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

[Rahul]

Very good point about the 1.4xTC. I think that the I00-400 II + 1.4xTC at f/8 is about the same at the centre as Tamron at f/8 but sharper as you go out, and is highly recommended. My initial reservations about the 1.4xTC plus 100-400 on the 7DII were wrong and it does give slightly better resolution than the bare lens and is not difficult to handle.

Here are 3 shots. Top is a 100% crop of two grebes starting courtship, from the 100-400 on 5DIII. The birds occupy a tiny 600x280 pixels. Below is a shot at the same time with the 300/2.8 + 2xC on 7DII. Despite being a much larger 1400x670 pixels, it is far less contrasty (wh ch can be corrected) and not much more detailed. Bottom is a buzzard hovering taken with the 7DII + 1.4xTC + 100-400 II. Despite being f/8 and only the centre point AF, the focussing was very fast and accurate (I tend to use the centre point spot focus even when the others are available).

Hi Alan,

Nice, sharp photos!. But won't the birds in the first two photos be Great Created Grebes? Apologies if I'm being pedantic but I seemingly learnt about these birds mostly because they were spotted in my part of the woods after about a decade or so.

 

[AlanF]

Yes indeed. "The great crested grebe (Podiceps cristatus) is a member of the grebe family of water birds noted for its elaborate mating display." Wikipedia And they certainly were doing a bit of foreplay. However, they were not spotted and they weren't in woods but on a river.

 

[Rahul]

Yes indeed. "The great crested grebe (Podiceps cristatus) is a member of the grebe family of water birds noted for its elaborate mating display." Wikipedia And they certainly were doing a bit of foreplay. However, they were not spotted and they weren't in woods but on a river.

That's fair enough! ;D

These birds were seen after more than 10 years at a bird conservation site close to where I live. They were cause of a lot of excitement for the birders here.

 

[anolis23]

I have to say this lens is great, coming from the 400 5.6, this is a much more dynamic and useful lens. You can check out a few pictures with the new 100-400 here, sadly I don't have too many since its brand new and I am now in the dead of winter in upstate NY https://www.flickr.com/photos/puertoricanwildlifephotography/

 

[bholliman]

I have to say this lens is great, coming from the 400 5.6, this is a much more dynamic and useful lens. You can check out a few pictures with the new 100-400 here, sadly I don't have too many since its brand new and I am now in the dead of winter in upstate NY https://www.flickr.com/photos/puertoricanwildlifephotography/

Have you done any side-by-side IQ testing vs. the 400/5.6? I'm looking to buy either the 400/5.6 or the 100-400 II. Obviously the zoom is much more flexible, but expect to shoot mostly at 400mm anyway. I'm trying to decide if the zoom versatility and IS is worth the extra $1K.

 

[AlanF]

I have to say this lens is great, coming from the 400 5.6, this is a much more dynamic and useful lens. You can check out a few pictures with the new 100-400 here, sadly I don't have too many since its brand new and I am now in the dead of winter in upstate NY https://www.flickr.com/photos/puertoricanwildlifephotography/

Have you done any side-by-side IQ testing vs. the 400/5.6? I'm looking to buy either the 400/5.6 or the 100-400 II. Obviously the zoom is much more flexible, but expect to shoot mostly at 400mm anyway. I'm trying to decide if the zoom versatility and IS is worth the extra $1K.

There have been several comparisons on the web - there isn't much between them in IQ at 400mm. The MTFs etc on photozone.de favour the 100-400, TDP has them very similar on FF, but the 100-400 seems to gain a bit on crop. Tony Northrup has the 100-400 the winner. I wouldn't worry about the difference in IQ. The 400mm is an excellent lens and very good value. The 100-400 is much more versatile and the IS enables a much wider range of possibilities. I'd miss about 80% of my shots if I didn't have IS, but that's the way I use it.