william_rohr2

I would strongly second Newtonville Camera (1-800-734-9992 or 617-965-1240) ... ask

for Mike Bard (and tell him Doctor Bill from Florida says hi).

I am crazy enough to have them all ... if I had to keep only one it would be the 500f4IS. I

agree with those that say the 600 is really needed for small bird photography and except

for that you won't want to be carrying it around. The 400 is best for large animal or

sports/auto racing photography (hard to follow fast moving objects with the others narrow

field of view ... maybe I'm just getting old). Best combination for all around (and cost) ...

500f4IS and 1.4XTC. Spend any money left over on a really rigid tripod. The higher

resolution of this lens/combination will be VERY noticable compared to the 100-400. One

man's opinion.

I have been to the Galapagos .. fabulous trip. I have wide assortment of equipment

including Hasselblad, Canon, Nikon, etc.... my advice take the Canon and especially IS

lenses. Some islands only visited by pangos (rubber rafts) so IS lenses are a must. Weight

is a definite problem as the airplane that takes you to the islands has strict weight limits

since they load up on cargo .... if you hit a day when they are being strict you have to leave

overweight behind (and probably won't be there when you get back). To save weight take

smaller aperature lenses (you're at the equator so light is not a problem). Longest lens

you'll need is 300 or 400 (again 300f4IS or 400DOf4IS to save weight). Leave the wide

aperature and long guns home. Polarizing filters are a real plus and work great since the

sun is directly overhead. Lastly go digital ... their film scaners are pretty crude (and you'll

save weight ...hate to be redundant but check the weight limitation and stick to it). Email

me if I can be more help.