Which Lens???

[dicklaxt]

My 1st concern and reason for purchasing a 40D and a 70-300mm lens was to photograph a bird, specifically a Purple Martin in flight and perched at their housing or on a perch bar.

I am a Purple Martin Landlord,one who provides housing ,nesting materials and food when necessary as weather predicts. I won't go into this hobby in any more detail other than to say it is a very rewarding venture between man and a small migratory(Brazil to Canada yearly) bird who needs mans help in maintaining its population.

Okay back to the lens and camera.I made the purchase on recomendation of others and from seeing pics taken with this camera & lens and similar set ups.

Now that I have made this initial investment in dollars(hard to come by in a retired limited income atmosphere). I need to ask which lens should I next purchase to fucntion in the normal day to day routine of recording info via the camera world and its toys.

The manual lists either the EF-S18-55mm or the EF-S17-85mm. I don't have a clue as to which would be better so I turn to the experts,,, which of these or someting different would you recommend.

Thanks dick

[reval8r]

Dick, personally I would go with the 17-85 and you'll have everything covered from 17 to 300 which is a fairly broad range. I use zoom lens when I'm out and about shooting, but generally prefer fixed lens when I really need sharpness or a faster lens. But with those two lens, you should be able to cover most situations. With the 300 you really should consider a good tripod, it's really hard to hand hold the camera at 300 and get sharp images.