Original 600mm F4 (non-IS)

dgumshu wrote:

BirdShooter7 wrote:

1Dx4me wrote:

lonewolf1983 wrote:

Norm Neely wrote:

lonewolf1983 wrote:

A well priced original 600mm non-IS has popped up and wondered how this lens stacks up vs its more modern bretheren.

Maybe a good price on a mark ii might pop up?

This is a good comparison of the 600mm mark ii vs 800mm. I think it's a very good read even if the mark ii isn't in your budget.

http://www.birdsasart-blog.com/2013/01/15/canon-ef-600mm-f4l-is-ii-vs-canon-ef-800mm-f5-6l-is-and-the-winner-is-2/

Doubtful, few 500mm F4 mkII's available 2nd hand for about $8k
600's attract more dollars
Comparison is the original non-IS i'm picking up for $2.8k

i tend to agree, i have a canon 600mm f4.0 II, hardly used and it is in pristine condition with original carrying box and paper. i paid $13K and wouldn't let it go lower than $11K. i have a LowePro carrying bag and RRS L tripod stand for it. i am not trying to sell it in this thread but rather saying what i would ask for it when time to unload it. i don't regret getting it though. i am 72 now and it is getting difficult for me to hoist it anymore so i don't want it to collect dust on the shelf.

A good friend of mine just picked up a 600mm f/4 mk3 for $10k in like new condition. I’m seeing mk2’s fairly regularly for between $6-7k.

I've seen that too, However, from what I've read, V3 isn't as sharp as V2 with extenders.

Brian, from the Digital Picture tested threes of these v3's. Consequently, I have no desire to upgrade (or downgrade :-)) to V3. I'll wait for the 2nd wave of RF600 F4 reviews before upgrading. The current RF 600 F4 is merely a 600 V3 with an attached adapter.

All that aside, the one I'm really looking forward to is the RF 500 F4.

I just so happed to have an opportunity to do use the mk2 and mk3 side by side on a R5. We didn’t have any TC’s handy at the time but at least for the bear lenses we really struggled to see any difference in quality between the two. This was a very informal test out in nature, certainly not a controlled test in a lab and certainly not the last word. It did satisfy any doubts I might have had about the optical quality of the mk3. The weight difference is very noticeable and in my opinion a big benefit of the new model. I always had doubts about the digital picture results anyway so I’m sure that made it even easier for me to accept the results of our informal test on actual birds.

Im also very interested in the RF 500mm f/4.  I don’t plan on buying any 600mm f/4 so I’m not really invested either way in which one is sharpest though my friends who own the two lenses were.