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500 or 600mm f4 (1 Viewer)

Currently you can buy a Nikon 600mm and a D300 for the same price as a Canon 600mm and 50D :t:

or stick with a Canon 50D and 500mm which is currently cheaper than the Nikon D300/500mm combo.

I chose 500mm rather than 600 for weight, portability on 'planes, it's hand holdable ( briefly) and cheaper. No regrets............ yet !

I have a 500mm and 300f2.8 and I would keep the 300f2.8 if I had to loose one of them.:eek!::eek!::eek!:
If you get one of those maybe you won't have to wait until September;)
 
rioja said:
Currently you can buy a Nikon 600mm and a D300 for the same price as a Canon 600mm and 50D :t:

or stick with a Canon 50D and 500mm which is currently cheaper than the Nikon D300/500mm combo.

I chose 500mm rather than 600 for weight, portability on 'planes, it's hand holdable ( briefly) and cheaper. No regrets............ yet !

I have a 500mm and 300f2.8 and I would keep the 300f2.8 if I had to loose one of them.:eek!::eek!::eek!:
If you get one of those maybe you won't have to wait until September;)
Click to expand...

I have thought about the Nikon lenses, but, for some reason I am drawn to Canon.
 
I don't have either lens, but consider this:

there's quite a price differential between the two
there's a weight differential between the two
you will need to get a good gimbal head (full Wimberley, or Wimberley Sidekick)
you will need a quality Arca-Swiss type ballhead for the Sidekick
you will need a quality tripod

Perhaps, going for the 500mm will leave you with remaining funds to get the other requisite accessories.
 
wings said:
I don't have either lens, but consider this:

there's quite a price differential between the two
there's a weight differential between the two
you will need to get a good gimbal head (full Wimberley, or Wimberley Sidekick)
you will need a quality Arca-Swiss type ballhead for the Sidekick
you will need a quality tripod

Perhaps, going for the 500mm will leave you with remaining funds to get the other requisite accessories.
Click to expand...

I have factored all those into the cost.
Gitzo Tripod, Wimberly, Rucksack to carry it, 1.4x converter (poss a 2x as well), lenscoat.
All of this with a 600 is around £2k more than with a 500.
 
Here is a list of the equipment I have been looking at:

Canon EOS 50D Digital SLR Camera Body
Gitzo GT3541LS Systematic Studex Tripod with Safe Lock Plate - Long Version
Canon EF 2x II Extender
Canon EF 500mm f4 L IS USM Lens
The Viper Rucksack by Andy Rouse
LensCoat for Canon 500 IS - Forest Green
Canon EF 1.4x II Extender
Wimberley P50 Quick Release Plate
Wimberley Head Mk II
 
i rarly use a tripod but often use a monopod and carrie the lens/camera over my shoulder then its awalys ready .
i soon found out a rucksack lost me shots if its in it.
Rob.
 
Hi Gaz,
I bought my 500mm f4.0 4/5 years ago, and have no regrets what so ever. Canon prices are currently through the roof due to the situation with the economy. I was fortunate to get all my stuff imported by B&H in New York and saved a fortune at the time.
I managed to buy
500 f4.0 IS lens
Wimberley head
Wimberley release plate
Lowepro Pro Trekker AW II rucksack
Gitzo G1325 tripod
all for less than the £5000 Warehouse Express wanted for the lens alone.
Last year I went to Corsica on holiday. The lens and rucksack, were deemed to heavy for handluggage, so I walked through checkin in with the rucksack empty, with the lens over me shoulder. Nobody bothered a bit, on the otherside, i put me lens back in the rucksack, and all was fine. I would never put my gear through the hold. Insured, yes, but no bloody good on holiday if it gets knackered.
The other alternative to buy is obviously ebay. I just bought a second hand 300mm f2.8 thats faultless from a seller, and saved £1000 on a new one.

Good luck with ya choice, im sure you wont regret it either way.
 
GYRob said:
i rarly use a tripod but often use a monopod and carrie the lens/camera over my shoulder then its awalys ready .
i soon found out a rucksack lost me shots if its in it.
Rob.
Click to expand...

