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hello,
how do you compare canon 300mm f/2.8 +canon 2x t.c. vs canon 500mm f/4 ? i know everybody will say 500mm is always better, but there are many plus points in 300mm. it is light, less conspicuous, more versatile,and much cheaper... and image quality with 2x t.c. suffers only in contrast and not in resolution..any opinions?
I presume you are talking about the 300mm f2.8 L IS USM and the 500mm f4 L IS USM lens. The new version of the 300mm f2.8 L IS USM lens has hit the market in small numbers and the new 500mm is about to be released. So only availability of these lenses are in second hand market.
These are two different and excellent lenses and either is an excellent choice if it suits your requirements.
The 300mm f2.8 L IS USM lens is 9.9 inches long vs 15.2 inches of the 500mm f4 L IS USM lens. The 300mm f2.8 L IS USM lens weighs 2.550 kgs vs 3.870kgs of the 500mm f4 L IS USM lens. So if you are looking for a compact lens then the 300mm f2.8 L IS USM lens wins.
Focal Lengths at various apertures:
At f4:
300mm f2.8 L IS USM lens with 1.4x TC gives you a 420mm lens at f4 vs. 500mm of the 500mm f4 L IS USM lens. The 300mm f2.8 L IS USM lens is superb if the subject is close to you. If the shallow depth of field is ok for you and the subject is closer, then 300mm f2.8 lens can be used at f2.8 aperture and excels. If the subject is a bit far away then you can use the 1.4x TC. However, remember that the autofocus slows down slightly with the use of TCs.
At f5.6
300mm f2.8 L IS USM lens plus 2x TC gives you 600mm at f5.6
the 500mm f4 L IS USM lens with 1.4x TC gives you 700mm at f5.6
So the 500mm will always give you longer focal length. However, for many applications the 600mm is good enough. And since most of the people don't mind cropping, the 300mm f2.8 L IS USM lens plus 2x TC is good enough at a cheaper price.
Handholding:
The 300mm f2.8 L IS USM lens is easy to handhold. The 500mm can be handheld, however, one needs to do a bit of weight lifting to tone up muscles.
Lowlight: Clearly the 300mm f2.8 L IS USM wins, if you can move closer or get the subject to come close to you (waiting in a hide).
Image Quality:
The 300mm f2.8 L IS USM lens will give you very good quality along with the 2x TC. You will find some loss in contrast and slight purple fringing when you are shooting against light (if you check at 100% crop). You wont find a problem in resolution. However, with the tendency to crop 80-90%, the first thing one notices is the quality of a photographer's technique. Resolution or the lack of it comes much later.
If you are planning to buy a used lens then better to check the quality of the lens as I have seen some bad samples floating in the market.
Cheers,
Sabyasachi
hello Sabysachi,
thanks for very quick and very informative answer.thank you very much.