Upgrade from sigma 80-400 ex

I'm looking to upgrade my sig 80-400 ,
options for around £2000
canon 70 - 200l f4 is + canon 300l f4 ( + 1.4 tele con )
canon 70-200 f4 is + canon 400l f5.6
sigma 120-300 2.8 os + 1.4 tele con .


need a faster focus and faster aperture ( poor light in uk !)
wildlife is main usage ( birds inc )
any idea's...............c​heers

Two more options to add to your choices:

1) 100-400mm IS L
2) 70-200mm f2.8 IS L MII + 2*TC


In the end I think you've got to make the choice between using a prime lens or a zoom lens for you wildlife. All of the choices will give you very usable results and are certainly up to high quality finishes provided that you use them correctly.

If I were to put them in a rough sharpness order it would be:
400mm f5.6 - sharpest of the lot at the long end.

300mm f4 + 1.4TC

100-400mm + 70-200mm f2.8 IS L MII + 2*C (note these two options perform pretty much on par, but will generally require being shot at f7.1/f8 to get the best image quality performance; wide open is still usable of course).

I've honestly not used nor read too much on the 120-300mm but I've heard very good things about its performance; but I can't place it on the scale. At a guess I would expect it to fall below the 400mm prime, but maybe just above the other zooms. It's greatest bonus though is that it does offer you the widest usable aperture (even when stopped down one stop to help preserve image quality).

You might well want to find a local shop or even camera club to see if you can try any of the combos out in person and get a feel for them. For what its worth most of the bird photographers I know who shoot birds extensively prefer primes and, in this price range, would go for the 400mm f5.6. Others would say save a bit more and jump for the 300mm f2.8 IS L second hand (which can take up to a 2*TC for good quality 600mm performance).

Overread wrote in post #13362665
Two more options to add to your choices:

1) 100-400mm IS L
2) 70-200mm f2.8 IS L MII + 2*TC

In the end I think you've got to make the choice between using a prime lens or a zoom lens for you wildlife. All of the choices will give you very usable results and are certainly up to high quality finishes provided that you use them correctly.

If I were to put them in a rough sharpness order it would be:
400mm f5.6 - sharpest of the lot at the long end.

300mm f4 + 1.4TC

100-400mm + 70-200mm f2.8 IS L MII + 2*C (note these two options perform pretty much on par, but will generally require being shot at f7.1/f8 to get the best image quality performance; wide open is still usable of course).

I've honestly not used nor read too much on the 120-300mm but I've heard very good things about its performance; but I can't place it on the scale. At a guess I would expect it to fall below the 400mm prime, but maybe just above the other zooms. It's greatest bonus though is that it does offer you the widest usable aperture (even when stopped down one stop to help preserve image quality).

You might well want to find a local shop or even camera club to see if you can try any of the combos out in person and get a feel for them. For what its worth most of the bird photographers I know who shoot birds extensively prefer primes and, in this price range, would go for the 400mm f5.6. Others would say save a bit more and jump for the 300mm f2.8 IS L second hand (which can take up to a 2*TC for good quality 600mm performance).

thanks for the reply , i whent for the 300 f4 l is & 1.4 x , with a 70 - 200 f4l is , so far looking good just need the weather to pick up !! cheers.