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: Best all around mid-long tele zoom for Canon
Summary: 5 Stars
I got this lens a week before a major 3 day shoot, an Indycar race here in Florida. I was surprised by how easy the lens was to work with - the push-pull zoom took a bit of getting used to, but overall, a great lens.Digital camera Review: Best choice for me in this range
Summary: 5 Stars
I've had this lens for about half a year now, and really appreciate having a good quality lens for this focal range. I use it mainly for birds.
I'm not going to go into the features - you can read that in the product description - but concentrate on my experience using it.
The locking ring is a little irritating. You need to hold on to the focusing ring before twisting the locking ring.
Push / pull takes a little getting used to, but not too bad. And it is actually very nice when shooting birds in flight. Zoom out, find bird, then zoom in.
If you're looking at this lens, you're probably also considering the 300mm f/4L and 400mm f/5.6L. I chose a zoom, sacrificing some IQ (according to some reviews) for convenience. The 400mm f/5.6 is tempting, but costs only $200 less and lacks IS. The 300mm f/4L with a 1.4x TC may make more sense for some, but I found that the ability to zoom makes acquiring the subject much easier. Sharpness is still very good even with 1.4x TC, though you will lose the ability to auto focus without a 1 series body.
If you're hand holding the lens, rotate the tripod foot to the top (or remove it altogether). It makes supporting the lens much easier.
It appears to be more susceptible to flare when shooting bright light sources (e.g. sunset, the moon) than some of my other lenses.
Anyway, if you want an L lens in this focal range, you just need to choose between this and the other 2 I mentioned above. If you want something less expensive, but with a shorter focal range, take a look at the 70-300mm IS (NOT the 75-300mm).
Digital camera Review: Blown away!
Summary: 5 Stars
After several months of careful research about lenses, I decided that this was the one that I wanted. I have owned it for a few weeks but today was the first day that I actually had the weather to go out and shot some photos. I decided that I wanted to compare Image Quality (IQ) of the 100mm-400mm to the kit 70mm -300mm lens.(no IS and no USM) After finding a suitable subject, I took three images with each lens at 100, 200 and 300 focal length. (Same speed, iso and aperture settings for each lens). I also decided to go shot some Canada Geese but they were not a lively bunch since it is still only 10 F out here. After I arrived at home and opened the images, I placed them side by side. The IQ difference is simply amazing. One would expect a lens with an MSRP of over $2000 to take better pictures than a $200 lens but the difference blew me away. I have a 500D and before purchasing the camera, I had read a review by Ken Rockwell and he stated that the images (at 100%) with the 500D are almost Point and Shot quality. I agreed after seeing my own images at 100%. That is until I took a picture with L glass. No longer are the subjects fuzzy, they now they have real shape!( at 100% image enlargement) I am in the process of uploading the comparison shot so that you can see the difference first hand. I suppose that I need to say that the color improvement is also in line, i.e., it is outstanding!
There are some folks that seem to have an issue with the push pull system. It took a while to get used to it. I would guess about 1/320 of a second! It is easy to use the push pull system if you have half a brain and I wish all zoom lenses were like this. The ring mechanism is the only drawback but one I can live with. I have decided that once I find the correct tension, I will use some clear quality tape and place it on the area where the tension ring meets the full time manual zoom adjustment so that it will remain locked at my preferred tension setting. If I ever need to change the setting, I can easily remove the tape.
The IS system is also an amazing add on and a must have for a zoom lens. The IS in this lens DOES NOT disappoint. Once you press the shutter button half way, the IS kicks in and the subject in the view finder no longer shakes. Leave your tripod at homeº
The USM is also up to speed and will not disappoint.
I decided to keep the IS and USM review short. They both work and once you have them you won¡¦t know how you ever lived without them. I could go on about them but EXCELLENT sums it up nicely.
I am in love with this lens and will use it for everything! One more thing: The lens is not heavy at 3 pounds and anyone over 150 lbs. should have the strength to carry/cradle this set up no problems.
ENJOY the marvelous photos you will take with this wonderful lens.
rc
Digital camera Review: Breathtaking and Well-Worth the Price!
Summary: 5 Stars
Having been on an Alaskan cruise twice before and being quiet happy with the pictures I took with my 20D and the regular Canon lenses, I decided it was time to splurge and upgrade to a professional level lens. After reading the reviews for this lens, I knew this would be the one.
As a test run, I took it to Mount St. Helens to just take as many pictures as I could at all distances and zooms.
I have to say, I had no idea my camera could take pictures like I ended up with! The lens is incredible!
Showing people the pictures, their jaws dropped. The clarity in the close-ups of flowers is stunning, and a photo I took of an insect less than an inch long from over 10 feet away could be enlarged enough to count the ridges on its mandibles! A bee from 20 feet could have its hair brushed it's so clear. Just amazing!
The image stabilization worked amazingly. It was VERY windy on the mountain area, and even with the extra interference, my pictures came out clear and focused even at ISO 100.
Yes, it is heavy. But for this quality, it's a minor thing.
Simply amazing. There is NO comparison to the regular lenses. They're good, but this is fantastic!
Digital camera Review: Brilliant images
Summary: 5 Stars
This lens really shows what my Canon 5D can do. It was shots with this combination that convinced me that digital had at last surpassed my old standard of Leica M6 and Kodachrome.
I agree with most of the other writers comments, it is heavy and I was obliged to get a back-pack camera case to make it OK for long shoots.
The only disappointment is that it DOES NOT AUTOFOCUS with the 2x Canon converter. I should have seen this in the small print, but I missed it.