Canon EF 100-400 f/4.5-5.6L IS II & EF 400 f/4 DO IS II To Begin Shipping This Week

[monkey44]

Re: Canon EF 100-400 f/4.5-5.6L IS II & EF 400 f/4 DO IS II To Begin Shipping This Week

Well, decision made (sort of).

My local camera store had one (yes!)...so I decided to grab it. I also decided to hold onto the 70-300 for now since I could not decide what to do yet.

First impressions - never had the old version so can't compare to that....that said, tried it out on my 5D3...finally, a true telephoto I can use with that camera! Even with the crappy lighting in my apartment forcing ISO 6400, images still looked quite clear and sharp. Definitely a winner and money well spent

I can say this - this is one of those "shoot with confidence" lenses - seems to be consistently strong throughout the range, even all the way open at 4.5-5.6. But for $2K you'd expect nothing less...

The "zoom throw" or whatever you call it - it's very long. Getting from 100 to 400 quickly requires a long twist of the zoom, so for those who want to go quickly between the range, perhaps the push/pull of the old version is better for that. But - at least it doesn't pump dust nearly as much (and precise framing is much easier).

There is a tightness ring that allows you to adjust the resistance of the zoom mechanism. You can also lock it at any focal length. I notice a bit of "zoom creep" phenomenon on my copy when I have it set all the way to loose (in fact, if I point it directly downward, it will "self-zoom" from 100 almost all the way out...) - don't know if anyone else's is like that.

Also - f/4.5 doesn't last for long at all. By 135mm you're already at f/5 (the 70-300 doesn't reach f/5 until about 150ish IIRC)...but you don't hit f/5.6 until after 300mm...so this lens DOES have a 1/3 stop advantage at 300mm over the 70-300. As a bonus, it performs just as well at that setting, so you don't have to worry about any quality difference. Where the 70-300 does win out is on size and weight - there is a CONSIDERABLE difference in handling between the two lenses which should be noted.

I have not tried it on the 7D2 yet...but with the weather outside and the lighting in here, though, it'd be useless anyway.

ETA: also...it seems as if the lens is not truly 400mm when focusing on close subjects? Seems to get a bit shorter...

You will very much like it on the 7D2 -- this pairing was built for one another, it seems. Had 7D2 for a month, and 100-400 V.2 only a couple days. So, still playing around with it -- but a very sweet combo, looks like. I find a faster focus when tracking, for sure, and very little 'hunting' -- I've been comparing it with the 100-400 V.1 and the more I shoot it, the better I like the V.2 --

 

[Joey]

Re: Canon EF 100-400 f/4.5-5.6L IS II & EF 400 f/4 DO IS II To Begin Shipping This Week

I see Amazon.com are listing it at $2199 but 'this item has not yet been released. Conversely, Amazon.co.uk show it at £2099 which is about $3280 (!) and 'only 4 left in stock'. I will not be buying mine from Amazon...

 

[canon1dxman]

Re: Canon EF 100-400 f/4.5-5.6L IS II & EF 400 f/4 DO IS II To Begin Shipping This Week

Got mine yesterday but haven't even had a chance to try it as we are off to The Kruger in SA on Monday when it will really get used. Still undecided on the new twist zoom after so many years using the original.

 

[Deleted member 7828]

Re: Canon EF 100-400 f/4.5-5.6L IS II & EF 400 f/4 DO IS II To Begin Shipping This Week

Well, decision made (sort of).

My local camera store had one (yes!)...so I decided to grab it. I also decided to hold onto the 70-300 for now since I could not decide what to do yet.

First impressions - never had the old version so can't compare to that....that said, tried it out on my 5D3...finally, a true telephoto I can use with that camera! Even with the crappy lighting in my apartment forcing ISO 6400, images still looked quite clear and sharp. Definitely a winner and money well spent

I can say this - this is one of those "shoot with confidence" lenses - seems to be consistently strong throughout the range, even all the way open at 4.5-5.6. But for $2K you'd expect nothing less...

The "zoom throw" or whatever you call it - it's very long. Getting from 100 to 400 quickly requires a long twist of the zoom, so for those who want to go quickly between the range, perhaps the push/pull of the old version is better for that. But - at least it doesn't pump dust nearly as much (and precise framing is much easier).

There is a tightness ring that allows you to adjust the resistance of the zoom mechanism. You can also lock it at any focal length. I notice a bit of "zoom creep" phenomenon on my copy when I have it set all the way to loose (in fact, if I point it directly downward, it will "self-zoom" from 100 almost all the way out...) - don't know if anyone else's is like that.

