L Series lens help needed

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blackjack

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nikki blake
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I am hoping that some of you can give me some help / opinions on 3 L series lenses that I am looking at. I currently have got only budget price glass but am now wanting to make the step up to better quality and would appreciate some help. I do not profess to know very much about the L series other than they are white, expensive and produce lovely images LOL.

My main areas of photography are aviation, airshows, coastal, horses / horse shows and landscape. I do not claim to be either an expert or have great knowledge which is why I am turning to you guys for help.

I have been looking at the following lenses with view to purchasing a bit later in the year:

EF 70-200 f4L IS USM
EF 100-400 f4.5 - 5.6L IS USM
EF 70-300 f4 - 5.6L IS USM

considering the kinds of photography that I tend to do, please could any of you give me some advice as to which is the best of these three lenses. I appreciate the obvious difference, the length of the lenses, but any other opinions or thoughts would be much appreciated. I have seen the 100-400 refered to as 'The Dust Pump' so please could someone elaborate on that for me too!!

Any help that you can give me in making my choice would be much appreciated as I am now seeking much sharper images than I can get with my current budget lenses.

Many thanks
 
EF 70-200 f4L IS USM ideal for equestrian... (F2.8 version even better but more expensive)

None of your choices really much good for landscapes..probably should consider 10-22mm EFS
 
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They are all decent lenses.

100-400 is useful for long shots - the aviation/airshows in particular but it might well be a bit long for the horse shows and the like.

Maybe the best way to go would be a 70-200 f2.8 (as suggested above) with a view to buying a teleconverter at a later date to get extra reach ?

If you got a x2 tc you'd have 70-400 in one lens. Obviously you'll lose some aperture with the tc but shouldn't be too bad.
 
TBH if you want to shoot airshows/aviation, including in-flight shots, then I doubt 200mm is going to be long enough a lot of the time.

That leaves the other two. Whilst the 100-400 is longer, the quality of the 70-300 is better so I'd be inclined to go that route tbh.
 
The decision probably hinges around how much reach you need. If you look around at an air show, you will see plenty of 100-400Ls about ;) Hire one to see how you get on www.lensesforhire.co.uk

Don't worry about dust. All lenses that extend when you zoom suck in air, and the 100-400L is bigger than most. It's a great lens, has IS, affordable, versatile, and holds its value well.

Looks favourite from what you've said, but it's not small ;)
 
Hoppy makes sense when he says to hire or borrow a 100-400 before you take the plunge - aside from anything else the push/pull zoom takes a bit of getting used to and isn't to everyone's taste.
 
niv2 said:
EF 70-200 f4L IS USM ideal for equestrian... (F2.8 version even better but more expensive)

None of your choices really much good for landscapes..probably should consider 10-22mm EFS
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Depends, as always, what he's after doing, I do a lot of my landscapes with my 70/200 because I like to isolate something in the distance sometimes, a tree or a rock maybe without wanting all the foreground.

I have to say though my most used lens is my 24/70 on FF but that's just me.

Dust pump - a common term for any push/pull zoom lens because to change focal length requires a change in lens length (in that case) and they suck air in. More modern zooms, like to 70/200 do not change focal length and focus internally thereby not sucking in anything like as much air.

Matt
 
Love my 100-400 it is so sharp!
Longer lens no good for landscape! Really? Watch david noton's videos, his use of a 70-200 f2.8 on landscapes is superb.

Buy a 100-400 used off eBAy, if you don't like it, you'll not lose any money, they hold their used value well, it's almost like free rental (provided you don't drop it)
 
Vass said:
Love my 100-400 it is so sharp!
Longer lens no good for landscape! Really? Watch david noton's videos, his use of a 70-200 f2.8 on landscapes is superb.

Buy a 100-400 used off eBAy, if you don't like it, you'll not lose any money, they hold their used value well, it's almost like free rental (provided you don't drop it)
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I'd recommend buying from a used equipment dealer like MPB instead, then you know you're dealing with a reputable company and they offer 6 month warranties as standard in case you hit problems.
 
Oned thing to watch out for on the 100-400mm is the zoom tension adjuster, basically it's the bit that stops the lens going in and out like a trumbone with no resistance

Have heard of these going faulty and it's quite a costly repair, someting to think about if buying unseen from Ebay

Out of the three given your uses think I would go for the 70-300mm, supposed to be a very good lens although must say i'm perfectly happy with the 70-200mm f/4 IS with a 1.4 TC if extra length is required
 
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I borrowed a 100-400 L at Waddington airshow last year from the guy next to me and I had a 550D at that time . He said he wanted something lighter so I ended up with the L and he ended up with a Tamron 28-300 VC (my longest lens at the time) and the difference between the IQ was amazing. Unfortunately, we had to swap back after about an hour, but when I looked through all the photos on the computer I could tell which photos were from which lens.

I'm a bit more prepared for the shows this year though, I've got a 5D2 and a 7D, with a 100-400 4.5-5.6 L and a Sigma 150-500 OS to play with, along with a 24-105 f4 L and a 70-200 2.8 IS L on the way. Can't wait to see the results from that little lot.
 
I was in the same boat as you last year and drew up a shortlist that included the following:

70-300mm L
100-400mm L
28-300mm L
Sigma 120-400mm OS EX DG
300mm F4 L (I fancied comparing a prime). ;)

In the end I chose the 70-300mm L... In my rough and ready tests, I found it to be the sharpest of the zoom bunch by a country mile (and it matched the 300mm). It's quite a heavy lens but when retracted, it's quite short. The IQ really is outstanding though.

The focus and zoom rings are the 'wrong' way around so it takes a little getting used to but I love it... I've used it for portraits on my 5DMKII and for aviation, sports and wildlife on my 7D.

It doesn't come with a tripod collar but you can pick up a non-OEM version for about £30 now. (The Canon version is over £160! :cuckoo:)

Quite simply, I can't fault it... Especially for the price! :)

If you want to see some of the shots I've taken with it, click HERE
 
Its really as simple as this - what will you shoot most often?

If its the horses, then as Neil says above, you're really going to want f2.8, so the 70-200 f2.8 non IS would be a good starting point. You could then add a 2x converter for the airshows.

Alternatively, if its mainly air stuff, then the 100-400 is the way to go.

Using L glass is great, but dont get too blinkered, a good potential all rounder for what you've mentioned would be the sigma 120-300mm f2.8, and definately worth a good look
 
You only need f/2.8 if the horses are indoors.
 
Eh? It's light levels that matter, not indoors or outdoors :D and outdoors can have low light levels too.

If there's a choice and all else is equal or mostly equal, get the f2.8 :D
 
Also take into account weight, the 70-200mm f/2.8 is one heavy mutha compared to the f/4 version and much prefer the latter for handling (admittedly I don't have any pressing need for the extra stop though)
 
Have a look at Sigma's 120-300mm f2.8 OS. Although a bit on the heavy side it is a stunning lens and, unlike a prime 300mm, is very flexible. It will take a 1.4x or 2x converter further extending its usage. A friend did a very quick test with a Canon 1.4x fitted and the results seemed fantastic.

I have used this lens on a D3s and prefer it to my Nikon 300mm f2.8 VR lens, and it's double the price!!

As I said its heavy but even with a D3s bolted to it, I never use a tripod or monopod.

Jessops are the best price last time I looked at £1999.00 but at the moment need to order them specially.

My advice, give it a try at Focus 2012!
 
As mentioned above I find the sorter end of my 70-200 useful for landscapes, however, 200mm would be too short for aviation.

My suggestion would be the 70-300 on the basis that it is a much newer design and I would find the wide end more useful.
 
I had a 100-400L, sold it and bought the 70-300L. Definitely no regrets.
 
Jackwow said:
I had a 100-400L, sold it and bought the 70-300L. Definitely no regrets.
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Same here, I've had all of the above and eventually settled on the 70-300L. Very versatile lens and the IQ is superb. It is a case of horses for courses though, so you will have to weigh up what it will be most used for.
 
I've been through similar research and dilema. I opted for 28-300L for versatilty and IQ. It is heavy but that is not an issue for me. The 28 end is great for lanscape and you also have the range for sports / wildlife. In low light I use a monopod. I am an amateur who wants to take good pictures with minimum kit. I looked at the Sigma 50-500 OS, I see lots of them in sports events but, I believe like you, I wanted to go white...
 
I have had most of the lenses mentioned in this thread.

For everything apart from the equestrian I would choose the 70-300mm L in a heartbeat. Sharper than the 100-400mm and equal to the 300mm F4 IMO. The IS is superb - which will help with those hovering choppers and low speed pans at airshows. It's a really good weight and size on my 7D too.
 
RichardtheSane said:
...I would choose the 70-300mm L in a heartbeat. Sharper than the 100-400mm and equal to the 300mm F4 IMO. The IS is superb - which will help with those hovering choppers and low speed pans at airshows. It's a really good weight and size on my 7D too.
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:agree:

There is nothing - and I mean nothing to match the performance of this lens within this price range... :)
 
Canon 70-200 f4 L IS USM is a real nice light lens to carry around but has limited reach, the Canon 100-400 f4.5-5.6L IS USM is slightly big and heavy and has limited use in poor light.

I think you already have the answer a good all round lens for what you want has to be the newer 70-300 f4-5.6L IS USM, I use this lens myself and like all Canon L glass has real nice optics.
 
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