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canedje
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Registered: Sep 30, 2008
Location: Netherlands
Posts: 109
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Review Date: Dec 22, 2009
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Recommend? |
Price paid: Not Indicated
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Pros:
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Every shot is a winner! Fast, Sharp, and realy Sharp! Perfect IS
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Cons:
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None, okay, you have to pay for it!
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My passion is nature photography.
I'm using this lens now for more than a year. Mostly with the 1,4 TC.
I'm in love. What a perfect lens. Every shot is a keeper.
It's on my body for about 99%.
If you want quality, please buy it. You will not be disapointed!
Every positive thing they say about it, is true.
Watch for pics on this site: www.natuurshot.nl
On this photoforum you see most of the pics taken with this lens, by other photographers and me (In Dutch)
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 Dec 22, 2009
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PetKal
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Registered: Sep 6, 2007
Location: Canada
Posts: 9181
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Review Date: Nov 27, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $5,800.00
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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IQ is top notch, AF drive speed, while not exceptional, is adequate.
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Cons:
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Heavy and clumsy for extended handholding. Expensive like most good productes by Canon.
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I got my 2nd 500 f/4 lens a couple of months ago because that's the longest & fastest supertelephoto lens available that I can still use hand-held in moderation.
The lens IQ is beyond reproach......at least as good as that of 300 f/2.8 IS.
AF drive speed is moderately fast. Quite a bit better than my 500 f/4.5L, but not as good as 300 f/2.8 IS. However, to me that is of secondary importance because the lens will not be used for fast action photography.
IMO the lens is really meant to be used on a pod, Walking around with 500 f/4 in my arms and shooting extensively gets to be quite onerous very quickly. In situations where neither IS nor f/4 aperture would benefit my pictures, I tend to reach for 500 f/4.5L lens because of its much lower weight and very similar IQ.
It is easy to see the direction in which Canon will improve this lens: trim some weight off, provide with the current generation IS and speed up the AF drive. Unfortunately those upgrades will likely result in a further major price increase on top of an already very expensive lens. That's the reason I decided to get the current generation 500 f/4 now which I could still somehow justify despite my limited use of it.
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Nov 27, 2009
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Breitling65
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Registered: May 31, 2006
Location: United States
Posts: 2482
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Review Date: Nov 4, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Quick AF, works with both tc's 2 and 1.4 fine, not very heavy and I could handhold for several seconds.
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Cons:
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Cost, some IQ degradation with tc, not as superb IS as on latest Canon lenses
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If you need long telephoto for birding or sports this is your lens. However I would suggest to get this lens before 300mm F2.8L IS otherwise you will be disappointed in IQ comparison  It is great in IQ lens but 300 is way better optics. You would need 1.4tc for sure, 2x works ok on mk III. In general also need bunch of other things like lenscoat, replacement cap & foot or plate, gimbal would be best, good heavy duty tripod and monopod. It adds lots of fun for birding, very noticeable by people since long and white.
I put 9 since it is for sure not best lens in my bag but I would say next after 300 F2.8L IS.
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Nov 4, 2009
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Cesar
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Registered: Oct 18, 2006
Location: Portugal
Posts: 0
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Review Date: Sep 17, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Sharp, very nice in color and contrast
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Cons:
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nop
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Esta lente é simplesmente espectacular, é a minha lente favorita.
Para fotografia de natureza é sem duvida a melhor opção.
Recomendo vivamente.
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Sep 17, 2009
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Steven Evans
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Registered: Nov 14, 2006
Location: United States
Posts: 46
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Review Date: Jun 3, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $5,800.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Sharpness, Contrast, Focus,
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Cons:
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Hummm, My first supertele- takes a bit to get used too
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I bought this lens about 2 months ago. I really like the bokeh, It has fast AF, The picture quality is simply stunning!!
I have found myself doing a lot of handheld photography(wildlife) with it. I am able to get pics down to 1/250 with a 50/50 keeper rate but I at 1/500 the keeper rate is very high!!
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Jun 3, 2009
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stelin
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Registered: Dec 22, 2005
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 4
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Review Date: May 1, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Everything bar the size and weight
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Cons:
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Size weight
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Simply awesome quality. Almost no need to process a RAW image. Incredibly sharp. Handholds well (for a short time). If only it wasn't so big and heavy, but then it wouldn't be a 500 f4!!
