It’s built like a tank. Optical Stabilization (OS) is a nice final touch. The Canon 70-300mm isn’t the flashiest lens on this list. Why? Patience pays in wildlife photography from stalking your subject to waiting to upgrade your equipment. Always a favorite of motor sports, wildlife and nature shooters, the relatively lightweight 500mm lens now adds Image Stabilization for an unbeatable package of handling and sharpness. Here’s why: On the other hand, this lens is small and light. You can start by shooting some wider shots, then a few tighter portraits, then some intense close-ups–the opportunities are endless. N ikon D500. Canon 500mm and 600mm f4L IS II These expensive but exceptionally-built lenses are a gold standard for wildlife photographers . First, the Canon 200-400mm has an impressive focal length range. I will be using teleconverters with either lens I buy. This allows users to pan fast-moving subjects and then activate IS only when it is precisely required. At 500mm, this lens is well placed to handle smaller wildlife, including birds. My experience is different from Arash's. check out the, Check out this link for information about new style options: Bottom line? sony a9 real wildlife photography part II using prime canon 500mm ... Sony FE 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 GM OSS w/ 1.4x ... Nikon D850 Nikon 500 F4 - Best Bird / Wildlife Photography … And with a 1.4X teleconverter, you can grab some extra reach (700mm, to be exact). Now let's zoom in on the 500 L IS and the 600 L IS version I and II lenses. Autofocus is fast and accurate. Fortunately, the Canon 100-400mm is impressive. It is impressively fast, with a maximum aperture of f/4–even at 400mm. I gave the Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM Prime Lens 3 stars (Instead of 1 star) because it was quite sharp and at f/4.0 was capable of decent pictures in low light. 'RealPlayer.RealPlayer(tm) ActiveX Control (32-bit)', My Series II 500mm has noticeably better IQ than my SI had. Unfortunately, this lens comes with one main drawback: This is my day to day camera. On a six day bird photography vacation to Florida, I decided to leave my Canon 500mm f/4 lens at home and bring only the Canon 100-400mm f4.5-5.6 Mark II lens with the Canon 1.4x Telephoto Extender III. The Nikon 200-400mm f/4 is a monster of a lens–in more ways than one. Which is something that you can’t say about most 400mm zooms. The f/2.8 aperture also means that this lens will work with all of Nikon’s teleconverters. Not to mention the amazing image quality. Positioned above from left to right are the: Background bokeh is wonderfully creamy. Canon 600mm f/4 II versus Canon 500mm f/4 II. The canon 500mm II is a masterpiece. No. can you provide a link? In fact, it has something for everyone–200mm for wider shots of wildlife, 400mm for larger animals, and 560mm for birds. Our Canon lenses include a 400mm F/5.6 and 300mm F/4. The Canon 300mm f/2.8 L IS II USM is equipped with the second generation Image Stabilizer, which gives a gain of 4 f-stops when hand holding. This lens is decently light. So if you’re a wildlife photographer who values portability, go with a different option. The Canon offers IS; the Nikon doesn't. Oh, and did I mention the fantastic build quality? which other reviewers carefully compared these two lenses side by side and noted an improvement in the sharpness of the bare lens? 'RealVideo.RealVideo(tm) ActiveX Control (32-bit)', And that doesn’t change across its range. This lens is sharp, even at the long end of its range. Now, this is a relatively inexpensive lens. Now, before you buy this lens, you need to ask yourself: But if you don’t mind the weight… And speaking of f/2.8, the wide maximum aperture is fantastic for low-light wildlife photography. The Canon 500mm f/4 L II is even lighter, weighing 7.0 lbs, and sells for $9,000 new. Despite some strong competitors, this Canon telephoto lens rises above the rest. But it can get you equivalent reach (with teleconverters). Nor is it easy to lug around. And the lens offers four stops of image stabilization–perfect for use in low-light environments. It’s sharp, from 200mm to 560mm. Canon EF 70-300mm f/4.5-f/5.6L. This allows for some focal length flexibility. But if you need an ultra-fast wildlife lens, the 400mm f/2.8 is the way to go. The main downside is the price. And the image quality? (Reported by Gaku Tozuka) EOS 80D/ EF70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS II USM/ FL: 300mm (480mm equivalent)/ Manual exposure (f/5.6, 1/3200 sec)/ ISO 400/ WB: Auto …then there’s a lot to be excited about. It was pre-ordered from B&H back on May 28th and arrived on August 1. But does that make it a bad option? The Canon 70-300mm isn’t the flashiest lens on this list. There is also a trend among bird photographers to go for the new 600 instead and use it with a full frame camera. Other reviewers noted an improvement and Canon's MTF charts show a gain. But it occasionally struggles–which can be frustrating for the serious wildlife photographer. One unique thing about this lens is its close-focusing distance. And the f/4 aperture will get you some nice, creamy bokeh. Fast enough for any wildlife, be it birds in flight or cheetahs on the run. The same lenses are shown below with their lens hoods in place. The exception is in places like Florida, where birds are tame enough to get within a few feet. Otherwise, you’re going to struggle to get close enough for frame-filling shots. Additionally, all three IS modes give the equivalent effect of a shutter speed four stops faster, ideally positioning the Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM for professional action photography, from sports to … I've had the Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens for a couple of years now, and it's my favorite lens. Focal length flexibility: The 70-300mm focal length makes for a lot of shooting options. You can shoot larger wildlife at 400mm–then slap on a 1.4x teleconverter, and photograph birds at 560mm. This lens offers one of the fastest autofocus systems out there. With the flick of a switch, you can go from 400mm to 560mm. You can handhold it if needs be–and you can take it on hiking trips without too much difficulty. But it’s … Fluorite and UD-glass--a combination available from no other lens manufacturer--provide great performance, even with the EF 1.4x II or 2x II tele extender attached. Palm Warbler – 560mm with 1.4X Telephoto Extender Attached I was planning to visit some of the best bird… Bears, elk, deer, and bigger birds will all be within your reach. So you can easily capture photos of moving wildlife (even birds in flight). 