First pics Canon 600 v 3

I have bucked the trend of many photogs here on BPN and am sticking with Canon for now (although I do have a PF 500 ordered but there is a 9 month waitlist in Canada). I just got the lens and have only been out with it one day. And it was a mostly foggy day.
I decided to try it with my 5D MK IV and 1.4 x to truly enjoy the weight savings.
There is definitely a noticeable difference in the weight and I handheld this combo for over 2 hours with no issues (walked at least 2 miles, crawled on knees and was up and down on my tummy numerous times). I did not even use my Black rapid strap. The lens is much better balanced with most of the weight being shifted closer to the lens mount. No flight shots yet.
So far, I am enjoying the IQ but I know it will be better with my 1 DX. I hope to get out with that combo today or tomorrow.
(The AF seemed a bit faster when I took a few images with my 1 DX a few minutes ago for birds at the feeder).
Here are 2 images with minimal PP. Just some NR to BG, (increased exposure by 2/3 of a stop and increased contrast on plover image) and DE/TC at 20% to TIFF's. I did not sharpen JPEG's.
So far, so good. Nothing scientific- just very first impressions.
Gail

Looks good...
I was shooting Nikon when everyone here dismissed their products....
Now everyone wants one..
Canon will come out with a D850 of their own soon, I would not change.
BTW, I have been waiting 9 months now for the 500pf.. I am not sure
Nikon will ever fill the orders.
My local store says they are not receiving any and do not know when they will.

congrats on your new lens Gail! I am sure it is tack sharp like the old one. I'd love a light 600 f/4....only if Canon had the AF to back it up....keep up the good work

Congrats Gail. I am confident you will continue making amazing images with your new lens. Looking forward to seeing the flight shots you get with it.

Congrats on the new lens! Looks like a winner (not that v1 or v2 were bad, but I am sure the improvements are well worth it)

UPDATE!
So I have shot a fair bit with the new lens and bottom line is that it is exactly the same as my 600 vII in terms of IQ and performance.
But there is definitely a big improvement with regards to weight ( 2 pounds less) and how it is balanced.I can handhold and walk around quite easily with it for an hour or two.
Is it worth the extra $4000.00 or $2000.00 a pound? For me it is and I am glad I made the expensive "jump".

Looking good, congrats on your new lens.

Just got my 600 iii i have had it one week and it is a great lens i upgraded from the 500 f 4 series i wow much improvement much lighter faster focus and allot sharper. went for a 5 mile walk with it no problem. great sharpness even with the 1.4 extender.

the image in pane 8 is terrible in terms of IQ from where yours truly is looking, it is very soft and noisy, not up to the standards of the photographers here but I am 101% sure it is operator error!

Photo was taken at over 100 yards on a cloudy day 800 ISO with a 1.4 extender and over 80% crop. here is an full frame shot. Here is a shot of a hummer with the same setup

the heavy crop and under exposure explains the lacking IQ. the hummer shot is pretty soft too, nothing seems to be in focus.... it should be tack sharp....any ways, I don't think these samples represent the optics of the Canon 600 which was, is and will always be perfect IME. I suggest taking a look at Artie's MA guide, DPP4 and PP guides.

Here is my latest photo of a Anna's Hummer ISO 800 f 5.0 320 sec hand held

I have now shot well over 10,000 images with my 600mm v3 and it is TACK sharp. I will not post images here as I have been posting in Avian.The lighter weight is simply killer and HH is absolutely a breeze. I did not have a tripod for the first 2 1/2 days in Iceland ( lost luggage) and that forced me to shoot HH all the time and all day! I did have a sore left shoulder at the end of each day but I was shooting for 8 hours.
I shot with the 1.4 x and the 2x and again tack sharp. Got multiple sequences of BIF against dark BG and all images in the burst are tack sharp. Of course, I had some blurry shots and blurry sequences but that was operator error.
Now just waiting for the 1 DX 3!! Please let the AF system be even better than the 1 DX!
I have no hesitation in recommending this lens.
Gail

Hi Gail,

Mazel tov on the new lens. I repeat, Canon long glass is better by miles than Nikon with TCs (especially the 2X). I switched to Nikon (as many have done, including most recently Jim Zipp), out of frustration with AF consistency with birds in flight. In that area, for me, Nikon is better by miles than Canon. As I said when I first switched, if it were a prize fight, the contest would be stopped at the weigh-in.

I am confused greatly by this:

I am enjoying the IQ but I know it will be better with my 1 DX.

When I used Canon, IQ with the 5D IV far exceeded IQ with the 1DX II.

with love, a