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Canon 70-200 f/4 L IS with 1.4x or Canon 70-300 f/4-5.6 L IS or 300 f/4 L IS over Tamron 70-300 VC?

Started Feb 19, 2015 | Questions thread
Steve Balcombe Forum Pro • Posts: 15,582
Re: Canon 70-200 f/4 L IS with 1.4x or Canon 70-300 f/4-5.6 L IS or 300 f/4 L IS

I have all the lenses you mention except for the Tamron. If you expect to shoot mostly at or close to 300 mm, then the 70-300L is far better than the 70-200 with an Extender. Image quality is virtually indistinguishable, and having the whole zoom range without having to fit a TC is a big practical advantage. The 70-300L is shorter when packed, so it's easier to fit in a small bag - especially if the comparison is against the 70-200 with the TC attached.

I wouldn't recommend the 300/4L IS for your situation, despite having one myself. It's the biggest lens, it has no zoom, the IS is first generation two-stop (and very clunky), and it suffers from longitudinal CA. Image quality is good but not as good as the 70-300L. The one advantage it does have is f/4 at 300 mm which is undeniably nice to have.

70-300L without hesitation.

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