Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM Review

I just returned the Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM and I am going to miss it. I had the lens for a month and shot just about everything with it – landscapes, wildlife, moon, close-up nature, etc…

This is the first push-pull telescoping lens that I have used. I was a little wary at first, but quickly got used to it and ended up rather enjoying it. The locking ring comes in very handy and I was able to quickly lock down the lens when hiking between shots. I may even go so far as to say I almost prefer the push-pull… it’s quick, smooth and enjoyable to use.

The lens feels solid and the build quality is everything you would expect from an L series. It is heavy – I like heavy, but with a battery grip on my 5D and this bad boy on the front, it does get a little shaky when holding it up in a shooting stance for longer periods following birds. I would try using a monopod in the future.

Sharp – this lens is sharp – especially for a non-prime lens. Handheld at 400mm, I got some incredibly sharp images, even in lower light situations. The image stabilization definitely does its job and then some.

Focus – the autofocus is quick (one of the quickest I have encountered) and silent. I didn’t experience much hunting at all – much less than my 100mm macro, 17-40mm and 50mm prime. Crisp, quick and enjoyable.

One of the things I like most about this lens was the beautiful bokeh I was able to achieve – silky smooth at f/5.6 at 400mm. Some of the best semi-macro shots I have taken were with this lens.

I would highly recommend this lens – in fact, it will be the net lens I purchase. These two photos show the abilities of this lens. The first, taken at 400mm from about 6 feet away. The second is a cropped section of that photo… This is absolute lens porn for camera geeks.