Where are you located? I would think local university libraries or special collections would find them very interesting! These photos sound very interesting.
I have both this lens and the EF 70-300. They are both fantastic lenses. I have used the 100-400 mostly for birds. The 70-300 is a wonderful lens and much much lighter. You would be happy with either one, but if weight is an issue, the 70-300 is more versatile if you move around a lot and/or want to handhold. The push-pull on the 100-400 doesn't bother me at all.
thank you both for answering my question. I'm out of town and didn't bring the book with me so this helps a lot.
I'm rather new to Canon, and I know I should read the little booklet that came with the lens, but can anyone quickly tell me the difference between the stabilizer 1 and stabilizer 2 settings and which I should be using?
Yes, I did. It is a serious drawback to an otherwise good Magazine. I contacted N Photo several times about it, but I still can't read it without crashing on the original Ipad. It might be better on newer versions of the Ipad.
Hi, this is a highly specialized task and not something to be taken lightly. Archives are often very dark (to protect documents). I am assuming if he can't use a tripod, he won't be able to use flash. The Nikon you mention might actually be the best bet, but you might want to see how well if works in really low light. My inclination might be to recommend a canon t3i or Nikon d5100, which are full frame cameras with articulating screens with somewhat larger sensors, so might be better in low light. Both of these are under $500.00 on amazon with kit lenses. Cameras that are terrific for other things, will not necessarily be the best in extremely low light. I'm surprised he can't use a tripod--that helps a lot by avoiding camera shake, but archives can be picky.
In short what you want is a camera with a rotaing lcd screen and the ability to take decent high iso shots in very low light.