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Have you ever scratched your head before deciding on what telephoto zoom lens to buy? This confusion is common as this is often a tricky task. While both 200mm and 300mm lenses are good lenses, they have certain differences.
Let’s explore the differences:
Differences between 200mm and 300mm lenses:
- Pull-in-effect in 200mm vs. 300mm lens:
Pull in Effect is stronger in a 300mm lens
For those of you who do not know what pull-in-effect is, it is the draws in the faraway project. The draws are used to measure the faraway objects that look nearer to the camera than where they are. For a 300 mm lens, the pull-in effect is larger than a 200 mm lens. In both cases, the lens is drawn closer to the foreground.
- Stacking effect in 200mm vs. 300mm lens:
This makes things appear closer while they are placed at a distance away. The stacking effect is stronger in a 300 m lens than in a 200 mm lens. Thus a 300 mm lens captures a narrower part of the image as compared to a 200 mm lens.
- Lens’s size and weight in 200mm vs. 300mm lens:
Longer the focal length, the sharper the lens tends to be. Thus, a 300 mm lens tends to be heavier than a 200 mm lens.
- Applications:
A 200 m lens is used for weatherproof design ser in a faster aperture. However, in recent years, lens makers have refined versatile optics.
Further, a 200 mm lens in lightweight offers a vibration reduction technology. Other applications are in wildlife photography, sports, landscape, and even portrait photography. A 200 mm lens creates a shallow depth of field effects.
A 300 mm lens is used in travel photography, candid occasions or to cover street events. It provides a deeper magnification by looking closely at the photo.
A 300 mm is more flexible to use as the zoom is variable rather than being fixed at one location. The 300 mm lens is most suitable for long, large, and small focal lengths in its lens. It is accompanied by a faster aperture constant that gives photographers several creative options.
- Affordability:
A 300 mm lens is costlier than a 200mm lens. Especially in Nikon, a 300 mm lens is available only you pay a very high price. So, in terms of affordability, a 200 mm lens is always a better option.
- Minimum focus distance in 200mm vs. 300mm lens:
The 300 mm lens has a higher minimum focus in distance almost at 8 degrees. It results in a slower focus and maximum aperture of a consumer zoom lens. This makes the 300 mm lens widely used in sports photography. Thus, an image photographed by a 300 mm lens comes with wider detailing and large-scale clarity.
- Magnification and aperture in 200mm vs. 300mm lens:
In a full-frame camera, a 300 mm lens will produce 4 times more magnification as compared to a 300 mm lens. A 300 mm lens has a larger aperture with a focus of 2.8, whereas a 200 mm lens with a focus of 5.6. The higher focal length of a 300 mm lens makes it widely used in picturing portraits, pets, or photographing nature. This is one reason why a 300 mm lens is preferred.
I recommend you to go through my post on 300mm vs 400mm lenses for a better in-depth idea about all these lenses.
- Astrophotography:
A telephoto camera of 300mm/EF 300MM F/4L has been widely used in capturing astrophotography images for tracking the night sky. It provides a wide field of view that serves as the auto guide necessary for a successful image at long exposure. A 200 mm lens, however, has not been used so far for astrophotography purposes.
- Zoom capability:
The 300 mm lens in most cameras beats the 55-200 mm focal length proportional to the zoom capability of the lens. On the other hand, a 200 mm lens can zoom on a bit more. This ability to zoom from almost zero to infinity is a great capability for most cameras. It can be the case for most photographers in lightweight gear. At times, the added weight becomes a necessity, mainly in those situations where the photography involves wildlife outdoors. There is no need to control the subject. Thus, the 300 mm lens can zoom much closer than a 200 mm lens.
Conclusion:
Finally, to conclude the comparison, both the 200 mm lens and 300 mm lens is widely used for their multi-faceted applications.
However, we can compare based on certain factors like cost, portability, and the purpose for which it is used. In such a case, a 200 mm lens is recommended over a 300 mm lens.
The second set of factors, like details and clarity, gives a different answer. In this context, a 300 mm lens will be more recommended than a 200 mm lens. In a nutshell, if the buyer is deeply interested in magnified pictures and has financial backing, then a 300 mm lens is the best. Despite its large size and weight, it supersedes a 200 mm lens on all other grounds.
