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

Just acquired an EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM lens. Is there anyone in this Canon community that can offer any dos or don'ts about this lens. Any information would be helpful. Thanks.
Solved!
Go to Solution.

Ed.
A couple things, I got my 100-400mm way, way back so I have used it a lot. It has marginal IQ which is really OK until you actually compare it to other similar lenses. This means by itself it is good but any addition can have undesirable results.
Don't get me wrong as I have some pretty darn good bird pictures with mine. However any time you add anything to the light path you degrade it. True for any lens not just the 100-400mm.
The most common problem is ghosting or flare caused by light bouncing off the filter. 75% of the time the filter will do no harm and I use them on almost all of my glass. I do use B+W or lens brand filters. Only high quality and less prone to cause problem.
Folks seem to have a problem removing the filter when conditiions arise that warrant it's removal. It does come off as easily as it went on! I don't have a filter on my 1000-400mm and I don't recommend you do either. But in the grand scheme of things it will not cause the end of the world if you do.
EOS 1Ds Mk III, EOS 1D Mk IV EF 50mm f1.2 L, EF 24-70mm f2.8 L,
EF 70-200mm f2.8 L IS II, Sigma 120-300mm f2.8 EX APO
Photoshop CS6, ACR 9, Lightroom 6

Similar Messages

Would a EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM be a good addition to a Canon EOS Rebel T3?

Would a EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM be a good addition to a Canon EOS Rebel T3? I do already have a Canon zoom lens EF 75-300 lens in addition to the standard 18-55 lens.

I rented one and brought it with me to Italy to use on my T1i. It's a good lens and it takes great photos. The downfall is that it's very large & heavy. We had to drag it around in it's own separate carrying bag while we walked around Italy. It was great to take a shot of the top of the Duomo in Florence with it, when we were 2 miles away. We really couldn't find anything that we could use it on up close.
It depends on what you are going to do with it. If you're looking to take photos of wildlife, this would be a good lens along with a sturdy tripod.
It's quite a jump from the kit lens and the 75-300 you have. I had both of those lenses as well, then I upgraded my 75-300 to a 70-300 and that's really all I need. I also have the 18-55 as well as a 50mm prime.

Can anyone give me feedback on the 100-400mm lens?

I am looking at replacing my 35-350mmL lens with a 100-400mm lens. Anything I should know about the 100-400mm lens?

I have both of those plus the 28-300 L IS & use them a lot for my (summer) events. It's a little bit heavier than the 35-350 but generally speaking a very versatile lens that gets good reviews. There are at leat 2 other threads about it that you should read before buying. What do you intend to use it for? and on what body?
"A skill is developed through constant practice with a passion to improve, not bought."

Canon EF 70-200mm f/4 L USM not as sharp as myCanon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS

Hi can't seem to get a sharp a image with my 70- 200 as I can with my 100-400mm. Should I be getting just as sharp photos with both lenses. I still have a warranty with best buy.
Solved!
Go to Solution.

What are your shooting conditions? If you were below 1/400 or so the IS on the 100-400 could make a significant difference. Try a controlled test, on a tripod, same settings, IS off.

T3i with a EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L. Focus problems

Hi I have a canon T3i and just bought a EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L. But mt photos just don't seem as if they are very sharp or focus. I took a photo of a snow owl and the ones with my 55-250mm actually turned out better! I was shooting at a shutter speed of 640 and 1000. Any suggestion

There is a learning curve with very long tele lenses.
At 400mm on your T3i you are actually trying to use a 640mm lens.
That's not only going to magnify the subject you are shooting but all the errors you may have made. And at the same ratio!
You are probably looking at a minimun shutter of 1/640. Making 1/1000 likely the slowest shutter you will get super sharp photos.
Investment in a good tripod is a great addition to your equipment.
EOS 1Ds Mk III, EOS 1D Mk IV EF 50mm f1.2 L, EF 24-70mm f2.8 L,
EF 70-200mm f2.8 L IS II, Sigma 120-300mm f2.8 EX APO
Photoshop CS6, ACR 8.7, Lightroom 5.7

Canon 70-200mm lens with a Canon Extender EF 2X III versus Canon 100-400mm lens

Which is better for astrophotography,
a Canon 70-200mm lens with a Canon Extender EF 2X III or Canon 100-400mm lens

