Canon EF 100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS USM Telephoto Zoom Lens for Canon SLR Cameras by Canon
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Digital camera reviews of Canon EF 100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS USM Telephoto Zoom Lens for Canon SLR Cameras
Digital camera Review: 100-400mm Cannon Lens review
Summary: 4 Stars
I tried this lens on a Rebel Xsi (450D)
Following are the pros for this lens:
1. Solid build quality
2. Comes with its own carrying case and Cannon lens hood.
3. Crisp images, and good amount of bokeh (the background blur) when necessary.
4. Good zoom range, you would get the image quality at max zoom.
Cons:
1. Like everyone has said already, this is a heavy lens. I have noticed myself stretching my elbow if I am handholding the lens for more than 10 mins. With that said a monopod is recommended.
2. I noticed some vignetting(darker corners) even on 450D which has 1.6x crop factor.
3. Push pull zoom takes some getting used too. The focus ring often interferes with the traction ring used to tighten the lens in the current state.
All in all, my opinion is, this is a professional lens, and should be bought only if you need it. I would not call it a general purpose lens that one should buy for fun. I would recommend trying it/ renting it first and checking if it satisfies your requirements and are you comfortable carrying the weight. There are no significant complaints with the lens or the images.
Thanks,
~Nikhil
Digital camera Review: 5 stars for what it was made to do
Summary: 5 Stars
Soft wide-open, but better than any non-L lens (any mfr; tried a bunch) in this zoom range. Sharpens up very well; jury is out, because it stays in the bag only if with a 1.4x Extender it can deliver something sharp for outdoor sports and wildlife in good light. Don't expect a miracle; if you must shoot stop-action indoors/difficult light and cannot tolerate the noise of using high ISO, save your euros for a prime.
Ah, but HUGE plus: You can handhold this lens, and you get used to the push/pull zoom.
Note: If you're not SURE you need to get to 400mm, take a long, hard look at owning only a 70-200 f/2.8 IS + 1.4x Extender.
Read all of the reviews in here -- Kudos to Amazon because these reviews are among the best I've seen, even from the dedicated vid/camera sites.
Digital camera Review: A Superb Piece of Glass and Engineering
Summary: 5 Stars
First a plug for Amazon where I typically buy almost all of my gear. Great prices, excellent, courteous and fast customer service and if you have Amazon PRIME shipping, you get it either in 2 days with FREE shipping or overnight if you really need it fast at only $3.99 shipping (often near end of the week, that goes down to only $1.99 for one-day shipping!). PRIME is the way to go, it's paid for itself several times over in our household and we'll renew it every year. I purchased my 100-400 from Amazon and added it to my other L lenses purchased there, the Canon 24-105 L IS and the Canon 17-40mm L. I recently gave it a workout shooting handheld shots (on my Canon 5D) of a practice session of a 20 crew rowing team. Many shots were while the boat was moving and rocking and quickly changing direction. I was firing off many shots consecutively using the IS #1 position (IS in both vertical and horizontal). Bottom line is that the images I brought home blew me away with high contrast, deep saturated colors and very sharp detail in images. Even at 300% mag on screen, the images still retain detail. Out of over 350 shots, only one was out of focus and that shot was my error. Focus is precise and fast and having seen every shot in focus, I know I can trust the AF on this lens. The moment you see your first results from this lens, the investment price becomes no concern at all and worth every penny. The first prints made yielded a lot of "WOW" from viewers as the prints are tack sharp and needed little level or other adjustments in Photoshop. if you are shooting to get the best results you can possibly achieve, then premium optics are the only way to assure you have that opportunity to get those results.. The push-pull zoom is not a problem to get used to as I had thought it might be. You quickly feel comfortable using this lens even due to it's greater size and weight. The weigh in fact seems to help steady it in your hands (along with IS assisting of course). I never really felt it was too heavy. If your fully engrossed in your shooting, you'll not be distracted by the way this lens works in your hands, not at all. In a world of "you get what you pay for", the Canon 100-400 will not disappoint you at all. A superb piece of glass. I love it!! It is going to get a lot of use.Digital camera Review: A Fantastic Lens
Summary: 5 Stars
I've had this lens for nearly a year and it has been fantastic. It is the ideal outdoor lens and you can take some great hand-held shots at relatively low shutter speeds. Earlier, there were some complaints of this lens not being sharp, but recent production runs from 2007 and newer have been superb. Its slightly lighter than the Canon 70-200 f/2.8L IS.
If you do wildlife and sports photography, this is the best lens you can buy for under $5000.
Digital camera Review: A Powerhouse!
Summary: 5 Stars
This lens is amazing. Nothing escapes it. It's like a black hole. Clearly the best lens I have ever owned. It's like the lidless Eye of Sauron from the Lord of the Rings. It is heavy and requires rethinking how you hold the camera. It comes with a beautiful case, a hood, and a tripod mount on the lens. Believe me you will need it. I took a few photos of my son from 250 feet away and they look great. I will now get to work reading the small manual. It has 2 focal settings and 2 stabilizing settings. Wow!