So I finally bit the bullet and grabbed an R1 for the upcoming high school football season here in Texas. Been shooting with the 1DX series for a decade but this mirrorless transition is making me rethink my whole bag setup. I was looking at the RF 400mm 2.8 because that was my bread and butter on EF mount but man, that price tag is eye watering right now... my budget is capped at about 13k for glass this year so I gotta choose wisely.
My logic was that the RF 100-300mm f2.8 might be the smarter play for versatility. I do a lot of night games where the lighting is just trash and I need that 2.8, but I'm worried if the AF speed on the 100-300 can actually keep up with the R1s crazy burst rates. I saw some guys saying it hunts a bit more than the primes in low light. Then there's the 600mm but thats overkill for what I do.
I'm kinda stuck between sticking with what I know (the 400 prime) or going for the zoom because the R1 sensor is so fast I dont wanna bottleneck it with glass that cant keep up with the drive motors. Do you guys think the 100-300 is really the one lens to rule them all for sports or am I gonna regret not having that extra bit of reach and sharpness from the 400? I gotta make a call by next week before the first Friday night lights kick off...
I've been testing the R1 lately and unfortunately, the Canon RF 100-300mm f2.8L IS USM didn't quite live up to the hype for me. I had issues with AF consistency once the stadium lights got dim. It's just not as snappy as the primes I'm used to.
- Canon RF 400mm f2.8L IS USM: This is clearly the gold standard. The sharpness is incredible, but the price tag is basically highway robbery. Still, it's the only glass that truly keeps up with the R1's burst rate.
- Canon RF 100-300mm f2.8L IS USM: Great versatility on paper, but not as good as expected in low light. It hunts way more than I'd like during fast action.
- Canon EF 400mm f2.8L IS III USM: Honestly, just find a clean used copy of this with the adapter. It performs nearly the same as the RF version and you'll save a ton of cash. I really wanted the zoom to work out, but for Friday night lights, the 400mm prime is still king...
