ANDREW JAMES

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Our pro advises on the best kit for your needs, and how to use it well

Which long zoom? My passions in photography are wildlife and birds. Which 100-400mm zoom lens should I get for easier handheld shots? Don Spiller

Don, you added in your email that you own a Canon 7D Mark II and use a Sigma 150 - 600mm f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM Sport lens, which you find difficult

to hand-hold. You’re looking to supplement it with either the Canon EF 100-400 f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM or the Sigma 100-400mm f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM Contemporary.

This is a tough choice, and there is no absolute answer, just a few things for you to take into account when you weigh up the final decision. Price is one of the biggest issues we all face: on this one the Sigma comes up tops, at well under half the price of the Canon. By anyone’s standards, that’s a huge price difference.

In terms of performance both lenses score very well indeed, although the more expensive Canon edges it, especially in an area that will be very important to you – focusing speed. That’s not to say the Sigma is a dud, far from it, but the Canon is that bit quicker, which just might be the difference in nailing that shot of a fast flying bird or not! When it comes to weight, the Sigma weighs a relatively light 1,160g against the Canon’s 1,640g. But there is a good reason for this – the Sigma lens lacks a tripod collar. Now, this may not be an issue for you, and Sigma has positioned this lens for people exactly like you, who have a longer lens with a collar but want a lighter option purely for hand-holding. Therefore the lack of collar isn’t an issue.

On balance I’d say, if you are happy with your Sigma 150-600mm, stick with Sigma for the 100-400mm – and then you can spend all that saving on something else too!