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

Started Dec 27, 2017 | Discussions thread
Tom Holly Contributing Member • Posts: 564
Re: Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM Lens or other options?
2

I have been thru all these questions over the past few years for shooting sport/wildlife. I've owned:

canon 70-200 2.8

Canon 400 f/5.6

sigma 150-600 C

sigma 100-400C

canon 100-400 II

My conclusions:

Weight: Canon 400 f/5.6 and sigma 100-400C win on weight hands down. Canon 100-400 II and sigma 150-600C are bigger heavier lenses. This can make a real difference. I find I can move around with the lighter lenses a lot easier.

Image quality: Canon is generall slightly better, but they're all pretty good, even wide open. The 150-600C is slightly softer at 600mm, but still good enough to that it beats a cropped image from a 400mm lens.

Reach: The 400s will obviously get you further than your 200. The sigma 150-600C will get you furthest.

Autofocus performance: Canon is markedly superior. Snappier and tends to nail focus better than the sigma. Sigma tends to need autofocus microadjustment in my expeirnce. The sigmas still work though, it's just not quite as good.

DON'T USE teleconverters.

Another point: Crop cameras reach a little further in practice at the long end. E.g. A 400mm on 80D will produce better image of a distant bird than the same lens on a 5D mark III. If you are close enough to fill the frames (e.g. 320mm on full frame vs 200mm on crop) then the Full Frame gives superior image.

 Tom Holly's gear list:Tom Holly's gear list
Canon 6D Mark II Canon EOS 90D Canon EF 50mm F1.4 USM Canon EF 85mm F1.8 USM Canon EF 135mm F2L USM +11 more
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