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Tested: 300f4IS, 400f5.6, 100-400IS and more...

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fStopJojo

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Lots of good stuff for you to look at; give yourself some time to view all this. Here's what I've just posted today at my site...
--> http://www.pbase.com/fstopjojo/17401785
--> http://www.pbase.com/fstopjojo/14xtctest
--> Have fun with this one http://www.pbase.com/fstopjojo/teletest

--> I've been looking at a long lens for some time, and after much testing and handling, I've made my choice. You can see which lens it is here http://www.pbase.com/fstopjojo/100400is

--
http://www.pbase.com/fstopjojo/lenstests

“98% of all lenses are better than 100% of all photographers.” Michael Reichmann
 
Why are the exposures all different?
--
Lee Jay
(see profile for equipment)
 
they're not, at least most of them. if anything, they might be 1/3 or so different. not sure which specific image you're looking at as there are quite a bit of them. for eg, the 70-200 + 2xTC is identical in exposure to the 400 prime in the 400mm test. but the contrast on the 70-200 with 2x just isnt up to par with the prime.
ljfinger said:
Why are the exposures all different?
--
Lee Jay
(see profile for equipment)
Click to expand...
--
http://www.pbase.com/fstopjojo/lenstests

“98% of all lenses are better than 100% of all photographers.” Michael Reichmann
 
I was looking at the 800mm test and the 70-200+2x test. The sign is just really, really bright on the 70-200+2x and on the 400/5.6+2x.

This is what I got when I tested the 70-200+2x versus the 100-400L at f9:



--
Lee Jay
(see profile for equipment)
 
Thanks for the tests fstopjojo. :)

I didn't like the first testshot though, because it's so dark to see a good comparison at 17mm.

The 2nd and 3rd testshots are good, showing the L is sharper than the IS at17mm, both at f/4 as f/5.6.

So at 17mm, the L wins. But at 40mm, I think they are equal or the IS is even better in terms of sharpness. Not surprising though, since the 17-40 is at its max. focal length at 40mm.
 
that particular test was done at about 1pm with the sun quite strong overhead, but with TCs robbing so much light i wanted faster shutt spds. but i must say the 100-400 and 400f5.6 really (really) impress me.

your test shots only help the overall contribution in this area. keep it up buddy.
ljfinger said:
I was looking at the 800mm test and the 70-200+2x test. The sign
is just really, really bright on the 70-200+2x and on the
400/5.6+2x.

This is what I got when I tested the 70-200+2x versus the 100-400L
at f9:



--
Lee Jay
(see profile for equipment)
Click to expand...
--
http://www.pbase.com/fstopjojo/lenstests

“98% of all lenses are better than 100% of all photographers.” Michael Reichmann
 
I am surprised how well it compares with the 400 prime. Very interesting results with all lenses! I am glad I didn't get the Sigma 80-400 OS now. Thanks!
 
i am keeping this 100400IS (date code built oct 2005). it blew me away, even how it stays right with the 400f5.6, which is a cracker of a lens with ungodly AF speed. even with a 1.4xTC the 100400 smokes. very impressed.

as for the sigma 80400, i wanted so much to like it. love the build and finish, but its poor AF speed (not even a focus limiter) and less than impressive optics disappointed me. thanks for the comments.
thorr said:
I am surprised how well it compares with the 400 prime. Very
interesting results with all lenses! I am glad I didn't get the
Sigma 80-400 OS now. Thanks!
Click to expand...
--
http://www.pbase.com/fstopjojo/lenstests

“98% of all lenses are better than 100% of all photographers.” Michael Reichmann
 
it does show that this lens can be very good in deed. too bad that other lenses can also be not so good. that's makes comparing lenses a tad random and with irregular results depending on what copies used.

in this test the 400mm prime did not perform much better than the zoom..in most tests is does.
fStopJojo said:
as for the sigma 80400, i wanted so much to like it. love the
build and finish, but its poor AF speed (not even a focus limiter)
and less than impressive optics disappointed me. thanks for the
comments.
thorr said:
I am surprised how well it compares with the 400 prime. Very
interesting results with all lenses! I am glad I didn't get the
Sigma 80-400 OS now. Thanks!
Click to expand...
--
http://www.pbase.com/fstopjojo/lenstests

“98% of all lenses are better than 100% of all photographers.”
Michael Reichmann
Click to expand...
--



Please do not start new thread for private message to me but send them to me via email instead! thanks.
 
You did well. Thanks for the info.

The only surprise I saw was the slightly lessor performance of your 300/4. Mine's really crisp, even with the 1.4X.

I generally follow the old rule-of-thumb of stopping down 1 additional stop for the 1.4X teleconverter and 2 additional stops for the 2X, but I can see from your 100-400 performance that that much closing of the aperture isn't really necessary.

