400mm f/5.6 - worth it? (1 Viewer)

[gymell]

Yes, absolutely. Also you can use extension tubes with it for great closeup shots. Here's a shot in my backyard last summer of a hummingbird in flight, using the 400 and an extension tube. I don't think this shot would have been successful with a slower-focusing lens. http://www.pbase.com/gymell/image/84715946

 

[gmax]

Yes, absolutely. Also you can use extension tubes with it for great closeup shots. Here's a shot in my backyard last summer of a hummingbird in flight, using the 400 and an extension tube. I don't think this shot would have been successful with a slower-focusing lens. http://www.pbase.com/gymell/image/84715946

Very good shot Liz, and I appreciate your mentioning the cloneout applied to the shot
I've never used an ext tube with this lens: what size was it and what's the average light loss?
Thank you,
Max

 

[gymell]

Very good shot Liz, and I appreciate your mentioning the cloneout applied to the shot
I've never used an ext tube with this lens: what size was it and what's the average light loss?
Thank you,
Max

Max - I don't tend to do a lot of cloning in my photos, so I try to mention it if I do. There is not light loss with an extension tube in the same sense as with a teleconverter. Obviously there must be some light loss because the overall tube has been lengthened, but autofocus is not lost. I don't know exactly how much that would be, since it isn't defined in terms of stops of light. What you do lose is the ability to focus to infinity. So if you're doing some up close work at the feeders, and that elusive ivory-billed woodpeckers lands in the back of your yard, you're out of luck. ;

I believe for that shot I used the Canon 25mm extension tube - they don't report in the EXIF unfortunately so I have to rely on memory. I also have the Canon 12mm tube. They can be stacked together, with or without a teleconverter. Here's a shot with the 25mm tube and teleconverter - taken with the 500 f/4. http://www.pbase.com/gymell/image/84715946 . It's an uncropped shot.

 

[stevetb]

Thanks again for all your advice. I got one from kerso this week.
The first thing that suprised me was build quality - it's built like a tank!
When I first depressed the shutter, I thought there was something wrong with the AF - I was waiting for something to happen, as I was so used to my very loud sigma - until I realised it was so much quicker and quieter than my sigma that it had managed to focus before i even realised anything was happening!
Even when I took it out today, it managed the terns very well.
I didnt really get close enough to anything today to see how much detail I could get, though the attached greenfinch looks promising.

 

[Tav94]

Good luck with the new lens .
Chris Buckland
www.freewebs.com/tav94

 

[JohnZ]

You will not regret this purchase and judging by your shot of the Greenfinch you seem to have got to grips with it already.

 

[stevetb]

Thanks very much. A 75% crop of the original greenfinch shot reveals quite a bit of detail. Also quite suprised by how the 400D holds up quite nicely at this level of cropping.

 

[Roy C]

Thanks very much. A 75% crop of the original greenfinch shot reveals quite a bit of detail. Also quite suprised by how the 400D holds up quite nicely at this level of cropping.

The 400mm f5.6 is a great lens. Here is a couple I took last week at 100% crop, it was with a 40D but I reckon it is more to do with the lens than the camera (these shot were both hand held). If you are just using for web images this lens gives you an awful lot of cropability (almost akin to more reach when compared to a lesser lens :t: )

 

[postcardcv]

yeah, the lens gives great detail which will leave you room to crop where needed, it is extremey sharp. Here's a shot from earlier this year, first one is uncropped just resized, the second is a 100% crop from the same shot. The only processing done on these shots is converting from the RAW and either resizing or cropping, no sharpening applied. ISO400, f6.3, 1/320th.

 

[gmax]

Wow Roy and Pete, great detail in both shots .. anybody would be quite pleased with such a result!

 

[GYRob]

YES its very close to the 500 f4 just took this with my 400f5.6 L only bird around at the moment just a quick shot . ISO 400 full frame and crop
Rob

Heres another one taken today 40d 400f5.6 1/320 f8 iso800 hand held but resting against door aprox 100% crop
Rob.

 

[Nikon Kid]

What can I say, I want one, I want it now, But I need to sell something to cover it.
I just sold my Cinema Seats on ebay to cover part of the costs of 450d looks like the
projector and screen DVD player Sky+ Sound Surround System and Speakers are next

great pics Thanks AC/DC for thread

IS THIS the same lens "Canon EF 100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS USM"

 

[arco13]

I love it! The only thing I wish it had environmental sealing. But thats no big deal I guess. I would recommend bringing getting a mono-pod along with it though. It helps in the lower light and cloudy days.

 

[666taz]

Hi Nikon Kid it is not the 100-400mm this is the 400mm prime hope this helps.

 

[Roy C]

IS THIS the same lens "Canon EF 100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS USM"

No, this is the 400mm f5.6 prime.

 

[stevetb]

Nikon kid,

The lens I have is the prime 400mm - i.e it doesnt zoom, and is fixed at 400mm.
I chose it over the 100-400 mainly because it was cheaper, had a bit faster AF and tends to be reviewed as sharper, which some people think is because there is more variation in quality between each copy of the lens.
Anyway, the prime is also often viewed as the best bird in flight lens, which was another reason I got it.

Hope that clarifies it.

As an update, im really liking the lens at the moment, the pictures are getting better and better. I can agree with arco's comment about a monopod, thankfully i already had a manfrotto 681B, which is a very tough piece of kit. Im starting to upload a few more pics into my gallery, and hopefully will take a few more snaps today.
Steve.

 

[Nikon Kid]

Can Ian Kerr still get the Canon EF 100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS USM cheaper
than the £782 on ebay I think I would like the versatility of the Zoom at
this point in DSLR career

 

[seggs]

Well in the 9 months or so ive had the 400mm 5.6 Canon lens, still combined with the 350D camera body its been a great investment!. Some of my results from upgrading from a 75-300mm are evident to see on various threads.
Now i am looking into Marco imagnes, Butterflies mainly..This is maybe where the 400mm prime, compared to the 100-400mm becomes a different issue?

 

[websurfer]

Nikon kid,

The lens I have is the prime 400mm - i.e it doesnt zoom, and is fixed at 400mm.
I chose it over the 100-400 mainly because it was cheaper, had a bit faster AF and tends to be reviewed as sharper, which some people think is because there is more variation in quality between each copy of the lens.
Anyway, the prime is also often viewed as the best bird in flight lens, which was another reason I got it.

Hope that clarifies it.

As an update, im really liking the lens at the moment, the pictures are getting better and better. I can agree with arco's comment about a monopod, thankfully i already had a manfrotto 681B, which is a very tough piece of kit. Im starting to upload a few more pics into my gallery, and hopefully will take a few more snaps today.
Steve.

What a great shot of this "Little ringed plover" in your gallery.

 

[stevetb]

Thanks very much websurfer.

Yesterday, the usable f/5.6 and sharpness of this lens really payed of, as I managed some up close shots of 2 black winged stilts that had decided to visit very close to home! I even managed a full frame wing stretch shot!
See my gallery for details.

Steve:t: