I'm heading out to the Everglades in less than two weeks and I'm honestly panicking a bit because I still haven't settled on a long lens for my R7. I've been using the basic kit lens for a while but that's obviously not gonna cut it for birds and gators from a distance. I've narrowed it down to two main choices but I'm totally stuck. First is the RF 100-500mm L series. I know the quality is supposed to be insane but it's right at the edge of my $2,500 budget and I'm worried 500mm might not be enough reach on the R7 for smaller birds, even with the crop factor taken into account.

Then there's the newer RF 200-800mm which sounds perfect for the reach but it's massive and I've heard it's kind of a pain to hike with all day, plus it's basically impossible to find in stock right now which is stressing me out since my trip is so soon. I also looked at the cheaper 100-400mm just to save some cash for the actual travel costs but I'm scared the image quality won't hold up on that high megapixel sensor. I need to pull the trigger by Wednesday so I can test it out before I leave. Is the extra reach of the 800 worth the extra weight and slower aperture, or should I just stick with the 100-500 and just crop in more later?