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Thread: CANON 100-400 IS Lens

  1. #1
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    Thumbs up CANON 100-400 IS Lens

    I rented the Canon 100-400 IS lens to do aviation photography over LAX. I shot twenty five rolls of film!!! I liked it so
    much I received it as a gift. If you are shooting anything that moves fast (aircraft or wildlife) and it is windy out the
    IS system works exceptionally well.

  2. #2
    Senior Member Zee71's Avatar
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    Yes .... For most Canon shooters this the lens of choice for their aviation photography.
    Mark
    Queens, NY

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    Senior Member megatop412's Avatar
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    Now...if only Nikon could follow suit and replace their 80-400mm with an AF-S VRII equivalent

  4. #4
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    Canon really needs to update this lens....while it is the choice of most aviation photographers, it is rather outdated. It is good for its price, but really needs a revamp.
    Steve Furst

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  5. #5
    Senior Member lijk604's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by steve1840 View Post
    Canon really needs to update this lens....while it is the choice of most aviation photographers, it is rather outdated. It is good for its price, but really needs a revamp.
    Agreed, however, based on their recent releases, a revamp will double the price. I'd say a 100-400L IS II will start around $2500

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by lijk604 View Post
    Agreed, however, based on their recent releases, a revamp will double the price. I'd say a 100-400L IS II will start around $2500
    You're probably 100% correct John. And I doubt they would change the aperture either. Would probably stay at a 4.5-5.6. Would venture to guess that they would simply upgrade the glass a little and improve the image stabilization.
    Steve Furst

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  7. #7
    Senior Member Aviation.High.Guy's Avatar
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    I had been shooting with a Canon 70-200 + 2x teleconverter occasionally for greater focal length. The time came to purchase a stronger tele so I got the Canon 100-400L and did away with my 2x convertor.

    I'm just curious as to how satisfied others are with the sharpness of the 100-400? Gotta admit, I'm a little disappointed now that I've been shooting with it for a while. It's just a little too soft for my liking. Granted, it's a given that it wouldn't be as sharp as the 70-200. I just don't know if I'm being too critical or not. Any thoughts? Is there any definitive way to test the sharpness of this lens to find out if there is a problem with it?
    -Don B.

  8. #8
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    I'm just curious as to how satisfied others are with the sharpness of the 100-400?
    Liked it on my 40D, not so much on my 7D or 5Dii.

  9. #9
    Senior Member Cary's Avatar
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    I can deal with it on my 7D, but definitely not on my 5DmIII or 1DmIV. My 70-200 2.8 IS II + 5DmIII is dreamy, but obviously, it doesn't get much use at JFK.
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  10. #10
    Senior Member Aviation.High.Guy's Avatar
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    Sounding like I should buy a crop sensor body and just leave the 100-400 on it.
    -Don B.

  11. #11
    Senior Member Joe's Avatar
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    I have the 100 -400 on my 7D and it is my favorite lens, I have no qualms with it.

  12. #12
    Senior Member tlabranche's Avatar
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    I have a 2008 copy of this lens. I love mine. It is a bit heavy. I use it on a crop sensor. I would love to see what sort of IS revamp they could make. I am very satisfied with the IS.
    Timothy LaBranche

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  13. #13
    Senior Member RWB's Avatar
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    I've been thinking about getting one, I see Adorama has it for under $1400, but it states "grey market", anyone see any issues with that?, and thoughts on putting it on a plain T3?(also on sale at various stores) I currently use the Tamron70-200 2.8 and am happy with it especially around sunset, but it seems like it doesn't have the sharpness when shooting something past 250-300 yards. The old point and shoot I had w/15 optical zoom seemed to bring in a sharper image from further away, and another thing I've had issues with is the closer I get to the centerline of the flightpath for a head on shot, I might get 1-2 out of 5 that are focused correctly as it comes towards you.
    PANTS UP, DON'T LOOT!

  14. #14
    Senior Member tlabranche's Avatar
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    A grey market lens is still warrantied by Adorama. If the glass is scratch free on both ends, then there is nothing to be concerned about. Regarding using it on a T3, there is nothing wrong with that either. I used to used mine on my T2i and it worked out really great. At F/8, the lens is really sharp. I read that some folks don't like using it on their full frame bodies. I use mine on my 6D full frame and I still love the lens.
    Timothy LaBranche

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  15. #15
    Senior Member Aviation.High.Guy's Avatar
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    Since I started this thread, I bought a 7D and I'm finding the Canon 100-400 to be working out much better on it than it did on my 5D body. T3 and T2i are also great bodies for this lens.
    -Don B.

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