Telephoto lens canon 70-200mm l or 100-300mm L/both with IS

ygil707 · Feb 15, 2012

Hi guys. Need some help deciding between these two lenses. I will mostly be shooting wildlife backpacking through national parks. I need the best one that I can convert to a 400mm later on by adding an extension since some of the wildlife ill see will be a little dangerous to get close to. I liked these two because they are both weather proofed lenses and next year me and my hubby will be going to Alaska. I definitely know I won't be carrying a tripod because we backpack by ourselves and I'm petite so I can never seem to be able to carry a lot of our gear as it is... Lol. Thanks!!!

Big Mike · Feb 15, 2012

Is there a 100-300mm L?
There is a 75-300mm L and there is a 100-400mm L.
But neither of those is going to be compatible with Canon's teleconverters...mainly because it would push the maximum aperture past F5.6, which would pretty much disable the AF.

It's fairly common to pair up the 70-200mm F2.8 with the 1.4X or the 2X teleconverters.

These are pretty big lenses, especially the 70-200mm F2.8 or the 100-400mm L. Either one probably weighs as much as a carbon fiber tripod.
If you're backpacking and size/weight are an issue, you may want to look for a smaller lens. There is a 70-300mm DO. It's rather expensive for what you get, but it's small.

ygil707 · Feb 16, 2012

Sorry I meant the 75-300L ... This is what happens when I try to type a thread before heading to bed lol. Anyways ... The most I'm willing to spend is 1400... And needs to be weather proofed. Are you saying that the 75-300 cant be extended to a 400 or that IQ is lost if done? I will only take one lens backpacking so if it's a little heavy that's ok... As long as it doesn't weigh 5 pounds by itself.

Big Mike · Feb 16, 2012

I'm a bit confused by what I've heard about the 75-300mm L. One review said that it was great, maybe better than the old 100-400mm. But a friend of mine went to Africa recently and wanted a new telephoto for the trip. He bought/tried the 75-300mm L and said that it was absolutely terrible, so he got the 100-400mm instead.

Are you saying that the 75-300 cant be extended to a 400 or that IQ is lost if done?

Canon says it's not compatible with their teleconverters. You could probably use an off brand teleconverter, but I haven't heard of any that are of the same quality as the Canon ones (for Canon lenses). Also, there is the issue of AF. Most cameras need a lens with a maximum aperture of at least F5.6 for auto focus to work. When you mount a teleconverter, it reduces the (effective) maximum aperture. The 1.4X is about one stop, the 2X is about two stops. So if you used the 2X on the 75-300mm...at 300mm, your max aperture would only be F11....not enough for AF. It would also make it rather hard to get good shutter speeds.

Canon U.S.A. : Consumer & Home Office : Extender EF 1.4X III
"Note: This lens is only compatible with fixed focal length L-series lenses 135mm and over, as well as the EF 70-200/2.8L, EF 70-200/2.8L IS, EF 70-200/4L, and EF 100-400/4.5-5.6L."

Canon U.S.A. : Consumer & Home Office : Extender EF 2x III
"Note: This lens is only compatible with fixed focal length L-series lenses 135mm and over, as well as the EF 70-200/2.8L, EF 70-200/2.8L IS, EF 70-200/4L, and EF 100-400/4.5-5.6L. Additionally, please see the lens and/or camera body manual for full compatibility information with the Extender EF 2X III."

Tony S · Feb 16, 2012

Go with the 100-400 Canon lens. You don't say what body you are using, but if your body has it available it's real important to set up the micro focus feature for the specific lens. This will bring out the best in it. It will work well for a hike like you are giong on, be ready to use your backpack on the ground as a support for it or use a walking stick with a camera mounting screw in the top of it (a good monopod works well for both uses and allows a quick attach mount).