Lens Help Please

I know this isn't the correct place for this, but everyone here has been so great in helping me try to get better, so here goes:

I currently have a not very good 70-300mm f5.6
Here are two I have to choose from:
A Canon 70-200L f4 non IS or
A Canon 70-300 IS

Both lenses are about the same price. Which would you choose? Help Please!

Which one is your current 70-300mm, Canon, Sigma, Tamron or Quantaray?
What don't you like about it?
The answer to these questions would help other people give you more precise advice. Otherwise your next lens may still give you the same problem.

The canon 70-200 but this probably belongs in the lens forum as these are not very much 'bird' lenses.

I have the 300mm f/4L IS and the 70-200mm f/4L and they are both very sharp. Only for birding I find that I need the extra reach with the 300. I rarely use the 200 just because I'm not good enough to get close for the shot.

Rebel is also right.......think what it is that you don't like about your current lens before you replace it. Otherwise you might be making a similar post in a month.

here is an image sample of the 70-200mm f/4L. Its size is great for hiking and its doesn't get heavy to carry after a few hours like the 300mm. (I don't know anything about the 70-300mm IS.......sorry).

I currently have a Quantaray and what I don't like about it is a lot of the comments about my bird shots are that they are very soft. I'm hoping to start getting some tack sharp shots. If this question is in the wrong place I apologize and could a mod move it for me please?

If the budjet can handle it some L series glass 300mm -400mm will probably help you.
Are you using a tripod?

FWIW,l I have the 70-300 IS and while I like it in the ordinary way of things, I find it doesn't do the job on wildlife shots. Which is why I switched to the 100-400 IS . ALso, I find the motor on the 70-300 a tad noisy.

I have to have the IS, due to ageing hands and feet. I never knew I swayed so much before I started this hobby.

Momtothefurmonsters wrote in post #3260861
I currently have a Quantaray and what I don't like about it is a lot of the comments about my bird shots are that they are very soft. I'm hoping to start getting some tack sharp shots. If this question is in the wrong place I apologize and could a mod move it for me please?

Nothing's wrong with posting the question here since you are looking for a telephoto mostly for bird photography. If the same question is posted in the EF Lens forum, you'll get a bunch of test chart shooters instead of bird shooters.
The Quantaray 70-300mm is not the sharpest among other lens in the same class. However, if your technique is not correct to begin with, your next lens (a more expensive one) will inherit the same problem. Hence, same result, i.e. less sharp image. So, a few things you need to find out first before you decide to buy a new lens to replace your Quantaray.
1. Did you make sure the shutter speed is faster enough when shooting handheld?
2. Have you tried shooting with a tripod or monopod, and see if the number of keeper increases?
3. Have you tried stopping down the aperture and use other setting to compensate the lost of shutter speed, such as adjusting the ISO, Exposure Compensation, so on & so forth?

A razor sharp 400mmf5.6L will not solve the problem if it was caused by the issues above.

Fee is spot on. I have the 400 5.6 and when i first got it i was dissapointed with the results... But after spending some time with it, and taking 100's of shots, i've realised that the problem was me all along. Poor technique. I don't think i'll ever be able to hand hold it, so a tri-pod is a must for me...

A couple of people here have that lens and had the same problem. I'll tell you the same thing I told them. Your soft problem is from camera shake, not a bad lens. You have to use faster shutter speeds, flash or a tripod to fix that.

When they started doing that, their shots went from soft to tack sharp. Yours will too.

As a newbie to both photography and bird photograpghy I can't help much but i did borrow a 70-200 f4 l lens from a friend and i was very impressed with the focus and sharpness of this lens. Though to short really for birding. For the money (uk abot £470) it represents good value IMHO as you can crop a bit and still get decent results.

Heres one of my faves with the 70-200 f4