Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L USM Super Telephoto Lens

Cannon Lens 400mm
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
My husband & I bought this lens for our son’s soccer games. We LOVE the quality of pictures. We are very happy with this product.

Canon EF 400mm zoom lens
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
The lens is great and quick focus and IS ability of camera make pictures very sharp. Even distant subjects can be cropped and are still sharp. Excellent lens for animal photography, and setting lens at 5.6 makes for faster shutter speeds to stop action. Raising ISO also helps, but in bright light not needed as much. My only problem with this lens in my first two weeks of use was taking it to Florida to some boardwalks, and some birds and alligators were so close to the boardwalk that I couldn’t get the whole subject in the frame, sometimes not taking the shot, although sometimes this made for great portraits. Normally the subjects are not going to be this close, and in most instances I was able to back up enough to take the photo. I’ll sacrifice the pound of weight to be too close sometimes.

Great bang for the buck
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
It’s hard to find as long a lens at a comparable price, but there is a “you get what you pay for” factor. Of all of my Canon lenses (I have seven), this is the softest and offers the least contrast. It performs best in bright light when you can stop it down to f/14 or better. I have used the 400mm lens with both the 1.4x and 2x Canon extenders (1.4 is better). It’s a comparatively slow lens. BUT the 400mm f/2.8 is over $5000 more! So you can see why “bang for your buck” means something. Also, this is a _much_ lighter weight lens than the faster Canon telephotos. Finally, it is not image stabilized, so you will likely want to a solid tripod or monopod.

On balance, if you don’t need the very finest optical quality, this lens is well-worth the price.

Canon 400mm f/5.6L Telephoto Lens
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I purchased this lens primarily for hand-held bird photography for use on my Canon 40D DSLR. The lens is typical of Canon’s L-series “white” family of professional level telephoto lenses, having very high standards of construction and superb optical performance, even with a 1.4X teleconverter, when conditions allow.

This lens is known as the “overlooked” Canon telephoto, since it does not garner the glamor of its cousins, the really long, heavy, faster, and vastly more costly professional telephoto lenses. It is also known as the “toy lens” by bird photographers who mostly use those really Big Berthas for long-distance close-ups with blurred-out backgrounds.

I selected it for the high image quality wide-open, relatively light weight, and shorter physical length, allowing both hand-held and tripod mounted use, as well as its modest cost (compared to all high quality alternatives). The image quality is extremely high, even wide open at f/5.6, although it does improve slightly stopped down a notch or two. The image contrast, flare resistance, and color saturation are also excellent for a telephoto lens of its “older” fixed focal length optical design.

It doesn’t have image stabilization (IS), which maintains the reasonable price, but I don’t consider that much of a handicap using Canon’s DSLR’s, which allow low-noise high ISO settings for higher shutter speeds under decent lighting conditions. Braced against a tree, fence post, etc., and especially in a sitting position with arms resting on knees, for example, the lack of IS is simply not an issue. The focus is extremely fast and accurate with the 40D’s sensitive all X-type focus points, and the quickly removable tripod mount is of an excellent design that all tripod mounts should have.

As a bonus, on the 40D, the lens has the equivalent field of view of a 640mm f/5.6 telephoto lens! When a high quality teleconverter can be used, this becomes almost a 900mm f/8 telephoto (actually 896mm)! Not to exaggerate the point too much, but that’s starting to get into the Big Bertha focal length range, under the right lighting conditions. Other pluses include the handy built-in sliding lens hood and the very high quality included lens case, which are extra cost items for Canon’s non-L lenses.

The 400mm and 500mm zooms all seem to suffer from image softness at their maximum focal lengths, which I would be using 90% of the time anyway, so I elected to simply get the highest quality fixed 400mm I could find for a reasonable price. I also decided that I could live with 1 f-stop less than the much more expensive f/4′s, since this lens can be shot wide-open at the same high quality as the f/4′s stopped down – thus resulting in f/5.6 anyway.

This reasoning is even more appropriate when including the slightly less expensive, still high-quality, third party lenses, such as Tamron, Tokina, Sigma, etc. I reasoned that since I plan to use this lens for the rest of my life, why compromise in image quality for a few percent lower initial cost? I’m not slamming third party lenses in general by any means (I own a few), just in this case of comparing available alternatives (including other Canon’s) to the selection of this particular Canon 400mm and its intended use.

I was blessed with several excellent bald eagle shots on what I had expected to be just an initial “practice with the new lens” outing. Because of this excellent lens, it turned out to be a very productive shoot. I would include a thumbnail photo of one of these shots, except I can’t seem to be able to “paste” a small image into Amazon’s review window.

