300 F2.8L IS vs Sigma 500 F4.5 EX for birding?

I've decided 2011 will be the year I take a step up from my trusty old 100-400L and get a better lens with more reach. Of course I'd love a 500, 600 or 800L but that isn't going to happen to someone with my stricken finances.

It's going to boil down to a secondhand Canon 300 f2.8L IS (MK1) or a new Sigma 500 f4.5 EX. They'd be about the same price if I factor in buying a 2X T/C for the Canon, I already have a Kenko 1.4X. If the new 300 MK2 comes down in price that may be a contender as may the Sigma 120-300 OS if the latter gets good reviews. Either way it is still essentially the same predicament, a 300 f2.8 with t/cs or a bare 500 f4.5.

Does anyone have birding experience with these 2 lenses? I'm especially interested in how the Canon with a 2X T/C fares against the Sigma both in terms of IQ and AF speed. Obviously the Canon has other advantages, it is more handholdable and will be fantastic at 300 f2.8 and I imagine very very good at 420 f4.

Also how good is the Sigma wide open? From what I hear the Canon is razor sharp at all apertures but is this true with a 2X T/C?

One thing that worries me slightly about the Sigma is compatibility. I know some older Sigmas don't work on DSLRs (or can only be used wide open), how likely is it that the Sigma would last more than my next couple of body upgrades?

Any opinions gratefully received especially from people with direct experience of one or ideally both of these lenses........

I have a 7D and I'll be keeping my 100-400L which is very easy to unobtrusively pop in my toploading pouch when I potter around the local parks and forests. The big lens I'll be buying will be for more 'serious' stuff........

To be honest I had a Sigma 500 4.5 and found my 100-400 and TC focussed faster and more reliably. Certainly the 300 and TC's gave me better images and more reliable AF. I am not a canon fan boy, I base this on my experience with both, the Canon is simply better. Maybe I had a cack 500 but it went back to Sigma and they told me it was fine. So either it was cack or it just did not work well on my 5D, 1DIIn and 1DsII....

I would defo buy the 300. Or look for a used Canon 500 f4.5....no slouch either.

Hi, thanks for the reply. I did see you on searching this forum that you had a bad experience with the Sigma, guess I have to decide how typical that is.

What precisely was the problem? AF? IQ?

I used to live in Munich, great city............

Anyone else have experience?

It seems the Sigma 500 f4.5 EX isnt so popular as a birding lens. There aren't so many recent reviews either, I guess most folk head straight for the Canon when we start talking about spending $000's on a big lens..........

Get the Canon and extender and you'll be set.

I love my Canon 300mm f2.8 IS plus canon TC's! This combo is fabulous and I have posted tons of shots with this lens and the TC both 1.4x and 2x.
Here is one of my favorites with the Canon 2x MK1:

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i saw you wrote new sigma 500mm...so like $5,000 at B&H?...have you looked at the for sale threads here?...the last two cannon 500F4's...went for $5200, and $5,000...and I'd expect more to hit the market/price go down a bit when the 500L MK II is out...

not sure how close you are to buying, but there is also this one:
https://photography-on-the.net …220&highlight=c​anon+500mm

If you are at 5k already just keep saving and get the Sigmonster once you got enough $$$$.

Buying here at POTN or at B&H is not really an option for me here in Japan alas...........

HokkaidoStu wrote in post #12073872
Buying here at POTN or at B&H is not really an option for me here in Japan alas...........

yeah i didn't notice that until after my post ...but still what are the second hand rates in japan for the 500L...is it close to the sigma new price?

DreDaze wrote in post #12073887
yeah i didn't notice that until after my post ...but still what are the second hand rates in japan for the 500L...is it close to the sigma new price?

A new Sigma is around ¥380000 and a secondhand Canon 500 f4 is usually over ¥600000. The new Canon F4 will be over ¥900000! There may be a few new MK1 around for around ¥770000. I have only ever seen one secondhand Sigma 500 online in Japan and it was going for around ¥250000, I think it was an older (non DG) version though.

These may not reflect prices in the US (which tends to be cheaper than Japan, for Canon at least, even with the current high value of the Yen).

Sigma lenses are pretty cheap here, the difference is big enough to seriously consider them at least. A new Sigma 800 f5.6 is under ¥600000, cheaper than any of the Canon superteles from 300 and up.

RoyC, a PotN member, has a collection of bird images shot with the 300 f2.8 + 2x TC on his site here.


Edit: I've just seen who the OP is. You will be familiar with Roy's stuff from Birdforum.

Hi Frank, yes I already checked Roy's stuff out.

I had a bad deal with the 500 f4.5, IQ was great at MFD but got steadily worse until it was unusable for things like deer (40m away). Af was also poor, often hunted and that without a TC. Also not that this lens cannot take a TC and AF for definate, even on 1D bodies. It is a special sigma feature. Might work, might not...taped pins or not.