Lense advice

[Craig.]

I have found a lense for my camera its a 100-300mm now what i want to know is, would this give me better zoom than the 135mm lense i am using currently?
I have tried searching for some info but i dont really know where to start. its only

[ozzy72]

Yes Craig it will. I use a 300mm for my airshow and motorsports photography, and occassional mountaineering (but its flippin' heavy), and it'll knock your 135 into a cocked-hat

Mark

[Craig.]

thank you ozzy. Would you be able to post an example? its just

[Craig.]

http://www.acecameras.co.uk/asp/web/rec ... roduct.asp
this is the one i am on about

[ozzy72]

I'm using an elderly Olympus 1 camera...
If you remember the shots of my Hind flight, those were taken by the wife from about 500m away (I had to avoid things that could hurt like trees, buildings, planet Earth )
I just checked my lense she is a 100-300, and I'm totally satisfied. I'll go hunting around my CDs for some snaps and get back to you

Mark

[Craig.]

thank you very much:)
And yes i remember those shots, nice quality:)

[Rifleman]

Craig, the one thing which is very important in a long focal length lens, is the maximum aperture which you can shoot at.  This is the factor which controls how much light you require to get your shots.....you will need to shoot at 1/250th of a second at the very least and maybe only 1/500th of a sec due to camera shake when hand-holding....if you can get an F 1:4 lens, then you will be in good standing to shoot at a 6x zoom, like you are talking about.  The average 35mm camera has a "normal" lens with about a 50-55mm focal length, so 300 divided by 50 = 6......hence the six times zoom.  Your 135 is probably a good lens to use at about 2 1/2 times closer than normal, and since its not a zoom, it will be a tad sharper in this range. The 100-300 will be a 2- 6 times zoom and since its a zoom, it is a bit of a compromise and as so, gives up a bit of sharpness to the dedicated focal length lens.....

.......hope you can grasp this info, I know it sounds confusing, but if you read it over a couple of times, it may start to make sense........

further questions ?....just ask.....

[Craig.]

Thank you for the information Ken, it does make sense, or is starting to moreso than it did when i first started out. i knew i would have to make a compromise if i buy this lense, and since i am not a pro its not that big of a problem, i am now seriously considering this lense, as it would be ideal for airshows like ozzy said he uses his for.
The simple fact is, i will never be able to afford some of these super zoom lenses you see, and even if i could afford it, i would never be able to justify paying $1500+ for it.