is he having me on?

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Steve Arrand

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Hi guys, I am fairly new to DSLR photography, having bought a second hand Canon 7D.

I was talking to a colleague at work and the discussion moved onto what I am likely to photograph........

I am a keen carp angler and I said I was definitely going to be photographing anything from my bivvy (tent to non anglers), a few of the lakes I fish have amazing far banks with lots of flowers and birds.

He says I should look at the Canon 100 - 400mm and a 1.4x extender.....coincidentally he has just that for sale!

Whats your opinions on this kit and do you think it will serve me for what I want?

Many thanks and Merry Christmas to those that celebrate it as I do
 
Both, you would probably love that lens and make good use of it, but he's also after a quick sale :D

Haggle the bejaysis out of him
 
You will find that when it comes to wildlife, you can never have too much length. It just depends on where YOUR view on diminishing returns kicks in.
 
If the price is right,you do not mention that, then that can be a good combination,depending how far the the opposite bank is.

A little more information is needed.

Do not diss your friend for maybe trying to do you a favour.
 
If you're carting your gear on a barrow and plotting up for a day or two then a biggish lens like that won't be a problem. But if you're carrying your gear it'll be a PITA. It might no't make distant birds as big in the picture as you imagine, so as it's a mate, ask him to lend it to you for a weekend to see if it does what you want. ;)
 
Your autofocus won't work using a 1.4 on a 100-400 and a 7D as it will take it to f/8. Is the lens a Mk i or Mk ii? I found my Mk I was not good with a teleconverter (on my 7D2 so I have autofocus) whereas a 100-400 Mkii and 1.4 Mkiii is an excellent combination, although you still wouldn't have autofocus. In other words, the 100-400 would definitely be worth it for wildlife if it is at the right price, but you might not want the 1.4 unless you have a fast lens for it to go on and it will fill a gap you need filling. Not much point, for example, putting it on a 70-200 f/2.8 if you buy the 100-400.

Lots of people think it is a big heavy lens and hard to carry. I have no difficulty with it at all and barely notice carrying it on my dog walks almost every day, but it might be worth handling one first just in case you are one of the people, who find it large and awkward.
 
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badboy1984 said:
What lens do you currently using?
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Have nothing for distance shots at the moment.....something I want to have a go with

medwaygreen said:
If the price is right,you do not mention that, then that can be a good combination,depending how far the the opposite bank is.

A little more information is needed.

Do not diss your friend for maybe trying to do you a favour.
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on a couple of lakes its 80 - 100 yds on another 150 and others its 150+ he is asking for around £950. Wasn't dissing him, just wanted other opinions on that set up for my camera

Ed Sutton said:
If you're carting your gear on a barrow and plotting up for a day or two then a biggish lens like that won't be a problem. But if you're carrying your gear it'll be a PITA. It might no't make distant birds as big in the picture as you imagine, so as it's a mate, ask him to lend it to you for a weekend to see if it does what you want. ;)
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Always use a barrow mate, so weight not an issue..........going to try the weekend borrow but as we work shifts and our paths very rarely cross I doubt he would be willing to let me....we don't see each other for months at a time
 
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MadWoman said:
Your autofocus won't work using a 1.4 on a 100-400 and a 7D as it will take it to f/8. Is the lens a Mk i or Mk ii? I found my Mk I was not good with a teleconverter (on my 7D2 so I have autofocus) whereas a 100-400 Mkii and 1.4 Mkiii is an excellent combination, although you still wouldn't have autofocus. In other words, the 100-400 would definitely be worth it for wildlife if it is at the right price, but you might not want the 1.4 unless you have a fast lens for it to go on and it will fill a gap you need filling. Not much point, for example, putting it on a 70-200 f/2.8 if you buy the 100-400.

Lots of people think it is a big heavy lens and hard to carry. I have no difficulty with it at all and barely notice carrying it on my dog walks almost every day, but it might be worth handling one first just in case you are one of the people, who find it large and awkward.
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Top advice and just what I was looking for, thank-you. It's a mk1
 
T_J_G said:
If that's a mki it seems expensive
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Hence my question..........I have found in any hobby there are no such things as friends when money is involved!

It is a mk1 and I have no idea on prices and compatibility/uses
 
Nawty said:
You will find that when it comes to wildlife, you can never have too much length. It just depends on where YOUR view on diminishing returns kicks in.
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Oh Ned Ned ,im so tempted but i dont want a ban :exit:
 
Early Morning Hunt.jpg

As a fellow angler (albeit not a great image I'm not showing my quality or lack of it) it's just a snap shot of the heron on the corner of an island with my 7D at 80mm on my 70-200 f4 last year. Just showing you the reach, it depends on what wildlife you want to shoot whilst your getting your lines wet and how close you want to get.
 
UaeExile said:
Use your 7D and current lenses until you workout what gap you need to fill yourself.
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This is excellent advice.

It's really too easy to get caught up in the 'gotta have the gear' mode... and buy anything that's offered to you. One thing I've learned over the years is before I buy any new lens/light/modifier... I always ask myself this question: Is it going to fill a gap?
I can't comment on the lens itself, or it's pricetag, but I can certainly vouch for Adam's excellent advice.
 
I am assuming the 7D is a Mk1 not a Mk2, in which case it definitely won't autofocus with the 1.4EX. I also fish (carp mainly) and shoot wildlife. I would look at one of the 150-600mm lenses on the market, as was said earlier, you can never have too much focal length when it comes to wildlife. I've used my Sigma 150-600 on both my Mk1 & Mk2 7D's and it works a treat. He's asking a lot of money for that lens set up.
 
My tuppence worth if you really want a long lens the Sigma 150-600 is a very good choice for wildlife and a cheaper option than the Canon if you buy at the right time. New Year sales are coming and should the black Friday deal be repeated which was most camera shops offered 10% discount then a new Sigma with 3 year warranty could be had for £665

if you sign up to a cashback site such as top cashback you could have a further 3.9% off taking your potential cost down to £639. Think carefully though before your cash Do I need it?
 
I'd also recommend trying out lenses before purchasing them. I spent ages reading up on the Canon 100-400mk2 and drooling over it, up to that point I'd only ever shot with as long as 250mm... I then borrowed a mk1 100-400 from a friend, had a go at birds and couldn't believe how little reach I got, I wanted more! So I got the 150-600 - and sometimes I still want more ! IF you get into shooting wildlife, especially birds you'll want as much reach as you can.

That said I would still love a 100-400mk2 as there are plenty of times where it would be suitable for wildlife, including birds - obviously depends how far away you are, and I understand that if I want to shoot at 400mm the Canon would be sharper and provide me with better IQ than my Sigma can - but only pixel peepers would probably notice the difference.
 
Jelster said:
I am assuming the 7D is a Mk1 not a Mk2, in which case it definitely won't autofocus with the 1.4EX. I also fish (carp mainly) and shoot wildlife. I would look at one of the 150-600mm lenses on the market, as was said earlier, you can never have too much focal length when it comes to wildlife. I've used my Sigma 150-600 on both my Mk1 & Mk2 7D's and it works a treat. He's asking a lot of money for that lens set up.
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Yes mate its a MK1, will deffo have a look at the Sigma thanks

mazdaman said:
My tuppence worth if you really want a long lens the Sigma 150-600 is a very good choice for wildlife and a cheaper option than the Canon if you buy at the right time. New Year sales are coming and should the black Friday deal be repeated which was most camera shops offered 10% discount then a new Sigma with 3 year warranty could be had for £665

if you sign up to a cashback site such as top cashback you could have a further 3.9% off taking your potential cost down to £639. Think carefully though before your cash Do I need it?
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I will keep an eye out in the new year thanks

smr said:
I'd also recommend trying out lenses before purchasing them. I spent ages reading up on the Canon 100-400mk2 and drooling over it, up to that point I'd only ever shot with as long as 250mm... I then borrowed a mk1 100-400 from a friend, had a go at birds and couldn't believe how little reach I got, I wanted more! So I got the 150-600 - and sometimes I still want more ! IF you get into shooting wildlife, especially birds you'll want as much reach as you can.

That said I would still love a 100-400mk2 as there are plenty of times where it would be suitable for wildlife, including birds - obviously depends how far away you are, and I understand that if I want to shoot at 400mm the Canon would be sharper and provide me with better IQ than my Sigma can - but only pixel peepers would probably notice the difference.
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Seems like the 150 - 600 is a favoured lens, thanks
 
I rate the 100-400, cracking lens. I have two, one for me, one for my son.
If you use a TC on a crop camera and so don't have autofocus, you can use live view to get critical focus.
 
Just as a side note here - What would the extenders do to that Sigma 150-600...? :eek: ;)
 
Lee Taz said:
Just as a side note here - What would the extenders do to that Sigma 150-600...? :eek: ;)
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I have used a 1.4 EX Mk2 on my 150-600 Sport connected to my 7D2 without an issue. You're at f8, so you need some half decent light, but it focuses OK and image quality is fine. (when I say fine, I know some of the birders here will probably not be happy, but I can't afford a 600mm Canon...)
 
Lee Taz said:
Just as a side note here - What would the extenders do to that Sigma 150-600...? :eek: ;)
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Depends on the distance you want to shoot at, the size of the subject and if the TC has any impact on quality. If you're talking focal length then obviously you've the 1.6 crop factor to take into account, then the TC
Weight wise the Sigma is around 1.95kg, or the sport is around 2.8kg, so theres a bit of a difference to the approx 1.4kg for the 100-400, but the extra reach helps with birding (especially shy birds at a distance)

7D mk2 will autofocus on the middle 4 focus points at f8 won't it?
 
Byker28i said:
Depends on the distance you want to shoot at, the size of the subject and if the TC has any impact on quality. If you're talking focal length then obviously you've the 1.6 crop factor to take into account, then the TC
Weight wise the Sigma is around 1.95kg, or the sport is around 2.8kg, so theres a bit of a difference to the approx 1.4kg for the 100-400, but the extra reach helps with birding (especially shy birds at a distance)

7D mk2 will autofocus on the middle 4 focus points at f8 won't it?
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It does... I used it to shoot a Bittern at Barnes in the spring. Was really surprised how well the combo worked. Also done a couple of moon shots with the big Sigma & 1.4.

Link to a moon shot https://flic.kr/p/CGtCRs
 
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Jelster said:
It does... I used it to shoot a Bittern at Barnes in the spring. Was really surprised how well the combo worked. Also done a couple of moon shots with the big Sigma & 1.4.

Link to a moon shot https://flic.kr/p/CGtCRs
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Nice image. Decent thing with the full moon is it's bright enough to use a fast shutter speed. Ever use live view and zoom in for focus? I've done this with my 100-400 and 2 x TC ans it's then you realise how quickly the moon moves across the sky :D
 
Byker28i said:
Nice image. Decent thing with the full moon is it's bright enough to use a fast shutter speed. Ever use live view and zoom in for focus? I've done this with my 100-400 and 2 x TC ans it's then you realise how quickly the moon moves across the sky :D
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Always use live view for shooting the moon. With this set up it's all on a tripod and the subject is reasonably static so using LV is always the easiest way...
 
Steve Arrand said:
Hence my question..........I have found in any hobby there are no such things as friends when money is involved!

It is a mk1 and I have no idea on prices and compatibility/uses
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Regarding compatibility: the Canon 100-400 MkI should be fully compatible with any Canon EOS EF or EF-S mount body. If you put a 1.4 teleconverter on it, you may lose the ability to autofocus, depending on the body - some high-end bodies will preserve AF but most would not.
 
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