Civilian Aviation

Hi there I wonder if someone can give me some advice on telephoto lenses please,
I have been lucky enough to be loaned four lenses for a week to trial,

I am new to photography and have a Canon EOS600D that I have been using for about five weeks with my 18-55mm fitted,

Is it essential to have a long range lenses with “IS” on it for aviation?

The lenses I have been loaned are:-

Tamron AF70-300mm 4-5.6 Tele macro DG (Used)

Tamron AF55-200mm 4-5.6 Tele macro (Used)

Sigma APO DG 70-300mm Macro 4-5.6 (New)

And a Canon EFS 55-250mm IS (New)

Any comments and advice would be great! Please go careful on me as I am new to the hobby!!! :-}

Many thanks

Si.

Hi Simon,
Its the age old question but really its down to budget. A lot of people swear by canon 100-400 but I was restricted by budget and I went for the Sigma 70-300. Have a look at my Flickr photo stream to see this lens in action but mine is attached to an old canon 350d and a not so good photographer!! http://www.flickr.com/photos/27816965@N05/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Hi Simon.

I have built up a selection of Lenses for avaition photography over recent years - Here are some comments on them and their usage, which while not directly answering your queries, may help
I have a Canon 40d - Love it - with the following lenses:-
Canon 100- 400 L IS - Great Lens, expensive, heavy, and has a push/pull zoom, which can take some getting used to - I use it at airshows etc for aircraft in the air.
Canon 75-300 IS - Good Lens - the one I take on travels around Europe and US
Canon 50-250 IS - Good Lens - Light construction - good value - I puchased this specifically for use at LHR Myrtle Ave & Stanmoor Moor road - I wanted one lens had the range at these venues for landing Biz thru B747/A340/A380.
Canon 24-105 L IS - Great general purpose 'walkabout' lens - superb image quality - quite expensive - Good for when you are close to the subject aircraft - eg at an airshow for the static displays (and for such venues as the mound at Paris CDG) and of course for family snaps and Lanscapes etc.

As you can see I have stuck with Canon Lenses - my choice. I have seen a lot of people around at airports with Sigma Lenses but do no have any personal experiences.

HTH

Regards

Ken