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Reviews for Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM Telephoto Zoom Lens

f/4.5 to 5.6 - MPN: 2577A002

$1,589.00 - $1,743.93   Compare Prices
  • 5
  By member: djfuller - May 24, 2007

Cannon 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L EF IS Lens

Strengths: Great zoom

Weakness: None that I could find.

This is a great lens. I have had no problems with it. Some people say it does not work good in low light. I have had no problem in low light have taken pictures of sunsets and pictures indoors with great success.

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  • 5
  By member: debgrooms - Dec 8, 2005

Fabulous lens

Strengths: The optics are incredibly sharp. You can see eyelashs on hippos 100 feet away.

This is a no brain investment for anyone doing serious photography. We have traveled four continents with this lens over the past four months and it hasn't hiccupped once. We shoot on average 125 images a day with this lens alone. The images are so sharp. The image stabilization is fabulous, especially at 5.6 @400 mm full extension. Very few blurry images. This lens is so clear, it makes our 28-70 zoom look a bit soft. Incredible bargain for professionals.

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  • 5
  By member: spf - Feb 23, 2006

An incrediblly sharp lens

Strengths: versatile: 100-400 zoom range; sharpness, f value needs to by 1 stop over 5.6 at 400mm. push-pull zoom

Weakness: none

I have this lens for almost 3 months. It is a very versatile lens for sports and bird photography. I especially like the push-pull zoom. It took me a while to get used to it. But as soon as I am comfortable with it, it is more effecient to capture the object and zoom in without loosing sight of it. The lens is also very sharp. However, at 400mm, I found I have to go half stop down from 5.6 in order to reach the best sharpness. yeah, it is a little soft at f/5.6 @400mm. For the price I paid, I have no complaint at all.

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  • 5
  By member: mattbna - May 26, 2006

Another amazing 'L-glass' lens from Canon!

Strengths: Everything about this lens is great! Canon L-glass is as good as it gets - ever notice how many white lenses you see on the sidelines at NFL games, NASCAR events, etc.?

I use this lens for aviation photography...like thouands of others around the world. A little over a year ago, I borrowed a friend's 100-400mm L for about a month and decided very quickly that if I wanted to keep up with other top-notch photographers I was going to have to get one for myself. I know several other photographers that own this lens and none of us have ever had any complaints about it. If you are curious, see if you can rent one from a local high-end photography store and use it for a day. You'll end-up wanting one.

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  • 5
  By member: quan2006 - May 12, 2008

Great lens, Fantastic colours and sharp throughout

Strengths: Typical L glass quality with great color and contrast. Image stabilization works very well especially when panning. This lens is fun to shoot with.

Weakness: Little bit heavy but worth to hold it for good picture. The pull and push zoom is not easy to handle.

I have owned this lens for about five months. My first results were disappointing, then after learning how to use a 400mm lens my results became better and better. It takes time and desire to know this lens.
The lens produce the finest photographs of mine. I print large photos and it seems to me that printed images really show the quality of this lens.

The only real negative is the weight of this lens. The push pull zoom is strange but acceptable.
I look forward to events where I can use this lens, its just nice to have the range this lens offers.
Best money I have ever spent on a lens.

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  • 5
  By member: ArtisticEye - Jan 22, 2008

Great all purpose Zoom from portrait to birding

Strengths: Colors, sharpness and versatility

Weakness: None

Though I have this lens for few days I can clearly see why it has been regarded so good for its versatility and canon "L" quality. I have 70-200mm + 1.4x TC, but always felt I am short of reaching subject. After evaluating all intermediate solutions (tried Tokina 400mm), I felt this is the lens I want and I have no regrets. The colors, contrast and sharpness are very good. I would highly recommend this lens if you have plans to buy, do not hesitate.

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  • 4
  By member: betsntom - May 19, 2006

I Love this lens

Strengths: Quick, precise autofocus, quiet. Push pull zoom

Weakness: None so far

I have only had this lens for a short time but I have NO complaints. I was a little reluctant to buy it because I have read that it is quite heavy but I do not find that a problem and I am a real weakling! VERY quick focus. This lens is able to isolate and focus on birds up in the trees better than any of my previous lenses. Very sharp images. I thought the price was a little high but all camera equipment seems to be! Overall, I love it.

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  • 4
  By member: huichook - Jun 20, 2008

maybe the best affordable 400mm lens

Strengths: 100-400mm, fast focusing USM, IS, "affordable"

Weakness: no weather sealing, pull-push, only 2 stops of IS

Pull push zooming by itself actually is not a weakness at all. But I can feel it pumps a lot of air inside and out the lens. While the lens does not have weather sealing, the pull push mechanism will probably bring a lot of dust in the lens barrel as well.

Sharpness is good, and color is great. Overall picture quality is great, but of course can't compare to 70-200 or any another primes.

With 400mm, IS, and USM, it is the only choice in the market thus far.

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  • 5
  By member: clintclintclint - Jan 4, 2008

Telephoto Zoom EF IS USM Lens (100-400mm, F/4.5)

Strengths: Great price for professional quality.

Weakness: none for me. It can be heavy for some. It comes only in white.

Great focal range and distance. It has a push and pull zoom. It was awkward at first but now I really like it. It is of high quality and very sturdy. It has image stabilization. Images are sharp and crisp.

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  • 5
  By member: birthdaybirthday - Jan 3, 2008

Telephoto Zoom EF IS USM Lens (100-400mm, F/4.5)

Strengths: Clear sharp pictures. Stabilization is great. It has a push-pull zoom.

Weakness: none so far. Might be heavy for some.

I did a lot of research for this lens. My friend works in the movie business so he checked out what all the camera people use. This is one of the lenses they use and recommend. I bought it and have not regretted it. I took some cool moon pictures. It has a push-pull zoom. At first it was strange using the push-pull zoom but I love it. The image stabilization is great.The lens is also very sharp.

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  • 5
  By member: iddy92 - Nov 3, 2008

great telephoto lens for wildlife and safari

Strengths: image quality, IS (usable for down to 1/50 s), push/pull zoom (better than i expected), and L lens of course!

Weakness: not as sharp as 135mm F2 L lens. Expensive!

overall, i like this lens and its capability. sure it's not as sharp as prime lens ( i have 135mm F2 L lens and it's way sharper ).

but with some photoshop, you can still get an outstanding image and push/pull zoom is better than i expected. it definitely works better than twist zoom when u need to zoom real quickly.

worth the price for what you can get out of it. great for safari and wildlife.

bokeh is not bad either, very smooth, although not as good as 70-200mm f2.8, or 135mm F2.....either way, it's still a great buy.

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  • 3.1
  productwiki.com - Jul 21, 2011

The Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM is a super telephoto zoom lens for professional photographers. It uses an Image Stabilizer to allow for the capture of crisp images even at extreme zoom, and a tripod mount allows fine control over movement of the camera. The floating system used in the lens keeps quality consistent throughout the focal range, from 100 to 400 mm. Maximum aperture, however,...

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  • 4.5
  bestcovery.com - Apr 21, 2009

Best Telephoto Zoom Lens

Bestcovery experts have rated the Canon EF 100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS USM Telephoto Zoom Lens for Canon SLR Cameras as a best pick for the Best Telephoto Zoom Lens. Bestcovery's experts recommend the best products and services for a particular need based on extensive research and evaluations. Click below to see Bestcovery's full review of this product.

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  • 4.2
  testseek.com - Nov 4, 2008

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

Testseek.com has collected 10 expert reviews for Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM and the average expert rating is 84 of 100. The average score reflects the expert community’s view on this product. Click below and use Testseek.com to see all ratings, product awards and conclusions.

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