Re: Canon Shows off RF 500mm F5.6 L IS in Latest Patent
Sorry for this rambling post - I have a 6-hour layover in Accra, Ghana (where I just wrapped a birding tour) and there isn't much to watch on the airport TVs!
Yeah, I have the EF 600/4 II and the RF 100-500. Both are great but I want something in the middle, something that's lighter/smaller than the 600/4 and faster/longer than the 100-500. If there was a 600/5.6, I could, on occasions, get away with only that lens as it would split the difference between the other two. I have no interest in slow(er) lenses like the 200-800, which would be heavier, however slightly, than a hypothetical 600/5.6. That and the bokeh is brutal on that lens.
For reference, I am an international birding and photo guide for Tropical Birding (hence why I'm in Ghana now). When I run photo tours, I take both lenses; when I run birding tours I take the 100-500 and my Swaro scope (and my bins, of course). On the birding tours, the zoom is used at 500mm 99% of the time, mostly to document and aid identification but occasionally for proper/artistic images. This is why I'm craving something longer and faster at about the same weight as the zoom. A 600/5.6 (or 6.3) would accomplish this perfectly while also being a capable and much lighter stand-in for my 600/4 in good light. A 500/5.6 is closer to be redundant with zoom for my purposes.
I'm planning on upgrading my EF 600/4 (for something newer/lighter/better) and my R5 in the foreseeable future. I really, really don't want to switch systems, but Nikon's lenses are too attractive to ignore. That and Canon's unwillingness to make a high MP flagship like Nikon and Sony currently do. I'm also unwilling to drop 11K on the RF 600/4 as it's optically no better than my EF 600 II, but I'm also tired of waiting for a redesigned RF 600 (with or without integrated TC). Both the Sony 600/4 and the Nikon 600/TC are smaller than the RF 600 as well. The still-imaginary 300-600 is interesting, but I think it's gonna be very expensive and heavier than either a 500/5.6 or a 600/5.6. Anyway, this is just me venting, mildly frustrated with my current kit and yearning for additional lens options. I think the R52 looks great, but I'm not gonna buy that until Canon shows me some newer lenses.
Re: Canon Shows off RF 500mm F5.6 L IS in Latest Patent
Sorry for this rambling post - I have an 6-hour layover in Accra, Ghana (where I just wrapped a birding tour) and there isn't much to watch on the airport TVs!
Yeah, I have the EF 600/4 II and the RF 100-500. Both are great but I want something in the middle, something that's lighter/smaller than the 600/4 and faster/longer than the 100-500. If there was a 600/5.6, I could, on occasions, get away with only that lens as it would split the difference between the other two. I have no interest in slow(er) lenses like the 200-800, which would be heavier, however slightly, than a hypothetical 600/5.6. That and the bokeh is brutal on that lens.
For reference, I am an international birding and photo guide for Tropical Birding (hence why I'm in Ghana now). When I run photo tours, I take both lenses; when I run birding tours I take the 100-500 and my Swaro scope (and my bins, of course). On the birding tours, the zoom is used at 500mm 99% of the time, mostly to document and aid identification but occasionally for proper/artistic images. This is why I'm craving something longer and faster at about the same weight as the zoom. A 600/5.6 (or 6.3) would accomplish this perfectly while also being a capable and much lighter stand-in for my 600/4 in good light. A 500/5.6 is closer to be redundant with zoom for my purposes.
I'm planning on upgrading my EF 600/4 (for something newer/lighter/better) and my R5 in the foreseeable future. I really, really don't want to switch systems, but Nikon's lenses are too attractive to ignore. That and Canon's unwillingness to make a high MP flagship like Nikon and Sony currently do. I'm also unwilling to drop 11K on the RF 600/4 as it's optically no better than my EF 600 II, but I'm also tired of waiting for a redesigned RF 600 (with or without integrated TC). Both the Sony 600/4 and the Nikon 600/TC are smaller than the RF 600 as well. The still-imaginary 300-600 is interesting, but I think it's gonna be very expensive and heavier than either a 500/5.6 or a 600/5.6. Anyway, this is just me venting, mildly frustrated with my current kit and yearning for additional lens options. I think the R52 looks great, but I'm not gonna buy that until Canon shows me some newer lenses.
