Lens review
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Focal length comparison The 100-400mm focal range means that you can tackle a wide range of subjects. At the shorter end, it could be used for portraits, but the longer end makes it suitable for wildlife and sports, especially if you’re using an EOS with an APS-C sized sensor. If you want to boost the focal length even further, both Canon’s 1.4x and 2x extenders can be used, but autofocusing is only available on selected (mostly professional) EOS bodies.
wheel is far too small and fiddly. On a chilly rugby touchline it was impossible with gloved hands, while the gloves-off solution resulted in painful fingertips. The lens can be forgiven these minor handling indiscretions, however, when you see how it performs. I used it with a Canon EOS 5D MkIII and the focusing was quick, accurate and virtually silent. Granted, rugby isn’t the fastest moving of sports, but its erratic nature does make it a challenge to photograph. The 100-400mm more than met that challenge, especially when I switched over to the Canon’s focusing mode that allows subjects to be tracked even when the occasional obstacle may appear in frame. I shot two halves of rugby, one of which was straight into the sun and here the deep ET-83D lens hood came in very useful. As well as the lens being redesigned, the hood has been too. It now features a sliding window so you can easily rotate a polarising filter, plus the hood’s bayonet fitting is much more assured. The hood on my original 100-400mm was forever pinging off, but this has a locking mechanism that can only be released by a button. It’s now a very similar action to attaching and removing a lens.
Internally, the lens now features a four-stop image stabiliser with three different settings depending on the shooting technique you’re using. Plus, for the first time in a Canon EF lens, the elements are covered with an Air Sphere Coating (ASC), which uses tiny particles of trapped air to help combat ghosting and flare. The rugby shots you see on this page were all shot on a monopod, so I switched stabilisation off. But when shooting handheld, I selected IS Mode 1 to combat movement in all directions as a matter of course. Impressively, this enabled me to shoot as slow as 1/6sec at the 400mm setting without any obvious shake – I did have to concentrate with my breathing, though. Having the lens on a monopod did highlight a couple of issues. Naturally, I used the tripod collar to mount the lens but soon discovered that, once loosened, this rotates freely. Consequently, as you turn from horizontal to vertical shooting there’s no subtle click to confirm when the camera is at a 90° angle or perfectly horizontal. This seems odd. Also, while the whole tripod collar can’t be removed, the foot can be by means of a knurled metal wheel. But said
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IMAGES From the more static plays through to faster moving action, the EF 100-400mm MkII kept up with this Sunday morning rugby game. The results were impressive, too, and I was confident enough to crop in on the frame for a better composition, such was the image quality.
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The verdict The original EF 100-400mm is still on sale and this MkII version will set you back around £700 more. But in my opinion it’s worth every penny. Canon is clearly reaping the rewards of listening to customers as this lens feels and handles beautifully (tripod collar indiscretions apart), while the focusing is assured. The dust and weather resistance is also a welcome addition, especially when you consider the uses it’s most likely to be pressed into. But ultimately it’s all about the results and these are hugely impressive. Sharpness abounds across the frame and I got an impressive hit rate on my sports images. Distortion and chromatic aberration is also kept firmly in check.
FEATURES 25/25 Great focal range, effective IS, plus a lens hood and carry case are included in the price. PERFORMANCE 24/25 Rapid AF and impressive sharpness, although maximum aperture means you need to push ISO in poor light HANDLING 22/25 Big improvement over the MkI lens, but the tripod collar design is a head-scratcher VALUE FOR MONEY 23/25 Yes, it’s expensive, but it’s also very good. CANON EF 100-400mm F/4.5-5.6L IS II USM
OVERALL
94/100
Start saving, you won’t be disappointed.
PROS Image quality, zoom range, upgrades from MkI lens CONS Tripod collar is odd; price (for some)
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Issue 16 | Photography News
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