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A zoom with a view Have a calling for filming wildlife or sport? Buying a used telephoto lens makes financial sense
S ometimes the only thing to do is go large. Certainly, that’s the case if you want to film two of the most popular outdoor summer subjects – wildlife and sport. For both, you can’t get up close to the action, so you need lenses with a much longer focal length. It’s an area where 200 and 300mm can be considered entry level, 400 up to 600mm are what most aspire to, and 800 and 1200mm lenses are for the super serious – as long as heat haze or other atmospheric conditions do not get in the way. As the focal length increases, so does the size, weight and price, while choice drops significantly. Go hunting for a fast 400mm prime for a Sony E-mount, and you are left with limited choice – Sony’s own G Master.
“The leader in used kit is MPB. It has a slick website where you can buy a range of fully tested gear”
lenses with a six-month guarantee, and it’s usually around 30% cheaper than new. But what should you buy? Mirrorless zooms: the starting point Zoom lenses that offer at least 400mm at the long end are available for the latest mirrorless cameras and are plentiful, not too expensive and almost always in stock at MPB. Even the Nikon Z 100-400mm f/4.5- 5.6 VR S is available at time of press. There are also stocks of Canon’s RF 100- 500mm f/4.5-7.1L IS USM, Sony’s FE 100- 400mm f/4.5-5.6 GM OSS and the Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS – incredible workhorses providing great image quality, a wide focal length range and compatibility with the latest cameras. A relative newcomer to own-brand zooms is Fujifilm’s XF150-600mm f/5.6-8 R, which covers focal lengths ranging from the equivalent of 229-914mm in the 35mm format when used on the brand’s
In an arena where fast autofocus that tracks quick-moving subjects can be a real boost, it makes sense to buy lenses with a native mount rather than using a converter. Some lenses retain AF if you pick the right one, such as high-end Canon EF glass used on RF-mount EOS cameras. With the choice of lenses being limited and prices stratospheric, it makes sense to look for a used version. Although many of the latest lenses in the current mirrorless mounts – such as RF and Z – can be hard to find used, it’s surprising how many are on the market if you know where to look. With such a high-ticket item, you want to buy from a reputable dealer with a team of expert staff to check out your buy properly. With bases in the UK, Germany and US, the leader in used kit is MPB. It has a slick website where you can buy a range of fully tested and guaranteed gear, and sell or part-exchange old equipment. MPB has one of the biggest stocks of used cameras and
REUSE, REDUCE Great lenses at lower prices, including this Tamron 150-500mm f/5-6.7 ultra-telephoto zoom lens
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