jimbrown3 Loc: Naples, FL

P.S. The Canon 400 5.6 non IS is a great lens if you can do without IS. Perfect for BIF where you would turn off IS anyhow. Sharp and the price is right at about $800-900 used. Adorama and, I think B&H also, have liberal return policies. Try it out. The 1.4 II works great with it also.

VegesaurusRex

Nice photo, thanks.

I have been doing a lot more reading and I have found that Canon Extenders only work with CERTAIN lenses of which I have but one, my 70-200 2.8.L IS USM. In addition there is a very good review of the 2X that shows pictorially the image disparity between no extender, 1.4 and 2.0:

http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/Canon-Extender-EF-2x-III-Review.aspx

The disintegration in quality is quite noticeable, as you can see.

Still have not ruled that out however.

The suggestion of the old Canon 100 - 400 is the one I am considering most strongly at the moment. The cost new is about $1,300, and if it has about the same optics, but older electronics, that would be my choice.

Since I am preparing for a possible trip out to Glacier National Park this summer, WEIGHT is a consideration and the weight of the Tamaron 150 to 600 could be a problem. I would be bringing my 10 - 18 wide angle, my 50 macro, both of which weigh practically nothing as does my T6i, and probably only one tele photo from among the two I already have :

35 - 350 L

70 - 200 L IS USM

and what ever I might buy.

Obviously the lightest thing would be the 2X or 1.4 X extender plus the 70 - 200.

The fact that the Tameron is heavy is a big negative. I assume the Sigma is as well.

Right now because of weight and other considerations an older version of the Canon 100 - 400 seems to be in the lead.

Presently I have decided to hold off doing anything until the post Christmas unwanted lenses are all up on ebay.

VegesaurusRex

AAARRRG! Another great idea that I have to consider.

The only issue I might have with the 1.4 extender would be that it would increase the minimum F stop two stops, which could interfere with auto focus.

jimbrown3 Loc: Naples, FL

It decreases MAXIMUM f stop by ONE f stop = f8.0. You retain autofocus, CENTER SPOT and Center surround ONLY on the following Canon cameras; 1DX, 5D III and 7D II.

Haydon

If you're willing to look around for the vs. 1 100-400, you will find it cheap because it's not really moving in the stores because of the superior v2. Recently, Adorama had it on sale for $999 new.

http://www.canonpricewatch.com/blog/2015/12/ef-100-400mm-version-1-for-999-at-adorama/

VegesaurusRex

Thanks. Looks like I go for a new lens, probably the older 100 -400, or the older 400.

I need to do more reading.

windshoppe Loc: Arizona

Me,too. Shot at 200mm w/2X extender.

(Download)

RRS Loc: Not sure

There are filters for the 300mm f/2.8 if it's a Canon lens. It goes in a slot near the camera mount. As for a CP filter, the sky is already very blue. What you are referring to as clouds are in fact branches of the tree that are so close that they are out of focus.

RRS Loc: Not sure

:thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:

VegesaurusRex

Look on the uncropped photo. Those are clouds.

pjkraft Loc: Monroe Township, NJ 08831

You mentioned purchasing the Canon extender and using it on AOL your existing lenses. Just pulled up the extender manual to refresh my old, forgetful memory. You can only use these extenders on your telephoto 70-200mm. Won't work on the other lenses you have. Google "Canon extender 1.4x manual" and you'll find with which lenses they're compatible.

Have the 1.4x extender and it works fine when lighting is good and when I use a tripod. Hard to handhold steady otherwise and get a sharp picture.

AHK Loc: Lakewood Ranch, Fl.

Nice shot, but with that high end equipment I'm looking for more clarity. I think the 2x is the culprit.

For birds I use my new 7d and the new Canon 100-400...no extender with some reasonable shots.

