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: A Workout, but Well Worth it
Summary: 5 Stars
If you use this lens on a 1.6X camera body such as the XT, 20D, or 30D you end up with a 160-640mm equivalent which is an impressive range by any standard. You can also add the 1.4X TC for a 896mm upper limit or the 2X TC for an amazing 1280mm. Of course this comes at a price, and I'm not just talking money. You will have to use a tripod, cable release, and mirror lockup a lot of the time when using such long focal lengths. Plus this thing is very heavy and very large and people will take notice. So if stealth photography is your goal, go with something like the 70-300 DO.
That being said, this is an amazing lens, admittedly a little slow near the long end, but to get down to f/4 would have most likely doubled or tripled the price and weight, so it seems like an acceptable trade-off.
If you want sharp pictures, an amazing zoom range, and a good workout, but don't mind being the center of attention, this is the lens for you.
Digital camera Review: A fine lens for sure..
Summary: 5 Stars
This great lens is a joy own and use....
100-400 on body with a grip & double batteries will get your attention during a days shooting with it. Does build muscle though, and gets easier to handle.
It would be nice if you could see lens switch settings like focus range preset and IS mode 1 or 2 in view finder. Now and then if you do some closer shots and change the focus range setting, you can forget to set it back and wonder why your AF isn't doing well. But that's not a lens fault, just something Canon could do in camera.
I posted some action/panning shots for this lens as there didn't seem to be any others.
Update; June 26,2007
Lens is still working just fine and results are what I wanted. No problems.
Update; Sept 25, 2008
Still cranking off the great shots, notice only one change... now and then AF does not want to focus at full zoom and I need to pull back to about 200mm to get AF to work and then can zoom back out and it will AF at 400mm. Only now and then and not a big concern for me.
Update Nov 2010
Even though it seems most don't like my reivew for some reason I'll add that this is still a workhorse without problems, I have so many shots that I would NOT have without this lens.
It's been bumped around some but other than a couple of small scratches in the paint it's holding up well.
Plastic lens hood fits a bit looser these days because of mounting and unmounting, but is staying on the lens so far, not sure if it's the hood or the lens that is wearing more. Maybe both the same...
Digital camera Review: A great lens
Summary: 5 Stars
I picked up this lens from my local camera shop last week, and wish I would have picked it up sooner. I just love being able to zoom in on wildlife without scaring them off. The pictures are sharp and clear.
A few things that you should know about this lens. First, it's heavy. I've used the neck strap a few times, however I end up carrying the camera in my hands. I've taken to putting the lens and camera on a monopod and throwing that over my shoulder. Much easier to carry, and the monopod helps get those sharp photos.
Second, you need good light, especially at the longer focal lengths. On a sunny day this isn't a problem, but when the clouds come out, you either need to raise the ISO or dial down the shutter speed. It's not a problem with the lens, just something to be aware of. Put the camera on a tripod and it's a non issue.
Last, do your homework before you buy this lens. I spend months reading reviews about this lens, the Sigma 150-500, and the Canon 70-200 with a 2x converter, and looking at photos taken with these lenses. After going back and forth for a couple of months, I stepped back to determine what was important to me. I knew that I would not be happy with anything other than the sharpest image that I could find.
In the end, I'm extremely happy with the purchase, and my only regret is not getting this sooner.
Digital camera Review: A great lens that attracts too much attention
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a super lens, sharp and contrasty. It's only problem comes into play when you walk around with it on your camera. I was anything but anonymous walking in Red Square with this one. Hard to take those candids of everyday folks! I used it to take some photos of quail in Cali with the 1.4x converter and here, the lens holds up well also. On my 20d I lose auto-focus with a converter in place. Nice sharp Pics, super fast autofocus, overall a great performer.Digital camera Review: A great telephoto lens
Summary: 5 Stars
I got this lens sold by Amazon.com which is the only seller I would buy stuff from because the item is authentic.
Anyways this lens is perfect for portrait especially at 400mm focus length and f5.6 aperture, the image quality was great with a super nice blurred background.
The price of this lens was reasonable for an L super telephoto zoom lens. Like a lot of people said it is heavy but I don't think it can cause trouble for a photographer. In my opinion, the heaviness of this lens help me to get a great picture without tripod; honestly I hate carry the tripod around.