'RealVideo.RealVideo(tm) ActiveX Control (32-bit)', Bird photography is often considered to be the domain of the super telephoto prime lenses, but with its excellent image quality, zoom capabilities in a light and compact body, and up to five stops’ in-lens image stabilisation (up to six stops when used with the EOS R5 or EOS R6), a super telephoto zoom like the RF100-500mm f/4.5-7.1L IS USM has its advantages in this genre, too. And finally, autofocus is ridiculously fast. Canon 200-400mm f/4L IS USM Extender 1.4x, Our Pick for Best Wildlife Telephoto Lens: The Canon 200-400mm f/4L (With a Built-In 1.4x Teleconverter), 500mm can be a bit long for larger animals, Focal length doesn’t allow for shots of smaller birds, 300mm is too short for a lot of wildlife photography. But is that a dealbreaker? Autofocus is good, but not great. The autofocus of this camera is exceptional. Consider the flexibility that this brings to your photography. At f/4, it strikes the right balance of high focal length and light gathering capabilities. Perfect for birds and small critters, especially on a crop-sensor camera. The Canon 500mm f/4L II excels. This adds to the ease with which you can handhold this lens. And unfortunately, this lens is no exception. Canon EF 400mm f/2.8L IS II USM Lens Canon EF 500mm f/4.0L IS II USM Lens Canon EF 600mm f/4.0L IS II USM Lens Canon EF 800mm f/5.6L IS USM Lens. The Canon 200-400mm f/4. The Nikon 200-500mm VR is one Nikon’s longest zoom lens. The Canon 500mm f/4 L IS II USM is 1.6 lbs lighter, making it easier to travel with and take around for long periods of time. And the autofocus is very strong–working extremely well with fast-moving subjects. It is moisture and dust resistant. At 7.4 pounds (3.3 kgs), this lens is not easy to handhold. Yikes! In this video, I've met up with wildlife photographer Paul Miguel in Yorkshire. This lens is one of Canon’s most popular telephotos, and for good reason. And the vibration reduction is just icing on the cake. For bird photography I like to use a crop body. I had to wade a good distance through the shallows to reach a small group of wading birds feeding near a salt marsh. At 300mm, it’s just too short for most wildlife photography. For travel and hiking this lens cannot be beat. This lens is big, but not too big. Image quality is simply amazing. Yes, 400mm is enough for bird photography. First, the focal length: 200 to 400mm is perfect for larger wildlife. Plus, the 100 to 400mm focal length offers a tonne of flexibility. Is it as impressive as the Nikon 500mm VR? The f/4 aperture gives some beautiful blurry backgrounds. It doesn’t have the same bulk as a 600mm f/4 lens. Other options include the Canon EF 400mm f5.6 and the Canon EF 100-400mm f4.5 – f5.6 IS (Mark i and Mark ii). This lens is perfect for those looking for a budget telephoto–and who are willing to put up with the slower autofocus. The cost different I think is around $1,500 (lately used 500 f4.5 went for It’s also sharp at f/4–which means that you can easily appreciate the wider maximum aperture. But it gives professional quality results–and that’s what matters. Is 300mm long enough for my needs? This lens generally does well when dealing with fast-moving subjects. But that’s not the main feature of this lens. Mode 1 helps with both horizontal and vertical stabilization, while mode 2 helps with panning by automatically picking horizontal or vertical stabilizat… The real selling point of the Canon 200-400mm f/4 is its focal length range. You can shoot some close-ups of an animal, and then zoom out for an environmental portrait. But it’s still a noteworthy option. A 300mm focal length can get you some gorgeous wildlife shots. I also love the flexibility that the huge focal range provides. I'd get the Nikon 500mm here, here, here or here and I'd get the the Canon 500mm here, here or here. Not in the slightest. The EF70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS II USM is a compact, lightweight super-telephoto zoom lens capable of image quality on par with that of L-series lenses. I had recently traveled to Jim Corbett National Park in Uttarakhand, India for photographing Tigers and Elephants. For serious wildlife photographers, the Nikon 400mm f/2.8E is incredible. This makes it easy to handhold (much easier than the older and heavier Nikon 500mm f/4G). You’ve got it all in one lens. And even more exciting is the built-in 1.4x teleconverter. Hands down. I’ve used the Sigma 500mm Sport and liked it a lot. The Nikon 300mm f/2.8 is one of the shortest lenses on this list. Pros: This Sigma telephoto lens competes against its Canon and Nikon rivals–with a significant reduction in price. Finally, the VR is impressive, allowing you to handhold at shutter speeds four stops slower than normal. Yes, you can shoot larger wildlife–if they’re tame. Autofocus: Autofocus speed is fast, with the ability to capture moving subjects. Perfect for more artistic wildlife photography. It means that you don’t have to worry about lugging along several lenses. This gives a chance at short hand holding this long lens with good results. Canon EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM Extender 1.4x. 300mm is too short for most wildlife, especially if it’s skittish. The autofocus system is fast, not to mention accurate. Second, this lens offers amazing image quality. I grabbed the Canon 500mm f/4L EF IS II USM Lens, the Canon 1.4x EF Extender III (Teleconverter), and the Canon EOS-1D X Digital SLR Camera (Body Only) and headed out to the beach.