70-200mm F2.8L & Extenders - Talk to Me

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Hey Guys,

I want to upgrade my telephoto to something half decent because I spend a lot of time shooting sports and aviation.

Naturally, I was thinking of the Canon 70-200 F2.8L lens but I'm a little worried that when I make a move to a FF camera next year that the 200mm will be restricting.

I'm on a relatively tight budget of ~£1000 and want to get it right first time or at least buy a lens that will keep me happy for a few years.

Half of me says buy the 2.8L and an extender, but I've read a couple of articles on these that have put me off:

http://digital-photography-school.c...-using-tele-converters-extenders-on-your-dslr

http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/tc.htm

Then again, with a fast lens, need I worry?

The other half of me says just buy a slower Canon 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM.

Like I say, I use my telephoto a fair bit for motorsport and aviation. I also like to use it for candid photography from time to time.

What would people recommend I do? Suggestions other than the above are more than welcome.

Additionally, does anyone have experience in similar areas with the F2.8 and extenders?

Is the F2.8 it fast enough?

Is the glass quality a fair trade off for focal length?

Should I get the 400mm or will the quality be an issue?

I see sets like this and think "That's the quality I want!".

http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=492906
http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=488784
http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=493641
http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=493403

Other than their exceptional talent (obviously) and a better body ultimately, what will I require telephoto wise?

Thanks in advance folks!

Tom.
 
I'm in a similar position at the moment - I have the 70-200mm f4 and have missed the extra reach since I moved to FF.

I've flipped between a few options but currently think I'm going to go for the 300mm f4, which should compliment my 70-200 quite nicely and retains decent sharpness at 420mm/f5.6 with a 1.4x converter which I'll pick up later in the year.

I've heard too many mixed opinions on the 100-400 to feel comfortable going down that route (particularly as it'll overlap quite a bit with my 70-200) and I don't want to replace my 70-200 with an f2.8 as I use it for hiking/skiing etc. quite often and I'm fond of the low-weight of the f4.
 
Don't forget that with an extender (TC) you loose one stop with a 1.4* and 2stops with a 2* so your f2.8 becomes f5.6 which is the same as the 100-400.
Unless you want to increase your budget by megabucks and look at the 300 f2.8 and similar you have a choice ( assuming you want canon) of the 70-200 f2.8 Mk1,(its unlikely you will get a Mk2 for £1K) ,a 100-400,a 300f4 IS ( which works very well with a 1.4 TC) or the 400 f5.6.
Now just to muddy the waters a bit, I seem to recall reading somewhere that the 5DMk3 with a firmware upgrade will AF at f8 using centre point which means that the 100-400 and the 400 f5.6 should AF with a 1.4TC and the 300 f4 should AF with a 2* TC.
However what the focus speed and accuracy will be like is anyone's guess
Decisions, decisions-if you want Canon get the 100-400 for flexibility.
Someone will probably chip in about the big Sigma's which also are worth looking at but I have never used one so can't comment but they have good reputations
 
The other option I guess would be to consider keeping the 600D for when you really need the longer reach - depending on which FF body you're upgrading to, I guess the lack of AF options might be a restriction here though?
 
The 70-200 f/2.8 II is the only one which really takes extenders well. With the 2x mk3 extender the quality is comparable to the 100-400 at 400mm which is no mean feat.

If the mk2 is outside your budget and you'll be moving to full frame soon then frankly I'd get the 100-400 for now.
 
I find that I use my 70-200 f2.8 with a 1.4 extender so much now that im selling my 300 f4 simply due to lack of use. I think that image quality from the 70-200 is comparable and it focuses quicker.
 
Cheers everyone. I posted this on another forum too and the general concensus is similar.

I think that although I want the mega quality of the 2.8, I am going to go with the 400 because it's going to be a more scalable lens in terms of upgrading my body next year. Additionally, it will immediately be better suited to aviation stuff.

With that said, I'm probably still going to get a 70-200 F2.8 at some point because of the sheer quality it has to offer. And because 70mm on a FF will not be an issue. My 50mm prime on a crop (80mm) will be worse indoors than that, so as a general lens the 70-200 would be an excellent asset to my arsenal as I already spend most of my time shooting with my prime anyway.

I'm going to rent the 400mm for the Air Tattoo in a few weeks before I really make up my mind, but I already think I'm set...

I think the plan for me is buy the 100-400, let the missus recover emotionally for a few months to a year, get the 5D MK3 and then get the 70-200 F2.8 II. Or something like that. I'd like to upgrade my wide angle at some point, but I hardly use that so it can wait.

Thanks again people.
 
LOL at letting the missus recover :) Remember it's always easier to ask forgiveness than permission :D

I try to restrict myself to one main purchase per year. Two years ago it was the 24-70, last year was the 100L Macro, this year the 70-200 II. Next year will probably be a 5D3 :)
 
haha- I waited until my girlfriend went away with friends for the weekend to buy my 5d3 and 17-40L
 
Sorry for the delayed reply - busy weekend and Monday as usual.

Well.... Following replies from other forums, I was set on the 100-400, then the 70-200, then 100-400, then 70... You get the idea. I'm really torn, so I've made the abstract decision to use my ~£1000 to get a FF body first. Then I can rent lenses until I find what I want.

This saves me having to worry about a lens that works well on both a FF and a crop body. It also gives my indecisive ass some time to decide.

Thanks again guys.

I've managed to twister her arm on this, provided I can wait a little. :D
 
ef 70-200is f2.8L mk1 and a canon 1.4X mk2 is what I use the most out of my collection
but I am on canon crops
 
are you pro or an amateur with some spending money?
on more of a budget, I used a 70-200 IS sigma, and a 2xTC
the quality is poorer than the canon but I'm not selling anything.
slower for aviation isn't a problem for me as normally I shoot airshows with Tv mode to not quite freeze the props (if applicable) and shooting into the sky gives you loads of light.
 
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