Toronto Photography Meetup Group

I am headed to Cuba & Costa Rica for 1 month. I have a Canon 70-200 4.0 L IS lens that will not have enough reach or speed to handle wild life in a low light rain forest. So I'd like to rent a powerful telephoto zoom so I can get a few good shots of monkeys, toucans. tree frogs and other jungle critters.
Where do you recommend I go to rent a lens?
Any recommendations, hints or tips on the rental process?
THANKS!!

My friend was in the same situation as you, except he needed a wide. He ended up buying a used one, and is going to sell it when he comes back from his trip.

i second the used lens and sell it when you come back.

one month is pretty long to rent. You might better off buying a lens and selling it afterward.

I agree with everyone else- buy and then sell when you return.

You could check out rates- FilmStuff Plus, Headshots, Vistek all rent gear (you can see what they offer online and their rates as well)- but it will cost a lot for a full month. You might try to strike a deal with them for that long a period (usually rentals are daily or weekly).

Or you might try to find a reliable place locally (ie. in Costa Rica) so you don't need to rent for that long a period (just make sure they will rent to you and book in advance). That might be the least expensive option if you can locate something.

You may also need to pick up a Wimberly head or some sort of gimbal head to be able to use a heavy low light lens.

Have a great trip!

Buying/selling a large telephoto may work, but it's a lot of hassle, and when you include the depreciation, the risk of damage and your time selling and money processing, it may be better to rent.

I would contact the rental houses (Vistek, Headshots, and smaller ones too) and see what they can offer you. Maybe they'll do a two-week rental for the month? It really depends on how often they go out and how many they have.

if you're on a budget, consider a high quality 1.4X teleconverter, you lose a stop of light but if you're planning on shooting outdoors it might not make a difference in the field... since your lens is f4 throughout, this would make it a f5.6 lens which should be sufficient for AF to work depending on which body you have... you may even be able to use a 2x TC - just try it out first to make sure AF is working properly..

Please consider the fact that you're gonna have to carry a bunch of heavy gear through thick bush.

If you need more speed, buy a 70-200 F2.8IS used and sell it after you come back. You might even want to keep it and sell your F4IS after

If you are looking for more reach and mostly shooting in the days, the 100-400 is a good choice. At that focal length, the compression will give you a nice enough bokeh even it's at a smaller aperture.

If picked carefully, you probably won't lose any money or even make money when you sell the lens.

Good luck!

Thanks for all the responses. Looking at rental fees and yes, buying a used one and reselling makes sense.
I have the Canon 1.4 teleconverter but with a f4.0 lens that will be TOOOOO slow underneath a low light jungle canopy. Even with a crop camera it won't have the reach I need - there'll be branches and leaves between me and the critters.

I've never considered getting used gear....Where is the best place to buy a used lens? - I only have 2 weeks.

Once again - thanks!

I recall seeing a Sigma 300mm f4.0 (?) lens at the Henry's Outlet store a few weeks ago. Not sure if that's in your alley...

Given what the dollar is at, and the time you have to look, I would check KEH.com, B & H, and Adorama. I've bought Hassellblad lenses from KEH and been very pleased- and bought lots from B & H (new and used) and been very happy. KEH and B & H get a lot of hard to find stuff.... ie.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/8 ... _5_6L.html

Locally, Vistek usually has some good stuff but they are usually a bit over priced- I've seen good stuff from time to time at Henrys downtown (and they will negotiate), but the higher end telephotos appear only rarely (though a 300 isn't an uncommon sight).

Do you know what lens you are looking for?

If you're a bit on the on the adventurous side:
http://toronto.en.craigslist.ca/pho/
http://toronto.kijiji.ca/

something might show up in time for your travel.

Holy crap - Why don't they just put wheels on that thing?

It's not listed but it comes with a truck

The price actually went up by 20% since the last time I looked at it.

Zeiss used to include the price of a Range Rover with one of their super-tele's... and it's _not_ the 1700/5.6, which probably requires a Humvee.

Getting back to tele's, will you have your own guide, so that you can stop and setup, perhaps even spend some time shootings, or are you part of the tour group and you either get the shot as is/where is, and go on?

With the exception of the sloths, you'll still need fast glass since your subject won't exactly stay still for you.

