Canon EF 400mm f/2.8L IS II USM with 1.4X and 2x TC Vs EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM and EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM

[dcstep]

<p>I love my EF 70-200mm f/4L IS, with and without my 1.4x TC-III, for variety vs. my 500mm, with and without my 2.0x TC-III. By keeping my 70-200mm at f/4, the combined weight is manageable.</p>

<p>The problem with the 5D3 vs. the 1D4 and 1D X is its AF speed with TCs attached. With bare lenses it right there with the two 1D bodies. The 1D bodies have higher battery voltage, which manhangles the AF drives quicker.</p>

[gerald_wallace]

<p>When it comes to the subject of bird picture taking you need the longest lens you can afford......<br>

My wife has Canon's 600 f/4 series ll lens and she thinks the focal length is perfect for taking pictures of small birds and other animals - mostly birds. I use the 500 f/4 series l lens for birds and although, I am satisfied, there is a significant difference in size and even quality of output between the two lenses. And then, the 600 f/4 seems lighter(I think there's close to a pound difference) than my series l 500mm.<br>

(I'm too cheap, I mean thrifty to trade up to the 600mm).<br>

For the winter (Florida) months she uses a blind (12 foot tool shed) and shoots through an open window somewhere between the closest focal length and 12 feet away. If the light is" perfect" she gets "perfect" pictures - getting quality light is always a big problem.<br>

Again, it just depends on how much you are willing to spend to get great pictures.</p>

[dcstep]

<p>The IQ difference between the Series I and II f/4 super telephotos is real, but most will not see it in their shots. I think that Gerald is simply seeing the impact of more pixels on the subject. The 600/f4-II and the 500/f4-I weigh almost the same, but most prefer the balance of the new 600mm. The 500/f4-II is 1.5-lb lighter than the Series I.</p>

<p>Choosing between the 500 and 600/f4-II will depend a lot on the body being used with them. When start stacking TCs on them and combine them with a 5D3, then the AF will slow dramatically. OTOH, with a 1D X, there's almost no slowing. The 1D4 is only a little behind the 1D X in this regard.</p>

<p>BTW, the IQ champ, according to Canon MTF charts, is the 500/f4-II, which has almost a flat line chart. However, in the real world, all these super-telephotos are simply stunning with regard to sharpness, color and contrast.</p>

[mark_k3]

<p>This is my compromised approach by having a China Made X Pro 1.7 (TC/ext tube)...which cheats the camera as having only 1.4x.<br>

This photo was taken using older 70-200 f2.8 plus the X Pro<img src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2840/11907752843_d0783f576d_b.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="690" /></p>