Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS Mark II review (DPReview Gold Award)

EF 100-400mm F/4.5-5.6L II
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Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS Mark II (B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA) at a glance:

  • EF Mount L-Series Lens/Full-Frame Format
  • One Fluorite and One Super UD Element
  • Air Sphere and Fluorine Lens Coatings
  • Ring-Type USM AF Motor, Internal Focus
  • Optical Image Stabilizer with 3 Modes
  • Rotating Zoom Ring & Torque Adjustment
  • Weather-Sealed Design
  • Detachable, Rotatable Tripod Collar
  • Rounded 9-Blade Diaphragm

DPReview posted their review of the Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II lens, and it is a very enthusiastic review. DPReview’s pros list:

  • New optical design delivers high performance

  • Sharp at all focal lengths, at all apertures, and across the frame

  • Sharper than MkI version, and sharpest in class

  • Excellent image stabilization

  • Very close focusing, 0.31x magnification at 400mm, beats all rivals

  • Fast, positive and accurate AF

  • Top-grade weather-resistant build

  • Easy handling for focal length range, now with twist-ring zoom

The most significant statement, possibly, is the following: “[…] it’s hard to see how [the EF 100-400mm] might be further improved in any meaningful way […]“. Well done Canon!

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[via DPReview]

 

Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II deal – $2,099 (reg. $2,199)

Canon EF 100-400mm F/4.5-5.6L IS II
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Adorama has the Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II on sale at $2,099. Compare at $2,199. Along with the purchase of the lens you will also receive $83.96 back in Adorama rewards. Free expedited shipping. Rebate expires 01/30.

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

  • Compact, high performance L-series super-telephoto zoom makes it ideal for sports and wildlife Lens-d photography.
  • One fluorite and one super UD lens element provides excellent correction of chromatic aberration throughout the entire zoom range, helping to deliver high-quality images with high resolution and contrast.
  • Rotation-type zoom ring allows for more precise composition and excellent balance when handholding.
  • Inner focusing, ring USM, a high-speed CPU and optimized AF algorithms for fast and accurate autofocusing.
  • Optical Image Stabilizer provides up to four shutter speed steps of correction.
  • Three image stabilization modes (standard, panning, and during exposure only) provide outstanding results for a wide range of shooting situations.
  • Improved zoom torque adjustment ring allows easy setting of zoom tension.
  • New Air Sphere Coating (ASC) helps to significantly reduce backlit flaring and ghosting.
  • Highly resistant to dust and water, and amazing durability enabling shooting even in harsh conditions.
  • Circular aperture (9 blades) helps deliver beautiful, soft backgrounds.
  • Fluorine coating on front and rear lens surfaces helps reduce smears and fingerprints
  • Lens hood with side window permits specialty filters to be adjusted with hood inplace.
  • Newly designed tripod mount can be attached or detached without removing the lens from the camera
  • Minimum focusing distance of 3.2 ft./0.98 m with 0.31x maximum magnification
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Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS vs EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II (with 2x converter), which one is better?

Tony Northrup on YouTube compares the Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM with the Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM (mounted on a Canon 2x teleconverter).

Which is better? If you get the Canon EF 70-200 f/2.8 L IS II lens and add the Canon 2X III teleconverter, you’ll be able to use the 70-200 at f/2.8 when you need to and two stops more light (and background blur) in that range than you can with the 100-400 II. When you need the extra reach, you can add the teleconverter and jump to 140-400mm f/5.6. The total cost is pretty similar, so which is better? Will the teleconverter make the 70-200 noticeably less sharp at 400mm?

Watch the video review to learn how the two lenses compare.

EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II

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