Canon 400 f5.6 vs Canon 300 f2.8 with x1.4 conveeter for BIF

[Ofer Levy]

Hi all,I own the Canon 300 f2.8 (old type) and I use it with the 1.4 converter for BIF. I got an opportunity to buy a great Canon 400mm f5.6 in cheap price and wonder if I really need it considering the 420mm combo (300 plus x1.4).Would love to hear your thoughts.Thanks,Ofer

[Doug Brown]

If you like to do flight at that focal length, the 400mm f/5.6 is awesome. Very lightweight, sharp wide open, and fast to acquire focus. It's also much less expensive and lighter weight than a 300mm f/2.8 with TC. I'm guessing image quality will be comparable.

[Ofer Levy]

If you like to do flight at that focal length, the 400mm f/5.6 is awesome. Very lightweight, sharp wide open, and fast to acquire focus. It's also much less expensive and lighter weight than a 300mm f/2.8 with TC. I'm guessing image quality will be comparable.

Thanks Doug, I already own the 300 f2.8 but wonder whether I should also get the 400 f5.6 or is it a waste of money...

[Reynir Skarsgard]

If you already own the 300mm + 1.4 extender combo, I don't think you would be gaining all that much with the 400 f/5.6. You have a combination that equals 420mm f/4 with image quality that as far as I know is pretty similar to the 400mm. The 400mm is lighter in weight but that's probably the only major advantage you would get.
That said I've been using the 400 f/5.6 for BIF shots for a few years now and absolutely love it. I'm just not sure you would be gaining enough to justify the expense.

[Roger Clark]

Ofer,
The MTF charts show the 300 f/2.8 version 1 is substantially sharper without a TC at f/2.8 than the 400 f/5.6 (they do not show the version 1 with TCs). The 300 version II is sharper with a 2x TC III over the 1DIV image area than the 400 f/5.6 with no TCs and with the 1.4x is markedly better. Form the data, I infer the 300 version 1 plus 1.4x TC should be at least as good as the 400 f/5.6 if not slightly better. I find the 300 f/2.8 (version 1) with TCs very impressive. But the 400 f/5.6 weighs less.

Roger

[arash_hazeghi]

I had one of these and sometimes miss it. feather light and easy to carry especially when you are scouting. can't go wrong. It's a popular lens, if you end up not using it you can sell quickly...

[Roy Churchill]

I have owned both the lenses over the past few years and would say that the IQ of the 300/2.8 + 1.4x tc against the bare 400/5.6 is fairly even. For BIF I certainly prefer the 400/5.6 for its lightness and marginally faster AF.

[Ofer Levy]

Thanks for your great input guys! I think I will skip it....

[Elliotte Rusty Harold]

I had one of these and sometimes miss it. feather light and easy to carry especially when you are scouting. can't go wrong. It's a popular lens, if you end up not using it you can sell quickly...

Don't be so sure. I've been trying to sell a 400 f/5.6L for months at about 75% of new price with no takers. Oh well. Now it looks like that lens is going to make a trip to Cuba with me where I don't want to be carrying a lot of weight, so one way or another it works out. :-)

[arash_hazeghi]

Don't be so sure. I've been trying to sell a 400 f/5.6L for months at about 75% of new price with no takers. Oh well. Now it looks like that lens is going to make a trip to Cuba with me where I don't want to be carrying a lot of weight, so one way or another it works out. :-)

here is how to sell one in less than 3 days!

http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/board/10

[Mark Young]

Hi all,I own the Canon 300 f2.8 (old type) and I use it with the 1.4 converter for BIF. I got an opportunity to buy a great Canon 400mm f5.6 in cheap price and wonder if I really need it considering the 420mm combo (300 plus x1.4).Would love to hear your thoughts.Thanks,Ofer

That explains your comment from the other day.

I can't speak for the 300 f2.8, but I use the 300 4.5 with a 1.4tc and I find the 1.4 slows down the autofocus when compared with not using a TC. The slowness might not be as pronounced with the 2.8, but I'm not a camera buff so I can't be sure. The 300 f4.5 was working pretty nicely for the BIF images I was going for the other day with those Gulls and Terns. For non BIF shots the 1.4tc is fine, but for BIF's taking the TC off makes a noticeable difference.