Which lens for birding

Phil Bennett

Phil Bennett

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Philip
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Guys

As of yet I dont own a long lens, but I quite like to take pics of birds.

I cant decide between, the Sigma 150 - 500 or the Canon 400mm f5.6 prime with possible a 1.4 extender when required.

What would you guys choose and why.

BTW, if I choose the Canon with extender, would I still retain AF on my 1D MkIV?

Regards

Phil
 
you could also consider the 300mm 2.8 then combine that with a 2x extender. giving you a nice 600mm f/5.6

EDIT: if your worried about the IQ of the 300 + 2x combination I would give CT a pm and get him to give you a sample of his 300 + 2x extender shots, pretty impressive.
 
...or the 400 f2.8 if you've got shed loads of money.

The 400mm f5.6 is an excellent optic. Fast focus and very sharp. However it is a bit slow and it doesn't have IS. As regards autofocus my understanding is that with a 1 series camera you will still get autofocus with a 1.4 extender (minimum aperture f8) but not necessarily with all the focus points.
 
I had a 400/5.6 for a while and it is a stunningly sharp lens - as good as the 500/4. I still think of buying another sometimes. It will AF on a 1DIV but centre point only and pretty slow...
 
Rob_Ashton said:
you could also consider the 300mm 2.8 then combine that with a 2x extender. giving you a nice 600mm f/5.6

EDIT: if your worried about the IQ of the 300 + 2x combination I would give CT a pm and get him to give you a sample of his 300 + 2x extender shots, pretty impressive.
Click to expand...

I'm no birder but have tried this combo and even I can get a couple of decent shots in a session. AF is still quick on a 1D series and the IS helps a lot!
 
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