This one was with my old 7d and old Canon 100-400...no extender ....1/2500; 500 ISO ; F 5.6

Thanks for sharing

RRS Loc: Not sure

Look again, they are not clouds but branches that are so close that they are out of focus! I don't see cloud one and I'm looking at the full uncropped shot. Maybe I'm going blind and should give up judging photo competitions. :) :) :)

VegesaurusRex

Yes, both my thinking and my knowledge has evolved since making that statement. I have pretty much decided to aim for a brand new lens, preferably Canon, and not too heavy.

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

Forget the teleconverters... using them on an f3.5-5.6 lens will shut down auto focus on a T6i. 1.4X TCs "cost" one stop of light, so an f5.6 lens becomes an effective f8, once the TC is added (a 2X is even worse, costing 2 stops of light). The T6i cannot AF with less than f5.6 (the 150-600mm lenses are f6.3, but they "fool" the camera into focusing). While I haven't used the 35-350mm lens at all, I suspect it would see serious loss of image quality with any TC.

Also, in general, teleconverters work best on prime lenses, as opposed to zooms. There can be greater loss of image quality when paired up with zooms. For example, I use a 70-200/2.8 IS USM (first version) and have both Canon 1.4X II and 2X II TCs. I will not use the 2X on that zoom at all... there's just way too much loss of IQ for my tastes. I've occasionally used the 1.4X on it, but much prefer to use a 300mm lens for overall better image quality.

I mostly use the teleconverters on 300mm and 500mm primes. With those, there's almost no perceptible loss of IQ with the 1.4X and only slight with the 2X.

There are exceptions... for example the 70-200/2.8 IS USM Mark II works extremely well with the 1.4X III, and pretty darned well with the 2X III. I'm hearing reports that the 100-400mm Mark II also works pretty well with TCs, but once again since this is an f5.6 lens already, the combo won't autofocus on your T6i.

For the least money and best quality, get the Tamron 150-600mm that costs about $1050. The Sigma 150-600mm "consumer" is slightly more expensive. The Sigma 150-600mm "sports" would be an upgrade for about $2000.

600mm or even 500mm is an awful lot of lens on an APS-C camera, where 600mm "behaves like" almost 1000mm would on a full frame. It's going to be quite difficult to work with and is going to be overkill for a lot of things. If you are photographing small, distance subjects such as birds, it might be great... but it can be difficult to get a steady shot even with image stabilization (might plan to use a tripod or at least a monopod), and because you are shooting through a lot of atmosphere there can be some loss of image quality.

For handheld shooting when I need to be mobile, my longest lens is the Canon 300/4L IS USM, with and without 1.4X. When using it with the TC, I'll usually try to use a monopod, too. This combo is quite good and I like having the two focal lengths to work with... next best thing to the versatility of a zoom. This lens sells for about $1250 right now, and the Canon 1.4X III is costing around $450. So this is a bit more expensive option than Tamron and Sigma zooms above.

The Canon 400mm f5.6L is a popular birder prime for it's reach, sharpness and fast focus, as well as it's affordability at about $1200. Note that this lens does not have image stabilization, so is much more likely to need at least a monopod and have more shutter speed limitations.

The Canon 100-400mm Mark II IS USM is an excellent zoom, but will run around $2200 and as an f5.6 lens won't be usable with even a 1.4X on your camera. The first version of this lens is pretty darned good, too... but is a less common "push-pull" zoom design that people either love or hate. It's fast, but may be harder to get a steady shot. The first version 100-400 can be found used for around $1500 I think. It's also an f5.6 lens, so no TC on your camera. Even on cameras that can focus it with a 1.4X, not many people use that combo so I suspect there's a lot of loss of IQ. (Note: this lens also doesn't like filters, images are severely compromised. So if you get one be sure to remove any... it has a nice deep hood for "protection" anyway).

Sigma has made 120-400mm, 150-500mm and 50-500mm lenses, too. The most recent versions of all three have OS image stabilization, too. These have all been discontinued within the past year or two, I think, but can be found used for under $1000 (even under $600 for the 120-400). The 50-500mm is possibly the sharpest of the three... But be warned, it's knicknamed "The BIGma" for good reason.