• Welcome to BirdForum, the internet's largest birding community with thousands of members from all over the world. The forums are dedicated to wild birds, birding, binoculars and equipment and all that goes with it.

    Please register for an account to take part in the discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.
ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Canon 500mm v 400DO lens (1 Viewer)

LeeDavis

LeeDavis

Lee Davis Wildlife Photography
Hi,
i have a fantastic 500mm luis lens which i find to be the best lens i have ever used, but the weight and size is now getting the better of me. As i do most of my travalling on a motorbike it becomes a burden. So im now looking at the 400mm f4 luis DO lens for size. i have never used one of these lenses so some feed back would be great from someone thats used one or owns one, to help me with my dilemma.

regards
 
Lee,
I don't have this lens. But I do know of a couple of sites that can give you some written and visual feedback regarding the 400 DO. Check here for a dozen user reviews and here for 100+ bird/wildlife "test" images.

Everything I have heard about this lens, good and bad, is pretty much confirmed by the user reviews.

Good luck

Steve
 
Lee,compare the weight of this lens with say a 300F4 or a 400F5.6.The IS DO lenses are pretty heavy compared to the non is.Okay the quality is perhaps not quite in thesame league,but with the 300/400 you can add the 1x4(300 auto focuses,400 needs taping) both lenses give good quality pics with the converters,and less weight than a heavy IS lens.You could most likely buy one of the cheaper lightweight non is and still keep your 500 for when you are not biking.Just an idea.
Why not visit the gallery and see some images taken with both these lenses.
I would not like to have carried a heavy lens on my motorbike,think of the damage if some car driver "Sorry ,mate didn't see you" prangs you!!!
 
Hi Lee,

I have the 400/4 DO and 500/4.5. There is a world of difference in handling. The 400 is spec'd at only a kilo less than the 500/4.5, but it seems even lighter. Probably because of the shorter length. It's very handholdable, and otherwised adequately supported by a G1227. The 400/1227 combo is vastly easier to transport and use than the a/G1325.
 
Another vote for the 400DO. Handholdable, portable, fits in a wee backpack. I had teething problems with my copy - it needed new AF and IS systems! - but is now back and healthy. I thought the higher IQ, IS and extra f stop were worth the extra 3 grand over the 400 5.6, but that 'toy' lens has a lot of fans.

James
 
Another lens to consider would be the 300 f2.8, it's much smaller and more manageable than the 500 f4 and will work very well with both 1.4x and 2x tcs. It's a very popular lens, supposedly as sharp as (possibly sharper than) the 500 f4, and a deal cheaper than the 400 DO.
 
LeeDavis said:
Hi,
i have a fantastic 500mm luis lens which i find to be the best lens i have ever used, but the weight and size is now getting the better of me. As i do most of my travalling on a motorbike it becomes a burden. So im now looking at the 400mm f4 luis DO lens for size. i have never used one of these lenses so some feed back would be great from someone thats used one or owns one, to help me with my dilemma.

regards
Click to expand...

Hi Lee,

I just saw this thread. I have both the Canon 500mm f4 and the 400mm DO lenses. I use the 400 DO for hand held shots and it is exceptionally good - also with a 1.4 TC. It is certainly light enough that you can walk around all day with it - no problem. I tried it with a monopod, but that didn't work for me - simply because it gets in the way when taking pot shots at flying birds.

All in all I thoroughly recommend the 400mm DO lens - every bit as sharp as the 500 mm and easy to carry on the bike.

Barry Boswell.
 
Warning! This thread is more than 17 years ago old.
It's likely that no further discussion is required, in which case we recommend starting a new thread. If however you feel your response is required you can still do so.

Similar threads

M
Sigma 150-600 Lens Alternatives
Replies
4
Views
1K
mike nesbitt
M
The Robin
Camera advice...R7
Replies
6
Views
1K
paddyluke
paddyluke
BenjiS
Budget Canon lens
Replies
8
Views
1K
nikitasius
N
O
Canon EOS 80D always slightly "fuzzy"
Replies
14
Views
2K
nikitasius
N
C
Strap for Canon 7 D body
Replies
3
Views
838
colincurry
colincurry

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 2 (members: 0, guests: 2)
Back
Top