For birds: 500 f/4L II or ?

[Asher]

First impressions: love the short MFD. Lens focuses very fast even with 1.4x attached. So far I've only used it around the yard in somewhat harsh light, but the detail from this camera/lens combination is fantastic.

 

[stochasticmotions]

First impressions: love the short MFD. Lens focuses very fast even with 1.4x attached. So far I've only used it around the yard in somewhat harsh light, but the detail from this camera/lens combination is fantastic.

congrats on the new equipment, I'm sure you will love the combination. I love my new 500L but I still use the 100-400 for all my nature work from a kayak and pretty much all air travel. I'm not missing much other than the full autofocus at f8 with the 5DS.

 

[Deleted member 91053]

Glade to hear you are liking it!

 

[LonelyBoy]

First impressions: love the short MFD. Lens focuses very fast even with 1.4x attached. So far I've only used it around the yard in somewhat harsh light, but the detail from this camera/lens combination is fantastic.

I just read through this whole thing hoping you'd come to the "right" conclusion (the one I did, of course!). Good job, glad you're loving it. I even only use mine with a 5D3, but it damn near lives on the camera and does an excellent job of shooting the wildlife in my back yard. Do post some samples when you get good ones, and further impressions!

 

[Asher]

First impressions: love the short MFD. Lens focuses very fast even with 1.4x attached. So far I've only used it around the yard in somewhat harsh light, but the detail from this camera/lens combination is fantastic.

I just read through this whole thing hoping you'd come to the "right" conclusion (the one I did, of course!). Good job, glad you're loving it. I even only use mine with a 5D3, but it damn near lives on the camera and does an excellent job of shooting the wildlife in my back yard. Do post some samples when you get good ones, and further impressions!

I don't have any great samples yet with the lens, but I'm really impressed with the high ISO performance of the 5DIV. I was snapping some photos indoors of our new puppy playing with our old dog, and shots like this (ISO 12800) are still usable in my opinion. I'm limiting auto ISO to 3200 for now, but it's nice to know I can go to 12800 when necessary.

 

[Asher]

Finally, some results to post.

Still working on getting good shots of nearby ospreys. Managed a shot of a far-away bald eagle last night at dusk. Not an exceptional photo, but I was thrilled that I was able to capture the moment.

 

[Mikehit]

That first one is stunning!

 

[bholliman]

Finally, some results to post.

Very nice! Like Mikehit, I really like the first one.

How do you feel it compares with your 400 f/5.6 after some use?

 

[Asher]

Finally, some results to post.

Very nice! Like Mikehit, I really like the first one.

How do you feel it compares with your 400 f/5.6 after some use?

Thanks! As for the comparison, I haven't compared the optics directly, but the 100-400 certainly has wonderful IQ.
On a day-to-day basis:

1) The 100-400 is heavy, but the zoom versatility means I can take it out as my only lens for the day.
2) The short minimum focus distance is amazing. I was working perhaps 6 feet from the hummingbirds.
3) AF is fast and reliable even with 1.4x attached (on 5DIV).
4) The IS works very well, though in practice this is often only a ~1-stop advantage over the 400 since camera shake isn't the only limiting factor on shutter speed when photographing wildlife.

I'm trying to decide now whether I still need the 400 f/5.6. The use case I have in mind is the 100-400+1.4x on a tripod, and the 400/5.6 attached to my 70D and slung over my shoulder for BIF. But I rarely am in a situation where I carry that much gear.

 

[Asher]

Revisiting this thread just to comment how much I'm blown away by the 100-400 II and 5DIV combo. I came across this image from a while back that I had overlooked because of how small the hummingbird was in the frame. But even with the 1.4x extender and substantial cropping, there's still a wonderful amount of detail.

Crop:


Original:

 

[AlanF]

Nice sharp shot. I reckon if you can get a 1000 px length of bird then you get enough detail for a decent shot. You could have posted it in the Bird Portraits thread. Interestingly, by uploading as a thumbnail you have retained the EXIF data, which you lose with a full size.