Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM

[rnl]

1dxmkii, 100-400ii With 1.4xiii

 

[Click]

Beautiful bird. Nicely done, Richard.

 

[scottburgess]

Nice shot, Scott.

For a 2x extender, manual focus and hand held that is a good shot!

Thank you, folks.

Yeah, it puts my old 300 f/4 IS to shame. I struggled to do so many things with that lens. Decided to try the new zoom in part to have a more versatile set of lenses for future travel abroad: I figure that carrying a wide angle zoom and the 100-400, I can get by; I can add a 50mm or a macro if I anticipate subjects requiring those and still keep the kit light.

By way of comparison with my copies of the 100-400 vII and the 300, the resolution is barely better with the zoom at 300mm, so that isn't the big win. But the zoom has lower chromatic aberration, better contrast, closer focusing, the versatility of more focal lengths, and waaay better IS. The lens does focus breathe substantially at close range, but that's a perfectly acceptable design compromise for me. The background bokeh can get jumpy, but I can live with that too since the alternative is a great white.

The fun factor is definitely higher with the new lens. I know that isn't as quantifiable, but it is pretty nice to be able to photograph an elk, zoom out to catch the group, and then zoom in close again. The IS on a tripod helps control the wiggles, but I can't believe I can hand-hold this thing with extenders. I appreciate the new hood design and the added IS mode. I've only had the lens two weeks, but am glad I snagged a refurbished unit when one became available.

At this point, I plan to sell off the 300 f/4 even though it is in decent shape. I no longer have a need for it. Will sell off a couple other older lenses and bodies too. Time to medicate my GAS. If Canon decides to replace the 300 f/4 with a vII Macro, I'll probably suffer reinfection later anyway.

The attached photos use a tripod-mounted 100-400 vII with a 1.4x vIII with AF and IS turned on (I believe), shot locally two days earlier than the hummingbird.

My only knock on things so far is that the IS mode does not appear in the EXIF data, and it is darned hard to remember which test shots out of hundreds of frames used IS. Canon really should add IS mode info to the EXIF data. It's back to carrying a note pad temporarily, something I used to do when I shot film. Phhthtt!

 

[lion rock]

A shot I took a few nights ago. 400 mm with 2XIII, on 7DII.
jpg image, full crop slight sharpening.
A new acquire I got recently at Canon Refurb store.
-r

 

[AlanF]

My only knock on things so far is that the IS mode does not appear in the EXIF data, and it is darned hard to remember which test shots out of hundreds of frames used IS. Canon really should add IS mode info to the EXIF data. It's back to carrying a note pad temporarily, something I used to do when I shot film. Phhthtt!

The data are there but seem hidden, and not revealed in DPP or the usual Friedl website. I have got at the subject distance and whether the IS is on by using DxO Optics Pro and then reading the EXIF via Apple Preview. If IS is off, it isn't mentioned, if it's on, it reads IS Panning.

 

[scottburgess]

The data are there but seem hidden, and not revealed in DPP or the usual Friedl website. I have got at the subject distance and whether the IS is on by using DxO Optics Pro and then reading the EXIF via Apple Preview. If IS is off, it isn't mentioned, if it's on, it reads IS Panning.

Thanks for responding, Alan. I had done some digging on this and several people had noted the information was simply not there--evidently this is not correct.

Inspired by your post, I tried using EXIFTool to view the data, but I don't see either Subject Distance or IS information, though EXIFTool supposedly shows everything (I do get a Focus Distance Upper and Focus Distance Lower, but am not sure what these are as they appear to be too large for my subject distance). I am unfamiliar with Friedl, but found a Jeffrey Friedl blog with a Lightroom plugin which supposedly shows all EXIF data; I gather that too does not show IS data, but I don't use Lightroom anyway.

I am not a Mac owner, so do you (or does anyone else) know of a Windows app which reveals the IS data? I thought Apple Preview was for pdf docs? I am not clear what you're doing with DxO Optics Pro in conjunction with Apple Preview to unwrap the data. Is the "IS Panning" a Field, or a Data item for a field?

Also, does anyone know which camera models record the IS data from the lens?

 

[JakeP]

Finally, mine arrived tonight. 4 days for next day shipping!

Its after dark, and my camera is out in the studio, so I'll just start with some unboxing photos. This is by far the best packaged of the under $3,000 lenses I've seen. Adorama packed it well too, as usual. These are just snapshots with my G1X II, no flash or special lights. I took a photo of the extended lens to show what it looks like at 400mm.

Now that is one good looking lense!! What do you use this for?

 

[JPAZ]

My love affair with this lens continues........From Lake Chamo near Arba Minch, Ethiopia. An unexpected visitor when we returned to the vehicle.

 

[Besisika]

One from recent vacation using 5D III.
Chamemelon-of-Madagascar_01 by Alain, on Flickr

 

[Click]

Very nice shot, Besisika.

 

[MrFotoFool]

Puma at Zoo Salzburg, Austria.

 

[Berowne]

6D & 100-400L II.

 

[Vern]

5DSR, 100-400 II @400

 

[Click]

5DSR, 100-400 II @400

So cute. Nicely done, Vern.

 

[Vern]

a couple more

 

[Sharlin]

6D & 100-400L II.

Pretty kitty! That axial CA on the cheek hair is a bit unfortunate though, could use some defringe brush.

 

[K-amps]

Spring was here

 

[KeithBreazeal]

Bella bird watching © Keith Breazeal by Keith Breazeal, on Flickr

E-4 Night Watch CCA 2017 5378a © Keith Breazeal by Keith Breazeal, on Flickr

CCA 2017 Super Hornet 4867 © Keith Breazeal_filtered by Keith Breazeal, on Flickr

 

[Click]

Beautiful shots, Keith.

 

[KeithBreazeal]

Beautiful shots, Keith.

Thanks Click. The VII is noticeably better that VI Still need to find a new home for my VI.