Caroline Woodley writes
> 1) Of the Canon 70-200 F4L and 100-300L lenses which is best? Are they both > compatible with the Canon extenders (1.4x and 2x)? Thomas is correct, the 70-200/4 is compatible with both 1.4x and 2x converters. It will give AF with the 2x only with EOS-1V and 3 bodies. F performance with the 1.4x is unaffected (except for being a bit slower I imagine!) > 2) How do the above lenses perform with the 1.4x and 2x converters - do I > lose autofocus and is the optical quality still good enough to produce > publishable photos? What about light loss? I'm asking since, if I went with > the 70-200 lens, I would certainly have to buy at least the 1.4x converter > as well to get the range of zoom I want, presuming it can be used with the > converter. Well known UK wildlife photographer Andy Rouse has cautioned against using 2x converters at all, due to their effect on image quality. This is of course a personal opinion, and may not be shared by all. > 5) Is it worth looking at a secondhand 100-400 L IS lens? Does anyone know > what sort of prices these fetch secondhand in the UK and whether they are > likely to be reliable (i.e. were they solidly built and therefore likely to > be in good condition after a lot of use)? That man Rouse again, who used to use the 100-400 professionally, hasn't used it for over a year. He now prefers to employ either a 70-200mmIS+1.4x converter or 300mm/4IS+1.4x converter. This he puts down to relatively poor image quality on the long zoom in comparison. Also, in his experience the 100-400mm is too fragile. He had to have the IS mechanism repaired four times in one year!(if you wish to chat to him direct, join UK Photographics, to which he contributes articles/weekly diaries. Andy joins discussions on the site forum whenever his schedule allows, and is really helpful-a true man of the people!) BTW, the lens seems to go for about �1000 s/h, though a private sale might get one a bit cheaper. > 6) Is there any other lens or lenses I should be looking at within my > budget? I definitely agree with Terry. A fixed focal length will reap greater benefits in image quality. The 300mm/4IS and 400mm/5.6 are worth investigating. Regards, Tim * **** ******* *********************************************************** * For list instructions, including unsubscribe, see: * http://www.a1.nl/phomepag/markerink/eos_list.htm ***********************************************************
