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Canon EF 400mm f/4 DO IS USM question
Hello,
I momentary own a Canon EOS 5D mark III and 7D, additional several lenses up to 200mm together with a tele-extender 1.4 II. For my wildlife work, I consider to buy a longer lens. The choice is between the EF 500mm f/4 IS L USM ( 1st version ) and the EF 400mm f/4 DO IS USM. One reason which could convince me to take the EF 400mm f/4 DO IS USM is the weight and size of this lens, so it could easily be used to shoot out of hand at flying birds.
So, I wonder how much is the difference between these two lenses in terms of image quality and sharpness. Especially the usage the 1.4 and 2.0 III extenders is very interesting to me.
Many thanks for future answers and help !
Robert
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Hello Robert.
I will be hones to mention that I do not own or have owned any of these lenses. Ok now, I have read a ton about them both since I was in your same island not too long ago. At the end I came away with a 600f/4Mark I.
Any how, the 500 can handle both TC pretty well with almost no problems when used with the 1.4TC, not very recomended with the 2X as with most of the times you will loose speed, contrast and will gain CA and extra fringing. As far as I understand, the 400DO is an excellent lens for BIF IF you have enough light, if you are planning on using a 400DO with TC attached then your shutter speed is going to suffer dramaticly with your keeper rate will drop. Arash Hazehi wrote a guide for BIF, I would give a try, in fact I purchased it and is filled with very interesting info. on how to get the best shots of BIF. If I was in your shoes I would go with the 500f/4 over the 400DO but the former is heavier and if you are planning on shooting hand held, as I believe you are, then the 400DO would be a better option for its maneuverability.
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Super Moderator
Hi Robert,
I would strongly advise against the DO lens. The diffractive optics technology used in the lens is now abandoned by Canon, I believe the lens is no longer in production. I had the 400DO for a little while and sold it quickly at a loss. It is light but it is not an "L" lens for a good reason that optics are lacking when compared to an L lens like the 500 side by side. I tried it with 1.4X but the images were quite soft by my standard, with the 2X it was so bad it was unusable, both AF and IQ. It's really an obsolete lens, you will have a hard time selling it after realizing it's not good.
Go for the 500. You can easily handhold a 500 BTW. Even today the used 500 MK I's sell like hotcakes as it is the best wildlife lens for that budget.
Good luck!
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Post a Thank You. - 1 Thanks
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BPN Viewer
Hi Robert,
I use both (DO + 1.4xTCII is my light weight hiking setup) and will say that based on my experience, the 500 will give you better results straight out of the camera. The DO requires a little more post processing but it can give you results that you'd be hard pressed to tell apart unless looking at an image on the pixel level (I don't) It is a joy to handle and seems even more so after holding/carrying the 500. I've got a few posts here with the lens.
Broken Hardware
Answering the Call
Marmot
Mountain Blue
A search of the nature and wildlife forum of fred miranda dot com will provide some additional information/examples you may find helpful.
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Lifetime Member
Overall the 500 is a better lens especially when coupled with either the 1.4 or the 2.0 teleconverters. However I owned the 400 DO for several years and had terrific results. Most of the time I used it with a 1.4 but also with the 2.0 tc. As long as you understand that you have to stop down about 1 stop in order to improve the quality when using a TC you should be happy with the set up of the 400. Shooting the 400 DO wide open with teleconverters will not give you sharpest images.
John Chardine another moderator bought my 400DO from me a couple of years ago and he has been very satisfied with the results as well.
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BPN Member
I have shot with the 400 and while it does have its issues it is a decent lens but considering its price it should be excellent. Another thing you should consider is its resell value I have a friend who recently try to sell his 400 and the best offer he received was 3800.00 which is a major hit compared to its purchase price so he keep it for now.
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Super Moderator
I think his question was how well 400 compares with the 500, of course any lens (even a kit lens for that matter) can produce good results, especially under the right circumstances, in the right hands and when you sharpen the files and present them at small size. But that was not his question. He specifically gave two choices to pick one.
When comparing A to B you have to put them side by side and consider everything, and I don't think anyone would dispute that the 500 is a better lens. I think there is a reason Marina sold her own 400DO and got the 500
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If 400mm/4 fits your requirements, maybe you should consider the new Sigma 120-300/2.8 + TC 1.4 = 420mm/4 OS.
But I never saw a comparison against the Canon 400mm DO.
I think B&H had a day ago an used 120-300 for around $1,900.
If you can wait a little, maybe you should consider the new Tamron 150-600/5.6 which should be available soon as it already has a profile in Lightroom 5.3 which was released today.
http://www.tamron.com/en/news/2013/1107.html
Not a fast lens by the way.
My experience with the Sigma 120-300/OS (S120-300) + Kenko 1.4 TC + Sigma TC 2x, 7D and 6D.
7D + S120-300 only - sharp !
7D +S120-300 + TC1.4x - sharp.
7D + S120-300 + TC2.0x - a little soft.
with the 6D I found that even S120-300 + TC2.0x is sharp. Or not too soft. My conclusion is that the low-pass filter on the 6D is weaker.
So overall the files have a little more sharpness.
And I've seen amazing pictures with the Nikon D7100 + Sigma 50-500/OS.
Hope it helps.
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Hello all,
many thanks for all these helpful answers !
To be honest, I'm still struggling with the decision, and wait for the weather here in Germany together a little better for testing both lenses.
I'm sorry,but Sigma or any third party equipment is out of my scope.
I will report here as soon as I'll come to any decision.
Best wishes and a happy new year !
Yours Robert