J madden , Mar 21, 2010; 03:33 p.m.
I'm thinking about taking my Canon 100-400 4.5-5.6 IS L over the 70-200 2.8 IS.
The 100-400 isn't useful when it starts to get dark, but is great during the day when I'll do most of my shooting in Hawaii. Which of the two would you take?
If you have any suggestions on the best places in Hawaii to shoot please share!
I'm also taking:
Canon 1.4x, 2x teleconverters
Sigma 14mm F/3.5
Canon 16-35 2.8 L
Canon 24-70 2.8 L
Tripod
Jean Spector , Mar 21, 2010; 05:56 p.m.
Without having been to Hawaii, I'd recommend to go with the 70-200 over the 100-400. That is unless you're going for wildlife.
Why? Because when there's enough light for the 100-400 (unless used on a tripod) it's time for a nap (or a dip) as the most beautiful light is already gone. Same goes for the evening - the best time is when there isn't a lot of light available.
I'm not trying to be a snob - many pros on an assignment will shoot for 12 hours/day and more - what I'm trying to say is that I find that a couple of hours in the morning (about 6AM-8AM) and a couple in the evening (an hour before and an hour after sunset) give me over 80% of the keepers.
Regards,
Jean
Scott Wilson , Mar 21, 2010; 06:06 p.m.
Unless you are going to be coming here real soon you are going to miss the whales, which would have been a real good reason to take the 100-400. There are of course other things to shoot with a long lens, birds, surfers and such.
J madden , Mar 22, 2010; 12:04 a.m.
@Jean - That's a great point. Mid day has very hard lighting and you're right about focusing on keepers vs. quantity of shots.
@Scott - T minus 3 days! :D
Douglas Stemke 
, Mar 23, 2010; 12:43 a.m.
As a birder I personally feel the need for a 400mm lens and have used it extensively in Hawaii. If I wasn't a bird photographer I wouldn't have used it for a single other shot.
Philip Tam , Mar 25, 2010; 02:21 p.m.
Which island(s) are you going to be on? I don't want to write a paragraph about Maui if you're going to be on Oahu!
Fraja Milad , Mar 28, 2010; 05:50 p.m.
For surf id suggest you 70-200 2.8.
