Going beyond 600mm

[Maximilian]

Using this combination at the Inauguration on Friday, 1-20-2017: 600 f4L IS II + 2xIII + 2xII + 5D Mark IV = 2400mm

And a big flag shouting "I AM A PHOTOGRAPHER NOT A SNIPER" ;D

*lol* exactly my thoughts

 

[arbitrage]

I have been contemplating the 1Dx v 1Dx2 vs 5D4 question myself and have spent considerable time reading in-depth reviews and talking to people with experience of both. I have rented the 1Dx2 but not used the 1Dx and the general idea I get is that the 1Dx2 is a 'significant' step up if you are already pushing a model like the 1Dx to its limit: the 1Dx2 provides about 1-stop better ISO performance, it drives big whites+extender better. If those will overcome limited focal length then fair enough. You already have the 1Dx so you are the best judge as to whether the 1Dx2 will offer more opportunities for you, but given the tenor of your original post it seems focal length is now your main concern, not AF accuracy, and the 1Dx2 will not solve that.

In your OP you say

I find shooting either distant wildlife (mainly deer) or motorcycle racing and coming up wanting to have more reach than I have today.

Yet you are now talking about upgrading the 5D3 so I would ask whether you really know what problem you are trying to solve. The 500 f4LISII plus tc plus 1dx2 will give you more reach and higher keeper rate - but that is no good if your current porfolio shows you need 600-840mm instead of 500-700mm.
If you are wanting to handhold the lens a lot then the 500mm makes far more sense.

I shoot both 1DX and 1DX2 (and 5D4) and I just wanted to clarify one point....the 1DX2 is not one stop better at high ISO. There is basically no difference in their high ISO performance.....and the even more amazing thing is the 5D4 is just as good as the both of them and with 10-12 more MPs.

I love the 1DX2 for a number of things.....f/8 focusing and red AF servo points being the two significant ones. I use a lot of f/8 combos (200-400/1.4/1.4, 400DOII/2x, 100-400II/1.4 and 600/2x) so that is the biggest reason I now have 1DX2 and why I swapped my 5DSR for 5D4.

But, I actually prefer the files out of the 1DX over the 1DX2....I don't even know what it is but there is some sort of smoother transition and clarity in the files (maybe less "digital" of a look). So when I don't need f/8 AF I often will still shoot my 1DX on my main lens. IMHO, YMMV

Anyone interested in downloading some 1DX2 vs 5D4 real world high-ISO and regular ISO shots can use this link that I provided to some guys over on FM Forums (where I hang out most of the time).

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B2o5y8Q0KlgVZ0pmUlJvMDhBTVU

 

[Don Haines]

Using this combination at the Inauguration on Friday, 1-20-2017: 600 f4L IS II + 2xIII + 2xII + 5D Mark IV = 2400mm

With a concrete tripod?

Jack

I got to play with the 800F5.6 with a 2X teleconverter.... My tripod was an old steel Manfroto with a gear head that was normally used for testing feed horns and probably weighed 50 pounds....insanely solid and stable! Lightweight is great if you have to carry it, but if you don't, heavy is hard to beat!

 

[Mikehit]

Interesting comments, arbitrage.
I understand the 5DIV does f8 at all points - how does that compare to the 1Dx2 when using x2 tc?

 

[tron]

For me the new 500mm is a compromise - but a pretty good one - between the practically ultra portable 400mm DO II which I also have and the new 600 which I didn't get mainly due to the weight.

The 400 is FL limited and the 600 is very heavy. When I use the 500 on a tripod I am many times FL limited (and I wish for a 600) so I revert to using teleconverters (1.4III, 2XIII). I use the 5D4 and in serious FL limited cases the 7DII (OK I know this is not the best for that combination but it gets me an almost decent picture instead of nothing).

Now a 5D4 advantage ( vs. 1DxII) I can think of is it can mitigate the 600/500 difference somehow.

The difference in size between 600 and 500 is (600/500) in square = 1.2^2 = 1.44 (so 44% improvement)

Now the difference in size due to mpixels between (5D4 and 1DxII) is SQRT (30/20) = SQRT(1.5) = 1.22 a 22% improvement. So we cut the differencr in half (assuming a 1DxII with 600 of course...) If we are talking about fairly static subjects with the camera/lens on tripod a 5D4 AF does the job even with a 2XIII (FYI I do not have a 1D series camera anyway to compare...)

Another combination is using just the 500 with my 7DII which gives less magnification than 5D4 with 500 + 2X
but at f/4 I can use it with much lower ISO. That combination has also been used occasionally for BIF with partial success (subject to distance, lighting). But that partial success is hugely better than the almost nothing BIF photos I get when I use a 500 + 2X on a tripod ;D (a gimbal makes my tripod very heavy to carry so I avoid it most of the times...)

I mentioned all these because I believe there is not a magic DO-ALL solution it's combinations that some or all of them work for us up to a point.

A 600 DO would solve many things but it would be very expensive...

 

[Diko]

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B2o5y8Q0KlgVZ0pmUlJvMDhBTVU

Thanks for sharing!

Tech numbers say: 1Dx2 is with Base Light Exposure of 0.418 5D4 is -0.326.

 

[Jack Douglas]

arbitrage, appreciate your observations and feedback.

Jack