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May 1, 2009
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genefixer
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Registered: Jan 22, 2007
Location: United States
Posts: 2265
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Review Date: Apr 21, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Great crispness, lifelike images and perfect contrast images. Little PIP necessary. IS is very quiet and works great on or off a tripod.
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Cons:
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really none. Won't add price because for the $$ it is a steal!
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Have only had this lens for a couple weeks but already I find myself leaving my 400 DO IS at home and bringing the excellent 500mm F4 and a 300mm along for the shoots. I have debating about leaping for this lens for over a year and finally did with no regrets, even with this ongoing economic downturn!
do not have many images to show but for a laughable subject go to:
http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/763078/0#6977743
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Apr 21, 2009
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philp
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Registered: Jul 31, 2004
Location: New Zealand
Posts: 0
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Review Date: Apr 19, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Sharp, sharp, sharp. Fast focus and hand holdable.
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Cons:
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Cost, but you get what you pay for.
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I've had this lens for a short while and I use it mainly for motorsport.
I thought my 300 f2.8 IS L was good but this is just as good.
The sharpness and speed of focus is amazing and I can hand hold for panning shots without much issue.
Adding the 1.4x convertor works really well and pushes it out to 700mm ithout any noticable drop off in IQ on my 1D MkIII.
This and the 300 2.8 are the best glass I have ever used. Well worth the expense.
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Apr 19, 2009
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James Wei
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Registered: Aug 12, 2007
Location: Australia
Posts: 35
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Review Date: Mar 20, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Sharp, excellent bokeh and stunning image rendering ability
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Cons:
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Weight
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This is a very good lens. I have bought it 7 years ago and bought it again because I need it for wild life photography.
Fantastic rendering and the images are just so sharp. Clarity with good contrast. Bokeh is fantasticly creamy buttery smooth.
Here are the image gallery from this lens
http://www.themesoftime.com/Gallery.aspx?ID=47
http://www.themesoftime.com/Gallery.aspx?ID=67
This is a very good lens to own
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Mar 20, 2009
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harrygilbert
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Registered: Jan 10, 2006
Location: United States
Posts: 391
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Review Date: Feb 18, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $6,200.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Sharp, excellent IQ, fast and accurate focusing (with 5D)
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Cons:
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Cost
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One of the best photo investments I have made. Only "nit" is the weak 52mm Canon polarizing filter. With a Wimberly head, it's a joy to use; with a Bushhawk, it is very manageable and I got my first decent BIF and wildlife shots (with a 5D no less).
Very sturdy construction and quality build - I feel I got my money's worth.
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Feb 18, 2009
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GeoffreyLI
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Registered: Jan 11, 2009
Location: China
Posts: 0
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Review Date: Jan 21, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Razor-sharp image, fast focusing, good contrast
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Cons:
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White len casing, crummy lens cap, expensive
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Razor-sharp image even with the aperture wide-opened. 1.4X works very good on this lens. Fast focusing is performed with or without 1.4X attached on 1-series cameras. A stable tripod and ball-head is a MUST for this type of lens. If you are afforded to buy this lens, you will find it worth every cent you had paid. However, if you are bird-photographer, perhaps the lens is not long enough in some occasions. I never use Canon’s original lens cap. It is very crummy to use on the field. If the lens casing is coated in black or “cammo” color, it can be much harmony to match the nature environment.
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Jan 21, 2009
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RikWriter
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Registered: Jun 22, 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 2159
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Review Date: Dec 24, 2008
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $5,000.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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It's very sharp...nearly as sharp as my 300 2.8L IS...and very fast-focussing. It takes a 1.4X TC very well with no degradation in IQ and very little loss of focus speed. Not brutally heavy...I can use it well with a monopod after a bit of practice if I keep the shutter speed up.
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Cons:
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Mucho dinero. Mucho mucho mucho mucho dinero. Ouch.
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It's my dream wildlife lens and it hasn't let me down. I bless the circumstances that made it possible for me to buy it as it has allowed me to get some shots I never would have been able to get before. It's not light, but it's light enough that I have been able to carry it over my shoulder on a monopod for over 3 miles of hiking. It works a 1.4x teleconverter like it was made for it, nearly as well as my 300 2.8L IS used one.
It's a very expensive lens, but you can feel the value of it every time you pick it up.
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Dec 24, 2008
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