Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L USM Super Telephoto Lens for Canon SLR Cameras

I purchased this lens primarily for hand-held bird photography for use on my Canon 40D DSLR. The lens is typical of Canon's L-series "white" family of professional level telephoto lenses, having very high standards of construction and superb optical performance, even with a 1.4X teleconverter, when conditions allow. This lens is known as the "overlooked" Canon telephoto, since it does not garner the glamor of its cousins, the really long, heavy, faster, and vastly more costly professional telephoto lenses. It is also known as the "toy lens" by bird photographers who mostly use those really Big Berthas for long-distance close-ups with blurred-out backgrounds. I selected it for the high image quality wide-open, relatively light weight, and shorter physical length, allowing both hand-held and tripod mounted use, as well as its modest cost (compared to all high quality alternatives). The image quality is extremely high, even wide open at f/5.6, although it does improve slightly stopped down a notch or two. The image contrast, flare resistance, and color saturation are also excellent for a telephoto lens of its "older" fixed focal length optical design. It doesn't have image stabilization (IS), which maintains the reasonable price, but I don't consider that much of a handicap using Canon's DSLR's, which allow low-noise high ISO settings for higher shutter speeds under decent lighting conditions. Braced against a tree, fence post, etc., and especially in a sitting position with arms resting on knees, for example, the lack of IS is simply not an issue. The focus is extremely fast and accurate with the 40D's sensitive all X-type focus points, and the quickly removable tripod mount is of an excellent design that all tripod mounts should have. As a bonus, on the 40D, the lens has the equivalent field of view of a 640mm f/5.6 telephoto lens! When a high quality teleconverter can be used, this becomes almost a 900mm f/8 telephoto (actually 896mm)! Not to exaggerate the point too much, but that's starting to get into the Big Bertha focal length range, under the right lighting conditions. Other pluses include the handy built-in sliding lens hood and the very high quality included lens case, which are extra cost items for Canon's non-L lenses. The 400mm and 500mm zooms all seem to suffer from image softness at their maximum focal lengths, which I would be using 90% of the time anyway, so I elected to simply get the highest quality fixed 400mm I could find for a reasonable price. I also decided that I could live with 1 f-stop less than the much more expensive f/4's, since this lens can be shot wide-open at the same high quality as the f/4's stopped down - thus resulting in f/5.6 anyway. This reasoning is even more appropriate when including the slightly less expensive, still high-quality, third party lenses, such as Tamron, Tokina, Sigma, etc. I reasoned that since I plan to use this lens for the rest of my life, why compromise in image quality for a few percent lower initial cost? I'm not slamming third party lenses in general by any means (I own a few), just in this case of comparing available alternatives (including other Canon's) to the selection of this particular Canon 400mm and its intended use. I was blessed with several excellent bald eagle shots on what I had expected to be just an initial "practice with the new lens" outing. Because of this excellent lens, it turned out to be a very productive shoot. I would include a thumbnail photo of one of these shots, except I can't seem to be able to "paste" a small image into Amazon's review window. For one that is willing to accept and operate within the parameters of this lens, that photographer will be handsomely rewarded by Canon's 400mm f/5.6L telephoto lens. In my case, it is exactly what I was looking for and it is exceeding all my expectations.

People often ask how I get such great wildlife shots. I credit this lens. It is an awesome performer on bright sunny days. The ultrasonic motor is quiet and does not spook wildlife. I do not have a use for a lens this large indoors so I cannot comment on indoor performance. I shot a few test shots in a well lit room and was happy with the results. It should perform well in well lit stadium/arenas. Where this lens shines is outside on bright sunny days. I have taken hand held shots of red tailed hawks flying overhead. I'm guessing they were at least 1/4 to 1/2 a mile above me. I had to crop the photos quite a bit to achieve frame fill. I could see details that I never expected to see like notril openings. This lens does have some weight to it (it's all metal/glass) but I can hike with it handheld. If you think the weight may be an issue a monopod should be considered. For a few hundred more you can add the 1.4 II teleconverter which gives you 560mm @ f8 and it is considerably lighter and easier to carry than the 500mm. For me this is the perfect lens. I like to hike long distances and don't like to use a tripod. I have a friend that has the 500mm L and he is going to buy this one just because it is much more mobile. I considered several others like the 100-400L the Sigma 150-500 and the Sigma 50-500. Since IS wasn't a factor for me and I didn't really need another zoom lens this was the clear choice. Quality of construction is a given with L series lenses. This is a professional grade lens that will hold its own for quality of images of any other lens at this pricepoint. They also hold their value much better than the competition so if you decide at a later date to upgrade you will get a great trade in value. If you are unsure I would strongly recommend renting this lens and some of it's competitors after all everything is subject to taste.

