Canon 300 f4l vs 400mm f5.6l

Jesoid

Jesoid

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John
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Hi,
Having just sold my 300 f2.8l to fund a 5d3 , I am now looking to replace the lens.
Can anyone out there advise which of the above lenses is best, I mainly shoot airshows and motorsports.
I know the 300 is a capable lens having used one, the only thing that worries me about the 400 is the lack of IS.
All the reviews state what a sharp lens it is.
Any advise would be gratefully appreciated.
Regards
John
 
Can't comment on the 400 f5.6 as never tried one. I do use the 300 f/4L and find it a very competent lens. I also use it with a 1.4 and 2x MkIII T/C. The 1.4 gives a better performance also giving you a 420mm 5.6 into the bargain. On a 400 you'll be at 560mm but at f/8. Personally I'd go for the 300 but best option would be to try both and see what you're happier with
 
I have a 400 f5.6 and a 100-400 L IS 5.6, not a lot to choose between them but the zoom is more flexible if a little heavier, thought I'd give you a little more to think about
Matt
 
Cheers guys,
Gary, is the lack of IS a problem over the 300mm or do you just compensate more with the camera?
 
Hi John

I opted for the 300 over the 400 when I got mine, mainly because of the IS and F4 and the 300 takes a TC well (didn't have a body that would AF beyond F5.6) - so if I needed 400 I could pop a 1.4 on it, but it also gave me a shorter range without.

You've had the 300 F2.8 - did you use this on it's own or with a TC most of time - this could answer the question of which is the better focal length for yourself ?
 
andyred said:
Hi John

I opted for the 300 over the 400 when I got mine, mainly because of the IS and F4 and the 300 takes a TC well (didn't have a body that would AF beyond F5.6) - so if I needed 400 I could pop a 1.4 on it, but it also gave me a shorter range without.

You've had the 300 F2.8 - did you use this on it's own or with a TC most of time - this could answer the question of which is the better focal length for yourself ?
Click to expand...

Good point , I could never get on with the 2x convertor but I would say most of the time for airshows the 1.4 was attached
 
Jesoid said:
Good point , I could never get on with the 2x convertor but I would say most of the time for airshows the 1.4 was attached
Click to expand...

So looks like the 400 would be the better bet for you (unless there were times when the 300mm range was useful...) and Gary says it'll still AF with a 1.4 TC on your 5D MKIII, it gives you even more reach - don't know how this combo compares to the 300F4 with a 2x TC on. I know my 300 takes a 1.4 TC extremely well and I am very happy with it.
 
Jesoid said:
Cheers guys,
Gary, is the lack of IS a problem over the 300mm or do you just compensate more with the camera?
Click to expand...

For my style of shooting the lack of IS never bothered me. For aviation/motorsport I was mainly panning or if trying to freeze motion the shutter speed was high enough so as not to make a difference. Only time I had any "minor" problem was with helicopters and I would either just stick the thing on a monopod or blitz the shutter button.
I always found the extra reach more important than the lack of IS. I also found the 400mm to be sharper than the 300 F4Lis.

cheers
Gary
 
vulcan2912 said:
For my style of shooting the lack of IS never bothered me. For aviation/motorsport I was mainly panning or if trying to freeze motion the shutter speed was high enough so as not to make a difference. Only time I had any "minor" problem was with helicopters and I would either just stick the thing on a monopod or blitz the shutter button.
I always found the extra reach more important than the lack of IS. I also found the 400mm to be sharper than the 300 F4Lis.

cheers
Gary
Click to expand...

Thanks Gary,
Pretty much summed up what a friend has just said to me, the prop planes would be my only issue but he said as long as the 5d had a good buffer then just fire of a higher burst than I would normally have done.
Guess it's the 400mm for me then..appreciate your help
John
 
I own both lenses. I first bought the 400mm F/5.6L and already had a Canon 1.4x Extender III. As I only have a 70D the 400 lens also loses Autofocus.

I then bought the 300mm F/4L IS and thought I would see which of the two lenses I preferred and sell one of them accordingly. My 1.4x would also make my 300 become 420.

They are both very sharp as you would expect from a Canon L lens but the 400 only focusses down to about 12ft whereas the 300 gets me as close as about 5ft. I mainly shoot dragonflies and birds.

After a couple of months using both I decided to keep both! The 300 is a perfect balance on my Canon 70D and the 400 has longer reach for birds. When using either on a tripod or even monopod you need to switch off IS - So it's a not an issue with the 400 not having IS.

As usual, there's no such thing as one perfect lens and your choice depends what kind of photography you do. I hope this helps.
 
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