500mm vs 600mm?

jjl wrote:

I'm in the market for one of these lenses, and looking for feedback from people who have one or both, and perhaps wish they had the other one. I'm just looking for insights that I might not have thought of. I know all the specs, weight, etc... I will probably rent one first just to get a better sense of it.

Absolutely, rent or trial copies through cps.

At the moment, my longest lens is the 400 f4/DO (plus a 1.4x extender). It's been a great lens, but I crop most of my final photos with it. Seems I can never have enough length. I'm at a place in life where I can afford a 500 or 600, but not both (let's not get silly). I'm mostly shooting birds, and it's all for fun (though I do professional work in unrelated areas).

Love the 400, but agree with your analysis.  V1 or V2?  You can use the 2x but the af is iffy.

I'm leaning toward the 600 (new generation lens), because I feel I can never have enough length. The number of times it's "too much tele" will outweigh those where it's not enough. One of the reasons I picked the 400 f4 years ago was that it was light & I could use it hand-held if needed. But, in practice, I almost always use it on a monopod anyway. So, why not have a longer lens?

Thats true.  I find myself using the 1.4x very frequently on the 600 especially with twitchy wildlife but the tripod is a must.

I've considered going with a used first-generation, but feel like I'll have regrets. I've also considered going with a refurbished 600mm to save ~$2000 or so, but at this price range, I'm not sure if that's a risk worth taking... or is it a risk at all? Maybe a refurbished 600 is totally fine, and it's just a vanity thing? Anyone out there have a refurbished 600?

Good luck if you can find a refurb.

Any insights, lessons learned, etc that anyone can share before I pull the trigger on this? thanks in advance!

Yes, I think the ideal combos for birds are a 100-400 II  with/wo a 1.4x tc for hand held and travel and a 600 mm w/wo tc’s and a tripod for longer reach.  I’m on the road now and had to travel light; am shooting some sports and wildlife.  I chose my 300 f/2.8 is ii along with my 1.4x and 2x iii tc’s because it is flexible, can be used indoors, and can be hand held.  While this combo was perfect for my sports, it was too short for the birding even at 600mm.