I just got this lens a little more than a week...perhaps not long enough to give you a decent review. Having said that I want to tell you of my first impression to perhaps prepare you for this lens. In terms of previous telephoto experience...I use a 70-200mm f/4L IS USM coupled with a 1.4 II Extender for my bird in flight (BIF) shots. So I have shot up to 280mm. To prepare for deciding whether to get this lens, I turned off IS and shot a bunch of pictures at sunset light level...BIF still turn out pretty decent. So Non-IS is not an issue. I went ahead and ordered this lens...like most BIF shooters, I do not have enough reach. I got this lens via UPS...it was delivered at 6pm, half an hour before dark where I live. Not enough time to go to the bird reserve to shoot so I started shooting in front of my house to test it out. Shaking with excitement, I started to snap at various still objects, people walking about. First impression was the lens is a lot heavier than the 70-200 f/4L + 1.4X. It's also a little longer and the tripod mount was interfering with where I normally hold the lens with my left hand. Everything via the viewfinder was magnified so much and I couldn't keep it from moving around. Most of the shots I made was with 1/400, f/5.6 or slower. The result was abysmal...out of 30 shots, only 3 were not blurred. I also tried it with my cheapo $40 tripod and the result was slightly better but not by much. The tripod was shaking too much under the weight and the breeze. Panic set in. The next day, I left work early and showed up at the bird reserve. The light was brighter and I was able to shoot at 1/800 or faster. I also paid attention to my breathing - back to basics. I moved the tripod bracket up and away so my left hand can hold on to the lens more securely. The results were much better...I got a bunch of keepers whose sharpness and clarity is just as good as the 70-200mm but at twice the reach! I felt much better. A few days later (a Saturday) I went back to the bird reserve and spent half a day there. I was a lot more used to the lens, its weight and bulk. I figured out how to hold the lens with my left hand to minimize shake. I learned to take deep breaths then release the shutter while exhaling. I also cranked up the shutter speed to 1/1200 or even 1/1600 and set aperture at f/8 (its sweet spot). The result was stunning...razor sharp images with vivid colors and contrast...I didn't have to do a thing to the images with photoshop...jaw dropping awesomeness! What a difference a prime makes! I'm completely sold on this lens. I realize that the IS feature on my 70-200mm coupled with relative short focal lengths spoiled me badly. I could just snap away happily and got good results (provided I can reach my objects). With this 400mm lens, one must be more careful. At this FL, any movement is magnified and IS is not there to help you when you need it most. I think I'm a much better photographer for learning to use this lens properly. It also kick start me into thinking seriously about investing in a good tripod and gimbal head...almost time to join the big boys. To see some of the pictures, use flickr dot com and search for user tongho58 (that's me). I have a set named after the lens (EF 400mm f/5.6L USM).

Disappointed in this seller! I more than likely will not buy a used or new camera lens on Amazon and will buy elsewhere. I am new to manual photography and not experienced on lenses. Not to downright lie about a product you are selling is false advertising/misrepresentation! I couldn’t get the lens to focus at times and thought I didn’t know how to use it. After getting a professional photographer to look at it, to both our amazement the back of the lenses is all scratched up on one side. I do not see a place to add a photo of the lens, however! How can this seller put this up in his listing is baffling, here what it reads: Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L USM Super Telephoto Lens for Canon SLR Cameras Sold by: Amazing Camera Condition: Used - Very Good - It is in great working condition with minor sign of wear. The front and rear elements are clean and free of scratches. The auto-focus works properly. It will come with front cap, rear cap and tripod collar. When contacting the seller I got a reply back that basically said he wasn’t responsible for the shape of the lenses for he doesn’t look at them. WHAT!!! Why would you sell something and say this about it if you do not look at the product you are selling. Your reputation is on the line here and I sure would not sell it not looking at it first. And because of this, I have bought my lenses elsewhere and the professional photographer said NEVER buy a used lens. Also to afraid to buy them on Amazon now not known if they are new or not for they can write whatever they want about it.

The Canon EF 400mm (Prime) is a true delight. This is my first Super Telephoto lens from Canon, I absolutely love this lens. I will never sell this lens because it is really that good. 1) The build quality is absolutely superb and built like a mini tank. Extremely durable. The white/cream, black and red line color scheme looks like a space aged telescope; very impressive design. Absolutely no slack, every screw and mechanism is tight and right. The built-in lens hood is very convenient for a lens of this magnitude, which extends outward even further making the EF 400mm look like a 'rifle scope' of sorts. 2) The AF is very fast and can target multiple subjects quickly like birds hiding in between branches for wildlife photography. Or you can just switch it to MF mode, and use the focus ring. 3) Shots come out very clean and crisp even at F/5.6 even without IS 4) I even use the 2x tele-converter, despite losing two stops of light, dealing with now F/11.2 (or 12) and managing camera shake, shots still come out very good, not the best, but really good at now 800mm!!! I suggest using a tripod for more stability with teleconverters. 5) Compared to other Super Telephoto lenses, this is very lightweight, but may still cause some neck strain with camera strap. I tend to hold both camera and lenses with one hand. This is a great Super Telephoto lens to add to your collection!

