CANON EF 600mm f/4L IS

SEPkent

SEPkent

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CANON EF 600mm f/4L IS Lens USM IS 600 mm f 4

Anyone got one of these? Is it really worth the money and what's a god price second hand?

Also

Is the 300mm F2.8L Prime really worth that much more than the F4 version?

Thanks
 
Both very good - assuming thats what you need of course. Excellent for motorsport!
 
the 300mm f2.8 is L lens is, and i'm sure someone will correct me if i'm wrong, the fastest AF lens that canon produce. it is simply outstanding!
 
Depends what you want to use it for and what else you have.

600/4 is a cracking lens but is also a beast. Needs a very good tripod and head, probably a new bag etc. If you need it, it's worth it.

I've had both the 300/4 and the 300/2.8 and sold them both as they didn't really suit what I needed.

Surely it is better to learn your current kit and get the most out of that rather than focusing on equipment.
 
yes on all counts
the 600mm is a beaut but a beast too
while the 300mm f2.8 is delight to work with
mega fast and super sharp
 
SEPkent said:
Is the 300mm F2.8L Prime really worth that much more than the F4 version?
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Oh meant to say... define "worth"... if you mean resale value, yes, the 2.8 is deinitely worth a lot more than the f4 :D

If you mean "worth" as in results... yes, sharper, faster focusing, better bokeh and better accuracy because its f2.8 (which means you Canon body will engage "ninja focus mode").

Is making technically better pictures worth a cash value to you? I can't answer that for you...
 
SEPkent said:
CANON EF 600mm f/4L IS Lens USM IS 600 mm f 4

Anyone got one of these? Is it really worth the money and what's a god price second hand?
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Is it worth the money? Of course it is - it's a masterpiece of lens technology. It's also big, heavy and cumbersome to cart around which is why many people opt for the 500mm f4L instead.

The 500mm f4L will still AF on any Canon body with a 1.4XTC (becoming a 700mm f5.6) and will AF with the 2X TC on a 1 Series body (becoming a 1000mm f8) While it's lighter than the 600mm f4, don't under-estimate the commitment you need to cart this lens any distance with a tripod and the rest of the ancillary equipment - something to think seriously about before you invest.

Also

Is the 300mm F2.8L Prime really worth that much more than the F4 version?

Thanks
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Again - of course it is, if what it has to offer is what you need. This lens is one of the sharpest optics Canon ever made, and it will AF on any Canon body with either converter. It's a stellar performer even with converters, and with the 2XTC making it an effective 600mm f5.6 it's a very attractive proposition for longer reach without the length and weight of the longer super telephoto lenses.

The recent price rises on these lenses inevitably means that 2nd hand one are now commanding an increased price.
 
The 600mm is about £7000 new - so whats a good price for a mint second hand one? £5000??
The 300mm is about £3500 new - so whats a good price for a mint second hand one?
£2500??
 
Closer to new prices for mint used ones I'm afraid - the 300mm f/2.8 goes for closer to £3k

That's the problem with lenses, good glass is good glass, whether it's new or old. When you also factor in the exchange rate pushing prices up in general and thus more people looking at used rather than new, the used prices have shot up quite a bit.
 
You need to bear in mind also that you are looking at the very "pro" end of the market here... there might be a few 300 2.8's around, but not many 600's - they simply aren't a volume item.

Also, given that these items are into the realm of the "pro" a lot of what you see come up secondhand will be somewhat less than "mint". Optically probably fine, but definitely a bit beat up externally. Don't expect that to lower the price much though!
 
SEPkent said:
The 600mm is about £7000 new - so whats a good price for a mint second hand one? £5000??
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It's almost impossible to say. There's no real market in second-hand ones. People generally aren't going to stump up £7000 to buy one unless they're pretty sure they want/need one.

Last summer one of our customers dropped a Canon 500mm and took a big chunk out of the barrel. The optics and electronics were fine, and she suggested that rather than pay to have it repaired she could just buy it off us (paying a price that reflected its pre-drop condition, of course). But we couldn't find a way of agreeing on what a fair price would be, because so few of these are sold second-hand and there's no decent price data.
 
