Big ticket telephoto decision

Lostprophet is right....

I sit here .. and I am trying to imagine... exactly in what situations that an aperture of f/4 is not enough... "Most" wildlife pictures, just like in hunting are not shot with the subject in a full blown sprint or movement...

If you shoot at dusk or dawn, one extra stop means that you can shoot earlier or later than you could with one stop less. I do agree however that f4 would do the job most of the time, and you would probably stop down a bit anyway to gain DOF when you have enough light. But although you dont capture animals in motion, you sometimes want pictures of birds spreading their wings and then you want all the stops you can have to freeze it, especially when shooting at dusk or dawn.
 
The Gimbal head and tripod does make panning and shooting birds really easy and intuitive with the large telephotos. I recon you would lose more shots trying to hold a 10lb lens than on the tripod. Just a matter of setting up properly to get your shooting angles. How far is your shooting distance? I find that too much zoom is very difficult to get birds in the frame unless they are a good distance off. Ideally the EF 300 f/2.8L IS is a great option for birders where you can get within a reasonable distance, say 30-40 feet. I use to use my 300 f/4L IS for that and the 400 for anything over that distance. With your lenses now, you are only upgrading the speed when moving to the 400 f/2.8L IS. If its zoom you need, than the 500 would suit you better though you wil get the same performance by tacking on a 1.4x TC to the 400 f/2.8L IS and gain another 60mm for an additinal 3 lbs.
 
Well, I finally pull the pin and a brand new Canon EF 400 f/2.8 IS USM is on the way. I held off for a week after making my decision to be sure that what I wanted. My mind did not change and so my bank book just took a hit :crazy:. Thanks for all the input. Now to start saving for the 600:wink:
 
I've heard good things about the 400mm DO.
 

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