[360 Photography]

I have been using this lens for the last 3 years for surf photography with a surf school. It is hard to be scientific with my observations with the lens as it is the only one that I use on the Fuji S2 Pro that I have. I have a 100-400 and 600mm Canon lens that I use on a 20D and 1D MkIII so I am not sure if the differences that I find between the equipment would be due to the lenses or the cameras.

In terms of general usage I only shoot handheld, at 1/750 or 1/1000, and most images are pretty sharp. I have sold a couple of thousand prints at least now with no complaints and have enlarged up to 30 x 20 inch prints from a 4MB JPEG with excellent results.

It is pretty heavy but I am 6 foot plus and reasonably fit so it is not an issue. I had a couple of 14 year old work experience kids work with me this summer and they did struggle a little to get consistently sharp results hand holding and one definitely preferred using the 100-400.

The build quality is not up to the Canon 100-400, the auto focus is not as quick, but that might be to do with the camera. Certainly working on the beach there is quite a bit of dust getting in the lens, the matt coating is wearing off to reveal the black metal underneath where I hold it and there is a little bit of play in the barrel now.

Having said that it is a real workhorse being used in all weather almost every day for 6 months of the year. I run up and down the beach with it 4 times a day and have taken over 20,000 shots with it this year alone.

For me I think that buying the 100-400 this year may have been a mistake. In our lessons I have adults some way out in the surf and kids surfing into my feet and the 50-500 allows me to cope with this much better. I also think that I can compose quicker with the twist zoom, but with more practice with the 100-400 I think that might become less of an issue.

I suppose that it would be helpful to know what you are planning to photograph with it, but without that information from my experience, and for the work that I do, given the choice I would keep the 50-500 over the 100-400.

Hope these late night ramblings might be of some use!!