JMR66 wrote:
Which is better for astrophotography,
a Canon 70-200mm lens with a Canon Extender EF 2X III or Canon 100-400mm lens
If you refer to Canon 70-200mm 2.8L IS II USM + Extender 2x III, then you'd get f/5.6 all over the focal length range vs. the EF 100-400 f/4.5-5.6L IS USM (meaning you'll get a bit more of light at the short telephoto end when using the 100-400)
Both combinations are very sharp, but I think the 100-400 is a bit sharper when compared to 70-200 2.8L II + extender 2x III, noticeable if you use full frame DSLRs.
If you use APS-C DSLRs, then I'd suggest going for the 70-200 2.8L IS II USM because you'll get more than 1 f-stops of light if you shoot from 70 to 200mm (without the Extender 2x III) compared to the 100-400, and the sharpness is really amazing (better than 100-400 in both Full Frame and APS-C cameras)
Regards
HD Cam Team
Group of photographers and filmmakers using Canon cameras for serious purposes.
www.hdcamteam.com | www.twitter.com/HDCamTeam | www.facebook.com/HDCamTeam

Extender with 100-400mm lens.

I have heard and read both - The 1.4x extender will and will not allow autofocusing with a 7D and a 100-400mm lens. Does anyone know?

At the 100mm end of the zoom range, the lens becomes an f/6.3 -- and probably your camera can focus at f/6.3 ... but that's pretty much the limit. At the 400mm end of the range (and in fact even at mid-zoom levels) the 7D wont be able to auto-focus. The 5D III and 1D X have working phase-detect AF at f/8, but not the 7D. Pretty much all bodies hit the limit at f/5.6 (but usually you can sneak in f/6.3), but only those two bodies have working auto-focus at f/8.
If there is enough light, it may be able to focus in live-view mode becasue that uses constrast-detection AF, rather than the phase-detect AF points and if there's enough light and contrast it may be able to work, but contrast-detection isn't as fast so if this is for sports or action photography then that's probably not worth persuing.
You could always rent a 1.4x from one of the many rental agencies and give it a try to see if it works for you.
Tim Campbell
5D II, 5D III, 60Da

Is there a lens profile for Canon EF100-400mm/4.5-5.6L IS II USM for Lightroom 5 ?

I have Lightroom 5.7 and Camera RAW 8.8 (Via DNG converter 8.8) in Mac OS X 10.10.2.
According to Adobe documentation there lens profile for EF100-400mm/4.5-5.6L IS II USM should be provided by Camera Raw8.8.
However, I cannot not find lens profile correction for this lens from Lightroom 5.7. Does anyone know howto enable lens profile for this lens ?

Thanks, this workaround works:
I copied appropriate lens profile from (the .lcp file)
/Library/Application Support/Adobe/CameraRaw/LensProfiles/1.0
to:
/Users/<my username>/Library/Application Support/Adobe/CameraRaw/LensProfiles

Why does my 5D Mark III suddenly stop shooting pictures?

Every so often when I am shooting a lot of pictures with my 5D Mark III, once I release the shutter button I am unable to focus or take more pictures for a few seconds. I thought at first this was because it was writing information to the memory card but that does not appear to be the issue. The screen also does not indicate that it is busy or writing informatoin to the card. This issue does not happen on my 7D or 50D.
Canon EOS 5D Mark III
Canon EOS 7D
Canon EOS 50D
EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM Telephoto Zoom
Canon MP-E 65mm f/2.8 1-5x Macro Photo Macro Lens
Canon EF 180mm f3.5L Macro USM AutoFocus Telephoto
Canon EF 70-200mm F/4L USM
Canon EF 50mm f1.4 USM
Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM
Quantaray 18-200mm 1:3.5-6.3
Sigma 105mm 1:2.8 DG Macro
Canon Extender 1.4 III

tdehan wrote:
So, I need to make a correction on the Compact Flash Card. The card I am using is a SanDisk Extreme PRO 32GB Compact Flash.
I am wondering...I was shooting a wedding this past weekend when this was happening. The card is rated at 32GB however, the formatted space shows approx 29GB. The total space used for pictures was just over 27GB. Wonder if it was stopping because the card was getting low on space?
What lens were you using? My 70-200 f/2.8 has two modes. In one of them it focusses faster, but doesn't let you get as close to the subject as in the other mode. If you're in that first mode and you get too close to the subject, the resulting behavior is as you describe. I doubt that that's your problem, but thought it was at least worth mentioning.
If the card were out of space, it would tell you. You wouldn't have to guess.
Bob
Boston, Massachusetts USA

Telephoto Zoom Lens for Canon SLR

Want to know if the Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM Telephoto Zoom Lens for Canon SLR Cameras will fit and work with the EOS Rebel XTi camera.

