My first telephoto lens

ajedproduction

ajedproduction

I'm looking to buy my first telephoto/zoom lens. At the moment I have the 50mm 1.8, 28mm 2.8 and kit lens.

I'm looking at these lenses as they are in my price range

SIGMA AF 70 - 300mm
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sigma-70-30...J0/ref=sr_1_24?ie=UTF8&qid=1352061460&sr=8-24

CANON EF 75 - 300mm
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Canon-75-30...2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1352068268&sr=1-2

TAMRON AF 55 - 200MM
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Tamron-55-200mm-4-5-6-MACRO-Canon/dp/B000CE8IVM/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

TAMRON AF 70 - 300MM
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Tamron-AF-70-300mm-4-5-6-Macro/dp/B000HDZAUA/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

Does anyone have any experiences with any of these lenses? I can't decide which is the best one.
 
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I haven't used any of those lenses, but in all honesty there's not much to choose between with a telephoto zoom in that price range - all of them are small, light and cheap but with mediocre image quality and are lacking image stabilisation (called IS/OS/VR, depending on manufacturer) which I think is crucial when shooting at this kind of focal length on a lightweight camera.

My recommendation would be the Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6IS II. It's £177 new on Amazon which may be too far out of your price range, but I had a quick look on eBay and you could get a second-hand one in good nick for £70-100.
 
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You didn't say what camera you're using, so I have no idea what your kit lens is. I own the Canon EF 75-300 and it's okay for the price. It would not be my first choice in lenses. Image stabilization is certainly a good thing and you may need to consider used to get better glass. Sigma and Tamron lenses tend to be a bit hit or miss in the quality department. I have some Sigma glass that I'll never get rid of and I've had others that should have gone into the trash. If you can afford it, I would highly recommend a constant aperture lens.
 
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I had a Tamron 70-300 for my Sony. Sold it with the camera. Picked up another for my Nikon. For the price, I think it's great. As long as you don't go past like 290mm, you shouldn't lose any sharpness.
 
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