Canon EF100-400mm F4.4-5.6L IS USM … YESSS!!!

[shamrock838]

Greetings,

Well … the short (and the long) of it is … I visited J&R Photo yesterday … and walked out with a noticeably larger balance on my charge account. [BTW … B&H was asking $80 more … and were out of stock to boot.]

Later that day I visited LGA Spotter Site B off the GCT … see separate posting in “Spotting Planning and Review” …

1 - First thing I noticed was the 100-400mm’s size and “whiteness.” I would have preferred a less obvious black finish actually … but that’s a New Yawker speaking I guess. Then there’s its weight … a hefty handful that’ll take a tad adjusting to in terms of carrying / shooting. On this first shoot I found that sitting on a park bench and lifting / shooting only when a plane took off worked well. I left my tripod home … preferring to go hand-held this time to see what the IS could do . I’ll work out a suitable MO as I go along.

2 - The push-pull zooming was no problem once I adjusted the “Zooming Touch” ring. [My now-backup EF non-L 100-300mm had rotative zooming.]

3 - I was in AF Focus Mode and had the Focusing Range switch set at 1.8m … would using 6.5m have made a diff here?

4 - I noticed that the Manual Focusing ring moved from normal handling. I’m assuming this has no effect when in AF mode … yes?

5 - I had the Image Stabilizer (IS) on but was using Mode 1 … which may have been why some images were less-than-sharp … while others were OK. On second thought … the aircraft may have slipped momentarily out of AF point confirmation mode to cause slight blurring. Yes … I should have used Mode 2 since I was panning the aircraft as they lifted off and banked. Hey … first time out.

Now … what if I’m a passenger in a moving vehicle … say on the New Jersey Turnpike passing EWR … and want to photograph an aircraft taking off or landing. With both of “us” moving … will IS (in Mode 2) work here?

6 – BTW … when using any 100mm+ tele lens … IS or not … I increase my ISO from 200 to 400 for greater shutter speed and image stability. Yesterday’s images off the GCT were shot at 1/1000 and f/9.5 … with varying zoom values of course … albeit in IS Mode 1 instead of 2. At that speed and aperture … I’m wondering if IS would have helped at all … even if I was using the Mode 2?

7 – First use overall comments … the 100-400mm is a dream … with equivalent 160-640mm reach (re the 1.6 digital factor)! And … it’s my first “L” lens … which is a big confidence-booster in itself! I see m-a-n-y images in our collective future as I learn to get the most out of its many features. [Side note - I use the soft carry case (supplied) inside my non-photo carry / shoulder bag. I also don’t leave my gear exposed longer than necessary when in the field … especially now with a big Canon “white lens” on board. Lo-profile (spelled ‘d-i-s-c-r-e-t-e’) Mike is my byword.]

- - - -

Everything with the 100-400mm is still new to me … and I’m probably making predictably newbie mistakes and adjustments … so I’d welcome any and all comments / suggestions / tips / and such from you experienced users out there. Thanks.

Mike (shamrock838)

[AirtrafficController]

how much was the lens?

[pgengler]

3 - I was in AF Focus Mode and had the Focusing Range switch set at 1.8m … would using 6.5m have made a diff here?

Changing the focus limiter to the 6.5m setting probably didn't make that big a difference; it really comes into play when the camera is having a bit of trouble focusing. What happens is that the limiter prevents the lens from focusing any closer than that, so it can speed up AF in some tough situations.

Now … what if I’m a passenger in a moving vehicle … say on the New Jersey Turnpike passing EWR … and want to photograph an aircraft taking off or landing. With both of “us” moving … will IS (in Mode 2) work here?

IS, in any mode, is only going to affect movement of the camera, not the subject. To freeze the subject, you need a fast enough shutter speed, and it you're moving too (not just camera shake) you need to make sure you have a very fast shutter. IS also won't help with the changing perspective you get from moving, so a high shutter speed is going to be critical.

I had rented the 100-400 last month, to have around for the air shows (McGuire and Jones Beach) and I loved it. I had some issues with the zoom, but after a query on another site it seems to have been a problem specific to that copy. I'd love to get one of my own, but I just need to get myself into "saving money" mode to do it!

(P.S. There's been some speculation, but nothing particularly credible at this point, that Canon is considering a Mk II version of the lens, with a "normal" rotating zoom and constant f/4 aperature. I don't put too much stock into that, but that doesn't mean I'm not hoping for one to flood the used market with cheap f/4.5-5.6s!)

[shamrock838]

how much was the lens?

AirtrafficCintroller,

J&R has the lens going for $1310 while B&H is asking about $1390.

Mike (shamrock838)