C100: C100mk2; need advise on big telephoto lens

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MichaelA

Well-known member
Considering a big tele for some landscape shoots. Looking for any experiences and advice from those who have shot with them on a C100MKII:

Tamron SP 150-600mm f/5-6.3 Di VC USD G2 as seen on B&H's site here: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1277358-REG/tamron_sp_150_600mm_f_5_6_3_di.html
Seems like a good price and decent performance.

The alternative is a Canon "big white" 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM Lens as seen here: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1092632-REG/canon_9524b002_ef_100_400mm_f_4_5_5_6l_is.html
But it's a wallet melting price that's basically double the Tamron.

Any other options? Need to get 400mm-500mm+ and stay in some kind of budget! :Drogar-Dum(DBG):
 
The 100-400 is much better and you won't regret it. The Tamron has better range. However, it is slower as well and not as sharp as the Canon. There is no escaping the fact that you get what you pay for.

If you can up your budget even more, then there is the Canon EF 200-400 f4 IS with built-in 1.4x
 
The 100-400 v2 is a very nice lens. I picked one up last year when I had a big discount code from Canon for participating in a CPS survey. One of the really nice things about the lens besides being very sharp, it focuses very close. It's not quite macro territory, but it's close...
 
Thanks India & Run & Gun!

I put an order in for a Canon 100-400 v2. For you guys who have used it on a C100, do you mount the whole thing (on a tripod fluid head) via the lens mount or hang it off the nose of the c100? Seems a bit weighty, and I'm looking at maybe some kind of long lens support that would tie the camera mount and lens together when on a tripod. I don't have a rig for the C100, and given how/where I shoot it may not be practical (or it could be given the long lens, currently rethinking my approach...). How do you do it?

Oh, India, cool website! I enjoyed checking it out!
 
I have a 300, not a 100, but I haven't had any issues(that I know of) mounting it unsupported. I also don't run any support on the 70-200 2.8, either, for what it's worth. With that being said, it's definitely not gonna hurt if you want to support it. It has a built-in support foot/collar. It's sightly different than the 70-200. The 100-400's collar stays permanently attached around the lens and the foot is removable.
 
I've got a sample here of the C100 MkII with the Canon EF 500 f4L and teleconverters. https://vimeo.com/146858274. It's just amateur stuff (my hobby) but will give you a bit of footage from that specific camera & long lens.

If the 100-400 length is sufficient for what you need I agree with Indiawilds, the new version is an excellent lens. I've been using mine a lot. I know of a pro wildlife photographer (stills) who uses it with the 1.4 TC and gets outstanding results (haven't tested it myself). The benefit of that combination is that it's smaller and lighter than the 500 and other bigger glass. Portability can be a fuss with big lenses and the support required.
 
MichaelA, just saw your reply after I posted my comments so they're a bit redundant - sorry about that. When I shoot with the 100-400 I have an Arca Swiss plate mounted on the lens and clamp it onto my fluid head directly. If I'm rigged out with rails and other devices I sometimes use extension rails out behind the camera and put a lens support under the camera body for extra rigidity. It'l depend a lot on your use when it comes to support. I find the mount on the 100-400 holds the lens very still - I use it that way all the time with still photography but the C100 II is heavier than my DSLRs so I like the extra support with it.
 
I rented the new Canon 100-400 F4.5-5.6 IS II for a couple of shoots at the beach this year, it's a great lens, it really feels just like a longer version of my 70-200 2.8 IS II, it is physically very similar and weighs almost the same. This will probably be my last Canon still lens as I need to buy the 18-80 T4.4 but it's a really easy to use, beautiful lens and works with the EOS Cinema cameras well.
 
Since you mentioned that you need 400-500mm + and are on a budget I would suggest the Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM Contemporary or the Sports model (better weather proofing/heavier). I use the lens for stills and digital wildlife work. The lens is very sharp at f8 and a great value. I have never used the lens for "landscape" work but the wildlife within a landscape that I shoot look great.. Since you will be outdoors the lens coupled with the C100 II should work well for you right up till dusk. I use the lens with the C100 and mount the lens to a large tripod and then mount the camera to the lens. Works well as long as you don't have a lot of extras hanging off the camera.
 
Thanks guys!
Seems like a lot mount the lens to the tripod and hang the camera off the end of the lens. Still makes me nervous, though it may be unfounded. I did find some lens supports that are basically a long tripod quick release plate with an adjustable (vertical) end plate that would account for the relative elevation difference of the camera base and lens shoe and have it all firmly mounted on one thing that then goes into the tripod head. About $120 so not too bad. I think I'll get the lens in and form a further opinion, but sometimes the seemingly jickey way all this stuff mounts together spooks me though in reality I haven't had a problem... yet... that I know of!
 
