More EF 100-400 f/4.5-5.6L IS II Talk [CR2]

[Nethawk]

As a relatively new owner of the 70-300L, and having been concerned pre-purchase about the zoom ring arrangement, I can say that it was a bit awkward at first, but I adjusted. There is a larger issue (at least for me) that I've not heard any one else mention. The heel of my hand tends to ride on or at the edge of the focus ring while I'm using the zoom ring. As a result, I'm often manually focusing against the autofocus and have produced more blurred images as a result. I bought the third-party tripod ring by Vello and it helps to leave it on and use it as a platform in my left hand. This allows me to get my hand off the focus ring and also improves my ability to more accurately and quickly use the focus ring. The only thing is that the design of the Vello ring is not optimal. It works, but it moves and I don't like the release mechanism. It is over $100 less expensive than the Canon version.

At any rate, the reversed focus ring/zoom ring does present some challenges, but they are manageable in light of an outstanding lens. I may have to drop the $160 for the Canon mount.

Greg

Hi Greg,

Yep, this is the worst part about the zoom and focus ring arrangement. It still slips me up on occasion. The tripod ring is an interesting work around. I don't own one as my tripod ballhead supports the weight, but I may consider it now. Edit: I've mostly overcome this now by trying to compose then focus as a final step.

A lot of the time I am overriding AF anyway with tweaks of the manual focus ring, especially on tripod using live view at 100% zoom. In this case I actually prefer the rear focus ring. Having my elbow tucked in rather than reaching for the far end really helps stability while fine tuning focus.

 

[Loswr]

I don't own one as my tripod ballhead supports the weight, but I may consider it now.

I bought the Tripod Mount Ring C primarily as a base for handholding that puts my fingers by the zoom ring. Depending on your body, the tripod ring still might not provide proper balance. Still, depending on your setup an unbalanced load can be more prone to vibration than a balanced load (for example, no real difference on my RRS TVC-33 + BH-55 LR, but noticeably different on my RRS TQC-14 + BH-30 LR with the center column raised). More details in this linked post

 

[Quasimodo]

Waiting for Godot... The new 100-400L

This just in from Cameraegg: http://www.cameraegg.org/ef-100-400mm-f4-5-5-6l-is-ii-usm-lens-to-be-announced-in-several-days/