If you can handle the weight, the EF300/2.8IS is nearly perfect for most of your subjects, and a 1.4x TC will give you a 400/4. It's is however _very_ heavy and an all-day trek will be tiring. The alternative here would be the Sigma 120-300/2.8 which is just as heavy, no IS but a lot cheaper with the flexibility of a zoom.

Otherwise, the EF300/4IS (note the IS since there's two models) has a much shorter minimum focus distance (only 1.5m), much lighter and cheaper and you'll still have a fairly useable 400/5.6 for areas with better light. If you're more interested in flowers and herps (frogs/amphibians), then this is probably a much better choice than just about anything else available. The one alternative I can think of, is the Sigma 100-300/4 which again does not have IS, longer MFD 1.8m but it is a zoom.

Note that the Canon tele's will resell _easily_, but it'll be a bit harder for the Sigma's. You might find the Sigma's cheap enough that you'd end up keeping it.

If a 300mm f4 IS is on the potential list:

http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/ ... 29#7806560

WOW - you guys are great!! Sincerest thanks.
I've decided the extra weight, added cost and the work involved in finding the right lens at the right price from a trustworthy vendor and then RESELLING the damn thing is NOT worth the hassle.
Perhaps my original post didn't bely the fact that I am more interested in macro work. That's the primary reason of my trip. I know what I need to get those shots. But I figured there are other things to shoot in the jungle beside tree frogs. I realised that my 70-200 L IS was not gonna cut it underneath the heavy canopy. So I enquired about alternatives. The alternatives don't sound so appealing. The added cost of another lens, the additional weight and all the hassles of selling the thing when I return. Also I will be traveling by small aircraft with stringent baggage weight restrictions. I am a photo enthusiast, not a professional. If I miss a few shots of howler monkeys or the occassional toucan, I guess I'll just have to live with it. I'll be happy enough looking for colourful froggies, crawling in the mud being bit by army ants. With my luck all the things I'd miss would be backlit by the sky and they'd look like crap, even with the monster zooms. I was originally hoping I could rent a suitable lens but you are all correct: for a whole month it is rediculously expensive, especially so for a hobbyist.
Lots of great suggestions from you guys - I definitely appreciate it.
Like I said, this is just a hobby and a vacation. I can live with missing a few shots.
Life is about compromise. I'll focus on my attention on what is more important to me and forgo the added cost and hassle just to get a few bird and monkey shots. Just a hobby - it ain't gonna be fun loaded up like a pack mule in the hot jungle.

But once again - THANKS!!

If you don't want the hastle of carrying a big telephoto lens I would suggest buying a super zoom point and shoot camera with image stabilization. They weigh next to nothing, are not that expensive and the image quality these days are very good. I personally like the Panasonic super zooms but there are other great brands out available as well.

I just sold my Canon SX1 IS but it was great. It had 20x optical zoom, CMOS, can shoot RAW files, 1080p video and super macro mode.

I suspect - and don't shoot me if I am wrong - that the problem with the P&S's are their unacceptable noise when shooting at high ISO's. I BELIEVE their relative good image quality doesn't extend to the lowlight shooting situations I'd encounter underneath a dense rainforest canopy.
But heck, I may be wrong. In either event I am not interested in forking out a few more hundred dollars for a few toucan or tapir photos.

But I DO appreciate the great suggestions and hints - thanks!

You're not wrong. Even with a 300/2.8, you'd likely be using high ISO for rain forest shots. A P&S just won't cut it... AF will be very frustrating as well.

I guess a long lens is not in the cards for me. I had NO idea gear rental was so rediculously expensive.
Guess I'll just have to practice my stealth technique instead and hope to sneak up on those jungle critters. Or just bury myself in the canopy and wait for them to come to me (though I'd probably be carried away by army ants first...)
Though I am pretty sure a sloth can't elude me

Ok, for Cuba you don't need a long lens. 70-200 is very sufficient.
For Costa Rica you NEED something over 300mm.
As suggested, buy a used lens and then sell it after your trip. If you are lucky, you won't lose any money.

I have a 50-500 Sigma and if you get a good copy, it would be an amazing lens for Costa Rica.

70-200mm is pretty useless there(I don't have any bird/animal shots below 300mm)

Only 120 grand....too bad it is F5.6

I agree that the sigma 50-500mm would be a good fit for you if you can deal with the weight. canon's 100-400 would be a good option. I've had both and they're both great - they don't call them the "BIGMA" and the "Great White" for nothin'. Personally, I think you'll have plenty of opportunities with your current 70-200mm. GL