Canon EF 100-400L IS

Text and Photos Copyright Matthew K. Whitley

Zoom lenses have long had a bad reputation in the photography world. Admittingly, many zooms do suffer in sharpness and contrast when compared to their prime counterparts. The main advantage of zoom lenses of course is the flexibility inherent in their range of focal lengths. Many of the current "pro" level zooms are breaking new ground in terms of sharpness and image quality. One such lens that has received considerable attention is Canon's EF 100-400L IS. With its wide zoom range and image stabilization capabilities this lens offers an enormous amount of flexibility in a relatively small package. Does it have a place in the nature photographer's lens arsenal? I think so.

TECH SPECS The EF 100-400L is one of Canon's "L" (for Luxury) series of professional lenses. This means that it features rugged construction, the highest quality optics, and the famous Canon white paint (reportedly reduces the heat absorption of the lens in the sun). The lens feels very sturdy and is built like a tank. Depending on your past experience, this lens may seem obnoxiously large or quite small. Before I got my 500mm prime, I thought this lens was huge, but now it seems much smaller. Regardless, other people you run into in the field will think it is large. Be prepared for questions like "what magazine do you shoot for?" or "can you see Saturn with that thing?" The lens weighs in at 3.1lbs and features a push-pull zoom design that is about a foot or so long extended. The maximum aperture is f/4.5 at 100mm and f/5.6 at 400mm. The autofocus motor is a rear focusing USM type and has a minimum focusing distance of 5.9ft. Canon has incorporated their Image Stabilization system into this lens, providing a reported extra 2-3 stops of "hand-hold ability" (is that a word?) . The IS features two mode: mode 1 stabilizes in both the horizontal and vertical axis while mode 2 only stabilizes in the vertical axis and is thus designed for panning. The front lens element has threads to take a 77mm filter. The lens ships with both lens caps, a large lens hood, and a nice rotating tripod collar. IN THE FIELD When I go afield, I take with me a tripod mounted Canon 500mm/F4.5 and bring the 100-400L in my front vest pocket (Campco vest) for those times when I need a little less focal length or when I want to handhold flight shots. The lens does weight down the front of my vest a bit, but it is worth it to have this lens with me. Before I purchased the 500mm, I used this lens as my primary lens for birding and other nature shots. The lens is very practical for events such as baseball games and zoo visits where the larger primes are too big. The 100-400L performs well in the field and is very easy to use. The IS makes getting sharp handheld images at 400mm very simple, even in non-ideal lighting conditions. The autofocus (on my 1D) is fast, but not lightning fast. With the 1D's autofocus system in AI Servo mode, the 100-400's AF works very well for tracking birds or other animals on the move. The push-pull zoom design takes some getting used to and is not as convenient to use as a ring type zooming mechanism would be. Some users have suggested that the push-pull mechanism may suck dust into the lens and into the camera body, which is of particular concern to us dust-conscious digital users. The lens features a ring which can be tightened to lock the zoom at a certain focal length or to increase the resistance to zooming. I have used this lens extensively with Canon's 1.4X teleconverter with excellent results. Due to the lens' already slow maximum aperture of f5.6 adding the teleconverter really requires decent light or faster film speed (or bumping up the ISO speed digitally) if you want to hand-hold the lens. I would recommend using the lens, especially with the TC, on a stable tripod with a solid head for maximum sharpness. Canon recommends turning the IS off when the lens is tripod mounted but I tend to leave it on except for when I mount it on a very stable tripod. For a long time I used a Gitzo 1201 with a Kirk BH-3 and even with good technique there was some shake visible through the viewfinder. In that case, I would leave the IS on to minimize any effects from wind or lens vibration. With my Gitzo 1325 and Kirk BH-1, which is substantially more robust, I disable the IS. With the 1D/1V/EOS3, the 100-400 and 1.4X TC will autofocus, although only the center focus point is active (which makes for much worse AI servo tracking function).

THE IMAGE PUDDING, HOME OF THE PROOF As with all lenses, the images that it produces are the key element. After making thousands of images with this lens, I still find myself impressed with the photographs it allows me to produce. Images are sharp, have good contrast, and feature great color. Bokeh (the out of focus background area) is smooth and uniform, just as it should be. The IS really does produce a noticeable difference in my percentage of sharp images. The lens is good wide open, with a small improvement noticeable by stopping down to f8 or above. With the TC, the loss of sharpness is almost imperceptible in real world situations, which is amazing for a zoom. In short, the image quality from this lens is deserving of the L designation. THE BOTTOM LINE The bottom line is this: if I could have only one lens in my bag, the Canon EF 100-400L IS would be that lens. The enormous flexibility offered by the 100-400mm zoom range and the image stabilization really make this lens a phenomenal tool for the nature photographer. Although there are less expensive and smaller alternatives (namely the 400/f5.6L), I feel that this is the ideal lens for the bird photographer interested in taking a shorter, hand-holdable lens into the field with the larger super-telephotos. In addition, it is a great option for the nature photographer that can't justify the size or cost of the larger and much more expensive primes lenses. The great image quality, rugged build, and ease of use make this one of my favorite tools to use in the field.