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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Dave Williams" data-source="post: 3273949" data-attributes="member: 53820">A word of warning Robert... the older you get the less able to deal with weight!I deliberated for ages as to which of the two to choose, 500 or 600 MK11. I couldn't justify both but the 500 won on it's weight and volume. The 600mm is not always a viable option to take abroad and that's where so much of my photography takes place as I'm lucky enough to take a few foreign holidays each year. I also decided that the older I got the more difficult it would become to manage the extra weight so the 500 was more of a long term investment.However, and it's a big however, I do miss the extra 20% reach my 600mm gave me. I have contemplated buying another but it would be difficult to justify having the two again as I once did, albeit the MK1 versions... so I empathise with anyone who has the guilt of having spent so much just for a hobby.I haven't actually held a 600mm MK11 though and although it's a similar weight to the 500mm MK1 the MK11's are constructed differently. It's not a case of better balance, it's a case of better weight distribution. The front glass element has been removed and the weight is firmly at the back end of the outfit now. That means the weight is carried by the arm tucked in to the chest not the outstretched one with no support. Makes a huge difference to hand holding. Not that it matters much, but balancing the outfit on a tripod is trickier, especially with a heavy camera body on the back. As for me, if I was going to spend a small fortune on another lens, strangely I might consider the 200-400 with a built in TC but there again, the 600 would still be in the back of my mind especially as I only have full frame bodies nowadays.</blockquote>

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