Third Party Lens Suggestions? 300&400 Canon

[Grizzle]

Would you guys please share any recommendations you might have on third party (Tonika,etc) branded lenses that I could find economically?  I'm happy to accept mediocre performance (as long as its reliable), so I can get out there and play with a 400m lens out in the wild.   

I saw popes recommendation that the 300 IS with a 1.4x is the way to go for $1000 (used i guess?).   I'll go that route if there isn't a better off brand option at 1/2 the cost. Figure I'd try to go cheap and play with something while I wait for an update to the $1500 range lenses?

I only have a ~$1500 budget for a camera so we cashed some points on the Amex rewards program (they have a 30% discount on Canon stuff right now) and got a 50D with the 18-200m walkaround lens. Otherwise I'd have bought a 20D and a better lens.

Thanks!

 

[huntnphool]

I would stick with the Canon lenses myself There is a reason the others are cheaper, its much the same as binos. Before I bought one though I would rent them and try them all to be sure of which one you want. These people are great to rent from, top quality every time.


http://www.lensrentals.com/

[jackelope]

why not just get a canon 1.4x convertor to put on your 200mm?

[Grizzle]

Re: the extender.....I didnt know I could until you mentioned it.   I got this from the Canon site:

"This tele extender can be used with fixed focal length lenses 135mm and longer (except the 135mm f/2.8 Softfocus lens), and the EF 70-200 f/2.8L, 70-200 f/2.8L IS, 70-200 f/4.0L, 70-200 f/4.0L IS USM, and 100-400 f/4.5-5.6L IS zoom lenses"

[popeshawnpaul]

Don't use a teleconverter with the 18-200.  You'll lose autofocus and the image quality would be awful.  The 300mm f4 can be found used for about $800 if you look.  You don't need the teleconverter to start with.

There are some off brands but they are like new cars, when you drive them off the lot they lose most of their value.  If you find a cheap used off brand then go for it.  Everyone has to try a 3rd party lens once in their life as they are tempting price wise.  Make sure you get a good quality used 3rd party lens so it doesn't lose value instantly and you can unload it reasonably when you get a chance.  If you are stuck at $500 then get the Canon 70-300 f5.6 IS.  It's not terribly sharp or long but it has good IS...  There is also a 300mm f4 non-IS for about $500.  Not a lot of options at 400mm and above with Canon unless you have about $1000 unfortunately.

The 3rd party brands don't really have IS.  That means when you get a 400mm lens with no IS you need to have really good tripod technique when shooting to get a sharp image.  You may be frustrated with your results because you aren't use to keeping your camera rock steady when shooting.  It's another reason I always recommend IS...