New Canon long lenses

[Giulio Zanni]

The new 400/2.8 IS looks so good! I was looking at the MTF charts here

http://birdphotoph.proboards.com/ind...ad=6290&page=1

However, rumors say it should retail for 11.000 USD :confused:

[David Pugsley]

I'm happy about the new lenses, but I'm more happy I just got a good deal on a current 500/4. The new one will be crazy expensive considering the new 300/400 pricing. It looks like the price advantage over some of the Nikon glass is out the window. :)

My big question is whether the new tele-converters will have a noticeable advantage on my current 500.

[Roy Churchill]

What has surprised me most is the weight reduction in the new 400/2.8 - down from 5.37 KG to 3.87 KG, it is lighter than the current 500/4.

[Doug Brown]

I'm pretty excited about the weight savings of the 400, although weight savings on the 300 aren't nearly as impressive. Let's hope the weight reductions on the 500 and 600 are closer to the 400!

[Pao Dolina]

I'm pretty excited about the weight savings of the 400, although weight savings on the 300 aren't nearly as impressive. Let's hope the weight reductions on the 500 and 600 are closer to the 400!

I would whether a guess that the 500 would be sub-3kg and 600 3.7kg. :D

[Markus Jais]

A 4/500L IS II with a weight below 3kg would make this a killer lens for bird photography. Unfortunately upgrading to it would also kill my bank account. Or my planned trip to South Africa next year. So I will probably pass on that one although it will be hard. But having a new lens and sitting at home with it isn't that much fun.
I wonder if the new 4/600L IS II will also go down to 3.9 kg like the 2.8/400.

[Christopher C.M. Cooke]

If they get the 600 f/4 down to a respectable weight, here I come :)

[Doug Schurman]

Wow, this does some like some big news.

Just thinking out loud here … if the image degradation from the new TCs is minimal compared to the current the 400 2.8 might become a top birding lens by giving you the versatility of 400 f2.8, 560 f4 and 800 f5.6 which would give longer AF lengths than 500 f4 with the 1.6 crop bodies. The 600 f4 would give slightly longer focal length options but would not have the closer option. Of course cost would be another factor to consider and the 400 2.8 II is probably still going to cost more than the 500 f4 II.

[Pao Dolina]

I do not expect the new extenders to beat out the optical properties of the Mk1, Mk2 or 800 primes. The MTF would come close to it but not exactly. Also AF speed performance would suffer.

As it is the 400 IS II is $11,000. $400 more than a 800 but I expect prices to drop to $8.9k by 2012.

[Flavio Rose]

Just wondering in how many years from now Canon will announce that the current 500 f/4 and 600 f/4 can no longer be repaired due to a lack of spare parts.

See also here:

http://www.lensrentals.com/news/2010...e-ii-conundrum

[Rachel Hollander]

So I just came from Canon Expo2010 where I got to hold the new 300 and the new 400 and shoot a few frames with each. Wow, is the lighter weight noticable, particularly on the 400 but even on the 300. They also have 3 stabilizing modes and a power focus ("PF") setting for video. Also saw and played with the 60D and the 70-300. Saw the new fisheye but didn't wait around to use it. I think the sentiments that have been expressed by some reviewers that the 60D is more of a "Super Rebel" are correct.

[Jonathan Ashton]

The prices of these new lenses seem way over the top, if you think they are expensive in USA you should see the prices in UK!! Luckily I don't find anything wrong at all with my Canon 500 f4, I am sitting comfortably in the knowledge that the limitations to my images iare me and not my equipment!!