w w w . i n d i a w i l d s . c o m
home
about Sabyasachi Patra
diary
forums
image gallery
contact IndiaWilds
Home
About
Diary
Forums
Gallery
ContactUs

User Tag List

Results 1 to 6 of 6

Thread: Canon 400mm f/2.8 vs Canon 500mm f/4

  1. #1
    Join Date
    21-08-13
    Location
    Sharjah , UAE
    Posts
    536
    Mentioned
    0 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)

    Default Canon 400mm f/2.8 vs Canon 500mm f/4

    Dear All,

    Help in taking decision , confused if I should go with canon 400mm f/2.8 + 2Xconv OR Canon 500mm f/4 +1.4Xconv.
    My main subject of photography is mammals and very seldom birds.
    Kindly comment on following.........

    -AF speed of both lens with converter on Canon 7D body.
    -Sharpness.
    -Results of both with and without converter.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    15-04-09
    Location
    Goa/Mumbai
    Posts
    3,121
    Mentioned
    0 Post(s)
    Tagged
    2 Thread(s)

    Default

    I'd say 400 for mammals. In fact I dare say you might find yourself often using the bare 400 (without the TC) if mammals are your primary subjects. The focal length is more than adequate, and the wider max aperture may help in some situations. Bear in mind that the 400 is heavier, and might not be the best choice to carry around on trails (if at all you plan to). I don't think that in practicality you would need to compare the performance of these lenses beyond what is obvious from the specifications - both perform very well.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    24-11-08
    Location
    New Delhi
    Posts
    16,591
    Mentioned
    0 Post(s)
    Tagged
    2 Thread(s)

    Default

    Canon 400 f2.8 L IS II USM vs Canon 500mm F4 L IS II USM
    Here are the few differences between the two lenses.

    Low light ability:
    The Canon 400 f2.8 wins because of the f2.8 widest aperture. It has one stop advantage over the 500mm. So if you are shooting late in the evening or early morning or waiting for a tiger feeding on a kill in shade, the 400 f2.8 is your go to lens.

    The Canon 400mm f2.8 lens takes TCs very well. I use the 2xII TC most of the time with my Canon 400mm f2.8 L IS USM lens without any problem.

    If you want to shoot at f4, then the 400mm f2.8 L IS II USM lens plus a 1.4x gives you 560mm. So if you want more reach, then you get more reach at the same aperture.

    Focal length at f5.6, the Canon 500mm +1.4x TC gives you 700mm
    Canon 400mm f2.8 + 2xTC gives you 800mm at f5.6.

    Focal length at f8: Here the 500mm wins as you can use a 2x in the 500mm and get 1000mm focal length. In the 400mm f2.8 the max you can get is 800mm at f5.6. So if you are shooting birds, it becomes easier choice. However, the quality drops a lot with the 500mm and 2x TC combo. So I would not prefer it.


    AF Speed:

    The autofocus speed always reduces when you add a TC to any lens. So the 500mm lens wins over the 400mm lens in terms of autofocus speed when you are using Teleconverter.

    Weight:
    The new 400mm f2.8 weighs: 3.85kg
    The new 500mm weighs 3.19 kg

    So the new 400mm f2.8 L IS II USM lens is about 660 gms heavier. If you are on a trek where weight is at a premium, for example trekking in the mountains, even the 660gms can be more for you. In safari situations it may not matter.


    Minimum focusing distance:
    Canon 400 f2.8 L IS II USM lens: 8.86 feet

    Canon 500 : 12.14 feet

    So like ranthambhore and bandhavgarh where tigers are more habituated to people and come close, then you have greater chances of getting in focus shots with the 400 f2.8 IS II lens. However, in wildlife there are situations where no focal length is enough.


    Magnification:
    The new 500mm has a magnification of: .15x vis a vis 0.17 of the new 400 f2.8 IS II lens


    Cost:
    The 400mm f2.8 is costlier. In US, it is about 1000 usd costlier. Not sure about the latest India price.

    You are mostly likely to buy TCs. If you have the 500mm, then you are likely to have only the 1.4x TC. But with a 400 f2.8 you are likely to have even the 2x TC. So cost obviously increases.

    The Canon 400mm f2.8 lens is not for the faint hearted. It has a distinct personality. Sports photographers swear by this lens. The wildlife photographers who use this lens, love it. Not every photographer can have this lens. There are tradeoffs which you have to consider if you are going to buy the Canon 400mm f2.8 lens. So you will find many more 500mm f4 lenses than the 400mm f2.8 Lens.

    PS: Once I bandipur, one of the Generation X wildlife photographers asked me what lens I was carrying. I said 400mm f2.8. Promptly he said "ohh only 400mm. I have a 500mm." So you lose out in these juvenile bragging contests

  4. #4
    Join Date
    21-08-13
    Location
    Sharjah , UAE
    Posts
    536
    Mentioned
    0 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)

    Default

    Thnx Dada , very useful information.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    17-12-08
    Location
    Chennai
    Posts
    1,003
    Mentioned
    0 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)

    Default

    Sorry for jumping in late. If it is mammals which is your priority, then i'd probably say that both are a bit of a handicap. I do have the 500 and i'm forced to carry another body and probably a 100-400 along for mammals especially the large ones. An elephant herd or gaur, which are on the fringes of the safari tracks are too close for these lenses to cover their entire body.

    Recently when Sabyasachi, Mrudul and I were on a safari, i was on a 5D m III with a 300 F 2.8, where most of our sightings were elephant and gaur herds and i had very little option with the 300 F 2.8.

    So, maybe you would want to have the 400 or a 500 as an additional option for mammals - especially the larger ones. Both the 400 and 500 are great lenses - especially for birding

    regards
    Rajan

  6. #6
    Join Date
    21-08-13
    Location
    Sharjah , UAE
    Posts
    536
    Mentioned
    0 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)

    Default

    Dear Rajan , I'm already using 300mm f/4 , just want to upgrade to a higher focal length one.
    Thnx for your input.

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

Tags for this Thread

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •