Quote Originally Posted by thekingb
But now I am wondering if the 1.4x would provide a more versatile alternative.

I don't think I'd say it's a more versatile alternative - with the 70-200mm + TC, you've got either a 70-200mm zoom or a 98-280mm zoom, and you have to mount/unmount the TC to switch, whereas with the 70-300mm, you've got the whole range covered. If you shoot in manual mode a lot, the constant aperture of either f/4 or f/5.6 would be a trade off, but if you shoot in an automatic mode (e.g. Av or Tv) then the variable aperture of 70-300mm is not a big deal.


Optically, the 70-300mm L will outperform the 70-200mm f/4L IS with an extender (even the new MkIII), although the differences are not huge.


Quote Originally Posted by thekingb
BTW, the 70-300's zoom ring placement drove me crazy for the 2 days I had it. Not sure what Canon was thinking there...

Their 'lens positioning article' for the new 70-300mm states, "...this lens really comes into its own when used with an APS-C size sensor camera." That suggests that one of Canon's main targets audiences for this lens is owners of 1.6x crop bodies. So, I suspect Canon was thinking that photographers interested in this lens likely also have one of the better quality EF-S lenses (10-22mm, 17-55mm, 15-85mm) and those lenses also have the zoom ring further from the body. Of course, it may have just been a necessity of the lens design, too. Who knows?