2 questions about the Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS USM lens

[martin_jordan]

I have a new 40D. I'm thinking of buying a EF 600mm f/4L IS USM. Canons website says, "Extender EF 2x II

can be attached to increase the focal length to 1200mm while retaining AF (at the center focusing point

with the EOS-1v and EOS-3)."

 

My 1st question is, Will that also apply attached to the 40D?

 

ALSO...after researching this lens (which is very good) I noticed that it was first released in 2000. Which

makes this lens nearly 8yrs. old. What is your opinion that a new/updated release of this lens is near?

 

thx in advance

[bobatkins]

No, you will get AF with a 1.4x on a 40D, but not with a 2x a 40D or a 5D. Only with a series 1 EOS DSLR.

 

I'd be surprised if the lens was updated. There's really nothing to update. The canon long telephotos are very rarely updated bacause they are about as good as they can be. The only significant updates were to the old 400/2.8L (non IS) which stared out without fluorite elelments and improved after one was added.

 

My usual advice to someone thinking about the long telephotos is to buy a 10lb bag of potatoes and carry it around for a while to simulate what you'll experience with such a lens! Great lens, but fairly heavy and needs a fairly heavy tripod and head. You'll probably be adding at least 10-12lbs to your photo kit, possibly more. Fine when shooting from the car, no so great when hiking up a mountain.

[martin_jordan]

Ok...just so I fully understand, I will get AF with a 1.4x on a 40D, but can I still use

theExtender EF 2x II in manual focus or is the Extender EF 2x II just a dead issue w/the 40D?

[adam_gifford]

The 1.4x adds 1 stop (f/4 becomes f/5.6),

the 2x adds 2 stops (f/4 becomes f/8).

 

Only the 1 series will AF at f/8. The 40D AF works up to f/5.6.

 

Nothing stops you from being able to manually focus, but the viewfinder may be too dark

at f/8 to do it well. I don't typically manually focus, so i can't give you any advice on this

like bob could.

[bobatkins]

Sure you can manual focus with the 2x. You won't get any electronic focus confirmation though. Personally I find manual focusing using the standard viewfinder screen pretty easy. You can always get a viewfinder magnifier if you want to make life easier. There are also 3rd paty screens with split image focusing aids (though I don't know how well they work at f8, the ones on older cameras tended to black out at small apertures).

 

As long as your subject isn't moving, manual focus isn't a problem for me. I use it with a 2x TC on my 500/4.5L. I don't find f8(f9) to be a problem as long as the light is decent

[mark_chappell]

Not much to add here except to emphasize a few things. First, it will be very heavy and

awkward to carry around, if that's important for your intended usage. You're not only

adding an 11-pound lens, but you also need a solid tripod and head (probably another 6-

10 pounds). If you plan on traveling with the lens, consider how to get it on a plane as

carry-on, or if that seems daunting, if you are willing to trust it to checked baggage.<P>

 

Second, if you are planning to photograph moving targets, a large gimbal head is <B>

strongly</b> recommended (e.g., Wimberley, Jobu, etc.). It will make your life a lot

easier and augment the number of good images you get. <P>

 

Third, you certainly can use the lens with a 2X extender, and I agree that manual focus

with a 2X attached is possible IF you have good light. I have done this a few times with a

40D and a 500/4+2x and for me at least, achieving accurate focus becomes a challenge

unless there is plenty of light.<P>

 

Forth, for some small subjects (e.g., songbirds), it may not focus closely enough for tight

shots (YMMV), so extension tubes could be useful.

[matt_sallis]

<P>As Bob says, it's difficult to update a lens that is already as good as one of Canon's super-tele's, they're about as good as lenses get. I don't think you need to worry about being lumbered with a duff lens.</P>

<P>As for manual focus on the 40D, it is easier than the 20d or 30D because the viewfinder is a little larger and brighter.<br>

As long as your subject is not moving too quickly, you can also make very good use of the live-view function to get very accurate focus. Given the extremely narrow DOF this is an important aid.</P>

<P>And to second (or is it third?) what has been said about the weight issue, the 600mm f4 is a big old beast. I would strongly recommend you try to find one you can try first, as it is like no other lens you've used.<br>Personally I'm happy to slog around all day with the 12lb lens and 10lb tripod/head on which to mount it, but I'm quite a strong bloke. It is definitely not what most people would call a "carry-around" lens! ;-)</P>

[alan_myers]

Fifth, since you are new to 40D, are you also new to crop sensor cameras? If so, are you aware that the 600mm by itself will "act like" a 960mm lens on a 40D? With the 2X added it would be like a 1920mm lens.

 

Good luck getting a steady shot, even with Image Stabilization, the best tripod, a gimbal mount, a sandbag laid on top of the camera and every other trick in the book!

 

I use the 500/4 IS, occasionally along with a 1.4X. But I've seldom had the 2X on it since going to digital crop sensor cameras for most of my shooting about 4 years ago.<div></div>

[mark_chappell]

<I>Good luck getting a steady shot, even with Image Stabilization, the best tripod, a

gimbal mount, a sandbag laid on top of the camera and every other trick in the

book!</I><P>

 

Too pessimistic, IMO. Lots of people do this routinely. I don't have much of a stability

problem with stacked 1.4X and 2X converters with a 500/4 on a 1.3X DSLR (1820 mm

equivalent). I DO have a focusing problem and the IQ from stacked converters isn't the

greatest, but I don't see evidence of camera shake issues. Example (aplomado

falcon):<P>

 

<center>

<img src ="http://faculty.ucr.edu/~chappell/INW/birds3/aplomado180.jpg">

 

</center>

[jim_simon3]

You might want to go to Art Morris' website and look at his archive e-mails to see his use of converters on these big lenses. He only seems to use 1 series cameras though.

http://www.birdsasart.com