Which Setup? 300 f4 IS + 1.4 or 400 5.6?

Hello, I was at Donnigton today and managed to get chatting to a guy with a 300 f4 Is and a 1.4 convertor on. I asked him what he thought of it and if he had wondered about the 400 f5.6. He replied he had used the 400 but prefered the 300 with the 1.4 convertor as it gave him IS. What are peoples thoughts on this and what setup would you use for motorsport/airshows etc?

This would all be on a 30D or possibly a 350D/400D depending on budget...

I recommend the 100-400L

I know the 100-400 lens is very versatile and it was number one on my list a few months back but after a lot more reading I have heard a lot of peoplesay it is not as sharp at the tope end as the equivalent prime (400). I suppose it is an choice between versatlity and sharpness, is there reallythat much of a difference?

My 100-400L is very sharp, not as sharp as the prime, but the IS and versatility far out weigh a small difference in sharpness

Nope. Main difference lies with the AF speed, prime is much faster than the zoom.

I too would recommend the 100-400 for motorsport & airshow type shooting.

...and I was that guy!

I haven't actually tried a 400 f/5.6, but I did consider it. I already had the t-con to use with my 70-200, so the 300 made more sense for me (420mm f/5.6 IS). I would imagine the focussing would be a bit quicker with the 400 without the t-con and the IQ would be a little better, but the IS was an important addition for me as I hand-hold pretty much exclusively (air shows etc.) and I have no qualms with the IQ i get. I do find though, that the focus can hunt a little under certain circumstances with the t-con (low contrast/light) but is pretty good on the whole.

How did you enjoy the day? I enjoyed myself - I'll post my pics on my flickr site when I get to them, but I've been building up a backlog to get on!

edit: oh yeah - my father has the 100-400, which I have used and quite like, but I didn't get this as I find my 70-200 (with or without t-con) plus the 300 suit me better. I'm not keen in the push/pull zoom, and the 70 gives me a bit wider view. Nice lens though!

Hello mate,

When I was posting this I had a feeling you may be here Could not remember if it was yourself or another guy (who had a 100-400) I spoke to who had tried the 400. Had a great day in the end but left just after the main race as my little 4 year old was falling asleep on me, did not fancy carrying him all the way to the car...everytime I look into which lens to get I always meet someone who gives a good arguement on the kit they have and you got me thinking.....again It does make sense with what you say.

Would love to see a few of your pics that you got from where you were sitting. I got a couple but most were not very sharp and really hard to get with my S5500 (specially with the dodgy Raynox convertor on) as the AF is awful sometimes end up with pictures of tarmac

Cheers

I stand corrected, you are right about the AF speed in a big way

This is an often asked question. If you look in the stickies in this forum you can find this thread

https://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthre​ad.php?t=158323

on this subject.

I have the 300 f4 is and 1,4x extender and it is a great combination I also have 100-400 IS. But I will get the 400 f/5.6 because of the faster autofocus on that.

I use my 100-400L when traveling, taking still wildlife shots and flowers. The 400 F/5.6L is used for birds in flight and faster moving subjects

If you're shooting mostly at 400mm, then it really is a no-brainer to get the 400f5.6. Optically and AF speed, it's tops in that group of lenses. The 1-4IS is the one I opted for because of overall versatility and optics. I've never found a copy (2 copies) of the 300f4IS + 1.4x to match either the 400 prime or zoom at 400mm and f5.6. But no doubt that the 300f4IS is a fine lens.

That's what I intend to get the prime for too. I think the prime and the zoom will be a great combo.

I wanted the IS, so 300 f/4L IS for me. As a bonus, I get closer focusing distance and the ability to switch down to 300mm if needed...

I can deal with the slightly slower AF speed and loss of sharpness/contrast so I went with the 300mm f/4L IS + 1.4x TC. IS works fabulously.

Dew wrote:
...and I was that guy!

What a small world!