For one that is willing to accept and operate within the parameters of this lens, that photographer will be handsomely rewarded by Canon’s 400mm f/5.6L telephoto lens. In my case, it is exactly what I was looking for and it is exceeding all my expectations.

400mm f/5.6 L
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
Great lens if you can get it right… I had to send mine back to Canon twice for calibration, second time with the camera.. Fist time lens was found with a broken USM.. Fortunately they replaced it but it came back so so.. Pics were not sharp as this lens is known to be… As of this writing, I haven’t received my lens back yet, so will see… I purchased this lens in April of 09…

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One of Canon’s Classic prime L’s
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I’ve had this lens for about two weeks and it is truly one of Canon’s classic L primes. I got it for nature shoots and it has produced “WOW” results. Don’t worry about the f/5.6. It’s as sharp at that as many lenses are a f/8. It’s in the class of the 35L and the 135L.

Tack Sharp, Extremely Versatile, Incredible Image Quality
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I’ve used this lens now exclusively for nature photography, primarily birds. Especially birds in flight. The shots I get with this lens (paired with an EOS 50D) elicit comments from other photographers with words like “incredible”, “that sharp as hell lens you have..”, “amazing detail!”. I’ve taken probably 100,000 photos with this lens out in the field in the 15 months I’ve owned it. You cannot go wrong with the lens. The auto-focus is extraordinarily fast, and when you switch it from 3.5m-infinity to 8.5m to infinity, the speed is almost instantaneous for shots at a distance. It also seems to eliminate “hunting” for focus if you miss your target initially. Just remember to switch it back to 3.5m-infinity for closer shots! Bird photography is extremely demanding and difficult. This lens gives me the ability to walk and carry a long lens with great “reach” pretty much anywhere. Like others who have reviewed this lens mention, I never stop it down from wide open. It’s sharp to the edges, and there’s not a hint of chromatic bleeding or halos anywhere. In good light, I can use very high shutter speeds while keeping ISO values low, enabling high detail and great stop motion capture shots of birds in flight. This is THE lens for hand-held bird and nature photography. Buy it. Don’t even think about it.

Perfect wildlife companion
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I started out with the sigma 50-500 and shot with that for about a year. Dissapointed with the fact that I had to stop it down to F8 to get acceptable results, I started to look for a new telephoto in the same range. Besides, I was always at the long end of the sigma anyway, so I didnt need the zoom that the sigma provided.

After reading pages up and pages down on the 100-400, the 300 f4 and the 400 5.6L, I landed on the latter.

It is true what they say, the lens is tack sharp at f5.6, you need to zoom into 200% to properly see any improvement to around f7-f8 (atleast on my copy). Contrast and color are both beautiful and the bokeh is awsome, although you need to get closer than with a 400 f2.8L to completely wash out the background. (the f2.8 L does cost you an arm and a leg though).

Build quality is excellent, my lens accidently took a dive from 6 feet when mounted to a 20D, the lens hit the floor with the lens shade (which was in the back-position) with a very foul sounding thud.

Result: No damage, no mis focus, not a single mark and the lens works just as well as it always has.

The lens is primarily a birding lens, but there is no problem using it on larger wildlife or even for portraits. It also performs well as an air show lens, giving you the cool pilot-in-seat pictures that the 70-200 owners can only gawk at.

I will never sell this lens, even if I in the future own the 600mm L, it’s just too good to part with.

Great quality for the price
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
A 400 MM prime for about a grand? Neat.

I originally bought the 100-400 when I got my Canon body, as I wanted to do wildlife photography and wasn’t even AWARE of this lens. I wish I had, because this lens is (1) a pound lighter than the 100-400 (two pounds vs three), (2) doesn’t pump dust into my camera body when I adjust the zoom (as there isn’t any zoom!), (3) is shorter and so easier to balance in my hand, (4) has a built-in lens hood — the one with the 100-400 is separate and surprisingly flimsy for a $1500 product, (5) produces a somewhat better picture, and (6) it is a 77 mm L lens, which means I needn’t buy a new set of UV and polarizing filters. (Many, but not all, “L”s are 77 mm diameter lenses.)

No, there’s no IS, but — and here’s the important part — it doesn’t NEED it. That one pound and shorter length makes all the difference, at least for me. But if you’re undecided, then keep in mind that: (1) the 100-400 has that zoom, which means that when you CAN shoot in, say, 100 mm, then you’re doing it at F/3.5, and (2) if your hands are a bit wobbly then you can do a lot of hand-held shooting with the IS.