I thought of a rucksack in case I'm out and about and in UK rain is just around the corner. Plus the Andy Rouse version looks like it can do the job.
 
Gaz,
A good rucksack is essential. Apart from the camera / lens, you also need spare batteries, cards, beanbag, converter, spare lens, field guide, binoculars, leads, chargers, etc etc.
For me, the purpose of the bag is to consolidate all my gear, so it stays in the bag when I'm not using it. I decide what I need when I get there and usually leave the bag and the rest in the boot.
I'm not sure I would use a 2x with the 50D though.
I use the Gitzo 3541LS myself, Whats the safelock plate-long version?
Mike
 
stevo said:
A suggestion for you why don`t you rent the lenses then try them out in the field before you make your final decision.


Steve.
Click to expand...


This is a great idea. I'm no backpacker when it comes to photography, so using a vehicle for most places enables me to stay with the 600mm lens, which while "better" and closer, would be more of a burden were I to hand carry it a lot. At most I carry it a few hundred yards from the vehicle.

If you have a different style, a lighter lens may be in order. By renting, you can see which may suit you better.;)
 
Not sure about the Canon 500mm but instead of the Wimberley quick release plate I bought one of these Kirk replacement lens feet for my Nikon.
http://www.warehouseexpress.com/product/default.aspx?sku=1006454
It lowers the centre of gravity on the Wimberley head and makes carrying and hand holding the lends a lot easier. Wimberley also sell a replacement foot but if you put that on my lens you can't get your fingers underneath to use it as a carrying handle.
 
Gaz, your proposed kit looks very nice and you should be ecstatic with it.

That Viper Rucksack looks to be quite the setup. I just purchased a Lowepro 600 AW and sold my Lowepro Photo Trekker which I was using for my 500mm. I wanted to reduce weight and this move helped.
 
I was lucky enough to spend a day recently in the company of an internationally known wildlife photographer. I asked about big lenses and was surprised to be told that he no longer carries anything bigger than 300mm except in special circumstances. With increasingly better sensor resolution and noise management at high ISO, his view is that it's more sensible to buy a more expensive camera with good resolution and crop the shots than to buy a big, heavy lens with the problems of camera shake and the physical difficulty of transporting it to locations and carrying it around all day.
If you haven't yet decided on a camera why not explore this first before spending thousands on a big lens?
Just a thought.
Mike
 
Highcountry said:
Gaz, your proposed kit looks very nice and you should be ecstatic with it.

That Viper Rucksack looks to be quite the setup. I just purchased a Lowepro 600 AW and sold my Lowepro Photo Trekker which I was using for my 500mm. I wanted to reduce weight and this move helped.
Click to expand...

I must admit the 600 AW looks to be a lot better than the Viper. The Viper seems to be designed by Andy Rouse for Andy Rouse. I can see how it would be good if you were going out into the field with a 600mm, 300 f2.8, 24-105 and a three-course lunch. But if all you've got is a 500mm then the Lowepro will be easier to carry, better balanced, one sixth the weight and two-thirds the price. Plus you can carry a tripod in it.*



*On the Viper demo video Andy says he doesn't believe in carrying a tripod on your back because it "ruins your back".
 
expresso love said:
I was lucky enough to spend a day recently in the company of an internationally known wildlife photographer. I asked about big lenses and was surprised to be told that he no longer carries anything bigger than 300mm except in special circumstances. With increasingly better sensor resolution and noise management at high ISO, his view is that it's more sensible to buy a more expensive camera with good resolution and crop the shots than to buy a big, heavy lens with the problems of camera shake and the physical difficulty of transporting it to locations and carrying it around all day.
If you haven't yet decided on a camera why not explore this first before spending thousands on a big lens?
Just a thought.
Mike
Click to expand...
Hi Mike,

Did think about a 300 f2.8 with converter.
Buying the best camera and then cropping would, I think, cause a dilema in the future (for me anyway).
If you had the 300 with the best sensor/cropping camera attached and then a new and improved version came out, you would want to upgrade to that and so on.
Doesn't everyone who takes photographs secretly hanker for more?
That's just my take on it.
I know it would send my wife mad.
 
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