Canon EF 300mm f/4L IS USM

2cruise wrote in post #18181938
I have a chance to buy one these for $625 in like new condition from the original owner and I want to jump on it but it doesn't seem to be that popular. Also does the Canon 1.4 extender play well with it? Going to use it at air shows and maybe a eagle shot down on the river. My 70-200 f4 IS a great lens but I always seem to need more reach. Will be using on my 5DIII.

The 1.4x works great with it. Very good lens even with a TC. I got mine on KEH.com with a discount code for $525 or so, and I use it more than 150-600 for birding, but I use mine mostly on an APS-C for a light weight long reaching lens with F4 speed and IS. I really enjoy it for that.

Very best,

I got mine earlier this year, similar to your deal, except mine was unused but pre-owned.

Some points:

I use mine on my 5D3 with and without a Kenko 1.4X extender, and also on a 1D4 by itself or extended.
The images I get are superior to what I can turn out with the same bodies and my 100-400.
The 300 focuses faster.
It's good enough I usually leave the zoom at home now.

Maxdave

MalVeauX wrote in post #18181948
The 1.4x works great with it. Very good lens even with a TC. I got mine on KEH.com with a discount code for $525 or so, and I use it more than 150-600 for birding, but I use mine mostly on an APS-C for a light weight long reaching lens with F4 speed and IS. I really enjoy it for that.

Very best,

Maxdave wrote in post #18182402
I got mine earlier this year, similar to your deal, except mine was unused but pre-owned.

Some points:

I use mine on my 5D3 with and without a Kenko 1.4X extender, and also on a 1D4 by itself or extended.
The images I get are superior to what I can turn out with the same bodies and my 100-400.
The 300 focuses faster.
It's good enough I usually leave the zoom at home now.

Maxdave

Thanks, I'm picking it up this afternoon!

First shot!

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/NFAN​8m

Shake it off til the moon becomes the sun.

Nice MFD....

Stare and wonder...

If this question has been asked before then I apologise.
Will this lens work with a canon MKIII 2x converter? If so does it become a decent 600mm lens? I would be using it with my 1D4. Many thanks.

Red Dexs wrote in post #18194873
If this question has been asked before then I apologise.
Will this lens work with a canon MKIII 2x converter? If so does it become a decent 600mm lens? I would be using it with my 1D4. Many thanks.

With a 2xTC the lens becomes f/8 so you need a fair amount of light, but yes, it will work. I've not used it with my 1DIV yet, but have on occasion with the 1DIII and the 1DIIN and expect the 1DIV to do similar or possibly better. Autofocus will work but will be slower and it will hunt if there isn't enough light. In my experience a 2xTC with a 300/4L will only give good results if you don't have to crop (much) in post. If the subject is too far away and you have to crop a lot to get it frame filling, then there's too much loss of IQ (birds become kind of muddy, with little detail). There is a reason I don't use this combo much and only use it in an emergency, and I definitely wouldn't use it as my default set-up. The 300/4 does work very well with a 1.4xTC though.

Thank you Levina. Plan B then

Red Dexs wrote in post #18194873
If this question has been asked before then I apologise.
Will this lens work with a canon MKIII 2x converter? If so does it become a decent 600mm lens? I would be using it with my 1D4. Many thanks.

I used the 2xII all the time with my 300mm. Hiking with the extender along with a couple extension tubes offered a fantastic lightweight kit (providing capabilities of a macro, tele, and super-tele).

Sample below with marginal crop with the 5Dc. I purchased the 2xIII recently so I'm eager to shoot some new images soon.

Not sure if I posted this image earlier in this or another thread....

But another 300mm + 2xII example. Not the sharpest example. But shot handheld, with a stiff wind pushing me/camera around and the the cardinal/branches, and not necessarily in unison lol.

View_Finder wrote in post #18197057
Not sure if I posted this image earlier in this or another thread....

But another 300mm + 2xII example. Not the sharpest example. But shot handheld, with a stiff wind pushing me/camera around and the the cardinal/branches, and not necessarily in unison lol.

F8 focus with the 40D?

Very best,

MalVeauX wrote in post #18197108
F8 focus with the 40D?

Very best,

The 5D won't focus with the Canon 2x either.


In any case, yes, I have a few images with the 300/4 and the 2xII (and with a Kenko 2x extender) that are very nice too. Still doesn't make it an ideal set-up. AF will take a hit and there will be loss of IQ. Usually too much in my opinion. I basically only got good results with the bird being close and if I didn't have to crop much in post. But there's the rub, isn't it, because you use a 2x extender not for birds that are close but for those that are too far away for the bare lens or even for the lens with 1.4x extender. In my honest opinion the 300/4 with 2x extender does not make a good 600mm lens.