YES!! No question about it.
Yes, if the 'boss' approves the purchase
Yes, if my 500 or 600 gets a good price
Nah, I think I'll just find bigger birds.
Are you game for the 800?
I'm definately game to get this lens. I've been driving a 600 after upgrading (in focal lenght (ahhh) and weight (owww) from the 500. The 800 looks like one heck of a lens to me. I'm guessing 8k-ish in price and between the 500 and the 600 in weight.
Thought it might be interesting to find out how many of you are going to pick one of these out.
Best,
John
Only for the days I want to go light ;)
A 600 with 1.4 attached will be 840mm f/5.6 with virtually the same image quality and will be lighter...I think. The 800 f/5.6 is not a good marketing plan by Canon. In fact, I doubt it will come to market fruition.
I use the Sigma 800mm F5.6 AutoFocus and I absolutely love the lens. I find the only limitations
are close shots or flight shots and then I use a Canon 70-200mm F2.8 IS. or Artie's "Baby Lens"
the Canon 400MM 5.6 Prime. I have used this lens with a Wimberley, with a beanbag from the
car window or from the car roof NO PROBLEM. My decision to buy the 800mm F5.6 was in
no small part a review of Artie's Photos, he uses his 600mm with the 1.4 giving him a 840mm
lens quite alot (And let's face it folks we all know who's "The Man")
It's a tough call for most of us since the Super Telephoto lenses are so expensive, but it's usually
a one time purchase and even if you resell, a super usually gets most of your dough back.
Sure a great 21MP Canon camera would be ideal, (hmmmm maybe I can get Artie to donate one
of his castoff's when he changes over the next time) naaaa, so given the choice I would always go with
a Canon 5D or 11.1 D and buy the better lens. Hope he doesn't read this!!!!
I think the differentiation is all tied up in the phrase "virtually the same image quality''. I've run extenders on all the super tele's, and while they may be virtually the same to some, they show up on my monitor as ''not the same'', in real life. My 600 loves my 1.4, but it's still not as good an image as the native 600. It's good, very good, but it's not AS good. Any extender is an optical compromise as there are some physical laws that optics designers just can't get around. (Hence--truly great lenses cost a bundle)Originally Posted by c.w. moynihan
Weight? Not yet announced but I'd be very surprised if it's much diff than the 600--cutting down the size of the objective lens cuts a LOT of weight ('pie R squared is a powerhouse of a formula). We'lll see.
As far as Canon's marketing....well....I just waited 4 months for my pre-ordered 1DS to arrive. After waiting 3 earlier this year for my Mark III. They've got a pretty good track record. Heck, I'll place my order for an 800 the first day I find out I can. I'm thinking their marketing guys are feeling pretty secure in their jobs right now!!
This may be a lens well worth thinking about as i mostly use a 1.4tc on my 500f4 IS and that does knock the IQ a little and also a shade of the AF speed so a bare 800mm should be sharper and faster than the above.
My main concern is the weight of it as i found the 600f4 just to much.
Rob.
:)I have a place in my arsenal for this lens as soon as I am confined to a wheelchair (already designed the mount)
Any volunteers to push?
Hmm... $12,000 suggested retail.
I was hoping for something closer to $8,000 "street price".
MSRP is $11,999, which is way steep. But it weighs just about 2 pounds less than the 600 f/4. Here's the official press release link. http://www.usa.canon.com/templatedat...23_eflens.html
This is a very interesting lens.... I think the street price is going to be much lower, prettty close to the 600mm.. With both the 500mmF4 and the 600mmF4 I might look at this lens to replace my 600mm. I'm assuming the IQ is going to be great and with the new 4 stop IS, very tempting. Now would I miss the F4 on the 600 and would the focus be as good with a 5.6 lens???? How much better will the IQ with a straight 800m be vs a 600mm with the 1.4x. Would love to try one when they come out...
It weighs 0.62 pounds more than a 500 f/4 plus a Canon 1.4x TC. That's pretty manageable.
Hmmm lets see, A 40D, 1.6x combined with a f/4 500mm = uhhh 800mm. Cool huh? + a 1.4 TC is, OMG 1120mm.
Recalculation: 40D with an 800 f/5.6 + a 1.4x gives you 1792mm of focal length. Sure you'll have to manual focus, but it's a small price to pay for 1800mm!
I guess you got me on that one Doug - but you'll need a tripod and three sherpas to carry it. How long is this thing? If you swung it around in a crowd you could kill someone. :)
Last edited by Bill McCrystyn; 01-27-2008 at 07:01 PM.
You are on target about the IQ, but with the 800 flexibility will suffer, with the 600 you can go 800mm in seconds with an extender, with the 800 you are there and you cant go shorter. Also when light levels are low the extra stop, F4 vs F5;6 can be an issue. That said everything in photography involves some kind of compromise.
The only reason Canon marketing guys are secure is I think they are all on Nikon's payroll. Otherwise how can anyone explain 2007? Out of all the lenses people have asked for a 200-400, 200-500, cheaper Super Tele, a good wide angle Canon releases a 800 F5.6? At least it was a surprise :)
Robert
It appeas the 800 5.6 will be 2lbs lighter than the 600 with 1.4TC. There goes my previous theory. Maybe not such a bad idea after all for song bird photogs. The IQ may be better too due to a new design and two fuorite lense elements vs 1 for the current 600. Hmmmmm.....
Talked to Gary over at Hunts---the list price on the 800 is out now----OUCH.
11,099----Tough price point, and it sure dampens my ardor for that lens!! (I was guessing it would come in somewhere around 8k.)
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