Absolutely. Just remember to learn how to hold all the extra weight steady when using it. Mine sees a lot of use, but it took a while to adjust to it's weight. .
"A skill is developed through constant practice with a passion to improve, not bought."

Going to Antarctica

Going to Antarctica but not getting off the ship. Any suggestions for a telephoto lens. I have Rebel Xsi getting T5i. How about a teleconverter? I can't use a heavy lens.

Ilene wrote:
Going to Antarctica but not getting off the ship. Any suggestions for a telephoto lens. I have Rebel Xsi getting T5i. How about a teleconverter? I can't use a heavy lens.
It would depend on what you'd like to photograph.
A couple of great lenses are EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM and EF 70-200mm 2.8L II USM.
The first being more "flexible" in focal lengths but not so sharp nor "fast" as the second. Anyway it's a GREAT lens. If you want high quality image, you should consider using high quality lenses.
With 5D Mark 3, the 70-200mm 2.8L II + 2x EF Extender III works really well regarding AF, but we didn't test it on the T5i. The AF performance may be very different.
I was thinking about going there too, but getting off the ship for sure In my case I'd take wide angle and telephoto lenses for different subjects and topics (great landscapes, cientific bases, distant objects, animals, etc).
Take care of the cold weather for you and your gear. Don't bring the gear into a warm room suddenly from cold outdoors without putting them into a zip lock bag or covering with a towel to let the gear get the indoor temperature gradually. Otherwise your gear will get moisture condensation and it may get damaged easily, especially if the camera+lnes is not weather sealed. Some other people just leave the gear inside the bag/backpack for a while until it gets warm.
Keep the spare batteries warm in your pockets, and take spare caps too, you never know when you'll need some.
Regards
HD Cam Team
Group of photographers and filmmakers using Canon cameras for serious purposes.
www.hdcamteam.com | www.twitter.com/HDCamTeam | www.facebook.com/HDCamTeam

Problem with 400mm L 5.6 clarity

On image tests my 400mm L 5.6 is performing significantly less sharp than my new 100-400mm lense. The only think I can think of that would have damaged the 400 was condensaton in the body from temperature changes. Shots are all tribod and cable triggered. No filters on either lens. This is of course cropped way in. Any ideas? The 400 is about 9 months old. Can it be cleaned internally?
7D, EFS 18-55 IS, 400mm L 5.6f, 100-400mm L
Solved!
Go to Solution.

