Upgrade 100-400 to 300 2.8?

Thank you everyone for your responses. After sleeping on it... I am going to explore other options to help fund it with keeping the 1-4 as a last resort. The speed of the 1-4 is my real concern since I find myself getting up earlier and staying out later for wildlife, etc. I hope to get more into sports and I hear these two reasons alone are sellers for the 300. I would definitely go to the 2.8, the slower 300 wouldn't offer enough to give up the 1-4. You are all right, there are those occasional times I wander out and would miss the range of the 1-4... But, the AF, sharpness, and 2.8 would also be worth it going forward... hmm... Can I sell my wife's possessions to help fund lenses? Just kidding, I am not that stupid!! LOL Hell she is contributing to the purchase already for my first father's day gift, baby arrived 2 weeks before it, can't say I am a worthy dad yet!!

Here's one strategy -- Sell the 1-4, get the 300 you'd like now. Afterwards, if you really miss the 1-4, buy a used one to add back into the kit.

That was kind of my thought. I mean the price difference is huge, so "picking up" a 1-4 again later would be a possibility, but just springing for a 300 2.8 is much more of an investment.

LOL!

When you reach the level of owning a 500, the 100-400 seems cheap by comparison!

hortonsl62 wrote in post #5795888
LOL!

When you reach the level of owning a 500, the 100-400 seems cheap by comparison!

and yet so usable!!! i actually appreciate my 100-400 much more now that i own the 500. the 100-400 is just so light and versatile that it is truly a pleasure to use on hikes and walks in the park. i take it with me wherever i go and love the fact that it is so portable. the 500 is an amazing lens but it is truly a pain in the you know what unless you know what and where you are going to shoot.

I was headed down a similar route one time. I would drop the 100-400 to get the 300. Then, after missing it, save up. It just seems like such a long saving process for the 300. Plus I would check put siam latest ofwrings to replace the 100-400 anyway

bagtagsell wrote in post #5796151
I was headed down a similar route one time. I would drop the 100-400 to get the 300. Then, after missing it, save up. It just seems like such a long saving process for the 300. Plus I would check put siam latest ofwrings to replace the 100-400 anyway

did you also again buy the 100-400L?

ed rader

I think blonde's point about the 500 and 1-4 is why I was even considering it. I do not feel I walk around and shoot as much as I did. I do have somewhat of a plan and destination most times so carrying the 500 for example at this point is part of the plan. Again, for the zoo, walking around, etc, the 1-4 is so worth keeping. Heck it is more fun and often much more rewarding to not plan outings, grab the camera just in case, and see what happens. Unfortunately with the baby now, things are a little different, no strolls for the heck of it!! LOL I really want to pull the trigger and deal with it later, but I decided to wait over the weekend and explore other options and see if it is feasible to keep both. Thank you all for letting me ramble and more importantly for your feedback!

naryab wrote in post #5796779
I think blonde's point about the 500 and 1-4 is why I was even considering it. I do not feel I walk around and shoot as much as I did. I do have somewhat of a plan and destination most times so carrying the 500 for example at this point is part of the plan. Again, for the zoo, walking around, etc, the 1-4 is so worth keeping. Heck it is more fun and often much more rewarding to not plan outings, grab the camera just in case, and see what happens. Unfortunately with the baby now, things are a little different, no strolls for the heck of it!! LOL I really want to pull the trigger and deal with it later, but I decided to wait over the weekend and explore other options and see if it is feasible to keep both. Thank you all for letting me ramble and more importantly for your feedback!

are you sure that we are not brothers? let's see, we are both from MA, we both have the same gear and were thinking about the same change and like you, i also just had a baby so rarely have the time to go out on casual walks

I made the same move, almost... Went from 100-400mm to 300mm w/TCs. I haven't tested extensively, but the 300mm w/TCs certainly does NOT dissapoint, IQ-wise! It's also a brighter combo (e.g. 400mm @ f/5.6 vs. 420mm @ f/4) with a one-stop advantage.

I say almost because I don't know if I want to part with the 100-400mm just yet... It's hard to beat the convenience of a zoom when you need it, not to mention a smaller/lighter package. But I suspect I'll be using the zoom much less now!

I have both the 100-400 and 300 2.8, whenever possible I would use the 300, but there are situations where the 100-400 might be a better fit. However, if you have the 70-200, you should be well covered.

blonde wrote in post #5796953
are you sure that we are not brothers?

I don't think so, but don't you think brothers would share gear? At least some? Sounds like we have too many duplicates between us. LOL Perhaps we need to play the sibling rivalry thing and I should just get the 300 2.8 L for bragging rights... unless you do have it then forget it! :P Also, I heard brothers usually help each other out and your skills are, to say the least, quite well known around here and probably many other places and therefore exceed mine exponentially. Although in all fairness, I have learned a lot from your time and posts here at POTN (thank you for that),but a big/little brother with superior skills should offer more to blood than POTN. Anyway... I digress.

naryab wrote in post #5797542
I don't think so, but don't you think brothers would share gear? At least some? Sounds like we have too many duplicates between us. LOL Perhaps we need to play the sibling rivalry thing and I should just get the 300 2.8 L for bragging rights... unless you do have it then forget it! :P Also, I heard brothers usually help each other out and your skills are, to say the least, quite well known around here and probably many other places and therefore exceed mine exponentially. Although in all fairness, I have learned a lot from your time and posts here at POTN (thank you for that),but a big/little brother with superior skills should offer more to blood than POTN. Anyway... I digress.

hehehe