DPReview.com is closing April 10th - Find out more

Canon Big White Conundrum - 200-400 vs 400 f2.8 IS II vs 500 f4 IS II

Started Sep 3, 2014 | Discussions thread
Tannin Senior Member • Posts: 1,510
Re: Canon Big White Conundrum - 200-400 vs 400 f2.8 IS II vs 500 f4 IS II

Zoom is very, very handy for large birds and also mammals.

But the 200-400 is too short, too expensive, and an absolute beast to hand-hold. It's not the weight, it's the balance. If you only ever use a tripod, worth considering.

Look at any of the three big primes (400/2.8; 500/4 and 600/4). I own an old-style 500/4 and the new 600/4. I'd love a 400/2.8, but where do you stop?

For me, working in open country much of the time, the reach of the 600 makes it the best solution. In rainforest, I used to think that a 400/2.8 would be better but I find that the combination of 5D IV and 600/4 is truly excellent.

The 500 has the stand-out strengths of neither, but is cheaper and quite a lot lighter. It's a good compromise all-rounder.

BTW, the 7D II is getting old now but remains an outstanding camera. I use mine a lot.

I reckon your best choice might be 7D II and a prime, probably 600/4. You can swap your 5D III and 7D II around between the 100-400 and the big prime for an excellent range of choices of effective focal length and noise-handling ability. Having both full frame and crop bodies is a real advantage.

Edit: Hey - I'm pretty quick. The question has only been out there four years and - BANG! - I'm straight onto it!

 Tannin's gear list:Tannin's gear list
Canon G9 X II Canon EOS-1D Mark IV Canon EOS 7D Mark II Canon EOS 5DS Canon EOS 5DS R +10 more
Post (hide subjects) Posted by
Keyboard shortcuts:
FForum PPrevious NNext WNext unread UUpvote SSubscribe RReply QQuote BBookmark MMy threads
Color scheme? Blue / Yellow