Photo/Travel Blog by Tom Dempsey – What's New

For serious wildlife photography on a budget, I recommend a lightweight digital SLR (DSLR) style camera with an APS-C size sensor, such as the Nikon D60, or Canon EOS 450D / Rebel XSi. You need at least a 300mm lens for good wildlife and bird photography on APS-C cameras (which is equivalent to the field of view of a 450mm lens on a conventional 35mm-film or 35mm-sensor camera). Also, for sharper handheld shots, don’t leave home without optical image stabilization built into your lens or camera.

A good wildlife lens for traveling with the Nikon D40X or D60 is the Nikkor AF-S VR Zoom 70-300mm F4.5-5.6G ED-IF lens (105-450mm in 35mm equivalent terms). This lens is about twice as sharp as my versatile Nikkor 18-200mm VR lens. For Canon Rebel cameras, use the lightweight Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS or full frame conventional Canon EF 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 DO IS USM lens. Better but much bigger and heavier lenses such as f4 or f/2.8 are available (good for indoor action), but as an outdoor photographer on the trail, I prefer carrying just 1 or 2 lenses weighing less than 2 pounds each during the trekking day, plus I bring a backup lens in my luggage carried by porter or vehicle.

Many lenses for DSLR cameras on the market as of 2008 are still the older, heavier lens design optimized for 35-millimeter film cameras. By upgrading to newer lenses that are “Optimized For Digital APS-C”, you can save bulk and weight and enjoy comparable image quality.

The following new lenses are some of the few “designed for APS-C only” that exceed 200mm, useful for a wide range of subjects including wildlife shots:

• Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS (Image Stabilization). 2.8 in. x 4.3 in./70 x 108mm (maximum lens length); 13.8 oz./390g. (The Canon Rebel XSi APS-C crop factor of 1.6 gives this lens a field of view equivalent to a 88-400mm lens on a conventional 35mm-film or 35mm-sensor camera.)
• Tamron Di II VC AF 18-270mm F/3.5-6.3 LD Aspherical (IF) MACRO (Model B003) ultra high power 15x zoom lens in Canon and Nikon mounts (with AF motor for Nikon) new in Fall 2008. “Di-II” is Tamron’s lighter weight design exclusively for APS-C sensors. This impressive 18-270mm lens rates as “Recommended” on dpreview.com. Lightweight 19.4 oz. (550g); and relatively compact 101mm × 80mm (3.8″ × 3.1″). It has a useful minimum focusing distance of 19.3” over the entire zoom range for a maximum magnification ratio of 1:3.5 at its 270mm telephoto end (74 x 49 mm actual coverage; focusing closer than Nikon’s 18-200mm lens). This Tamron 18-270mm lens captures image quality equal to the competitors (the 18-200mm Canon IS, Nikon VR, & Sigma OS lenses) and is equally lightweight, while zooming significantly further (15x versus 11x)! However, Tamron’s weakness is slower autofocus, inappropriate for action photography. (The Canon 18-200mm IS has the best hand-held image stabilization of the group.)
  • Older version without Vibration Compensation: Tamron Di-II AF 18-250mm F/3.5-6.3 LD Aspherical (IF) Macro : 430g (15.2oz). 2.9 x 3.3 inches. (Canon’s crop factor of 1.6 gives this lens a field of view equivalent to a 29-400mm lens, and Nikon’s 1.5 crop factor makes a 27-375mm equivalent lens in terms of conventional 35mm.) (The Nikkor 18-200mm VR is sharper and superior to the Tamron 18-250mm.) Click here for Bob Atkins’ review.
• As of 2008, very few telephoto zoom lenses exceed 200mm in the desirable lightweight “APS-C-only” versions (above), but I would expect more soon. Each brand has their own terminology, as follows:

Lighten your load by shopping for following new, smaller lens formats specially “designed for digital for APS-C size sensor cameras only”:

• Nikon/Nikkor DX format lenses for APS-C only (with “VR, Vibration Reduction” desired)
  • For example, the Nikkor AF-S DX VR 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G IF-ED lens (new in 2006) is great for travel because its size and weight are reduced and optimized for Nikon cameras with DX sensors (such as the Nikon D300, D60, & D40X cameras, all APS-C size). The DX lens design eliminates the extra glass which would have been required to cover a full 35mm frame. Nikon DX format cameras have a “field of view crop factor” of 1.5, so this lens labeled 18-200mm can be thought of as a 27-300mm in 35mm-equivalent terms.
• Canon EF-S lenses for APS-C only (with “IS, Image Stabilization” desired)
• Sigma DC lenses for APS-C only (with “OS, Optical Stabilization” desired)
• Tamron Di II lenses for APS-C only (with “VC, Vibration Compensation” desired).
• Note: Because the above DX, EF-S, DC and Di II lenses are designed for cameras with APS-C size sensor only, they will cause vignetting (darkened corners) at the wide angle end of their zoom if used on “full frame sensor” SLR cameras, such as on the expensive Nikon D3 (FX format), Nikon D700, Canon EOS 5D, or pricier Canon EOS 1D camera.
• For sharper handheld shooting in significantly dimmer lighting situations without a tripod, I highly recommend using lenses designed with image stabilization (VR, IS, OS or VC above). By eliminating much of my time formerly spent setting up my tripod, I can now hike much faster to better keep pace with non-photographers on group treks.
  • Note that the Sony Alpha (A-series) builds the image stabilization into the camera body with sensor-shift technology, which is a fine idea, except that comparable Nikon D40X/D60 and Canon Rebel cameras gain back Sony’s handheld advantage through lower noise at a higher ISO settings. Then using a Nikon VR or Canon IS lens beats Sony’s handheld low light performance.
• Also look for the fastest focusing lenses with ultrasonic motors to capture flighty animals, a feature branded as follows:
  • Canon – USM, UltraSonic Motor
  • Nikon – SWM, Silent Wave Motor
  • Sigma – HSM, Hyper Sonic Motor
  • Olympus – SWD, Supersonic Wave Drive
  • Panasonic – XSM, Extra Silent Motor
  • Pentax – SDM, Supersonic Drive Motor
  • Sony & Minolta – SSM, SuperSonic Motor
• The quality of new lenses usually equals or exceeds comparable past models.

Alternatives: If you want a good travel camera system that is smaller and less costly than a DSLR, look at the following amazingly versatile cameras:

• Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1: Panasonic may have started a revolution in smaller, lighter weight cameras by eliminating the clumsy DSLR mirror, keeping the sensor large, adding an excellent EVF (Electronic Viewfinder; which Panasonic calls Live Viewfinder, LVF), and including a flip out & twist live view, high-res 3″ LCD (great for macro, hip-level and overhead shots)! In March 2009, Panasonic introduced the GH1 which weighs only 23 ounces including 28-90mm equivalent kit lens. Use the 14-140mm lens (28-280mm equivalent) for a compact 30-ounce travel camera; or use the kit lens plus 45-200mm (90-400mm equivalent, better for wildlife shots). The sensor measures 17.3 x 13.0 mm, almost as big and sharp as APS-C size, sacrificing only about one stop of light in ISO sensitivity. Here’s the clincher: the GH1 records full HD movies with Dolby stereo sound and continuous autofocus! (In comparison, the few DSLRs which record movies only record mono sound and use fixed initial focus, such as the Nikon D90.) With its nicely compact Micro Four Thirds lens system, the Panasonic GH1 bests the image quality of competitors Olympus E-520 and Fujifilm FinePix S100FS, and rivals the image quality of Canon EOS 450D / Rebel XSi up to ISO 800, achieved in a significantly smaller size and weight.
• Fujifilm FinePix S100FS camera (new Februruary 2008) is much cheaper than a DSLR and offers an “all-in-one solution” in just 34 ounces, with a 28-400mm lens in 35mm-equivalent terms, an impressive 14x zoom with lens-shift image stabilization (improving handheld shooting in 1.3 stops dimmer light). 1 cm focus Super Macro. Flip down 2.5 inch LCD. Movie and sound capture. RAW mode. Excellent 2/3-inch Super CCD HR sensor. You can correct this camera’s bad chromatic aberrations by using third-party software on the RAW files. Otherwise the camera offers impressively sharp images, surprisingly similar up to ISO 800 compared with the Nikon D60 or Canon Rebel XSi DSLR. The S100FS has about 1 to 4 stops of ISO disadvantage versus DSLR cameras, depending upon ISO and image stabilization settings. (Each stop halves the effective ISO sensitivity.)
• See my “Table of Best Travel Cameras” for more reviews of excellent compact travel cameras.

