I had a loan of a 1D Mark IV and a 70-200 2.8 II from Canon CPS to evaluate both.
One of the things I wanted to look at was the 70-200 2.8 II with TC compared to my 400 5.6. I would never have thought this was much of a combination for bird photography, but noted photographer Artie Morris has been raving about the combination for a month or so and has posted some great shots using the combo on his blog.
I have gotten some decent shots with the 400 5.6 but my best have been when it is rested on something. I am blaming this on the lack of IS but my hand holding technique probably sucks.
Below are two photos which give some idea of a comparison. The first is with the ID Mark IV, 70-200 and the 2X TC II (not the newest version.)
The settings are 640 ISO F5.6 1/500 sec.
The rest of the processing is same for both shots. Converted to TIFF in LR4 moved to photoshop, tonal contrast added in Nik Color Efex 4and 1 shot of smart sharpen, which is sort of my normal method.
The next shot is taken with the 5D Mark II 400 5.6. ISO 640 f 6.3 1/640 sec. If anything the settings should slightly favor the 400 5.6. Both shots were handheld with my elbow resting on the arm rest of my truck shooting out the window.
I draw no amazing conclusion here other than the 70-200 with the TC is much better than I would have believed. I assumed it would have been blown away by the 400 5.6. There is no question it will focus faster, but for a shot like this the quality is pretty close.
I just thought I would pass it along for you guys to take a look at.
Right now I have a 70-200 F4IS and the 400 5.6. If I could make the 70-200 2.8 with TC work, it would let me get rid of one lens. It will be hard to get rid of the 70-200 F4 because of its light weight and sharp results.
I'll be curious to hear comments.
GG