I wondered if I’d miss the zoom, but in all honesty there has only been one shot in the two years that I’ve shot with this lens that I wished that I could dial it back a bit. A great lens for the money.

amazing lens
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I’ve been using this lens for over 3 years….I also have the 70/200L f4 I/S…Image quality are identical…It will be difficult to find better image quality at any size or price…It’s a gem handheld…I use it in many rookeries, shooting fast flying birds…I’ve seen image quality of larger L lenses, but none of them are better than this lens, “period.”…If you’re looking for extreme quality, great price, and great handheld shots even without I/S…don’t hesitate…You’ll be glad you made this purchase…Also…if anyone tells you that this lens if not one of the best L lens ever made…then you should tell them to return their lens because they obviously got a rare lemon….

Awsome Lens
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I love this lens the built construction the high quality it even feels like they put alot of work into this big baby.Its a beautiful cream white about 10 inches long and does get alittle heavy but its worth it.i tried it out inside and out you do need a tripod inside it requires alot of light very good colors and contrast i havent got to try it out that much yet but i will submit pictures when i do.Great Lens

Fast Focus
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I sold my Sigma 50-500mm, to buy this Lens, its very Light, and very sharp, and the focusing is incredible FAST, moreover its cheap, if you would like to start your wild life photography don’t hesitate to buy this lens, its amazing lens for wild life photography.

Get closer to the action GUARANTEED!!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I got this lens as a way to capture birds in flight and as a sports lens. Don’t let the f/5.6 discourage you from buying this beauty, because in my experiences, it’s one fast lens. The sharpness is absolutely stunning, with razor sharp edges!! The color and contrast are also remarkable!!

If you like photographing nature and sports, than this is the lens for you. Take my word for it, you won’t regret it!!!

(…)

My Wildlife Lens
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I will add a few comments to the excellent reviews and information I have found here. The 400mm lens by Canon is not the newest lens or the biggest but for my use, it has proved to be a fine addition to my zoom lenses on my Canon Rebel XSi. I use this lens for bird and wildlife photographs. I can not add much in terms of technical information, but I can share some things to get good results.

You must be very aware of your light source. Good light is critial to good, detailed photos with this lens. If your subject is in shade or shadow, the picture may be improved with computer manipulation, but in full light the 400mm will give you outstanding detail. You will also need to use your feet to get the shot framed properly. You need to physicaly move, rather than zoom in or out, to the get the composition you desire. True, you will crop photos later to get the right “look” but closer is still usually better. When I photograph birds flying overhead, the detail is quite good even when a 50% crop is used. I have set the ISO to 400 to help with blur as my subjects often do not pose as I might like. The use of a monopod has been helpful to give support and still be somewhat portable. Most of my shots are hand held and for the most part have been in focus. However, if there is a tree or post to lean against, don’t pass it up! I carried this lens on a 2.5 mile hike and I thought my arms were about to fall off so you might want to invest in a backpack to carry this lens and your other equipment.

The 400mm is a prime lens, no moving parts and built for hard use. This is the “baby” of the Canon super telephoto series (and the least expensive, but not cheap) and, in my opinion, a fine lens for nature photographs.

Very nice
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I was waiting and waiting for an updated version of this lens (with IS hopefully) but finally gave up and bought one. I did not order it from Amazon because it does not seem to stock them and I got it from Norman Camera since they were the first one to receive fresh stock (Date code UX0317, so less than 2 months old). It is light but not that light, AF is super fast, seems to be very sharp too but only tried it for a few shots in cloudy weather. Will try to see how well it works hand held. Oh, did a quick and dirty check for AF microadjustment, seems like 0 works best (only did a quick compare with 3 -5s, 3 0s and 3 +5s). Overall, I’m happy with the lens.

Updated 04/26/09

Finally got a chance to take it out on a hike. Though it may be light by L lens standard, it is kind of heavy if you have to carry it for couple of hours. Image is sharp, very sharp providing you have very steady hand or good support, I think I will mostly have this on either a tripod or monopod. Despite of the weight and lack of IS, I am very very happy with this lens. It should be a 5 star rating if the price is somewhat lower.

best image quality for the price
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I have been using the Canon 400mm f/5.6L for about a month and am very pleased with the image quality, especially with a tripod. I also love the built-in sunshade and the very fast focus. I have also been using the Canon 100-400 for wildlife photography, which I found I was nearly always using at 400. This is also a very good quality lens but is not as sharp at 400 as the 400 f/5.6L prime. The only thing I miss is not having IS for hand-held use.

My new favorite lens
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I am very happy with this purchase. The extremely fast auto-focus makes catching shots I am after much easier than with any other lens I currently own. I highly recommend it, especially for nature photography.

Very good lens (for the price)
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I use this lens on a 5D.

