Considering buying a Canon 200 -400 F4 IS 1.4x in the not too distant future and was wondering if anyone has had a chance to review it and play with it and if so what the general opinion of it is?
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Considering buying a Canon 200 -400 F4 IS 1.4x in the not too distant future and was wondering if anyone has had a chance to review it and play with it and if so what the general opinion of it is?
Gavin, it depends I guess on what you shoot, certainly it is a stonking lens for wildlife, coupled with the 1DX, the AF is brilliant, an awesome combination. It is so responsive, with crystal clear images, that are sharp too, enough to cut yourself on, if you are not careful :bg3:. Deploying the 1.4 is easy, but it may take a little getting used to, but the camera just locks on as soon as it is activated, no time lag. With the 1DX it is rear heavy, obviously down to the built in 1.4 which may or may not suit some people. Light pours in through the lens and it's so easy to view your subjects through it. Don't have the physical comparison, but HH the lens IMHO is a bit like HH the old 500, certainly heavier than the new 500. Clearly it's an investment and certainly out of the hands of most people sadly based on the current pricing, however if you think the amount of time you will use it is considerable, and it's the right bit of kit for you, then IMHO it's a no brainer and certainly a must if you can afford it for any safari, it's just perfect, as the zoom offers flexibility without compromise. No more scrambling around for that extender, fiddling around to fit it, shot gone. One click and it's deployed, or you have retracted it based on the subject and it's movements, you nail the shot.
Just make sure it's ensured. :bg3:
Not sure if Artie has done a review on his Blog yet, although I did see a small article, but if you checkout my good friend Andy Rouse, he has written a very comprehensive review, no BS, he tells you as it is.
cheers
Steve
Cool thanks Steve, I lead safaris to Southern Africa, Tanzania & Kenya 4 times a year which is why I am considering it. I am currently using a 500 f4 and thought about adding this lens to my arsenal. i will be sure to read that article
Thanks again
Gavin
Gavin, personal I will never not take my 500, it's part of me so to speak as I shoot so much with it, but this lens offers you the flexibility as I said. A wide angle, 70-200f2.8, 200-400 f/4 plus the 500. Yes in an ideal world the 800 would be the choice at the end of the scale, but you need to carry it too.
Yeah Steve, so you are going to sell me a forklift to move all of that gear ...:bg3:.
Seriously though, I am not going to sell my 500, got it a few months a ago and have no idea how I ever managed without it. As heavy as it is, it sure has spoiled me.
Gavin, the 500 is a great lens, the 200-400 has been long awaited, especially when Nikon brought one out many moons ago. Depending on your CPS level, you may be able to try one, although they are in short supply so to speak. I would strongly suggest you do try it out before you buy, just to ensure you like it, which of course you will, but it is a large outlay. What body are you thinking of using with it, as I say the 1Dx is so well suited.
Steve, I am CPS Gold and can get a loaner to test, and will do so at some point, just not this year, (just under $12k is a big outlay )and I cant see a reason to part with my 1D MKIV's so it would be on that.
Gavin, suggest you lay your hands on the 1Dx too, compare how the two bodies work with the lens. OK, if you are not going to buy the lens this year and I'm not trying to ramp up costs, but you may (LOL), see a huge difference between the two bodies and therefore it might be, subject to budget, think about trading in the MKIV for the 1DX, then when ready, purchase the lens next year. I just feel the AF is so awesome it would be a shame not to take full advantage, but I FULLY understand about costs & budgets. I just think if you have the time it is worth exploring. Canon also do test days too, you could look at that as an option, as it's always beneficial to 'test drive' first.
Steve I had a 1DX while on Safari in February this year as my 1d4 started error 20-ing 2 days after landing in Capetown SA, so I went into Orms and bought one off the shelf, and led a 17 day safari with it. I did not understand the AF system correctly and the images that I got were piss poor for the most part. Basically I attempted to set it up similar to my 1d4 settings which did not work for the most part.
With that being said I know that it is not the camera but the operator, and knowing that the AF on that body is superior I will eventually buy one and keep a mk4 as a backup, but that is in the future.
Certainly there were many things that I really liked about the 1DX, especially how fast it achieved AF.
What I may do do, is buy one after the safari season and spend time working with it and getting to understand it correctly (subject to finances of course), that way I will know what I am doing instead of fiddling with it between taking care of the needs and requirements of the group that I am leading.
