I have a chance to buy a Canon 400 2.8 from a photographer here at work. He is asking $3000. I shoot wildlife mostly birds and have not used this lens. I just finished a shoot with a rented 500 f4 and found it workable size wise for my style of shooting. Mostly blinds, vehicle mounts and special wheelchair and scooter mount setups. I know this lens is a little over 3 lbs heavier than the 500 and I will be using a TC much of the time for the extra reach. What do some of you bird photographers think of this lens? Is it worth the $$$?
Well I can't say if its good for birds, but unless I'm missing something. $3000 is amazingly cheap if its in good condition. Buy it and sell it for a profit if you don't like it. :) There is one up for $5800 on FM right now.
EDIT: Unless its not the IS version (didn't consider that :confused:)
Last edited by Michael Donk; 07-01-2008 at 09:01 AM.
Only very few people use the lens for bird photography that I'm aware of. 500 and 600f4 seem to be the more popular choices. I think Artie uses the 400DO quite often, it's much lighter.
From my limited experiences, not that you can't photograph small birds with a 400mm or less (been there done that), but a 500mm or 600mm (I have neither of them) seem to allow you more chances.
The 400 2.8 is a great lens, but I'm not sure it's the best choice for bird photography. It's very heavy, but it doesn't have the reach. Yes you can add a TC, but can with the 500 and 600 too. I'd go with the 500 or the 600. The 500 is the more versatile of the two.
I have the Canon EF 400 f2.8 IS USM lens. I don't specialise in birds. However I use it with converters for birds. It works nicely with the 2x converter as well at 800mm. It is a very sharp lens. If you are shooting very small birds then it can be a problem. But if you are shooting from blinds, then it should serve you well. Most of my bird shots including sun birds posted in this forum are shot with the 400 f2.8 IS lens. You can couple the 2x with the 500mm and 600mm and can AF at f8 with the 1 series bodies, giving you more reach.
I use Nikon and had a 500 f/4. I wanted VR, and the new 500 f/4 VR were/are almost impossible to find so I bought a 400 2.8. I like the 400 with tcs and feel it is a fair trade off with the Nikon 500. On the plus side, you get a 2.8 lens when the bird is close enough - plenty of opportunities, plus with a 1.4 it is a 560 4. The Nikon system includes a 1.7 tc which works quite well with the 400, but that doesn't pertain to you.
I find I only miss the longest reach occasionally, and even there 400 with 2.0 is 800.
A huge advantage of using the 400 f/2.8 w/ 2x is that at f/5.6 you still have acess to all focus points, faster initial AF aquistion, and closer MFD. It is a powerful tool for wildlife photography. And, IMO it is sharper than either the 500 or 600.
However, if birds are your thing you will most likely want a 500 or 600.
Chas
Last edited by Charles Glatzer; 07-09-2008 at 12:38 PM.
What about a 400 2.8 for birds?
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