richard_pearse Posted February 27, 2006 Share Posted February 27, 2006 Considering purchasing one of the above - budget does not stretch to 500mm. Does anyone have any experience of using these two lenses? Have looked at various reviews etc, including the 300mm F4.0 as a possibility, currently, favouring the 400mm F5.6L because of ease of use, extra reach, weight, size, picture clarity/contrast and the cost. However, can not find any useful information on the two side by side. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jim_mueller2 Posted February 27, 2006 Share Posted February 27, 2006 I use the 300/4 IS and 1.4x TC for birding with very good results. The 400/5.6 is even sharper but has no IS. From the reviews I've read the 400/5.6 is sharper than the 400/4 DO. The 400/4 DO is about the same price as a 500/4. If I could afford either, I would choose the 500/4 in a heartbeat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevin conville Posted February 27, 2006 Share Posted February 27, 2006 Huh? B&H's site has the 500 F4 at $5500. and the 400 F4 DO at $5200. That's less than 6% difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark_chappell Posted February 27, 2006 Share Posted February 27, 2006 I concur with Jim: given that the 400 DO and the 500 IS are almost the same price, I'd get the latter without any hesitation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy_jones2 Posted February 27, 2006 Share Posted February 27, 2006 However, the 400DO weighs in (4.3 lb.) at about half of that of the 500/4 (8.5 lb.) and is significantly smaller. This plays a role if you are contemplating long hikes or foreign air travel where weight limits are enforced more often than at home. If that's worth the extra $ over the 5.6 after the 1 stop benefit and IS, is up to you :-) Similar discussion here ( http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/359114 ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill_atwood Posted February 27, 2006 Share Posted February 27, 2006 Like Andy said, the 400/4 is a great air travel telephoto. Much easier to put in carry on than a 500/4.5, let alone a 500/4. It's much easier to hike with too. I can carry it all day long with the strap over my shoulder and the foot tucked into my pants. Leaves your hands free for a monopod/walking stick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrew robertson Posted February 27, 2006 Share Posted February 27, 2006 How much money do you have? If you can afford the DO, get it. But the DO and the 500 f/4 are about the same price, as somebody already remarked. Surely if you are spending $5200 on a lens you can put down another $300, right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dk. Posted February 27, 2006 Share Posted February 27, 2006 Sorry I can't help you when it comes to the 400mm f4.0 do. But I have the 300mm F4L IS and 400mm f5.6L. Both are great, the 300mm has much more versatility/usage because it has IS and a much closer focusing distance etc. But as you know the 400mm has the extra reach and if you need that well then you need it. But I find with the 400mm you have to be super still (I don't use tripods) and it needs to be a bright day outside. Hope that helps you out a bit. Take care. DK. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrew robertson Posted February 27, 2006 Share Posted February 27, 2006 According to the MTF charts that Canon publishes, the 300 f/4L IS + 1.4x II TC (420 f/5.6 IS equivalent) is sharper and has higher contrast than the 400 f/5.6 WITHOUT a TC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobatkins Posted February 27, 2006 Share Posted February 27, 2006 Then the MTF charts don't reflect user experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrew robertson Posted February 27, 2006 Share Posted February 27, 2006 I've yet to see a side by side of the 300 f/4L IS + 1.4x II vs the 400 f/5.6. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaelschrag Posted February 28, 2006 Share Posted February 28, 2006 "I've yet to see a side by side of the 300 f/4L IS + 1.4x II vs the 400 f/5.6." -check out photozone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrew robertson Posted February 28, 2006 Share Posted February 28, 2006 Photozone seems to concur with Canon's MTF on this one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miles_hecker Posted February 28, 2006 Share Posted February 28, 2006 The Photozone 300mmf4 IS was sent back to Canon twice before it attained this level of performance. That's why many people including myself use the non-IS version which is almost universally excellent. The IS version originally performed poorly with the 1.4X TC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jim_mueller2 Posted February 28, 2006 Share Posted February 28, 2006 I agree the earlier version non-IS of the 300/4 is a good lens. But don't generalize that the new 300/4 IS is necessarily inferior. I have an excellent example of the 300/4 IS. It works with the EF 1.4X TC II very well. I find the advantages with Image Stabilization far exceeds the slight advantages of small optical advantages.<div></div> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richard_pearse Posted March 1, 2006 Author Share Posted March 1, 2006 Thank you to all who took the time to respond. I appreciate your individual experiences. Next step is to hire both the 300mm f4.0 + 1.4 & the 400mm F5.5L and try them out in the field before deciding. But if I get my anticipated bonus I might just opt for the 500mm but i am sure my Mrs would have a word to say about that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrew robertson Posted March 1, 2006 Share Posted March 1, 2006 Richard, the key is to buy your camera gear first, and THEN justify it to the misses. You may have to sleep on the couch for a week, but at least you'll have a beautiful partner with a cream colored complexion to keep you company. I'm speaking, of course, of the 500 f/4L IS! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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