Which Lens For Wildlife Photography | 600mm vs 400mm
2024 ж. 14 Мам.
7 340 Рет қаралды
Instead of being out in the field, I am in my backyard discussing a question that has been on my mind since I started wildlife photography and was able to use these great prime lenses. Which lens would best serve me in my wildlife photography, the 400mm or the 600mm. In this video I hope to answer this question and I hope that if you are in a similar boat trying to decide, this may shed some light and help you make your decision.
These are just my opinions based on how and what I photograph, the best lens for you will really depend on your shooting style.
Thanks for watching.
this is exactly what I was looking for. I've always been wondering about the 400+1.4. Thanks!
Thanks for watching! I'm glad it was of some use!
Excellent reviews and analysis Todd! I appreciate your analytical skill and articulate communications.
Thanks for watching! I am glad it was useful!
u made my mind, for not changing my 600mm f4. thank!!
Glad it was helpful! In a perfect world, I would love both lenses but the 600mm would still be on my camera much more than the 400!
Appreciate your advice It was very helpful thx✌️ Shehan
Glad it was a help, thanks for watching!
Appreciate your breakdown on this Todd and truly wish this would have been available for me in April having pulled the trigger on the RF400. I have just traded it for the RF600 based on my findings similar to yours. Very true findings on the teleconverters that you really cannot validate until you start using them and seeing their result. Low light wide open the 400 F/2.8 is beast, but when you need to increase focal length, some of the aperture trade-offs as your mentioned are just too great as compared to RF600. Well documented common-sense review with the stressor emphasized either lens' sweet spot depends on your subjects and style.
Thanks for watching! It is nice to hear that you had the same results with the RF lenses. Sorry the video was a little too late for you but glad you found that same results!
Since I already own the 100-500 and find myself quite often wanting more reach as I shot mostly birds, I will definitely go for the 600mm f4 when I finally make the purchase. I will turn 40 next year and getting a tele-prime like this is a good gift to myself as well as a sign of getting old 😂
You will not be disappointed it is an amazing lens!
I met you half way and got the 500mm F4 IS II with both Teleconverters..... 1.4x and 2X, both VIII .....the lens meets all my needs .....I'm in Arizona so photographing wild animals is challenging, they see you in the open and specially deer, they are smart and very fast at disappearing....
That's also a great combination! Good luck with it and hopefully it allows you to get the photos your looking for!
Thanks for this information 🤟
Glad it was helpful! Thanks for watching!
Hi Todd. Subscribed I went for the 600mm f4 doing more small birds here in the UK both great lens 👍
Great choice, they really are both great lenses! Thanks for watching and good luck with your photography!
Thanks!
Thank you so much I really appreciate the support!
Great videos!!! Keep in mind a lot of photo shops rent lenses for you to try out on you own. And with crop sensor camera like my Canon 90D with a 1.6 crop… Thanks again!
Thanks for watching! That's what I did here and yes there would be a difference if using a cropped camera, however I only use full frame at the moment! The 400 on a cropped camera may be the overall winner because it would be a little easier to transport! As always there are a lot of different options and combinations when it comes to these things!
@@ToddDeWaldPhotography Watching your videos from Alaska has been a lot of fun… I tend to watch/listen as I’m out looking for my own wildlife… My first summer finding Great Horned Owls… Keep up the Great videos!! Thank you!
That's awesome to hear! Thanks for taking me along with you! Best of luck finding the wildlife, hoping to find some owls this fall and winter down here as well!
Good review. Thanks. 600 tough size to travel with.
Thanks for watching! 600 is definitely a little more difficult to travel with and something to consider!
When using the 1.4x and 2x tc on the 400 does the AF and eye tracking suffer. I guess the same can be asked about the 600 as one who also photographed birds know we can never have enough reach. I just wished Canon will make a 200-600 instead of the 200500 announced.
In my uses the eye tracking worked very quickly using both extenders on the lenses. The AF capabilities with the lenses and extenders is very responsive and fast. The 400 2.8 was the fastest, but the 600 F4 was still extremely quick and in the real world I do not know if you can tell the difference when using the extenders. Thanks for watching!
I've been debating this too for Sony - I think I'm going 600 because I'm always wanting more reach
That was pretty much my concern as well especially for small birds. Thanks for watching!
I'm in Connecticut too - just stumbled on your page!
Great which area? Thanks for watching!
@@ToddDeWaldPhotography East Hampton , CT
Watching from Niantic and getting ready to splurge on the RF 600!