I've posted about this at length before. With a lens like the 70-200 2.8 IS II or the 100-400 F4.5-5.6 IS II, you don't have to have a lens support but in my mind, it would be extremely short sighted not to. I have a one on my 15mm rods, these low end lens supports are available on Amazon as cheap as $15.00 or $20.00, you don't need Zacuto, Chrosziel, Wooden or Arri, it's just a hunk of metal that is adding support to the lens body and reducing torque on the mount. The bottom line is just sitting on a tripod, the mount on the EOS Cinema cameras will handle either of these lenses fine. But pick up that camera and tripod and move it five feet, trip along the way and you could easily bend or snap the lens mount off of the camera and or damage the lens or the camera body because you have instantaneously increased the stress on the weakest point in the system exponentially because of leverage and torque on the mount, this is Physics 101. It baffles me why people would buy a long, relatively heavy, expensive lens, mount it to a relatively expensive professional camera and NOT use a lens support, it's totally illogical but people do it all of the time. Most get away with it but if you do a little Googling, you can find plenty of professional video cameras with sheared off, bent or other wise distorted mounts from not having a support.

FWIW, if you are totally cheap and inexplicably refuse to buy a lens support, a camera as small and light as the C100/C100 MKII can hang on the back of the lens of this size and weight (70-200 2.8 IS II or 100-400 F4.5-5.6 IS II), mount the lens tripod foot to the tripod plate and let your C100 float in the air on the back, the C100s weigh almost nothing. Doing so would reduce the stress on the mount considerably over mounting the body to the tripod and letting the lens hang in the air. Sitting in a studio, not a big deal but once you are out in the real world, it's easy to trip, stumble or lose your footing while carrying your camera and lens or the camera and lens mounted to your tripod and if you travel in a car or plane wth your lens mounted, the mount can be subject tremendous torque over bumps. Can be an expensive lesson.

Right Side Profile.jpg
 
MichealA
You can use lens support on rails or other ways of support. I started using an adjustable lens support for my 15mm rails and it works fine, but I often work alone and the added gear and time to mount inspired me to try to mount the lens directly to a Sachtler 18 with a quick release and then mount the C100. This was quickr in the field and allowed me to change lenses quickly if needed.
 
Puredrifting; thank you for taking the time to post up that info again!
I am indeed considering some kind of support. Just not sure what kind at the moment. I'm leaning more towards an "extended tripod baseplate" with at least the rollers for the lens on one end OR using the long baseplate to mount both the camera and lens to (but I'll likely have to come up with some kind of spacer or shim for either the camera or lens foot; won't know until I get it all put together!). Trying to keep this as simple as possible to minimize rigging/re-rigging when the lens is used. It will be easier to sort out when I can get all the pieces laid out in front of me.
 
MichaelA said:
Puredrifting; thank you for taking the time to post up that info again!
I am indeed considering some kind of support. Just not sure what kind at the moment. I'm leaning more towards an "extended tripod baseplate" with at least the rollers for the lens on one end OR using the long baseplate to mount both the camera and lens to (but I'll likely have to come up with some kind of spacer or shim for either the camera or lens foot; won't know until I get it all put together!). Trying to keep this as simple as possible to minimize rigging/re-rigging when the lens is used. It will be easier to sort out when I can get all the pieces laid out in front of me.
Click to expand...

When I switch to the much shorter lenses like the 17-55 2.8 IS, the lens support pictured above just drops out of the way, you loosen the center tie-down and it just drops down, doesn't hold me up at all when doing lens switches and moving from tripod to shoulder mounted.
 
Thanks again guys!
I ordered a small baseplate/rod holder and lens support similar to the one pictured by Puredrifting. I'll stick my tripod quick release under the baseplate biased towards the front somewhat. I think this will still be compact enough to allow for some handheld shots as opposed to a "full rig". When I get everything in I'll fit it up and take some pics. After researching this to death I am pretty convinced of the benefit of some additional support - especially during camera movements and transport. I think I've come up with an inexpensive and hopefully fairy ridged "mini rig".
 
I cried when I paid the bill.... but I just got my Canon 100-400 mk2 tele lens in. Don't have my "mini rig" bits in yet but I put it on the C100mk2 for a quick test. All I can say is WOW! :thumbsup: What a lens! This thing ROCKS (it also weighs a metric ton), but holy crap, what a lens!
 
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