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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Canon 600mm ii vs 200-400mm f/4 IS on Safari | |
I am finishing up my trip to India and wanted to post some stats that may help others.
I see people post what lenses should I take to (insert destination)? And I am no different, having options is great, but it can create a great internal conflict on what you should take.
On this trip the main target was tigers, but I also wanted to photograph birds and from my experience in Africa I learned that if a mammal is far away the 600 ii + 2x is the best option.
I decided to take both the 600mm II and 200-400 with me on my trip. I have 1501 total keepers (that will be narrowed down to about 400 shots), so I wondered just how many shots did I take w/ each lens and what was the subject/goal.
So let’s break it down. Here is basically what I took with me: 24-70mm 2.8 ii, 70-200mm 2.8 IS II, 200-400 w/ int ext, 600 f/4 II, 1.4x iii, 1.4x iii, 2x iii, 1D X, 5D iii.
The two main lenses were the 200-400 and the 600 ii. I just left the 200-400 w/o an external 1.4x and paired the 600 ii w/ the 2x iii for the majority of shots taken with that lens. I also took my Canon G15, but that was mainly for habitat shots, towns/villages, etc. I preferred the 1dx paired with the 200-400 and the 5d iii w/ the 600mm. I did learn from here on out i will be taking a grip for the 5d iii as shooting portrait mode w/ a big white is a pain in the neck without the grip.
Here are the numbers for the 1501 photos***:
24-70 ii - 2 photos
70-200 2.8 IS ii - 8 photos
200-400 - 226 photos, out of those 4 were birds, the other 222 shots were mammals
200-400 w int 1.4x engaged - 360 photos with 98 of those being birds.
600 w/ 1.4x - 33 total photos with 26 of those being mammals (also note i could get close to this focal length w/ a 1.4x ext added to the 200-400)
600 w/ 2x - 872 total photos with 346 mammals and 526 being birds.
****many of the photos are duplicates so it's a matter of just picking out the best of the best***
These stats are probably not a surprise to anyone. Both lenses proved to be valuable for both of my goals of cats/mammals and birds.
If I only had to pick one for India, it probably would be the 200-400 w/ an external 1.4x attached. It’s less weight and bulk. I also like the zoom flexibility and the flip of the switch extender. Having an animal moving towards you, then away, then towards, can be a pain with just a prime and trying to swap converters. The zoom lens comes in very handy and convenience is worth something
some photos:
600 w/ 2x:
200-400:
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