This lens is somewhat of a specialty lens, but it is still quite versatile for what it is. It does lack IS, but with modern bodies that is hardly an issue with the ability to shoot at high ISO's with minimal noise. It is lightweight for its size and has amazing build quality. The autofocus is nearly instant. Sharpness is very good, although the resolution is not the highest I have seen. Needless to say, it is sharp across the frame and has minimal CA and fringing. I find the sharpest aperture to be f/6.3, although wide open is excellent. Stopped down to just f/6.3 improves contrast just a bit and really resolves sharper details. Beyond f/6.3 I really see no difference at all. Lens has beautiful bokeh, even with its quite long minimum focus distance. I really enjoy using this lens when I can... 400mm even on a full frame sensor can be a challenge if your not just birding or walking around a zoo... I do a lot of amusement park photography so being able to get up close to riders and guests enjoying their day at the park is easy with this lens. I give it 4/5 stars only due to lack of IS and the MFD. It is an old lens design that still performs great on modern DSLR's.

Great lens in terms of sharpness and colour. The tripod mount that comes with the lens also fits the 70-200 f/4L which saved me a bucket of money. It also comes with an excellent lens cover. Probably the only 400mm lens I have come across which can fairly easily be handheld. Being f/5.6 max aperture, you do need decent lighting due to the omission of Image Stabilisation. Nevertheless most people are going to be using this lens outdoors, so this should not be a major issue. Bear in mind that the lens has a closest focusing distance of 3.5 metres, so you will occasionally get too close to the subject. Kinda makes the photography exciting though. Overall a great piece of glass, which is built like a tank, but still maintains a degree of freedom in terms of movement and portability. For the price the results are fantastic. Although the lens has some limitations compared to the much pricier 400mm lenses with wider apertures, all but the most bone headed photographers should be able to develop their skills using the lens and end up with brilliant photographs. I judge the lens on the quality of a good photograph which in this case is simply outstanding - I still take a few bad photos but that is me and not the lens.

What amazes me the most is how incredibly tack-sharp it is, even wide open. When pixel-peeping in Photo editing software the image doesn't ever start to get soft. I zoom in and zoom in and the image just starts to become pixelated before the image starts to get soft. I shoot a lot of humming birds with it. I can zoom in and see every vane in the feathers. In the eyes I can see a the reflection of everything the bird is seeing. I can see myself, my house, the sun is a pin-point of white light in the sky, the clouds, etc. I took a pic. of a squirrel. I zoomed in on the inside of his ear, which was in shade. I could not only see the tick inside his ear, I could see each of his legs and the markings on the ticks back. I've been using this lens for two years and I'm still highly impressed. I tried some of these same shots with my Canon 300mm (not L glass). The results were not even close. This lens is worth every penny. I have 1.4x III extender and the 2.0x III extender. Both work amazing with this lens. The 1.4 is better on keeping the image tack-sharp. The image does start to get slightly soft with the 2.0 - but it isn't really noticeable unless you have a 1.4 image or just the 400 image alone to compare it to. I use with a 60D and 7D.

Comme je l'avais déjà signalé à Amazon, le produit sur la photo ne correspondait pas à l'objectif que j'ai commandé. Mais à part ce détail, tout est OK. Vendeur à recommander.

I purchased this lens to use with my canon 7D II. It is excellent on the 7DII in order to get very sharp images it should be used on a tripod with high shutter speed. When I put it on my Sony a7ii with an adapter the a7ii will focus fairly quickly. But the biggest bonus is the Sony IBS works perfect with this lens. I can hand hold with slower Shutter speed and get very sharp images. I think this lens will be on my Sony a lot more than on my canon.

brilliant lens at a brilliant price

We have had this lens for a few years now and are still very happy with the pictures it produces.

I bought this for a trip to BC/Alaska, and it's my first Canon L lens. It may have cost me an arm and a leg, but it is solidly built and focuses very fast. I bought a monopod at the same time but it could really do with a pistol grip screwed into the lens's tripod bush when you're shooting hand-held (and if you're shooting bears, whales or bald eagles in flight, you WILL be). It may not have IS but I took most of my shots on this trip at 1/1000th or faster and it mostly wasn't a problem. But if you're shooting moving wildlife AND you've got the shakes it could be. One DISADVANTAGE of this lens is that if the wildlife gets TOO close, you'll wish you'd bought a zoom, but the quality advatntages of this being a prime lens outweigh those considerations. One of the features I particularly like about this lens is the extensible, built-in lens hood. It's a shame every lens can't have this option.