Review: Canon EF 100-400mm
By
Andrew Alexander, The Imaging Resource
(Wednesday, April 2, 2008 - 23:02 EDT)
The Canon 100-400mm ƒ/4.5-5.6 IS USM telephoto zoom lens was released in September 1998.
The lens uses an older ''push-pull'' zoom design that extends the lens from its length of 189mm (7.4'') to almost 260mm (10.2'') when set to its most telephoto setting of 400mm. Incorporating both image stabilization and an ultra-sonic motor into the lens makes for a very compact and efficient package, weighing in at just 1,380g (just over 3 pounds).
The lens is fully compatible with full-frame sensors and film bodies, so there are no issues with vignetting. Canon digital SLR cameras with sub-frame sensors have a ''crop factor'' of 1.6x. Thus, for this particular lens, it will exhibit an effective focal length of 160mm to a whopping 640mm. It can also mount 1.4x and 2x extenders, meaning that you could see a potential of 1,280mm, if you're amenable to a maximum aperture of f/11 at that focal length.
This L-series lens isn't a ''constant'' lens, in that as you increase the focal length, both the minimum and maximum aperture sizes increase. The Canon 100-400mm ƒ/4.5-5.6 is currently available with an average retail price of around $1,400. The lens takes 77mm filters, and an ET-83 lens hood is included.
For more, read our Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM review.
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