Long Lens Options

Paul Holtom

Paul Holtom

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Paul
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Would like to get a bit more reach for my aviation shots but not sure on my options, I currently have as follows:

5D MK2 and 7D bodies
70-200 F4 and 100-400 F4-5.6

What I would really like is something a bit longer than the 400mm end of the 100-400 on the 7D, so 640mm equivilent.

I am guessing the 1.4 extender will be manual focus only so not really an option.

So would I be better changing to a 1D body and using the 100-400 with an extender or just get a 600mm lens.

Interested to know what other people use for aviation shots
 
Tight Fart said:
I thought the 1.4x still worked on the 100-400?
Doesn't the AF still work down to f8.
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No. It packs up at f/5.6 on anything but the 1D-series bodies.

Long lens photography is expensive, and very long lenses are unavoidably very expensive.

If you can raise the cash, you will end up with a big prime. Frankly there aren't many alternatives, and none of them are very good.
 
I had been having the same dilemma over the past few months.

I bought a 1D Mark II and linked it up to my 100-400 + 1.4x extender and it doesn't work very well, so I've just bitten the bullet and ordered a 300mm f2.8L IS and 2x extender. Expensive business this photography lark.... :)
 
I have had reasonable results with the Sigma 150-500. It will take sharp pictures at 50mm, but not wide open.

Might be worth checking out as it would be a lot cheaper option.
 
SMT said:
I had been having the same dilemma over the past few months.

I bought a 1D Mark II and linked it up to my 100-400 + 1.4x extender and it doesn't work very well, so I've just bitten the bullet and ordered a 300mm f2.8L IS and 2x extender. Expensive business this photography lark.... :)
Click to expand...

Will be very interested to know how you get on with this, are you going to use with your 5D MK2 or do you have a crop sensor body also?
 
SMT said:
I had been having the same dilemma over the past few months.

I bought a 1D Mark II and linked it up to my 100-400 + 1.4x extender and it doesn't work very well, so I've just bitten the bullet and ordered a 300mm f2.8L IS and 2x extender. Expensive business this photography lark.... :)
Click to expand...

Yup. That's what I would choose. IQ won't be quite as good as a 600mm lens, but the ability to handhold would make it a lot more useful.
 
Paul Holtom said:
Will be very interested to know how you get on with this, are you going to use with your 5D MK2 or do you have a crop sensor body also?
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I only got the lens day before yesterday and went out for the first time to test it yesterday. I was using it on my 1D Mark II and 2x convertor, so at 600mm and got some reasonable shots. The IQ is good even with the 2x convertor. I even stacked the 1.4x and 2x convertors at one point just to try it, so 840mm and the IQ wasn't terrible! The weird but not bad thing was with the extenders stacked it was still AF'ing at f5.6 albeit slowly. I assumed it would only AF at f8 and only on the centre point with the 1D?

The only thing I noticed was that the AF on the lens is very noisy even a bit clunky. Not sure if this is normal? Hope not!

I defintely need more practise with it though before I can offer any real world opinion.

Simon.
 
I use a Bigma 50-500 on a 7D and always thought handheld was no option with this lens. However, when shooting stuff in the air that is fast moving having no IS (OS) doesn't matter. I was at Farnborough airshow this year with this setup and have got a good few images I am happy with.

Rather heavy though. My back didn't like me the next day!!!
 
SMT said:
The weird but not bad thing was with the extenders stacked it was still AF'ing at f5.6 albeit slowly. I assumed it would only AF at f8 and only on the centre point with the 1D?
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When you stack TCs the camera is only aware of the closest one, so it'll still attempt AF even though the real aperture is f8.
 
malla1962 said:
Better off with the 400f5.6
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This is the dilemma. The OP already has a 100-400L which is pretty much as good, and combines great versatility with IS.

The 300L 4 IS is good and okay with a 1.4x, but that's a compromise and not very long at the end of the day. 400L 5.6 is also good, but has no IS (and min focus is quite long). And it's still only 400mm. Sigma looks attractive but doesn't quite deliver like a Canon L.

So this is the time when I ask Canon again to produce a 500L 5.6 IS. It would be half the weight and cost of the 500L 4 IS, needn't be that much bigger or much more costly than the 400L (unless they stick fluorite in it, which would be wonderful but costly). All these lenses are old relatively speaking dating from the mid 1990s and while optical science doesn't move that fast at this end of things, it must have jogged along a bit.
 
How about the sigma 500 f/4.5?

It'll still only af on the centre point of a 1D with a 1.4x, but it costs a lot less than a 500/4L IS, and is lighter
 
Yes I have this same dilema!! I am looking to get 600mm or therabouts.

The ideal is a 300Lf2.8 + 2xTC but even used they are ferosiously expensive!

Have considered a Sigma f2.8 but am very concerned about the IQ with the
2xTC
 
Ive just got a siggy 300mm and it seems quite good with the 1.4x, i still need to get a 2x to see the impact that has on it stopped down a bit, but reading this thread im not getting my hopes up.
 
HoppyUK said:
Long lens photography is expensive, and very long lenses are unavoidably very expensive.

If you can raise the cash, you will end up with a big prime. Frankly there aren't many alternatives, and none of them are very good.
Click to expand...

Richard is right unfortunately. The long stuff is very expensive.

On his last point though, well, I beg to differ..........:)
 

This was hand-held with a 100-400L with IS going and
/Autofocus/ with the Tamron-F 1.4x
Could be crisper, but that is a 1:1, and planes are gonna be somewhat larger (the text box is around 1" in height). That is actually with the 400d, which didn't have too many problems. On the 7d, it needs better light, and can take a while.
 
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