jstampa wrote:
So I've always had a nice SLR/DSLR. Never really learned to seriously use them until now. I'm really spending hours daily learning and practicing. I've been doing so for a while now. I've got a lot of the basics down. I'm now working on different situations and compositions. I still have a ways to go but I'm much further ahead then I was several years ago. Here's my question. My wife and I will be taking some serious trips over the next 2 years. Iceland and Alaska, Antartica, Africa and Costa Rica. We live in Florida for now (too hot for me anymore). I'm going to be starting a new venture in Alaska during the summers. We will be spending summers in Alaska. I am looking for a serious lens for the trips we will be going on. Mainly for Africa and Antartica. Since they are once in a lifetime I am looking for the best bang for the buck. I have all the smaller lenses I need. I am looking for a Canon exotic lens. Much to my surprise my wife has agreed (I almost fell over when she agreed) with me getting a really good lens. I'm looking at the 2 new Canon lenses coming in December. The EF 400mm f/2.8L IS III USM or the EF 600mm f/4L IS III USM. I have the 100-400. I am thinking of selling that and getting the new 70-200 2.8 and one of the exotics. I like to longer zoom of the 600 but I also like the F2.8 of the 400. Not sure which way to lean. I am not a BIF shooter. I do like to shoot wildlife. Thats my main thing. I also like other stuff but I'm looking for a lens for wildlife. Any suggestions would be helpful. As for the bodies we have, we have a Canon 5D mark iv and the new EOS R. One is hers and one is mine. We share Lenses. Thanks.
So I've always had a nice SLR/DSLR. Never really ... (
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For super long telephoto work like you want to do, f/2.8 is generally not necessary and makes for a bigger, heavier lens. f/2.8 is more for sports shooters who need it for night games and to keep their shutter speed fast for action.
This is the shallow depth of field effect you can expect from f/4 (in this case, the Canon EF 500mm):
In fact, with several f/2 and f/2.8 lenses that I use, I've found myself stopping down more often than not.... f/2.8 can be just too shallow DoF.... and f/4 or f/5.6 is just a bit more forgiving if I miss focus slightly.
For max versatility and convenience when traveling... and since you appear to have the budget for it... you might want to look at the Canon EF 200-400mm f/4L Teleconverter. That has a built-in, matched 1.4X teleconverter that can be added with the simple flip of a lever, to make it a 280-560mm f/5.6 lens. In addition, you could use another 1.4X teleconverter with it to make for a nearly 400mm to almost 800mm f/8 effective combo. It's said to work very well with the Canon EF 1.4X III.
Something else you might consider is getting a third camera.... an 80D would give you 24MP with crop that's like using a 1.6X teleconverter, but without the loss of 1+ stops of light the way there is with an actual teleconverter. A lot of "big, long lens" users deliverately use APS-C crop cameras for just this reason. (If 80D is not to your liking, the M5 mirrorless with an EF to EF-M adapter can serve the same purpose).
The 400/2.8, 500/4, 600/4 and 200-400/4 Teleconverter lenses are all pretty big and heavy. The lightest of them are close to
twice the size and weight of your 100-400 II. They use drop-in filters because their front elements are 120mm to 150mm in diameter! And they are 14 to 18" long without lens hood... Not to mention, the lens hoods they use are the size of coffee cans!
Are you prepared to deal with lenses this large and heavy while traveling? You're likely to need special cases and may want to ship the gear ahead, instead of trying to schlep it through airports yourself. I'd hate to put them in checked baggage, too! Air travel with large lenses like these is a real commitment! You basically need to leave other stuff at home, in order to take the big glass.
Have you tried your 100-400mm II with 1.4X and 2X teleconverters? By all reports, it holds up really well to use with a quality teleconverter and with 1.4X is able to autofocus on 5DIV... or on EOS R with 2X (you'll need EF to RF adapter for this latter). I have to admit, I haven't used my 100-400 II with my teleconverters.... In fact, in two years shooting with it I haven't needed it. But I use it almost exclusively on APS-C cameras with the 1.6X multiplier effect I mentioned above.
Rentals are an option, but check to be sure... many rental companies don't allow their gear to travel out of the country. You may need to rent from someone at your destination.