600mm F4

I dont have one, but one of my shooting buddies does.

The 500 is often the wildlife photographer's choice as it is significantly lighter than the 600. If you have to carry it any distance then a 500 might be a better choice.

On the other hand, given the three rules of bird photography (you know what they are!), 600 with 1.4x TC might be the way to go! :p

Have a search for images posted by IanC with his 600 and 1.4x TC. :)
 
Joe T said:
The 500 is often the wildlife photographer's choice as it is significantly lighter than the 600. If you have to carry it any distance then a 500 might be a better choice.
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Its a proper lens, the weight isn't an issue as your wallet will be significantly lighter after purchasing it, so equals itself out. :LOL:
 
Very much as JoeT has said. Remember also that a 1.4 TC on the 500 gives you 700mm whilst on the 600 you get 840mm. There is however a significant difference in cost and weight between the 2 setups.

This topic has also been discussed before: http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=69668

Remember that you have also going to have to factor some serious money for a tripod and gimbal type head.
 
If money and weight are not an issue, you can never have too much magnification. It's a lot of glass to carry around, you do get used to it though and I wouldn't be without mine!
 
Bird photography is about reach and mobility.
The 600mm will give you that extra edge on the reach front but, is bloody heavy and it takes a herculean effort to hand hold the beast long enough to take the shot.

The 500mm is much lighter and although still heavy, you can hand hold it for 20-30 sec with some easy.
Also to be taken in to consideration... Airplane carryon luggage weight restrictions (most have a 10Kg cap :thumbsdown:) a 600mm, two 1D bodies and your bag will get you pretty much there. The 500mm will allow for another 2 L lenses. I normally take my 70-200, 17-40, 24-105, 500 and my 2 bodies on my vertex 300 Aw. That combo puts me just over the limit.

Rent them both (I did). After trying the two lenses I found the versatility of the 500 to be more useful than he extra reach of the 600.
 
Hopefully this is an choice I will have to make in the future, as the 600mm f4 is on my hitlist. One thing I had considered though is to get the slightly older 600mm f4 non-VR. My thinking being that it could hopefully be picked up for cheaper, and if locked on a good solid tripod (which I already have) and using a remote shutter etc, then the VR is of limited value anyway. Thoughts?
 
Messiah Khan said:
One thing I had considered though is to get the slightly older 600mm f4 non-VR. My thinking being that it could hopefully be picked up for cheaper, and if locked on a good solid tripod (which I already have) and using a remote shutter etc, then the VR is of limited value anyway. Thoughts?
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Thats what I did. My friend upgraded to the VR version so I took his 'as new' AFS II off his hands for just under half the price of a new VR (half the old price, before everything went up - so a bit of a bargain for me).

If I had unlimited funds I'd have gone for the VR version but in reality, there are very few situations where I feel I've missed a shot from lack of VR. Using a good tripod or a beanbag is just as good. I've got a shot I took on a beanbag from the car window at 1/80 second with the 600 + a 1.4x TC and its more than usable.

If the lens was lighter and easy to handhold then the VR version would make more sense but personally as its a lens that pretty much always requires some form of support, you can forego the VR and save some cash.

I'm in the middle of writing up a review/comparison of the AFS II and VR versions, really must pull my finger out and finish it!!
 
erding said:
Very much as JoeT has said. Remember also that a 1.4 TC on the 500 gives you 700mm whilst on the 600 you get 840mm. There is however a significant difference in cost and weight between the 2 setups.

This topic has also been discussed before: http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=69668

Remember that you have also going to have to factor some serious money for a tripod and gimbal type head.
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No as i already have the 500mm F4 with a Gitzo 3531LS and Wimberley mk2 (y)
 
Save yourself some money and get a 50D body which will give you pretty much the same extra reach as spending all that wonga on a 600mm?
 
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