| First of all, nice images you've posted even though I don't like snakes. The 500mm lens you ask about is probably worth the price but keep in mind it's a very slooooow lens with a fixed f stop of 8. That means you must either use a slow shutter speed or set your camera's iso pretty high. If you go with a slow shutter speed on a 500mm lens then you either will have to use a tripod 90% of the time or accept blurred images due to movement of the lens during long exposures. If you go with a high iso setting that introduces a lot of digital noise into the image. This sort of lens is really a specialty item and not for every day use. Of course with shooting snakes the focal length is great and it very well may suit exactly your special needs. It's also not from one the better manufacturers of lenses so don't expect stunning results or a long life, assuming you intend to use it routinely. You also mention that you scratched your other zoom. Was it a scratch to the lens surface? If so, I can't recommend strongly enough using a UV or skylight filter on your lenses. They will protect the front lens element from just about everything except major accidents (dropping the camera, a fast, hard object hitting the lens, etc.). |
Here is a link that might be useful: My photo galleries
| Something else I forgot to pass along..... Sigma makes a 50-500 zoom lens that comes in a Canon EOS mount. I've seen some mighty good images come from this lens so it may be something to consider. |
Here is a link that might be useful: My photo galleries
