It's time to turn that kit 18-135mm into a paperweight and get yourself a real telephoto lens. So you ask, what is the best telephoto lens? This is an important question because a good quality telephoto lens is a significant investment and should be preceded with a lot of research. Unlike choosing your next camera bag or lens accessory, the purchase of a telephoto lens is not something most of us can afford to get wrong.

A lens with a focal length of 135mm+ is typically considered 'telephoto' range, with 300mm+ being considered super telephoto

Seasoned professional photographers first, and YouTubers second, Chelsea & Tony Northrup break it down with 4 of todays best telephoto lenses for $1,000 to $2,500 in a wintery Big Lens Shootout.

Best Telephoto Lens for Canon, Nikon, & More

[embed]http://youtu.be/lgurGidoSJs[/embed]

Make sure to tune in every Thursday at 5pm eastern standard time to Chelsea & Tony's YouTube for their hour long live show with live portfolio reviews.

Telephoto Lenses Tested

Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM Lens | $2,499.00

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Sigma 150-600mm F5-6.3 DG OS HSM ( S ) Lens | $1,924.67

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Tamron AFA011C700 SP 150-600mm F/5-6.3 Di VC USD Zoom Lens for Canon EF Cameras | $1,069.00

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Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L USM Super Telephoto Lens for Canon SLR Cameras | $1,339.00

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