SEPkent said:
CANON EF 600mm f/4L IS Lens USM IS 600 mm f 4

Anyone got one of these? Is it really worth the money and what's a god price second hand?
Click to expand...

Worth every penny if you need 600/4 or 840/5.6 . I think it's optically as good as the 500/4 but requires a little more muscle tone to get it where you want it. Also factor in around £450-500 for a decent tripod, £300-400 for a suitable Gimbal head and £130'ish for a case.

SEPkent said:
Is the 300mm F2.8L Prime really worth that much more than the F4 version?

Thanks
Click to expand...

The 300/4 rates as good piece of kit whilst the 300/2.8 sits on the scale somewhere just above stunning.

Bob
 
purpleclouds said:
And is the extra 100mm and one stop the 500 gives, worth the extra £4000 over a 400 5.6L? :p
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There's a bit more to it than that. The 400 5.6L wont autofocus with either converter on a XXD body and only with the 1.4X TC on a 1 Series body.

The 500mm f4L will AF on a XXD body with the 1.4X TC (700mm) and with the 2XTC on a 1 Series body (1000mm), so differences there of 300mm and 600mm respectively.

Then there's the small matter of the 500mm having image stabilisation.
 
StewartR said:
It's almost impossible to say. There's no real market in second-hand ones. People generally aren't going to stump up £7000 to buy one unless they're pretty sure they want/need one.

Last summer one of our customers dropped a Canon 500mm and took a big chunk out of the barrel. The optics and electronics were fine, and she suggested that rather than pay to have it repaired she could just buy it off us (paying a price that reflected its pre-drop condition, of course). But we couldn't find a way of agreeing on what a fair price would be, because so few of these are sold second-hand and there's no decent price data.
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Out of curiosity, what happened?
 
Also can someone please explain what a 'stop' is? I always presumed it was rolling the wheel one 'stop' or increasing it one level but it appears to be more like 2-3 increments equals '1 stop'? Can someone please explain?
 
Kryptix said:
Also can someone please explain what a 'stop' is? I always presumed it was rolling the wheel one 'stop' or increasing it one level but it appears to be more like 2-3 increments equals '1 stop'? Can someone please explain?
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A stop is the term used to describe a halving or doubling of exposure. The term is more correctly applied to aperture alterations than shutter alterations, but in practice has come to mean either. If we open up the aperture from f8 to f5.6 we double the exposure or increase it by 1 stop. Similarly if we increase the shutter speed from 1/125th to 1/250th. we halve the exposure or reduce it by one stop.

The origin of the term, 'stop' is a bit shrouded in photographic history now, although the term remains in usage. The likeliest theory of it's origin is that very early photographers adjusted the amount of light passing through the lens by inserting plates with different sized holes behind the lens in a light trapped slot.(No mechanical diaphragms back then) They thought of it in terms of admitting or stopping light.
 
Kryptix said:
? I always presumed it was rolling the wheel one 'stop' or increasing it one level but it appears to be more like 2-3 increments equals '1 stop'? Can someone please explain?
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Most digital camera adjust exposure in either 1/3 or 1/2 increments of a stop.
 
You is welcome. If you dive down into the menus on your camera you'll find you probably have the choice of 1/3 or 1/2 stop exposure increments.

In fact it's Custom Function I(1) on the 50D. The difference between 1/3 and half stop is fairly negligable in most cases.

I've set my hand held meter to read in half stops when I shoot medium format purely because I can only set 1/2 stops on the (mechanical) cameras and readouts in 1/3 stops give me severe brain fade. :puke:
 
In answer to the original question it's probably worth noting that Canon spent 11 million dollars on the development of just four lenses - the 300mm f2.8, 400mm f2.8, 500mm f4 and 600mm f4 IS. We shouldn't really expect to pick one up for fourpence 'alfpenny. :D
 
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