Canon EF 600mm f/4L Is II USM Lens

This is not a 'long term relationship' review. The lens is built like the proverbial brick outhouse and is amazing. The comression of the subject is an aspect of it's performance that requires exploration. I was shocked at how fast it autofocusses. I had read about the Lens and watched everything on You tube. It is a solid, dependable piece of photographic equipment. It is definitely not a toy! You will have to do some 'beefing up' to use it easily. In a Wimberley Head on a suitable tripod, I use the large Induro one, it is awe inspiringly good. Before getting the lens, I thought I had overdone it with the tripod. I got the Tripod in anticipation of the lens acquisition. I had begun to feel a little foolish about the massive strength and capabilities of the tripod ... MoreThis is not a 'long term relationship' review. The lens is built like the proverbial brick outhouse and is amazing. The comression of the subject is an aspect of it's performance that requires exploration. I was shocked at how fast it autofocusses. I had read about the Lens and watched everything on You tube. It is a solid, dependable piece of photographic equipment. It is definitely not a toy! You will have to do some 'beefing up' to use it easily. In a Wimberley Head on a suitable tripod, I use the large Induro one, it is awe inspiringly good. Before getting the lens, I thought I had overdone it with the tripod. I got the Tripod in anticipation of the lens acquisition. I had begun to feel a little foolish about the massive strength and capabilities of the tripod especially after friends had 'lain into me'. I have to admit to having 'health issues'. I am ecstatically happy with the purchase. I also got a Lowepro AW600 with it. You need this type of rucksack to manage the transport in the greeat outdoors. I have tried hanging the lens about my neck whilst trying to use the lens hand held. Amazingly the Photographs were sharp 80% of shots. two had shake/blur problems. Bushy Tree with blue tits flitting about. Birds sometimes blur due to focus lock on a branch in the foreground. MY inexperience with the lens and the AF system. I was 'grinning from ear to ear' at the photos though. Crisp clear images with amazing OOF backgrounds. Really made me think 'makes me look like I know what I am doing'. At the price I paid I consider this to be an incredible bargain. It was as new. It will suffer indignities such as chipping and scuffing as I use it during the next 10 - 20 years. I will have to upgrade to the lighter IS II version when my health prevents me from carrrying this one. I know it's heavy its supposed to be. Nothing about it is unneccessary. It weighs what it has to and I have no problem with that. I actually find I am grinning as I load the rucksack onto my back and lift up the tripod. When the intention is to climb up onto a ridge in the Brecon Beacons I don't dwell on the work involved. I WANT the photographs this 'beauty' will get for me. I am, despite all the downsides that people talk about on youtube, really enjoying myself. I also am rewarded with some of the best images I have ever captured. I look forward to getting the chance to get out and about with it, weather and health permitting. If you have always wanted the sort of images this lens supplies then start saving and get to the gym. You will be healthier, happier and dare I say it more appreciative of your photography once you have one. You only live once so LIVE like it matters. 'Spoil' yourself! I did it's great!

So I decided long ago I'm not going to own every super telephoto for a number of reasons which are probably obvious to most people. Cost, weight, bulk, etc. I already had a 300mm f/2.8L and I have the "little" 400mm f/5.6L. So I decided I was only going to buy ONE lens larger than these. I looked at the 400, the 500, the 600, and the 800. I spent an entire year deciding. I wanted long reach, so having the 400 using with a 2x TC for 800/5.6 seemed a little crazy to me. For a little more money I could actually HAVE the 800, albeit with less versatility. In the end, I figured with the 600 f/4L I could use a 1.4x extender and i'm effectively at 840mm f/5.6. Also I come from an astronomy background where "it's all about the objective lens" and this one has the largest of ... MoreSo I decided long ago I'm not going to own every super telephoto for a number of reasons which are probably obvious to most people. Cost, weight, bulk, etc. I already had a 300mm f/2.8L and I have the "little" 400mm f/5.6L. So I decided I was only going to buy ONE lens larger than these. I looked at the 400, the 500, the 600, and the 800. I spent an entire year deciding. I wanted long reach, so having the 400 using with a 2x TC for 800/5.6 seemed a little crazy to me. For a little more money I could actually HAVE the 800, albeit with less versatility. In the end, I figured with the 600 f/4L I could use a 1.4x extender and i'm effectively at 840mm f/5.6. Also I come from an astronomy background where "it's all about the objective lens" and this one has the largest of all the super telephotos. So I get more reach than the 800 at f/5.6, very sharp with the 1.4x by the way and no noticeable focusing impact in decent light. Also I can use it without for 600mm, and I can use the 1.4x with the 300 to get 420mm f/4. Truthfully when I'm shooting soccer the 300 is long enough without the extender, and for wildlife the 600 is never too big. I bring along the 300 and 2nd body, or sometimes I'll shoot with 70-200 f/2.8. The reason I'm talking about all of these other lenses is that none of them are super telephoto. So in fact what I'm saying is for me the 600 is the one to buy. Maximum bang for the buck in terms of reach and autofocus / stabilization goodness. This is the holy grail of canon lenses, my friends. Don't let the 800 intimidate you; this objective is larger and with the 1.4x it outperforms the 800 in my humblest of opinions. I've also used this lens on manual focus with the 2x extender III for moon images and it does a ridiculously incredible job. 1200mm f/8 rivals some pretty serious refracting telescopes out there. Oh yeah, and it looks huge and intimidating but it's not all that heavy. In fact it's just a few pounds more than the 300. I'm totally happy with this beast!

I recently rented the canon 600mm f/4l II and I have to say my experience was excellent. I can’t thank lensrentals enough. The whole process was so smooth and streamlined. I received the lens a few days earlier than expected. It was very well packaged and protected during shipping. The lens worked amazing and produced great images. Shipping it back was a breeze as well. They even provided the shipping tape. Over my experience was wonderful and I would absolutely recommend lensrentals to anyone