guys, looking for some answer. Thanks.

I think Lightroom has a mode where based on the time the snap was taken and based on your location (GPX logs), it adds Geo tag to the photo. I have never tried it though.

[adimicra]

The reviews of Tamron 70-300 VC is very good and many people are saying that the Tamron is better or same as the Canon or Nikon lenses which are more expensive.

I am tempted to go for the Tamron..it's available at 25K

[JLS]

Originally Posted by NetfreakBombay

70-200 is is quite expensive.

Go for Canon 70-300 IS if budget permits, otherwise Tamron 70-300.

Originally Posted by adimicra

The reviews of Tamron 70-300 VC is very good and many people are saying that the Tamron is better or same as the Canon or Nikon lenses which are more expensive.

I am tempted to go for the Tamron..it's available at 25K

Canon 70-300 IS is average in terms of IQ and poor in terms of focusing speed and focusing accuracy, only IS is saving grace in my opinion. Also, I am not too sure whether Tamron will be much better than Canon and how effective its IS or VC will be.

I suggest to take a look at Canon 55-250 IS, which is available at around 8K-9K on FK. Its great value for money, and its IS is a generation or two ahead of the IS mechanism in Canon 70-300.

55-250 is worth considering in my opinion, though you lose 50 mm on long end, you still have ~375 mm focal length equivalent to to a lens on a FF(35 mm sensor camera) - which is not too bad I think.

Regards,

JLS

[adimicra]

Originally Posted by JLS

Canon 70-300 IS is average in terms of IQ and poor in terms of focusing speed and focusing accuracy, only IS is saving grace in my opinion. Also, I am not too sure whether Tamron will be much better than Canon and how effective its IS or VC will be.

I suggest to take a look at Canon 55-250 IS, which is available at around 8K-9K on FK. Its great value for money, and its IS is a generation or two ahead of the IS mechanism in Canon 70-300.

55-250 is worth considering in my opinion, though you lose 50 mm on long end, you still have ~375 mm focal length equivalent to to a lens on a FF(35 mm sensor camera) - which is not too bad I think.

Regards,

JLS

Yes, agreed.

The 55-250 is available at 9K odd and seems to be a great value to me.

Can anyone compare the 55-250 with the 70-300 from Canon or Tamron in layman terms? What will I be losing if I go for the 55-250? How is the relative focusing speed/sharpness etc ?

[JLS]

Originally Posted by adimicra

Yes, agreed.

The 55-250 is available at 9K odd and seems to be a great value to me.

Can anyone compare the 55-250 with the 70-300 from Canon or Tamron in layman terms? What will I be losing if I go for the 55-250? How is the relative focusing speed/sharpness etc ?

You may want to take a look at image galleries on pbase.com for both these lenses, it should give you a fair idea about IQ.
I believe for focusing speed both are equally bad - 55-250 may be marginally batter though being a new gen lens - nothing to choose from.

Regards,
JLS

[NetfreakBombay]

Originally Posted by speed_edge

1. How to transfer photos from DSLR to mobile? is there any attachment available which can do this job?
2. Is there any app/way which can use mobiles location and tag it to photo? I use Galaxy S4.

1. Download DSLR Dashboard app from play store
2. Connect Camera to phone with USB cable (you can also buy Nikon WiFi adapter)

After that, you can geotag photos from S4 using phone's GPS and copy photos to phone.

Basically phone will control the camera in all aspects. You can also use S4's larger screen (+touch screen) to fine tune focus etc.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...ashboard&hl=en

Originally Posted by JLS

Canon 70-300 IS is average in terms of IQ and poor in terms of focusing speed and focusing accuracy

That is surprising. Do you have few photos from 70-300 that show issues with IQ? Since this lens has a USM motor, focus speed should be good too.

Snippets from SLRGrear review :

Every now and then, you really do get more than you pay for, and the Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM is proof positive of this. When we ran this lens through its paces in our lab, we were flat-out astonished by the optical quality it delivered. Were it not for the largely plastic body construction, we'd say that Canon has mislabeled this lens: It really delivers L-glass performance. That plus a very effective image stabilization system make this an amazing bargain

http://slrgear.com/reviews/showproduct.php/product/253

[adimicra]

Ok, guys, I think I have my answer for an affordable lens for Canon APS-C DSLRs.

http://www.amazon.in/Canon-EF-S-55-2.../dp/B00EFILVQU

This is the new age Canon 55-250 STM lens which is a new gen one and is supposed to be much better than 70-300 IS USM lens. Any opinions?

[JLS]

Originally Posted by NetfreakBombay

That is surprising. Do you have few photos from 70-300 that show issues with IQ? Since this lens has a USM motor, focus speed should be good too.

I had used this lens in the era of film SLRs, and results were strictly average particularly at the long end. My comparison point was a humble 28-80 mm f/3.5-f/5.6 lens.

Unfortunately no images with me to show for.


There are two types of USM which Canon implements in all there USM lenses.
1. Ring type USM - which gives really ultra fast focusing speeds. Typically these lenses do not have a rotating focusing element
2. Micro type USM - this is some inferior type of USM implementation. This is nothing great and it is specified by a rotating focusing element (typically a front element), it will rotate while lens is focusing.
70-300 IS USM is 2nd type of USM, and focusing is not fast and also hunts as per my experience.

Originally Posted by adimicra

Ok, guys, I think I have my answer for an affordable lens for Canon APS-C DSLRs.

http://www.amazon.in/Canon-EF-S-55-2.../dp/B00EFILVQU

This is the new age Canon 55-250 STM lens which is a new gen one and is supposed to be much better than 70-300 IS USM lens. Any opinions?

My recommendation would be to do some more research on STM technology, and decide whether it is worth spending 15K more than similar lens without STM.

Regards,
JLS

[ajay_satpute]

Nikon has announced the new DSLR Nikon D5500, which replaces the D5300.

Highlights:
* Much smaller and lighter body
* Full touch-screen display

http://www.dpreview.com/articles/247...icture-profile

[adimicra]

Originally Posted by JLS

My recommendation would be to do some more research on STM technology, and decide whether it is worth spending 15K more than similar lens without STM.

Regards,
JLS

well its not only the STM which helps is better and quieter focusing but also the lens elements are different which gives much better IQ. The internet forums are comparing this lens to much more costly ones.


The only issue is the 55-250 normal lens is available at a dirt cheap price of 8K only....so its difficult to let go.

I will decide between these 2 - the STM and the normal one - and buy one in the next couple of days. Thanks everyone for your replies.