Also - f/4.5 doesn't last for long at all. By 135mm you're already at f/5 (the 70-300 doesn't reach f/5 until about 150ish IIRC)...but you don't hit f/5.6 until after 300mm...so this lens DOES have a 1/3 stop advantage at 300mm over the 70-300. As a bonus, it performs just as well at that setting, so you don't have to worry about any quality difference. Where the 70-300 does win out is on size and weight - there is a CONSIDERABLE difference in handling between the two lenses which should be noted.

I have not tried it on the 7D2 yet...but with the weather outside and the lighting in here, though, it'd be useless anyway.

ETA: also...it seems as if the lens is not truly 400mm when focusing on close subjects? Seems to get a bit shorter...

You will very much like it on the 7D2 -- this pairing was built for one another, it seems. Had 7D2 for a month, and 100-400 V.2 only a couple days. So, still playing around with it -- but a very sweet combo, looks like. I find a faster focus when tracking, for sure, and very little 'hunting' -- I've been comparing it with the 100-400 V.1 and the more I shoot it, the better I like the V.2 --

So I've heard...can't wait to try it out once conditions get favorable enough...

____________

Must say, though, I find 300mm on 7D to already be a good amount of reach, been happy with it...useful for all except the birds in the trees (400 would be nice for those). I mainly got this lens for the 5D3 because 70-200mm just didn't cut it for general telephoto shooting on that...and 300 was still a bit short for me on FF.

I also have the 55-250 STM/SL1 combo for use when traveling light - on the 5D3 the 100-400 seems to VERY closely approximate that range - plus far better IQ to boot. It's a very useful range...

I did not test servo performance, but have no reason to think it would be anything less than excellent given its class.

ETA: Quality update - there IS a slight drop-off in sharpness between 300mm and 400mm. Slight, but noticeable.

 

[revup67]

Re: Canon EF 100-400 f/4.5-5.6L IS II & EF 400 f/4 DO IS II To Begin Shipping This Week

"Really interested to see how this plus 1.4 Tc is vs the tamron "

Wicki - not sure if you are referring to the new Tamron zoom to 600mm against the 100-400 with Canon TC or this 100-400 with Canon TC vs. Tamron TC but here's my take on the latter: a bit disappointing. I spent the day with the annual Christmas Bird Count group here in socal and stumbled across a rare Lewis's Woodpecker. Stationary shots were wonderful no complaints at all (see sample Lewis's Woodpecker (20794) by Anthony Gliozzo (Web Site is ocbirds.com), on Flickr however in flights shots were less than satisfying with respect to the camera and lens' focusing abilities . Despite it was on "3m to infinity" the camera was somewhat slow and struggled to focus on in flight bird shots against a gray sky. The combo offer only a max of 5 centered AF points. My friend was using also a 5D Mark III with a Tamron TC 1.4 and a Canon 300mm F/4 lens. All his inflight shots were quite good - his combo offered 9 AF points with the Tamron SP TC We set out cameras up the same - settings were AI Servo, Case 5, Spot Metering, manual mode at 1/1250 ISO 1000 Av=6.3 to perform this comparison. The 500 F/4 IS II has no issues - all points work with the same TC though I am now wondering if the F4 lens has something to do with limiting the AF points. Perhaps I can try my friends Tamron tomorrow and report back. ..cheers..Anthony

 

[GMCPhotographics]

Re: Canon EF 100-400 f/4.5-5.6L IS II & EF 400 f/4 DO IS II To Begin Shipping This Week

I have the old dustpump version I have been very happy with.
Do I REALLY need to upgrade? No.
Do I really really want to upgrade? Yes.
Before spring holidays...

True words....although the AF is faster, other than that...there's not a lot of reasons to side grade if you already have a good copy of the mk1

 

[GMCPhotographics]

Re: Canon EF 100-400 f/4.5-5.6L IS II & EF 400 f/4 DO IS II To Begin Shipping This Week

My wife and I are both into wildlife and bird photography. She keeps taking my EF400 f/5.6L and I and up using my EF 70-300L. I have been debating whether to buy another EF400 f/5.6 or the new 100-400 Zoom. I really like the EF400 f/5.6 however I was hesitant to buy a duplicate lens. Also the EF400 has a long minimum focus. Finally pulled the trigger on the new zoom this morning due to IS, shorter minimum focus and versatility. If it is as sharp as the 400 I will be a happy camper. Just hope that Adorama doesn't surprise me with a back order.

The only area two areas the prime can excel in over the new zoom is a slightly longer focal length. The prime has a real world 400mm against the zooms real world 380mm. And lightness. The prime is a lot lighter in weight and the zoom. Most users of the zoom will be racking out to the long end anyhow, so the improved AF speed should match the prime. The new IS will be a nice feature, but not so useful for Birds in Flight. The improved Min Focus distance will be nice for close up portraits of birds and the like (which I currently do with a 70-200 f2.8 LIS II and a tele converter). Only you can say if these features are worth the cost of replacement.