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So in the 800mm post I posited that the 100-400mm + TC's might be a more flexible, if slightly more costly option than just buying the 800mm prime. I discussion precipitated about the quality of that lens with TC's, and given that I do not have an 800mm f11 to do a side-by-side with at the moment I decided instead to take a look at it vs. the 100-500mm since I have both and bought the 100-400mm for my wife to use when we shoot together (so I can sell off the old Nikon D500 and primes she's using now). I would have loved to have done this with both lenses on the same body, but given that the focusing systems are the same and the 1.4x provides a bit more reach for the less pixel-dense R6, it's what I have available without having to swap lenses in the NJ cold.
I have to say that the focus systems (set up identically) performed equally well. Even in shadows they picked up the eyes of all the birds that bothered to show themselves this afternoon. I did my best to capture the same bird in as close to the same situation and light. I processed the raw files with my typical workflow which is generally just a crop in Lightroom then in Photoshop I'll run it through Topaz Denoise AI and Camera Raw filter. I did this because it gives me an idea of how well one setup works vs. the other for me and my use. In my opinion the only major distinction here is that the R5 provided more pixels per bird and therefore increased some details, and there was some minor detail loss as would be expected from a TC, but overall both provided excellent results and think that the less expensive combination would give the average birder something they'd be more than happy with. I did find that in certain light the 100-400mm+TC did have more frequent minor focus variations from image to image when shooting a burst, but I still had plenty of keepers. If the weather cooperates tomorrow I may switch the lenses and bodies and do this again.
In all of these the R5 & 100-500mm image is first and the R6 & 100-400mm+1.4xTC image follows.
I have to say that the focus systems (set up identically) performed equally well. Even in shadows they picked up the eyes of all the birds that bothered to show themselves this afternoon. I did my best to capture the same bird in as close to the same situation and light. I processed the raw files with my typical workflow which is generally just a crop in Lightroom then in Photoshop I'll run it through Topaz Denoise AI and Camera Raw filter. I did this because it gives me an idea of how well one setup works vs. the other for me and my use. In my opinion the only major distinction here is that the R5 provided more pixels per bird and therefore increased some details, and there was some minor detail loss as would be expected from a TC, but overall both provided excellent results and think that the less expensive combination would give the average birder something they'd be more than happy with. I did find that in certain light the 100-400mm+TC did have more frequent minor focus variations from image to image when shooting a burst, but I still had plenty of keepers. If the weather cooperates tomorrow I may switch the lenses and bodies and do this again.
In all of these the R5 & 100-500mm image is first and the R6 & 100-400mm+1.4xTC image follows.
Please keep the updates coming, I'm looking at getting both the R6 and the RF 100-400mm and would love to learn more.
