which is better: 400 f2.8 or 600 f4?

for wildlife shots?
I noticed on the poll 'Top 10 recommended wildlife primes' that more people voted for the 400 f2.8.
$ value is pretty high for both of them.
I am just curios and thanks in advance for your answers!

elfieh

depends on your needs. you can always use extenders to get to 600, not much you can do if you're too close with a 600

both are great lenses, so is the 300

I would like to get some really good shots of bald eagles. I can watch them from my house for almost 3 months and got some pretty good shots of the younger ones but the mature ones are very hard to get close to.

elfieh

For birds the 600 hands down. Put the doubler on it for 1200mm! No AF on a 30D but for a still eagle it should be ok to MF.

You never know how close the eagles are going to come to you. Get one of each, and a couple of porters to carry them.

Most birders I know are compromise between the focal length of the 600/4 and the lighter weight of the 500/4. Some go for the 600 because of its greater focal length, others for the 500 because it is lighter to carry if they have to hike to their shooting sites. I don't know any who have chosen the 400/2.8. It has both more weight and a shorter focal length.

Hm. Maybe 300/2.8 and extenders? I hear 300 is quite possibly one of the sharpest canon lenses. The IS is quite sweet aswell.

//edit: I was being stupid. I was thinking 300/2.8 plus 2x gives yo u600/4 instead of 600/5.6 as it would've. Nevermind then! Hah.

The 400 2.8 is also more expensive then the 500

Brandon

For birds, the 600 mm is the best choice. The 400 2.8 is just way too short for birds and weighs as much as the 600 f4.

For some, the weight and mass of the 600 mm is too much to deal with and so they go with the 500 mm which is also an excellent lens.

If you shoot birds, I would definitely choose between the 600 f4 or 500 f4 and forget the 400 2.8 as you will always be yearning for a longer lens.

P.S. I was just looking as the lens sample archive and there were no samples of the 400 2.8. There are of the 500 f4 and 600 f4 however.

thanks everybody!

elfieh

Generally, the 400/2.8 is a sports shooter lens. Virtually all wildlife shooters I know that use big glass have either the 500/4 or 600/4.

600 for sure, plus a 300 if you get close.

thank you vkalia and cwphoto!

Elfie

People who ask these kinds of questions about lenses like these don't deserve to own them.

Exit wrote in post #2263138
People who ask these kinds of questions about lenses like these don't deserve to own them.

there is no such thing as "deserve" in this situation. these lenses, as nice as they are, can be bought by whoever has the cash even if the person just wants to use them as an ashtray. if i have the cash, i can buy the 600mm and just use it as a leg rest if that is what i wish to do with it. you can spin it all you want but these lenses are nothing more than consumer goods.

i am sorry but i never understood comments such as this one..

Exit wrote in post #2263138
People who ask these kinds of questions about lenses like these don't deserve to own them.

Maybe you'd like to explain just what sort of person does deserve to own these kind of lenses?