Long lens quandary...

[Chris Brennan]

Back in July I changed my long lens option. Although I had to sell my beloved 300/2.8 to partially fund it, it came down between the 400mm/f4 DO and the 500mm/f4. I had handled them both and really liked the low weight and superb image quality of the DO but it ultimately came down to magnification not manageability...

So I've now had the 500/f4 for about 5 months. It's a great lens and delivers excellent images although surprisingly, perhaps not as good as the 300/f2.8 I had before. But using the 500 is such a production... it's quite a bit heavier, not as maneuverable in the car where I like to shoot from a lot, and not handholdable at least from my "not-in-the-best-shape" perspective. When I use it, it needs to be on the gimbal head, or on the monopod... I wish I had the ability to keep it and buy the 300/2.8 again but sadly that's not an option. I recently acquired a 7D which puts more pixels on subject than other options I had before so the magnification factor is just not as critical.

So my quandary is:

Keep the 500 and learn to manage it better!

Sell the 500 (I could probably get very close to what I paid for it given Canon's recent price increase) and get the 400mm DO which will give me the native focal length + will take a 1.4x giving me a 560 f5.6 with IS
or
get another 300/2.8 which will give me the native focal length + either a 420 f4 IS or a 600 f5.6 IS


I tend to chew on decisions like this but I greatly value the expertise and talent of the members of this forum and would like your thoughts .... feel free to tell me that I'm being ridiculously stupid too...:)

[Charles Glatzer]

Chris,

We all go through the same dilemma each and every time we consider purchasing a new lens.

First and foremost what is your primary subject, how often do you travel afield with equipment, etc?

Chas

[Chris Brennan]

Charles -

I enjoy shooting larger raptors (eagles, RTH, osprey) throughout the year, and military jet teams primarily in the late spring through the early fall. I do own a recent and very sharp copy of the 100-400 which is my primary air show lens. I can't remember the last time I got on a commercial airline to go anywhere, but I will frequently walk a couple of miles during a photo outing, usually over level ground.

[Cliff Beittel]

I'd definitely stay with the 500, by far the best choice of the three for photographing raptors from a vehicle. For use in the car, mount it on a Wimberley head on a Kirk window mount or attach a Skimmer ground plate and then balance the Skimmer and lens on a beanbag like the BLUBB. Either setup provides a great combination of stability and flexibility.

[Ed Cordes]

No doubt about it I would keep the 500. I am surprised that you find the 500 less sharp than the 300 f2.8. Most feel the 500 f4 is one of the sharpest lenses made - by anyone. Could your problems with the handling be affecting your Long Lens technique?

[Chris Brennan]

Ed -

I learn something new about shooting with the 500 every time I go out, and so some of my issues might be technique-related. And perhaps I mis-spoke about the quality of the 500 in comparison to the 300. I'd have to characterize it as sort of the difference between superb and exceptional! When I shot Nikon and film, a long time ago, I had 2 macro lenses which were that way: the 55mm Macro Nikkor and the 105mm Macro Nikkor. Both were incredibly tack sharp lenses but the 105 was a hair sharper...

[Danny J Brown]

Hey Chris:

Every time I think about how easy it would be to carry the 400DO on hikes, I just remind myself of how nice that 500 is when I'm sitting by a wetland pool shooting ducks or by the Mississippi shooting pelicans or eagles. In the immortal words of my friend from Thailand --- "no lens is never long enough!" (Smile)

[Brad Manchas]

From my pov if there is a learning curve not yet overcome I would stay with the 500mm until I could decide for sure that the size and weight are really hindering the capture of images.

So I would go with your your first option, spend the time to find if there is a better way to shoot than you currently are.

Personally I have both the 500mm f/4 and the 400mm DO, and find them to be very good pieces of glass each with their own benefits. I will usually reach for the 500mm but the lightwieght and ability to handhold all day long with the 400 DO makes it great in rougher or longer terrain to travel on foot.

[Danny J Brown]

Oh man it would be nice to own both! I don't have any kids, so someday............

[Chris Brennan]

Having read all your responses, and comments made to me by friends who are photographers, it's clear I need to learn to manage shooting with the 500 better. For those shorter range situations where it just isn't do-able, I'll use my 100-400. If I can afford it someday, I'll pickup another 300/2.8!

Thanks for your responses!

[Charles Glatzer]

300mm and 500mm w/converters covers most focal lengths up to 1000mm

300
420
500
600
700
1000

Add a 70-200 and you have all but the wide angle wildlife focal lengths under wraps w/ just 3 lenses. And, it is possible to take the three lenses a field at the same ;)

Best,

Chas

[Danny J Brown]

Having read all your responses, and comments made to me by friends who are photographers, it's clear I need to learn to manage shooting with the 500 better. For those shorter range situations where it just isn't do-able, I'll use my 100-400. If I can afford it someday, I'll pickup another 300/2.8!

Thanks for your responses!

Hey Chris: I think you are on the right track. Check out Steve Canuel's shots in Wildlife, most of which are from his 100 - 400. It'll do the job when the beast to too much.

[philperry]

Of course there is no correct answer to this question Chris. I would just say that sometimes ease of use of a big lens helps you get the picture that you might otherwise miss. The 400 DO is really easy to handle and use from a car - much easier than the 500 and you have to be less of a contortionist. Plus hand holding on occasions can also make a difference - though I have to say I am rarely hand-holding my 400 DO as I am trying to focus on getting really sharp photos. There is a really neat gadget sold in South Africa called a Badger Panning Head which is superb from a vehicle. It balances on top of a bean bag and has a nice panning head (Arca-Swiss mount). For vertical movement you just move the lens on the bean bag. I have just spent four days in the field with this - and it also works great in a hide (blind) on the bean bag. A lot less weight than the Wimberley.

[Chris Brennan]

After 2 weekends in a row of missing shots from the car 'cause I couldn't get my 500 in position fast enough, I became frustrated and decided that I needed to find a better way! This is supposed to fun but I just wasn't enjoying myself... And I decided that I'd be willing to sacrifice focal length for portability....

I rented a 400 DO for several days and shot some tests with it on both my 40D and 7D, and the images were on par with what I got from both the 500 and the 300 I had prior to the 500 ... very sharp, and less than 1/2 the weight of the 500! So last week, I made the plunge. Thanks to the great rapport I have with my dealer, I was able to get almost what I paid for my 500 and picked up a new 400mm f4 DO IS. I spent several hours shooting with it yesterday, and I couldn't be happier with it's performance and it's size. With the 7D, it's a killer combination and although it slows down a tad with the 1.4x, quality is still way up there.