Canon 100-400 L II vs Sigma 150-600 Contemporary

snappy604

CR Pro
Jan 25, 2017
681
640
birdforthought said:
Great post and I know its old but.... I have a somewhat opposite question. I currently have the Canon 100-400 Mk I (on a 7D mkI). Yes both 1st generation. I really like this lens/body combination. However, I'm now looking for a more range and of course better low light capability (I photo only birds).

So... without spending $11K what would be the next lens in addition to the 100-400 MkI

FYI: I also have the 1.4x TC version 1 but rarely ever use it

Thanks,
Greg


your situation is similar to what I went through.. had a 7D Mk1 and a 100-400 sigma (not the canon, but it died to excessive rain). I purchased the 80D as interim due to certain features and I recently purchased the Sigma C 150-600...

The 80D is cost effective and a significant leap over the 7d Mk1 on many levels, though I do miss the joystick and the fps... but I find way more keepers with the 80D and better recovery.

The 150-600mm is really quite sharp, though I find from time to time it seems to get stuck hunting for focus. I also tried the 150-600 with the sigma 1.4x TC (thinking it would only take sigma, but canon works) on the 80D, but found images got too soft and autofocus worked only on centre and was slower than useful. I may continue to play to find a balance, but I regret buying the sigma TC and felt it was a waste of $... but the 150-600 has been worth it and a cost effective alternative to the higher end canons (they are a bit better, but that price!). Yes I was seeing it was possible to get equivalent to 950mm ;-) (600 x 1.4tc x 1.6crop)
 
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Talys

Canon R5
CR Pro
Feb 16, 2017
2,127
451
Vancouver, BC
snappy604 said:
birdforthought said:
Great post and I know its old but.... I have a somewhat opposite question. I currently have the Canon 100-400 Mk I (on a 7D mkI). Yes both 1st generation. I really like this lens/body combination. However, I'm now looking for a more range and of course better low light capability (I photo only birds).

So... without spending $11K what would be the next lens in addition to the 100-400 MkI

FYI: I also have the 1.4x TC version 1 but rarely ever use it

Thanks,
Greg


your situation is similar to what I went through.. had a 7D Mk1 and a 100-400 sigma (not the canon, but it died to excessive rain). I purchased the 80D as interim due to certain features and I recently purchased the Sigma C 150-600...

The 80D is cost effective and a significant leap over the 7d Mk1 on many levels, though I do miss the joystick and the fps... but I find way more keepers with the 80D and better recovery.

The 150-600mm is really quite sharp, though I find from time to time it seems to get stuck hunting for focus. I also tried the 150-600 with the sigma 1.4x TC (thinking it would only take sigma, but canon works) on the 80D, but found images got too soft and autofocus worked only on centre and was slower than useful. I may continue to play to find a balance, but I regret buying the sigma TC and felt it was a waste of $... but the 150-600 has been worth it and a cost effective alternative to the higher end canons (they are a bit better, but that price!).

This is exactly what I did, and I had the same experience as you :)

I am quite happy with 80D+150-600.

In comparison to the next step up cost-wise, which is 6DII or 5DIV + 100-400LII, the performance for bird portraits is excellent (better!) when there's enough light for fast shutter and low ISO, about the same around ISO 400-640 (trading more pixels/deeper crop for more noise), and poorer above ISO 800.

For birds in flight, the challenge is always the autofocus, and the 150-600 just won't keep up in AF speed any of the much more expensive lenses. On the other hand, the 100-400LII is a great handheld shooter, while the 150-600 is a little tougher.
 
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Mar 25, 2011
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birdforthought said:
Great post and I know its old but.... I have a somewhat opposite question. I currently have the Canon 100-400 Mk I (on a 7D mkI). Yes both 1st generation. I really like this lens/body combination. However, I'm now looking for a more range and of course better low light capability (I photo only birds).

So... without spending $11K what would be the next lens in addition to the 100-400 MkI

FYI: I also have the 1.4x TC version 1 but rarely ever use it

Thanks,
Greg

You get a lot more low light capability for your dollar by going to FF. If you are focal length limited with your crop, its going to cost you to get a faster and longer lens.

I'd suggest a FF body and crop the image as long as you don't have to crop too much. You can move from 7D MK I to a 5D MK III and gain a lot of light sensitivity and reduced noise.
 
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