The 70-200 with the 2X was not a surprise - the lens is awesome, and works well with the 1.4X, but the 2X just doesn't work all that well with that zoom.

--
Tom
 
PhotoTom said:
The 70-200 with the 2X was not a surprise - the lens is awesome,
and works well with the 1.4X, but the 2X just doesn't work all that
well with that zoom.
Click to expand...
I still get tons of great shots from mine.

--
Lee Jay
(see profile for equipment)
 
ljfinger said:
I still get tons of great shots from mine.

--
Lee Jay
(see profile for equipment)
Click to expand...
I haven't, but to be fair, I really don't use that combination since I have the 100-400L. It would be a bit redundant!

Perhaps I should re-test that setup now that I've got a better handle on testing than I did last time I tried the 2X/70-200 combo.

--
Tom
 
Now that I think about it, I don't think I've ever tried my Canon 70-200 with the 2X teleconverter. I did try my Sigma 70-200 (another very good lens) with it on the 10D, but that was quite a while back.

--
Tom
 
daniella you certainly have shown what an excellent copy of the 400f5.6 can do in the right hands, even wide open and with a 1.4xTC. as for my 400 f5.6, it is a flat out excellent copy; the only thing here is that it ran into an exceptional 100-400IS that is unbelievable at 400mm wide open, let alone the fact that it's "only" a zoom.

for birding i see how the 400 f5.6 is the best of the bunch bc of its wicked AF speed (although the 100-400 isnt too far behind really, especially with its focus limiter).

btw, for the record, plenty of folks around the web forums that count a good copy of the 100-400 equal to the prime, FWIW. ask this at POTN, for eg.
Daniella said:
in this test the 400mm prime did not perform much better than the
zoom..in most tests is does.
fStopJojo said:
as for the sigma 80400, i wanted so much to like it. love the
build and finish, but its poor AF speed (not even a focus limiter)
and less than impressive optics disappointed me. thanks for the
comments.
thorr said:
I am surprised how well it compares with the 400 prime. Very
interesting results with all lenses! I am glad I didn't get the
Sigma 80-400 OS now. Thanks!
Click to expand...
--
http://www.pbase.com/fstopjojo/lenstests

“98% of all lenses are better than 100% of all photographers.”
Michael Reichmann
Click to expand...
--



Please do not start new thread for private message to me but send
them to me via email instead! thanks.
Click to expand...
--
http://www.pbase.com/fstopjojo/lenstests

“98% of all lenses are better than 100% of all photographers.” Michael Reichmann
 
i'm hard pressed to see any 70-200 with 2xTC match the 100-400 (at least a normal, good working copy of it). do you still have both lenses? i'd like to see them under a bit harsher lighting conditions if you can do it.
ljfinger said:
PhotoTom said:
The 70-200 with the 2X was not a surprise - the lens is awesome,
and works well with the 1.4X, but the 2X just doesn't work all that
well with that zoom.
Click to expand...
I still get tons of great shots from mine.

--
Lee Jay
(see profile for equipment)
Click to expand...
--
http://www.pbase.com/fstopjojo/lenstests

“98% of all lenses are better than 100% of all photographers.” Michael Reichmann
 
fStopJojo said:
i'm hard pressed to see any 70-200 with 2xTC match the 100-400 (at
least a normal, good working copy of it). do you still have both
lenses? i'd like to see them under a bit harsher lighting
conditions if you can do it.
Click to expand...
I never bought a 100-400L. I tried three and all three were so terrible, I bought the 70-200 2.8L IS instead (and don't regret that at all as I really need the speed). The test I showed was from a 100-400L owned by a friend. His is the first good copy I found (I was starting to think they were all terrible). Here's what I got from the ones I tried at the stores. This is a 100% crop, the best of 5:



I'm guessing you wouldn't have bought that either!

Anyway, I use the 70-200 for stuff like this that the 100-400L can't do:



--
Lee Jay
(see profile for equipment)
 












--
Lee Jay
(see profile for equipment)
 
From all posts the the zoom and prime, I feel:
  • there is no difference between the image quality of
a 'good copy' of zoom and prime
  • that you are more likely to get good copy of the prime
(simpler lens, less elements etc) than the zoom which
has more components which add to the variation in
quality (Canon's QC in question)
  • given the above two, the only difference between the
zoom and prime is that the prime has much faster AF

I know many here will disagree with this assessment.

Cheers!
Neo
 
tom do you by chance have any shots with your 300f4 + 1.4x? the contrast really seems to fall off even on this otherwise stellar piece of glass.
PhotoTom said:
You did well. Thanks for the info.

The only surprise I saw was the slightly lessor performance of your
300/4. Mine's really crisp, even with the 1.4X.
Click to expand...
 
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