70-200f/4 vs. 100-400

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Originally Posted by neuroanatomist

Let me throw one more thought at you - 100-400mm, 135mm f/2L, and perhaps the 1.4x. That combo gives you something you can't get from a zoom, a full stop faster f/2 aperture at 135mm, which is great for indoor action or outdoor portraits (a little long indoors on a crop body). You can add the TC to the prime and get 189mm f/2.8 with good IQ.

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That is a good suggestion. I'm not sure though. I've already got the 85mm f/1.8, so I've got a fast portrait lens. I think the 135mm is too close to the 85mm, it's not really changing what I can shoot.The 200mm would be a different enough focal length that I could justify using a different lens rather than walking, and I'd get full speed AF at that further distance.


Again, the lottery is the solution. I'd get both the 135mm, the 200mm, as well as both the 70-300 and 100-400, as well as a series of very long primes, and a crew to carry them for me. :)

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Originally Posted by DavidEccleston

The 200mm would be a different enough focal length that I could justify using a different lens rather than walking, and I'd get full speed AF at that further distance.

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Makes sense. I just find it difficult to justify a prime when there's a zoom that covers the same focal length and aperture, and has the benefit of IS thrown in. But with the way lens prices are going, a lottery win would certainly come in handy!

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Originally Posted by neuroanatomist

The 1.6x is not magnification, it's cropping.

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Yes, but magnifying in the sense ofperimage or printsize rather than pixel size. You crop the imageso your image is enlarged or magnified, sort of like using a longer lens except not. I understand your point about 60D magnifying an image more than a 40D. Mabye I'm wrong in making this anolagy.

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Originally Posted by neuroanatomist

Was that a lengthy discussion? [img]/emoticons/emotion-15.gif[/img]

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Not this side of 1.6 crop, when it comes to sensor sharpness and DOF and light and the circle of confusion and everybody not knowing what that means can get a bit lengthy[:)]


John.

Not to complicate things even more...


I am faced with a similar dilema. I have the 70-200 f/4 (no IS) and want more speed and length. The 70-300 gives length at the cost of speed. The 70-200 f/2.8 gives speed with no additional length. What to do???[:S]





Is the 70-200 f/2.8 not that good? I was considering it as a lower cost alternative to the 70-200 f/2.8 IS II. Or a used/refurb 70-200 f/2.8 IS.

The 70-200/2.8 is great, if your shutter speeds are going to be fast enough that you don

Very interesting. The f/2.8 non IS is sharper than the f/2.8 is.


I would even go for the f/4is but my biggest problem is subject blur from motion. I took several shots recently in gymnasium at night, with flash, and many pictures were blurry. The subject was a ballroom dancing all Fifth graders are required to take. There was lots of movement and the shutter speed couldn't keep up @ ISO 400, the limit when using flash without high speed sync. My 24-70 did good with freezing the action but I needed the reach most of the time. Weather sealing is somewhat important to me also.





Brett

I

I'm not sue what to go with when the time is right (have the money). Deciding on lenses is tough. I got the 24-70 f/2.8 after much debate now I am feeling like an upgrade on the long end is needed.


I was seriously considering the 70-200 f/2.8 then found out it's not weather sealed. Then Neuro sent this over "The 70-200/2.8 is great, if your shutter speeds are going to be fast enough that you don't need IS. In very slightly descending order of IQ, the 70-200 series runs: f/2.8 IS II > f/4 IS > f/2.8 non-IS > f/4 non-IS > f/2.8 IS. " Is is worth trying to get a refurb. 70-200 f/2.8 IS II? If I went that route I would most likely get the 1.4 teleconverter. I could also get a used 70-200f/2.8IS but not if the non IS is better. I love my 70-200 f/4 outside but it's slow inside and I don't want to go backwards in pic quality.[8-)]


To answer your question... I didn't use HSS because some kids were very close and I didn't think it was an appropriate time to blast them with that. I did read in another discussion about shutter speed in AV mode (Also, in Av mode the default is to expose for ambient and add flash. In the flash control menu, there's a setting for shutter speed in Av mode, and that's Auto. You can also choose Auto between 1/60 - 1/250 (the 7D's max sync speed) or force 1/250) neuroanatomist" Maybe I will try forcing the shutter speed and not lower the flash output. Worth playing with.


Brett

First off, I love refurb stuff and wouldn

I should also add Mr. Hobby had been playing with a pocket wizard TT5 and getting almost 1/640 of a second. That