A $1,200 to $1,600 Question

[neuroanatomist]

I can see some purple fringing, the sea behind the surfers looks odd, and there seems to be a haze/fuzz around bright objects. But that is looking at 100% crops. Are those the areas where the new lenses will be better or are there others? Will they also be sharper?

Hi Brant,


Those are the main areas, yes. The images from any of the L lenses that you mention will be sharper, suffer from less chromatic aberration (purple fringing), and have better color and contrast than images from your current lens.


Looking at your shots, you'll probably want the longest lens possible - that would be the 100-400mm. However, based on the MTF charts, the new 70-300mm L lens seems to be sharpest of the three. It has better IS too, but that's not a big factor at the shutter speeds you're using above. The new 70-300mm L is also not going to be much bigger (physically) than your current 75-300mm (fatter, but not much longer). The 100-400mm is a substantially longer and heavier lens.


The 70-200mm f/4L is a fine lens, especially the IS version which falls within your budget. But for shots like those above, giving up 100mm on the long end is not a great idea. So, my recommendation would be to wait for the reviews of the new 70-300mm L lens, assuming you're not in a rush for a new lens. The focal length is the same as you've got now. Or, if you feel you need the extra reach (if you routinely crop shots as you did above, then you do need as much reach as you can get), the 100-400mm on a 7D is a great combo.


Good luck with your decision!


--John

[deltasun]

This is a blast from the past for me. Here's an illustration of the quality differences (all from my XTi) between my 75-300mm f/4-5.6 vs. my 24-105mm f/4L. I took these back to back with the two lenses.


300mm full photo:








24-105mm full photo:








300mm 100% crop:








24-105mm 100% crop:

[Kayaker72]

Delta,


, I am glad I am not the only one. Justifying ~$1,500 to essentially replace a lens you've been happy with isn't always easy. But after looking at your images, I went back andcompared 50-100% crops of my EFS 15-85 and my 75-300 III USM. Pretty consistently, the crops from the EFS 15-85 were sharp, no CA, etc. In fact, some of the 100% crops were amazing, while some just a little off. But the crops from the 75-300 III USM were pretty consistently "soft" (I believe that is the term Bryan used in his review). So, in thinking about it, the 75-300 III USM probably gives me acceptable uncropped images. But with a new lens, I will get better uncropped images but also the ability to crop a section of the image and use that for my picture.


John,


You areexactly onmy next problem,which lens? If I didn't need to replace the 75-300 lens, then I could have spent my money on a couple of lenses, such as a macro (100 mm f2.8 or f2.8 L), a flash, and maybe a portrait lens (85 f1.8). But I do use the telephoto range, so I think I'll decide between the 70-200 f/4.0 L, 70-300L, and the 100-400 L. The 70-200's are appealing because of there IQ, size and weight, but they only go to 200 mm.The 100-400L has the extrareach and IQ are the pluses and the size and weight the minuses. And the 70-300L may have the best IQ of them all, and sits right between the other lenses in terms of reach, size and weight. Plus, it most directly replaces what I currently have.


But I have noticed that many of my favorite pictures posted in this forum have been taken with the 100-400L at 400 mm. Whether it be from air shows, wildlife, etc....it seems the extra reach helps getgreat photos. So, I think I'll wait on the 70-300L reviews and try to find a photo shop that stocks the 100-400L so I can check out the lens in person.


Thanks again,


Brant

[Joel Eade]

Brant,


Looking at your surfing images I think you purchase as much focal length as possible, it will be tough for any lens to give great images with such a large crop. You definitely need 400mm or more, if the super tele's are out of budget then look at the 400 f5.6L, it will probably out perform the 100-400 zoom in terms of sharpness.


Joel