This is a sad day for me, as I have been saving up for this lens and now it is discontinued!!!! First Adorama had it out of stock and now B&H. I went to Canon USA and it said the 200mm f/2.0 is discontinued!!!!
I had the pleasure of renting it last week and using it on my 1Dx III. It is everything you would expect from a lens like this. The sharpness, the bokeh, the image rendering. It is first rate.
I better snag one before the used prices go through the roof!!!!
Wow. That is a bit of a dream lens for me as well. I do not have a need that justifies the expenditure.
If you miss one now, I bet there will be more that hit the market when Canon releases an RF version.
Used it once and now I for sure want it. I am starting to shoot and make money on the side. So now whatever I make with photography I will reinvest into it again. Not like it was exactly cheap the 1DX III and 5D IV. Although I think I'll return both and get a 5DS R. I just don't need the speed of either bodies. I'm straying away from birding and doing more portraits now. Birding is fun but doesn't pay.
Last edited by Fast Glass; 03-08-2021 at 07:49 PM.
[QUOTE=Fast Glass;103220 Birding is fun but doesn't pay.[/QUOTE]True that
I still have my Minolta 600mm which I will probably never sell. I'll never stop birding, but I can't justify spending huge dollars unless I make money with it.
That is not to say if/when I have a suitable setup for portraits, engagements (Just did one last week), weddings ect. And I have enough funds that I wouldn't splurge on a big white or even multiple. But if I didn't make money with my hobby I would never be able to justify a thirteen thousand dollar lens. Even though technically I can afford it. Wifey would not be impressed.
Understand that for sure.
As for "the big whites" I have been able to get good quality and prices on used items over the years.
I started in 2010 with a used 300 f/2.8. It was great but as relative newbie to bird photography I did not know that it really wasn't enough focal length so a few years later I bought a used Version I 500mm f/4L.
I kept the 300mm f/2.8L for a long time but rarely used it after I got the 500. Last year I traded it for a used Version I 500mm f/4L for my son's birthday!
After several years with the 500mm I got the itch for the 600mm f/4L so I sold the 500 and bought a used version II 600mm f/4 for less than half the retail price.
I feel that the 600 f/4L is the ultimate bird lens at this point and birds remain my primary interest.
I have done a couple weddings and some portrait work for friends but have no desire to try to produce revenue from it.
So I have never jumped at a $13,000 lens. I just couldn't see the value in it compared to a nice used one. Especially, as you said, it's not producing income.
As for the spouse approval ... I am very fortunate there .... as long as all the bills are paid and savings/retirement are on track she never fusses about how I spend "extra" funds.
She enjoyed going with me for the Ecuador bird trip as a non-photgrapher.
Last edited by Joel Eade; 03-08-2021 at 08:57 PM.
For sure, and while I would be totally stoked to use even the orginal 600mm f/4 IS my ultimate lens is still the 800. For me I have made good use of even 1200mm on a 1.6 crop body with my 600. So it is not about whether or not which is better at 1200'ish range. The 800 goes to a whopping 1600mm! Also it would be closer to a bare 600 and 1.6 body like I was used to shooting for years, natively without extenders.
Not to say I never use a bare 600mm for birding. But I tend not to fuss too much about IQ and focus more so on the shot. And I have gotten some nice shots at extreme focal lengths.
Id have to look at the mark three version of the 600mm compared to the 800mm. But from what I remember there wasn't huge differences between the 600mm II and the 800mm when comparing them to equivalent focal lengths. In my mind it came down to personal preference and how you wanted to use the lens.
And a LOT can be said about the versatility of the 600mm f/4 IS II or III.
#LivingthedreamOriginally Posted by Joel Eade
As for the spouse approval ... I am very fortunate there .... as long as all the bills are paid and savings/retirement are on track she never fusses about how I spend "extra" funds
Jonathan Huyer
www.huyerperspectives.com
True that
Too funny.
It may not pay, but it helped keep my sanity during the pandemic.
Plus, hobbies are expensive. Things more expensive than a 600 mm lens.....hmmmm: Harley Davidson Low Rider; pair of jet skis; fishing boat & trailer (never mind the truck needed to pull the trailer); ok..how about that truck to pull the trailer....
After that, your 200 f/2 or 600 f/4 seems downright affordable!!
I have been blessed and try to appreciate it daily!
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