Nikon user here. I have the Z 400/2.8 which has a built-in extender but also takes external ones. I did similar tests, although not against a 600/4 but against the 800/6.3 prime which I also own. Summary is that at 560/4 I can see no difference at all in quality to 400/2.8, and also I cannot tell 800/5.6 images from the 400 from images from the 800 prime, sharpness-wise. Only at 1120/8 (400 with internal 1.4 plus external 2.0) was it that the 800+1.4 at 1120/9 came out above. So, the results might be different with the newest RF versions of the Canon primes as well?
Thanks for the info, as I am in the process of switching back over to Nikon! I have a feeling the new RF glass may function differently but I have heard that the new Nikon 400 with built in tc is amazing! Thanks for watching!
How is the bokeh quality of the 400/2.8 + 1.4x and/or 2x vs the 800mm PF? Do you find yourself using the 800mm much? I'm trying to decide between the 600mm PF, 800mm PF, and 600mm f4 TC
@@bladerealm124 Bokeh of 400/2.8+TC20 seems a tiny bit smoother than the 800PF, but the difference is negligible. I don't think about bokeh when choosing one or the other. I think more about what focal lengths I will need, and if the added weight of the 400+TC will bother me. But dude, 600PF vs 800PF vs 600TC are vastly different price and weight categories. All three are excellent for what they are. In short: before purchase you mostly think about the money, after purchase you mostly think about the weight.
@@mm8276352 the problem is none of the lenses are available locally to hold or test in person, so I'm trying to make an informed decision based on other's feedback who have owned or used all three. The weight does concern me since I prefer handholding, but the versatility of the built-in TC is so compelling. I hate constantly putting on and and taking off teleconverters in the field. I'm often in that 600-900mm focal range but I'm not sure if I'll find 800mm to be too tight too often, or if I'd appreciate the additional reach at the cost of additional weight over the 600 PF. I looked into renting them but it'd be well over $1,000. At that point I might as well just purchase the one I think will be the best fit and sell it for close to what I paid if it doesn't work out. I came across one review that said the 600PF didn't wow the user so he returned it and tried the 600TC and said it had that "wow factor" for him. But I've also read rave reviews of both the 600PF and 800PF that say the weight savings is worth the loss of light and TC. Budget isn't really a factor as I'm willing to spend as much as it takes to get the best fit for my needs. It's just tough to make a choice when all three are compelling in their own way.
Would your advice be the same if you had a crop sensor for example the R7
In that case I may go with the 400mm since you'll end up having more reach with the crop factor. In that case you can benefit from the f 2.8 aperture. Thanks for watching!
Wow! Just looked at the price for the 600mm. How would I justify owning a lens at the price. Are you able to make money on your photography?
They are a very expensive part of the kit that is for sure. They are definitely geared towards those that make money from their photography which I do. My photography and mainly video work has been my main source of income for almost a year now which is where a lens like this comes into play. Thanks for watching!
@@ToddDeWaldPhotographywhat is your main source(s) of income within photography? Do you sell/license your wildlife photos? Any tips on generating income in wildlife photography?
@@bladerealm124 My main source of income if actually video work I do for clients. I have found it is much easier to make money in that than it is to sell individual prints. My biggest tip would be to try to connect with local organizations that may need photos or footage and see if you can establish a relationship with them.
@@ToddDeWaldPhotography do you mean creating marketing videos for businesses? How do you utilize the 600mm for this? I'm looking into investing in the 600mm and trying to justify the purchase and how I could use it. Thank you
@@bladerealm124 I work with land trusts and nature preservation organizations that protect natural areas. The footage I get is of wildlife and plant life in there areas to help them promote donations from the public and that sort of thing.
Great info thank you. I just bought the RF 600 f4.0 for my R3 … Scarlett McCaws here I come 🎉
Great! Best of Luck!
How did it go, do you have any video samples, I would love to see it
You can always back up but moving forward may result in losing the shot 400mm just never seems like enough for me EVER Im always friiggen cropping and it completley defeats the purpose for making great prints I will possibly just keep a 100-400 or a 70-200 2.8 on another body.
That is very true! That’s my set up as well at this point. Thanks for watching!
800mm
That is also a good option especially for small birds!
@@ToddDeWaldPhotography which is what I mostly shoot. Interestingly, I just got back from a 4500 mile road trip, where I took about 12,000 shots. Maybe 5 X's I got too close to fit a whole "larger" bird in the frame (still able to focus though) but out of those 5X's, 4 of them made super cool head shots, that actually made it through multiple culls, all the way to my Flickr page :)
@@Chris_Wolfgram that sounds like an awesome trip! Congrats on so many keepers!