Wildlife and birding lenses for APS-C cameras:

For serious photography of wildlife or birds using an an APS-C size sensor camera, I would want a telephoto lens labeled at least 300mm (which has the angle of view equivalent to a 450mm lens in 35mm terms). If your telephoto lens falls short of this, then you must crop a lot, and/or increase viewing distance for prints. A maximum aperture of f/5.6 or f/6.3 saves money and weight, yet can take decent images in good daylight.

However, professional wildlife and bird photographers may prefer an expensive f/4 lens or faster (maximum or brightest aperture) to obtain the best sharpness and image quality, in a 500mm or longer conventional lens in 35mm equivalent terms, using a full frame 35mm-sensor camera.

Note that cameras with APS-C size sensors have an “angle of view crop factor” that extends the telephoto by 1.5x for Nikon (or 1.6x for Canon) cameras in 35-mm-equivalent terms. For example, my favorite travel lens is labeled as 18-200mm, which has the field of view of a “27-300mm” in 35mm equivalent terms on a Nikon DX format camera such as the Nikon D60 or D300. The Nikkor AF-S DX VR 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G IF-ED makes a great all-around travel lens, with a big 11x zoom that minimizes lens changes so that you don’t miss a shot. However, this 200mm telephoto is too short for serious wildlife photo enlargements, unless you are satisfied with web display or small 4×6 prints of the animals [see above Danphe Pheasant photo example].

Full-frame conventional 35mm lenses are bigger and heavier:

The expensive “full frame” DSLR cameras (such as the Nikon D3 (FX format), Nikon D700, Canon EOS 5D, or pricier Canon EOS 1D ) require the conventional lens size which focuses sharply to the area of 35mm film, about 36 x 24 mm. Many new lenses are being “optimized for digital” to work with both conventional and APS-C size sensors. For example, Sigma brand lenses labelled DG and Tamron Di lenses are the conventional size, optimized for both full frame and APS-C sensor cameras (though sometimes working better for one particular format).

Using these large, conventional lenses on APS-C size cameras can have some plus and minuses:

• Advantages of conventional size lenses: The small APS-C size sensor (measuring about 22 x 15 mm) uses just the central area of the conventional 35mm lens, or the “sweet spot”, where images are usually sharpest, with lowest distortion (by not using the outside edges). Also, older lenses may be cheaper, easier to obtain, or already owned in your kit. And if you upgrade from an APS-C camera to a full frame DSLR, the conventional lens may stay compatible.
• Disadvantages: Conventional size lenses are bigger and heavier (versus the newer Nikon DX, Canon EF-S, Sigma DC, and Tamron Di II lenses “for APS-C size sensor cameras only”), and most people won’t eke an advantage from conventional lenses versus the APS-C-only lenses.

In the lens brand list below, Popular Photography magazine October 2008 rates the following excellent travel lenses as roughly equal in image quality: Nikon 70-300mm 4.5-5.6G VR (I own and enjoy this sharp lens); Canon 70-300mm DO IS USM; and Sigma 120-400mm 4.5-5.6DG APO OS HSM AF:

Canon full-frame conventional lenses for wildlife & travel images:

• Canon EF 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 DO IS USM. 3.2 x 3.9 in., 25.4 oz. /82.4 x 99.9 mm, 720g; makes a great extension to the IS kit lens sold with the Canon EOS 450D / Rebel XSi
• plus bigger professional lenses with wider maximum aperture

Nikon (Nikkor) full frame, conventional size lenses with VR (highly desirable Vibration Reduction), in order of increasing price, for wildlife & travel photography:

• Nikkor AF-S VR Zoom 70-300mm F4.5-5.6G ED-IF lens (which is 105-450mm in 35mm equivalent terms when used on APS-C cameras). Sports and wildlife/birder photographers will get sharper results than the 18-200 VR Nikkor (at apertures brighter than f/11) by using this Nikkor 70-300mm. Specifications: 26 ounces; 5.6″ length; 4.9 foot minimum focus; also compatible with full frame Nikon D3 DSLR. The lens size and price point are attractive, ~$500 on www.pricegrabber.com
• Nikkor AF VR Zoom 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6D ED lens: 3.6 x 6.7 inches; 48.0 oz. (1360 g). Ken Rockwell says “This lens is a miracle…to shoot still subjects with long exposures without needing a tripod…but for sports you may want the 70-300 AF-S VR“: http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/80400vr.htm One reader told me that this lens “does not have AF-S, so I found the focusing too slow for moving birds … and it didn’t bring birds in close enough”. I replied that on a Nikon DX format camera, this lens has the field of view of a 120-600mm lens in 35mm equivalent terms, amazingly less bulky than the comparable lens required on a 35mm film camera. ~$1400 on www.pricegrabber.com
• Nikkor AF-S VR Zoom 200-400mm f/4G IF-ED lens: 4.9 x 14.4 inches; 115.5 oz. (3275 g). One of my readers was “impressed with the speed of its AF and the quality of the pictures, but the lens is awfully large and heavy”. It costs more than $5500 on www.pricegrabber.com. I can’t see myself using a huge, expensive lens like this unless my photo income increases substantually – I can always hope.
• …plus bigger professional lenses with wider maximum aperture… see more Nikon lenses at: www.nikonusa.com/Find-Your-Nikon/Camera-Lenses/Autofocus/High-Power-Zoom.page

Tamron and Sigma make good value full-frame conventional zoom lenses suitable for shooting birds and wildlife plus a wide range of other subjects, fitting many different brand camera bodies:

• Tamron AF 28-300mm F/3.5-6.3 XR Di VC (Vibration Compensation) LD Aspherical (IF) Macro lens: New lens, has attractive specifications for wildlife/travel photography, weighing 19.4 ounces and measuring only 3.06 x 3.9 inches. Good close focus to 16 inches. This is a Tamron “Di” lens, designed for both full frame and APS-C sensor cameras. On Nikon DX format cameras, this is a “42-450mm equivalent lens” (on APS-C cameras with 1.5x field of view multiplier). The Low Dispersion (LD) and Aspherical glass elements are highly desirable. The angle of view zooms from 75°23′ to 8°15′ on an APS-C camera. About $600.
• Tamron AF 70-300mm F/4-5.6 Di LD Macro lens. 3.0 x 4.6 in. 435g (15.3oz). Not image stabilized.
• Tamron SP AF200-500mm F/5-6.3 Di LD (IF) lens. 3.7 x 8.9 in. 1237g (43.6oz). Not image stabilized.

The following full-frame conventional zoom lenses by Sigma are a good price-value, fitting several different brand camera bodies:

• Sigma APO 150-500mm F5-6.3 DG OS HSM lens: 1910g / 67.4 oz. 3.7 in. X 9.9 in. Filter diameter = 86mm. $1000 on www.pricegrabber.com
• Sigma APO 120-400mm F4.5-5.6 DG OS HSM lens: 1750g/61.7 oz. ; 3.6 in. X 8 in. $850 on www.pricegrabber.com
• Sigma APO 80-400mm F4.5-5.6 EX DG OS lens: Optical Stabilization helps by about 2 stops or so. Does not have HSM and may be slow to focus. 1750g/61.9 oz. 3.7 in. X 7.6 in. $1000 on www.pricegrabber.com
• Sigma APO 50-500mm F4-6.3 EX DG HSM lens: 1,840g/64.9 oz.; 3.7 in. X 8.6 in. It has no optical stabilization; but good DSLR cameras can compensate with high ISO settings.
• plus bigger professional lenses with wider maximum aperture.
• Sigma glossary of terms: DG = Sigma’s conventional full-size lens. (In the future, look for newer, smaller, very desirable 300mm+ Sigma “DC” lenses for APS-C only). OS = Optical Stabilization, very desireable. HSM = Hyper Sonic Motor for quiet and high-speed AF (Auto Focus), very desirable.

Tokina full-frame conventional lens for wildlife:

• Tokina 80-400mm f4.5-5.6 ATX 840 AF D: Angle of view 29° 50’ to 6°13’ on APS-C camera; Minimum focus distance 2.5m (8.2 ft.); dimensions 3.1 in. (79mm) X 136.5 mm (5.4in.); 1020 g (35.9 oz.); introduced June 2006, for Canon EOS and Nikon D. Unfortunately no image stabilization.

See Tom’s related articles on Photoseek.com:  The Best Travel Cameras  |  Digital versus Film  |  How to Take Better Pictures