lens

by Harold Kuepers

Best Bird Lens for Canon – Cheap – Get Great Bird Photos for Less

Do you know how much the best bird lens for a Canon DSLR costs? You could buy a new car… or a bird lens for your Canon.

I’ll just come right out and tell you that the very best one you can buy is the 600mm. And, yes, it costs more than ,000.

But we want something much cheaper here. In fact, dirt cheap would be nice, but that will not happen, because good lens glass just is not cheap. So forget that K beast until you win the lottery.

There are a few less expensive lenses that will do a really good job, but they also cost upwards of ,000. So… what’s a photographer on a budget supposed to do?

There are a couple of solutions to the problem that won’t cost you thousands of dollars and your first born child.

First, there are a few lenses that will do the job for much less than those listed above. Of course, if you are going to pay less, you will have to realize that the results will not match up, especially if you are going to go trekking through the wild, toting you camera and gear. (One of the suggestions is to NOT go trekking, but have the wildlife – the birds – trek to you.)

You can opt for a shorter range piece of glass. There are some great lenses in the “under 400mm category” that will give you some really good shots. Here are a few that you might consider:

Canon 300mm f/4.0 L IS USM – this one costs a little over 00. Sure, that might be more than you paid for your DSLR, but if you want results in this area, you will have to make some concessions monetarily.

Canon 100-400mm f/4.0-5.6L IS USM – another gem that runs about 00. Photographers who own this baby absolutely LOVE IT. Most would not trade it for anything.

Sigma 150-500mm f/5.6-6.3 – notice the 500mm number. That is way good. The lens has gotten some really good reviews from folks who use it. The one thing about this puppy is that you will need some pretty decent light because it does not have a very large aperture to start with. So, lots of light and a tripod will be assets when using this one. Cost is under 00 – yippee!

I save the best for last. You can take great photos with bird lenses that are not even considered by most people in this category. How? you might ask.
The secret is that you get the little feathered creatures to come to you. Set up a smorgashbord of delights for them to feast upon. And do it in a way that you can get the best images ever.

My personal setup is right outside my kitchen window. I have a deck that I attached some cut up branches to. I drilled holes into the branches to make feeding stations. Then I situated my feeders in such a way as to allow me the very best angle possible. It took a little tweeking, but the final setup works really well.

And here’s the best part. I use my Canon 70-200mm f/4.0 USM lens. This little thing only cost me about 0. I can also use my newest Sigma 18-250mm lens to take the shots when birds come too close for the other one.

A little work on your part can save you lots of cash. Plus it will keep you in the comfort of your own home where you can enjoy some great photography and a cup of coffee.
For more about these great bird lenses for Canon DSLRs, visit www.digital-photographic-resources.com.

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