Reviews by Richard Witham

I have owned the 500mm lens for almost 3 years and in that period the lens has travelled with me around the globe and to both polar regions. It has survived harsh weather conditions and a fall of 5 feet when I inadvertantly caught the lens release button in gloved hands (much to the disgust of the other occupants of the hide I was in at the time, although fellow photographers had the opportunity to take shots of several hundred wildfowl taking to the air!). Apart from a little mud on the lens hood the lens was completely undamaged.

The lens is heavy especially mounted to a pro-spec body but can be hand held when the need arises, however, my preferred option is to mount on a monopod to give extra stability. Also the lens/camera can be slung over my shoulder and easily carried long distances. I use the lens extensively with the 1.4x extender and on occasions with extension tubes to allow for closer focus distance, both combinations giving excellent results. I also use a 2x extender when absolutely necessary since there is a slight drop-off in image quality. The lens can just about be used for flight shots although I prefer the 300mm f2.8 lens which matched with the 1D MkIV body is hard to beat.

The only negatives I have had with the lens is screw attaching the lens hood which does not always release and takes several attempts to remove the hood, minor point but can be annoying. The other problem is air travel, I have managed to carry-on as hand luggage but can compromise the kit I can take on a trip, The ABS case supplied is rubust but a perfect advertisement for the contents, I now pack the lens and case into a holdall for better secruity when checking it in as hold luggage.

I have now been using this camera for approximately a year and have found it not wanting in any respect. I have taken over 20,000 images in that period using the camera and the 1D MkIV has become my choice for any wildlife photography. A fully charged battery will last several days shooting at a rate or 500-750 per day (I always carry a back-up though).

Coupled with the Canon 300mm f2.8 L IS Lens, the 1D MkIV is my first choice for any flight or action shots since the AF is fast and precise. For close-ups, my prefered set-up is the 500mm f4 L IS Lens often with the 1.4x extender. The APS-H size sensor gives an additional 'magnification' of 1.3 bringing the latter camera/lens combination to an equivalent of over 900mm, or in 35mm camera terms a 18x magnification over the 50mm lens. Examples of the results can be found in my gallery.

I realise that this camera is cost prohibitive to a lot of people, however, after using other Canon DSLR cameras I would not swap it and certainly recommend it for any serious photographer in this field.