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Canon EF 500mm f/4.0L IS II USM

Started Nov 29, 2013 | User reviews thread
qianp2k Forum Pro • Posts: 10,350
Re: Canon EF 500mm f/4.0L IS II USM

BigBen08 wrote:

rebel99 wrote:

i was considering getting this lens or the new 200-400+ built in 1.4x tc, or the 600 f4II, i opted for 600 because of the reach. my experience is, when i attach the new 1.4xIII tc to these new f4 primes, the iq takes a big hit. however, using these tcs with a f2.8 lenses, such as 300 f2.8II and 400 f2.8II, iq almost doesn't change at all

This has been my experience also. Early in the year I bought the 500 f4 II. With the 1.4xIII static shots were very good. But when shooting moving subjects the images were slightly soft. Not real bad, but definitely not what I expect from such an expensive lens. On the other hand, my 300 f2.8 II and 1.4xIII produce fantastic images.

With 1.4x TC III, AF lock-on speed gets significantly hit with 500L. This is exactly what I experienced in the Jones Beach airshow this year especially with 5D3 (better on 1D3). Sharpness is still good to me with 1.4x TC III on relative still subjects but not with 2.0x TC III.  I tried that combo and had unusual high rate of blur photos.

500L + 1.4x TC III on 5D3

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