It is definitely not as sharp as a 50mm lens, but this is something I accept as it is well known in photographic circles that

it’s harder to get the same sharpness on a telephoto lens as it is on a wider angle lens, unless you want to put all the sharpness into

the center of the image, in which case you can get higher resolution. That’s why you get better resolution from astronomical telescopes

(which are optimized for the center of the image) than from camera lens.

Overall I can’t complain about this lens, for the price. There is very little chromatic aberration. It’s built tough, it’s light and

doesn’t hurt my back.

Jut be aware that if you want top-notch quality (at a price) you will have to fork out a lot more money for the 400mm f/2.8 lenses.

In any case this will blow the zooms of equivalent focal length out of the water.

So rating this lens is not so obvious:as far as value for money goes it’s five stars, but in absolute terms it’s four stars.

Just a great lens!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I have ordert this lens, and i am convinsed i have made the right choise.. I have read many reviews about this lens, and all what people said about it have come true.. Its very sharp and you don’t need to stop it down to get better results. Straight from aperture 5.6 it is razorsharp! Light and well build and the build in hood is splended!

A really sweet long lens
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I’ve been using this lens about six years. In all that time, I can’t remember ever shooting at any aperture smaller than f/5.6. It’s amazingly sharp wide open and I’ve never had any reason to stop it down. When I first bought it, I used it on a tripod almost all the time. These days, I’ve started using it handheld and I can appreciate how well it handles. In good light, autofocus is fast and accurate. In low brightness and low contrast light, it gets a little slow and sometimes hunts. Not a real problem, just switch off the autofocus and use the superb manual focus ring. Images snap in and out of focus easily whether you do the focusing or you let the lens do it.

The lens is made like a tank. Mine has been subjected to a lot of use but it has never failed me. I sometimes use it with the Canon 1.4x Extender which makes it a 560mm f/8 lens. That combination does usually require a tripod but it is still a handy combination that retains great sharpness. I’ve also used it with the Canon 2x Extender as an 800mm f/11. It’s a good idea to put it on a sturdy tripod and stop down a wee bit to get the best results.

If you can make use of the focal length and you can live with f/5.6 as the maximum aperture, I recommend it highly.

Canon “L” lens quality
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This lens is quality at it’s best. I’ve used it for a year + and it really does a great job. But, theres always a but, if your budget is limited to a couple of lenses, go for the Canon EF 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 DO IS USM Lens for Canon EOS Cameras. I have both and this lens is “L” quality as well. Not as much reach but far easier to carry around for the day. The 100-400 is great for specific shots and really the best there is, but not for carrying around all day. Recommended for limited budgets is – Canon Zoom Telephoto EF 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 DO IS Image Stabilizer USM Autofocus Lens & 5 Year Warranty & Filters & Accessory Kit

Canon lens
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I used my 400mm this weekend on a whale watch cruise and I loved it, I learned with a lens this big I gotta get a tripod though. I can’t hold it as steady as I did the 200mm but wow what great pictures!

Canon 400mm f/5.6 L lens
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This lens is excellent. Excellent optical performance when used wide open at f/5.6. Great for Bird photography. Kind of heavy hand held but still workable. Fine for tripod use also. And you don’t need to buy a lens hood as this lens has the hood built in.

A fantastic piece of glass
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I have been using the Canon 400mm f5.6L lens for well over a year now mainly for wildlife photography, and the lens was worth every penny I paid for it. Built tough, the image quality coming out of this lens is exceptional: sharp as a tack even at f5.6 with exceptional contrast and clarity. Relatively lightweight makes for an exceptional walk around lens, and in a good deal of conditions given its focal length and weight it can be handheld. A great lens for the price.

WOW
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Great lens! Couldn’t afford the other versions of this lens. I haven’t had any problems with this lens. Great pictures..even wide open!

Great lens, tripod is a must for some.
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
The only non-image stabilized offering of the three 400mm lenses Canon has, produces excellent images. This is a good lens for wildlife photography, especially on a cropped sensor Canon, which makes this lens a 640mm equivalent. The built-in hood is a nice alternative to the plastic ones you have to put on yourself (and remember to carry with you!), but it does add to the weight a bit, if that’s a consideration. Canon includes a tripod ring, another good move on Canon’s part, saves you an accessory to buy separately. But the lack of IS is a bit of a limitation for me, as the size and weight of the lens makes handholding it a problem – hand shake blur is evident except for shots taken in the very brightest of conditions. If handholding the larger lenses causes you problems in general, you might want to consider springing for an image-stabilized alternative. Otherwise this lens is a strong performer and I’ve been happy with it.