"I did a test with filters too, and OMG......... If I can get away with it on a windless day in the photo blind, yeah, I'll take them off!"
I do just the opposite. Normally my lenses go filterless. For the lenses where I can fit them I do have "protection" filters... stored in my camera bag until they are actually needed, such as out shooting in a sandstorm, rainstorm or photographing paintball or other risky situations. I also use them at the seashore, since salt spray is hard to clean off lenses (hard to clean off filters, too... but I'd rather do that).
Realistically how much physical "protection" can a thin piece of glass be expected to provide? In fact I've seen lenses damaged by broken filters... They might have fared better without any filter. There is no truly accurate, scientific way to test whether filters actually protect or do harm (we'd have to buy 1000 lenses and 1000 filters and do hundreds of "drop tests"... and who is going to do that?) All I can say is that some of my lenses have been going around without protection for decades and are still fine. 30+ years shooting. I've yet to see one of my lenses damaged for lack of a filter, or actually saved thanks to one. I have seen plenty of images... my own and other peoples'... that were less than ideal due to a filter.
On the other hand, the lens hood... especially the nice deep ones on telephotos... give great "protection". I've definitely had lenses survive a bump thanks to a hood. Plus a properly fitted hood can only help image quality, cannot possibly do any harm to my images. I rarely shoot without a lens hood.
I used to use UV filters quite a bit... back when I shot film. Many films were (are?) overly sensitive to UV light. So a filter was frequently needed when shooting outdoors... Especially at higher altitudes where UV is stronger (I lived in Colorado for quite a few years). But today's DSLRs don't need UV filtration... it's built in.
It amazes me that people closely scrutinize at their images at huge magnifications (100% viewing on many modern computer monitors is the equivalent making a 5 ft. wide print from an 18MP camera image... and then viewing it from about 18 inches away)... Yet they eagerly slap an extra piece of glass between the lens and the subject with very little concern.
Regarding using Focus Micro Adjust... That can surprise you sometimes, just how good a lens can be when fine-tuned. However it's more difficult to use with a zoom. And a very common mistake is using too close a target, too near the lens' minimum focus distance.
Canon recommends using a flat target with good detail set parallel to the film/sensor plane, set at a distance about 50X the focal length of the lens (i.e., with a 50mm lens the target should be 2.5 meters or about 8 feet away). A brick wall or a fence works well. Reiken FoCal recommends the same distance. With longer focal lengths such as 400mm, this might be impractical and FoCal suggests as close as 25X can be used.
The Canon method only works with lenses that have a focus distance scale, but doesn't require you to take any images at all. Instead, it compares the standard Phase Detection focus method with the Contrast Detection used by Live View. Simply set up with tripod and target, focus on the target with One Shot and the center AF point only, then switch to Live View, and... while watching the focus distance.. refocus the lens. If the focus distance scale moves, some MA is needed. The method of focus in Live View, which uses the imaging sensor itself, is inherently accurate. MA only effects focusing with the standard array of AF sensors. You can adjust up to 20 lenses on 7D (some newer cameras allow up to 40 lenses).
The Reiken FoCal software method of calculating MA uses a special target (provided) and does take and evaluate a series of images to arrive at a setting. It only uses the standard, AF sensor array/Phase Detection-based method of One Shot focus, but can optionally be double-checked using Live View/Contrast Detection focus.
Now, with 7D and a zoom such as the 100-400mm you may find you need to compromise with MA. If you test the lens at different focal lengths, and you should, you might find slightly different amounts of MA are called for at each FL. But the version of MA in 7D (also 5DII, 50D) only allows for a single adjustment per lens. So with a zoom you may need to calculate and set an average of different amounts of adjustment called for by different FL of the zoom. Alternatively you could choose to make the amount of adjustment called for by a focal length you most commonly find yourself using. Note: The more recent version of Live View, such as is on 70D, 5DIII, etc., allows up to two adjustments with zoom lenses. It also allows up to 40 lenses to be fine tuned. The 20-lens version of MA also is lens-model-specific (adjustments made to, say, any EF 50/1.4 lens will be equally applied to all EF 50/1.4 lenses used on that particular camera). The 40-lens version of MA is lens-serial-number-specific (allowing for different adjustments to, say, different copies of EF 50/1.4 lenses used on that particular camera).
Alan Myers
San Jose, Calif., USA
"Walk softly and carry a big lens."
GEAR: 5DII, 7D(x2), 50D(x3), some other cameras, various lenses & accessories
FLICKR & PRINTROOM

Which is the better lens for wildlife, sport action canon 70-200 is usm ii series L or Canon 100-400

Which would be a better for wildlife and sport action Canon 70-200 mm is usm ii serie L f/2.8 or Canon 100-400 mm f/4.5-5.6?

On what camera? It makes a big difference depending upon whether you are using full frame or a crop camera.
Also depends upon the particular sports and type of wildlife most commonly involved, how much reach you might need. Outdoor, daytime sports vs indoor and nightime sports is another key factor.
On a crop camera a 70-200 is generally a lot more usable than it is on full frame, for sports and wildlife. An f2.8 lens and 70-200 might be ideal for indoor sports even with a crop camera. It also might be plenty for large game that can be pretty closely approacted. But for small and more shy wildlife, sports on a larger playing field, you'll more likely need the 100-400. But as an f4.5-5.6 lens that's going to be more of a daytime-only lens.
The 100-400mm is unusual in that it's a push/pull zoom. This can be particularly fast to use and makes the lens popular among photograhers shooting fast moving subjects such as birds in flight and air shows.
If you give serious consideration to the 70-200/2.8 IS II in combination with teleconverter EF 2X III, I'd suggest renting and trying them toghether first. The reason is that a stronger 2X teleconverter has more effect on image quality than a weaker TC. The specific combination of the 70-200 Mark II lens and the 2X Mark III TC is pretty darned good.... better than the combo earlier versions of each item. But whether or not it's up to your expectastions is a judgment call only you can make. So it might be wise to rent before you buy, just to be sure.
If instead you start to take a hard look at the 100-400mm, once again you might want to rent it and give it a try. Some people really like the push/pull zoom design. Some don't. (I'm one of the latter... but to be fair this is largely an old prejudice from trying to use that type of zoom in the past, long before IS. I always found push-pull zooms hard to get a steady shot with.... But the 100-400's IS goes a long way toward solving that problem.)
And those two really aren't your only choices.
Personally I use a pair of crop cameras (7D), most of the time one fitted with a 70-200, and the other fitted with a 300/4 IS, sometimes in combination with an EF 1.4X II teleconverter. Or, when I don't need to be mobile and can set up a tripod, I'll use a 300/2.8 IS, both by itself and with EF 1.4X II or 2X II teleconverters.
Another possibility is two lower cost lenses... such as a 70-200/4 IS in combination with a third party lens such as the Sigma 120-400 OS or 150-500 OS. Those lenses are considerably less expensive than the 70-200/2.8 II and the 100-400, respectively. You might be able to afford both and still find they meet your needs very well.
I use the 70-200/4 IS, as well as a copy of the first version of the 70-200/2.8 IS, and they are excellent lenses too. No doubt about it, the 70-200/2.8 IS Mark II is top of the heap and exceptionally good... but rest assured those other 70-200s are no slouches.
If using a full frame camera, for large field sports and more distant, smaller wildlife.... better start saving up. You're going to need one or two of the super telephotos, such as the new EF 200-400/4L IS 1.4X that I'm saving up for!
p.s. By the way, if not already doing so you might want to try Back Button Focusing. It's a very popular technique among sports/action and wildlife photographers. I've been using it for years for virtually everything I shoot, and can't imagine using any other method now.
Alan Myers
San Jose, Calif., USA
"Walk softly and carry a big lens."
GEAR: 5DII, 7D(x2), 50D(x3), some other cameras, various lenses & accessories
FLICKR & PRINTROOM

I am debating between the 100-400 mm F4.5-5.6 L Lens and the 300 MM F4L Lens. Any advice?

I would like to purchase one of the two lenses listed above. Looking for advice? I will take mostly wildlife and some sports pictures. I want it to be super sharp! Thanks so much.
Solved!
Go to Solution.

Have you compared sample images?
They're both top glass and I think you'll find it difficult to declare that one is noticeably better than the other. I think the 100-400mm is certainly a bit more versatile with the focal lengths (even though it loses a stop).
You can use a site like Pixel-Peeper... which doesn't really host their own images. What they really do is index the images on Flickr -- scanning for images where the photographer leaves the image EXIF data intact so they are able to determine specifically which camera, lens model, and exposure settings were used to capture the shot. The Pixel-Peeper community then "votes" on the images so the better examples taken by a given lens will float to the top of the list.
You can also search Flickr to see if there's a lens group for the lens. I find that most lenses have a Flickr group -- but I find Pixel-Peeper to be a bit better because they scan everything ... not just the images contributed to a lens group. I don't necessarily even "join" the lens groups for all the lenses I own... much less bother to post specific images to the groups.
300mm f/4: http://www.pixel-peeper.com/lenses/?lens=39
100-400mm f/4.5-5.6: http://www.pixel-peeper.com/lenses/?lens=589
Tim Campbell
5D II, 5D III, 60Da

Canon EF400mm f5.6 versus Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-f5.6

Hi folks
Having attended the MotoGP at Valalencia last week, and using my 7d with a 70-200mm with 1.4 extender. I have realised I need a longer lens for such events. I was wondering what lens would be better, ie sharpness. I know the 100-400mm has the benefit of the zoom, but I don't want to lose image quality if I can help it.
John
Solved!
Go to Solution.

This topic has been debated many times at both Photography on the Net (POTN) and Fred Miranda (FM) for years with no clear winner. I suggest you forget about choosing one or the other based only on IQ under ideal circumstances. You're not going to see the difference doing what you do unless you have extremely good panning skills. The prime is marginally sharper but so what? It limits what you can shoot because you can't keep changing position so you'll miss opportunities, some of which may be that "money shot". I shoot a different form of action, and based on the expectations of those viewing motorsports photos I strongly suspect the ideal photos will have slow enough shutter speeds for blurred wheels (or spokes) & background but a rider & bike that very crisp. Meeting those requirements will cancel any difference between the 2 lenses IQ wise 99% of the time.
For my needs the prime (just about ANY prime) would be useless, even if I got them free, and I rely on lenses considered to be less than ideal by most because they're superzooms, BUT they do the job, & well. They may not have the very best IQ but they do get the shot, and do it consistantly. Just remember it's not just the lens that captures the shot, it's the combination of the lens, the body, knowing how to set the variables in the body, and your ability to either pan perfectly or hold it steady enough. Blow one of those a tiny bit & the IQ is now less than what was possible when exacuted perfectly. You're not shooting stationary riders from a tripod from a fixed distance all day long so consider all the variables from your previous trips to the track before buying.
"A skill is developed through constant practice with a passion to improve, not bought."

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

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for