Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM Lens or other options?

BirdShooter7 wrote:

Sounds good. The 100-400 mk2 without TC is a fantastic lens on any camera body and I think you will really enjoy using it. Since you mentioned using it with the 1.4x I thought you might be interested in knowing its limitations with your camera body. On the newer bodies it is a much better option so if you eventually upgrade your camera body you will likely be happier with the user experience with the 1.4x III.

I read the reviews suggesting that the 100-400 mk2 cropped is better optically than the Sigma 150-600 and I was very interested in this result so I actually bought a Sigma 150-600 S and did comparisons between it and my 100-400 mk2. I was unable to replicate the results where the Canon cropped was better than the Sigma at 600. The extra focal length of the Sigma appears to be a real benefit. With the 1.4x III the results were close with the Canon being slightly better in terms of detail/contrast. The AF performance, however, seemed more solid with the Sigma which isn't a huge surprise given its larger max aperture.

Did you mean the Canon has the better AF performance since it is the one with the larger aperture (F/4.5 vs Sigma at f/5.6)?

Ultimately I ended up selling the Sigma because of the size and weight. I bought the lens to use beside my 500mm f/4 and the Sigma actually starts getting close to the weight of that lens. Traveling with both turned out to be more trouble than I wanted to deal with and the 100-400 mk2 was a better companion to my 500.

Hopefully one day I will add the 500!

if you are mostly planning on using the 100-400 sans TC I would be surprised if you weren't very happy with your purchase. If your plan was to mostly be using the lens with the TC attached then there might be better options, especially considering the camera body you are using. In any case the 1.4x III should work beautifully on your camera body and your 70-200 and do fine on your 100-400 in a pinch.

I will mostly be using the lens without the TC. I wanted the TC for times when I really needed that extra reach (wildlife or birds). I finally made my choice based on the idea that for the 200-400 range, the 100-400 II was the best I could get for the money I could afford.

Thanks for your input!!

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