Another 400 f5.6 or a 300 f4 L IS lens ? (1 Viewer)

[senatore]

My current kit for taking bird shots is a Canon 7D camera and a Canon 400 f5.6 prime lens.

I've had the lens for many years and it's now a bit battered.The manual focussing ring is very loose and only changes the focus if you pull back firmly when rotating it.I'm not complaining it's been a great lens and still works well with AF. It owes me nothing.

What to do next is the problem bearing in mind I have no desire to buy a bigger lens as I couldn't carry one round all day.Do I :-

* Keep the current lens.

* Buy a new Canon 400 f5.6 prime lens and sell the old one.

* Buy a new Canon EF 300 f4 L IS lens

I know from another thread that the 300 lens takes a 1.4 converter well and it has the advantage of a closer focussing range so better for butterflies etc but I have no idea if it's anywhere near as good for bird shots as the 400 lens.

Any comments,advice etc would be most welcome.

Max.

 

[GYRob]

If your always going to have the tc on the 300 f4 the 400 will focus faster and be sharper .
The main thing is do you need IS ? do you need to focus closer ?

This is the main diffrence between the 2 lenses - only you can say what would work best for you .
At the end of the day they both are great value, after these 2 canon lenses you get in to spending a lot more money .
Rob.

 

[Roy C]

I think Rob has got it right. If you are usually range limited then you will be using a 300/4 with a converter most of the time - focus speed and IQ will not be up to the bare 400 that's for sure. If you are shooting in poor light then the IS on the 300/4 will come in handy as you can shoot with a couple of stops lower ISO. On the other hand if you normally shoot in good light then hand holding the 400/5.6 is no problem as you already know. There's no doubting that the 300/4 is a very good lens for bigger insects like butterfly's with its closer focusing distances.

If I was choosing one just for birds I would certainly go for the 400/5.6 - having said that if you can get near to the birds (hides .....) then the bare 300/4 is superb.

The next step-up to these lenses would be a used 300/2.8 IS MkI but that's going to set you back near to £3k (well worth it though IMHO).

 

[senatore]

Thanks for the advice everyone.

It's bird shots I'm really into the most so it's the 400 f 5.6 I think but I've seen some great shots taken with the 300 f 4.

Max

 

[Weekend Birder]

I rarely use manual focus, so I'd just carry on with the old lens.

 

[punta]

I had both on a 7D - nearly always grabbed the 300 as I loved the IS and with my 1.5 tele on I had 450 for that extra reach. But mainly used it as a plain 300 f4 walkabout lens so the close focus was a bonus.

If I was doing BIF - it was the 400 for its speed.

If I was to buy again.......................... 300 for me without a doubt. I got shaky hands these days. :-C

NOW IF I HAD THE DOSH.............300 2.8. My advice would be stick with your old 400 buy the Mrs some thing nice and start saving :-O

They are both cracking lens.

Good luck with your choice :t:

 

[johnf3f]

I have the Canon 300 F4 IS and cannot recommend it highly enough. However it is a bit short for small birds. As a general wildlife lens it is superb and quite light, though for songbirds (and similar size subjects) focal length is everything!
The 400 F5.6 is simply the cheapest 400 mm lens that offers really good IQ, so if you are weight and/or budget limited I would stick with what you have got - possibly get it serviced?
If you could stretch to a 300 mm F2.8 then you are really moving up a notch. It is a bit of a lump and will become tiring after a while if you are hand holding but the IQ is superb. Add a Canon 1.4 (Mk2 or 3) extender and you still have F4 and pretty fast AF at 420mm. Add a Canon 2 x Mk3 extender and the AF will slow down - but in good light you will have a very viable 600mm F5.6. I compared my 300 F2.8 L IS Mk1 + 2 x Mk3 to my 600mm F4 L IS Mk1 and it was very far from shabby it is also a lot cheaper and lighter.
Food for thought?

 

[senatore]

Thanks again for your help everyone.

Max.

 

[senatore]

Thanks again for your help everyone.

Max.