Hi folks,
Sorry to bother you with another what should I buy question, but I would like your advice. I have a Canon 300 f4 (non IS) that I use on my 40D with the Canon 1.4 TC for raptor and wildlife photography. I am very pleased with the quality of the 300 with the 1.4 TC and that is my baseline for photo quality and AF speed. But, even with the crop factor this doesn't reach out quite far enough in many cases.
The Canon 500 f4 IS would be a natural choice for reach and the IQ I want, but my style of photography generally includes a lot of hiking and stalking. The 500 doesn't seem conducive to that. The 400 f5.6 would probably be a bit better IQ and AF speed than my present rig, but adds no length.
In my thinking then, I'm left with perhaps just the 300 f2.8 (IS) to consider. There is general agreement that it is among the finest lenses made. With the 1.4 TC I might get a bit faster AF, the IS would be a definite plus, but otherwise I hear that the IQ of the 300 2.8 is probably not sufficiently greater than the f4 to justify the cost. Unless.... the 300 2.8 with the Canon 2.0 TC II would give me comparable IQ to my present rig and sufficient AF speed for birds in flight. That's where I need some advice. I have the original canon 2x TC and it's marginal in IQ on my 300 f4. Is the new 2x on the 2.8 acceptably sharp and AF fast? Any other options you can think of?
Thanks,
Ted