Gavin, I know this might be going 'off topic' therefore I guess this will be my last word, well for the moment. :w3
The 1DX outstrips the MKIV big time, I shoot with both, although my choice is always the 1DXs. The 1DX does need to be set-up correctly, it's not a camera you take out the box and shoot, back button focus initiated, this is key, even for the MKIV, I have shot this way ever since the MKIII came out and it's the way to go, IMHO, Understanding the 'Case numbers' is good (same for the 5DMKIII), but also you can tailor make these to suit your needs, but ultimately your camera needs to be set up correctly. Even with the 2x there is no hunting, it locks on, images are great and it works, but with the 1Dx coupled with the new lenses that are available, it just makes for a marriage in heaven, and like getting married, it too can be expensive. :bg3:
Spending time with your camera, whatever that may be is key, the more you understand what it can & cannot do, will make for an easier life and better images and it costs nothing, but more importantly everything becomes instinctive.
Thanks Steve, and yes we are off topic and I am really ok with that. I only shoot using BBF, and there is no arguing that you need to understand your camera and really get married to it, sadly I was not in a position to do so, as a result I am now coming from a point of skepticism. However I see the reasoning and benefit of going to the 1Dx.
Thanks for indulging me and allowing me to pick your brain so to speak, it has been most useful.
Gavin, you are most welcome, however if you want any more help drop me a PM, otherwise just post, as there are a lot of people on here who are more 'worldly wise' than me. Perhaps subject to timings we may bump into each other looking at timings. :bg3:
Gavin, just to wet your appetite:
http://www.birdsasart-blog.com/2013/...extender-784mm
Oh you butthead !!! :t3
ps: I am bringing the lens on safari in 4 days....
Will have to patient until next year for that location Artie, safe trip, green with envy. :bg3:
BTW, not sure how true this is, and I may take it with a pinch of salt, but I did see a comment about deploying the convertor whilst buffering, not to be done???? Cannot see why & the effect, however...
All the best
Steve :wave:
No clue but I will ask. Perhaps it screws up the EXIF.....
I may ask the Canon 'geeks' Artie, as the closing words were, if you do this the lens may need to go back!!!!
Enjoy your time in Africa, I think this will be the lens of choice for the majority of your time, as it's sooooo flexible, will follow your Blog with added interest.
I'll remember not to do just that and will post whatever I hear from Chuck Westfall here.Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve Kaluski
Thanks Artie, I am following this quite closely as well, and enjoy Africa
Could be all & nothing Artie, a bit like a Chinese whisper, but...
Hi Artie, just had this back from Canon, you may also like to confirm with Chuck when you see him.
cheers
Steve
Quote:
Yes, you are almost correct, with certain cameras he may get an error sometimes, there is a mention in the user manual on Page 16 about this. I would not damage the camera or lens just get an error and may lose the last, or last few images. If this error does happen all you have to do is switch the camera OFF then ON again and all will be OK. The best thing is don’t do it until the camera has completed its operation.
Got this from Chuck Westfall:
"Can't say I've tested it yet, but there is no reason why moving the internal extender should cause a problem while the camera is writing files to its buffer memory."
Conflicting reports it seems Artie, I think it best not to do this in the first instance, thus avoiding any issues that there may, or may not be. :bg3:
Gavin, you may also like to read this too, if you haven't already, link sent by an ex BPN member who courteously fwd it to me.
http://learn.usa.canon.com/resources...200400mm.shtml
Thanks
Steve
I tracked down Rudy Winston, author of the article linked to above, for clarification:
"Thanks for all your insights into the new 200-400mm lens, and for taking the time to not simply work with it, but to invest in it, early-on. You are correct -- the advice about switching the built-in extender into or out of the optical path refers to cameras OTHER THAN the EOS-1D X and EOS 5D Mark III. With this lens, there is additional data communication that has to be pushed into the camera body, and it's done in a way that earlier cameras (5D Mark II, EOS-1D Mark IV, and so on) weren't initially designed to accommodate. Hence, the advice to switch into and out of extender operation carefully. With anything introduced after the 1D X and 5D III (that would include the EOS 6D, Rebel T5i & SL1, and new EOS 70D), you likewise can go into and out of extender operation without significant issues.
Our technical data from Japan included advisories to resist making the change during active camera operations (writing to the memory card, etc); to be honest, we haven't had a working sample in our department to be able to test it to see whether there's any issue with this when using the newer cameras. So the info you read on that on-line piece reflects what we have been told in the technical info from Japan. As a 5D III/1D X user, though, you don't have to worry about shutting down Live View and so on.
Best, Rudy
Hi Artie, that is true dedication, thank you. Interesting piece, however shooting with the 1DX I think we are safe. :S3:
YAW Steve. Just for the record, I would naturally avoid moving the TC when the camera is writing to the card as I rarely if ever tax the buffer. Hey, I am in Addis Ababa headed to Tanzania this afternoon.
I'm in the Yorkshire moors for Red Grouse this morning, LOL, not quite as exotic Artie as Tanzania.
Good luck.
