Complete Guide To Choosing Lenses - Our Super Tele Picks

Canon: 800mm f/5.6 L IS USM

‘If you've got a spare £14,370 kicking around, this 4.5kg monster will get the maximum magnification currently available (along with Sigma's). Although it's Canon's most expensive lens, it isn't the biggest - that honour goes to the back-breaking 400mm f/2.8, at 5,370g.'

Nikon: 600mm f/4 G ED VR

‘Nikon's biggest lens, both in focal length and weight, the 600mm f/4 tips the scales at a smidgeon over 5kg.'

Sigma: 800mm f/5.6 EX DG HSM

‘The only brand besides Canon with an 800mm lens, but at £6,500 this one is less than half the price. At 4,900g it's a beast but it isn't Sigma's heaviest, or most expensive lens. That honour goes to its colossal 200-500mm f/2.8, which weighs a bicep-straining 15.7kg and costs an eye-watering £24,000. I'll take two!'

Olympus: 300mm f/2.8 ED

‘Olympus's longest lens may not seem very telephoto compared with its rivals but due to the smaller Four Thirds sensor its 35mm equivalent is 600mm, giving the same field of view as Canon's 600mm lens would on a full-frame EOS.'

Pentax: 300mm f/4 DA* ED IF SDM

‘The longest lens in the Pentax stable is this relatively modest 300mm model, though on the plus side it's also the most pocket-friendly, giving you change out of a grand.'

Sony: 500mm f/8

‘Sony's most telephoto lens is this 500mm model. Although it offers only a single not-terribly-bright f/8 aperture, it is at least relatively cheap - costing Alpha users around £600.'

Tamron: 200-500mm f/5-6.3

‘Tamron isn't a big fan of prime lenses - it only has three of them in its entire range, and the longest one is its 180mm macro. Its longest focal length lens is this 200-500mm f/5-6.3 zoom, which will set you back a shade under £700.'