klausboedker
on - last edited on by
JS
Having actually never read Melville's classic "Moby D*ck" (sorry, I can't write out the full title as it is being picked up by the smut filter) novel, the closet I have been to white whales are watching belugas in the Vancouver Aquarium and shooting with Canon's 100-400mm f4.5-5.6 L lens.
↑ Canon 100-400mm f4.5-5.6 L
So, why this review now?
Introduced back in September 1998 the lens is Canon's oldest L-type lens with Image Stabilization (IS) built-in. Today there are other, newer lenses in the same range, such as Sigma's 150-500mm and 120-400mm optically stabilized (OS) lenses, and Nikon's 80-400mm vibration reduction (VR) lens offering on paper the same advantages. So why even consider this older Canon lens? From my experience of shooting more than 3,000 frames in five different countries with the Canon 100-400mm, and judging by reviews and evaluations of the other newer lenses, the 'Great White Whale' (as I charmingly have dubbed the Canon 100-400mm L lens) is still at the top of the pecking order despite its old age and first generation IS.
Quirky but sturdy
Weighing in at almost 1,400 grams It may not look so at first sight, but the lens is quite portable and the lens foot makes an excellent handle for hand carrying. The lens has a very sturdy build in all-metal body instilling confidence that it can take any kind of abuse you may throw at it.
↓ Photographing in plus 30 degrees and minus 20 degrees weather
It is one of the only lenses left that features a quirky push/pull design, meaning to zoom the lens you push or pull the lens barrel as opposed to the more traditional design of twisting a zoom ring. You better to learn to love in order to embrace the lens and get the best user experience from. Some photographers denounce it all together and move on to other, more traditionally designed lenses.
↓ Push/pull tension can be tightened or loosened to your liking.
He's fast and has good reach
It is probably the fastest focusing lens I have shot with. Ever! This is counting other USM (Ultra Sonic Motor) L lenses and Nikon AfS lenses. It's just that fast, even on Canon's middle tier cameras. This makes it very ideal for animal photography.
↑ Lake Manyara (leopard) and Serengeti Plains (glossy starling) in Tanzania captured with the 100-400mm.
Couple the lens with one of Canon's entry or middle tier cameras and you get a whopping 160-640mm lens due to the focal length multiplication factor. That's a significant amount of reach that should satisfy most animal photographers.
↓ Vervet monkey and wildebeest captured @ 640mm effective focal lenght. You just gotta love that reach!
So sharp you can shave with it.
Well maybe not quite (and I would not recommend so, as it most certainly would void the warranty), but the 100-400mm is a sharp lens. There has been reported some sample variation, so you either get one that's sharp wide-open (@ f4.5-f5.6 depending on your focal length) or you have to stop the lens down one stop (to f6.3 @ 400mm). Ah! it's such a pleasure to shoot with a sharp, long lens. Contrast and colors are also very good straight out the camera.
↓ Weaver bird and glossy starling on Serengeti Plains, Tanzania.
↑ Zebra (Ngorongoro Crater) and impala antelope (Lake Manyara) in Tanzania.
Any downsides, or is it all green eggs and ham?
Well, the downsides to the lens are more on the subjective side as they relate to its size and weight, and the quirky push/pull design choice. I have nothing subjectively negative to report on its performance, other than I hope you get one of the good samples sharp wide open. If you're use to shooting with a 55-200mm or 70-300mm telephoto lens, yes, then the Great White Whale will feel big, heavy and clunky at first. But once you 'befriend' it and see the magnificent image quality, my guess is you will soon get past the downsides. You will also find that despite its size and weight it is well balanced on a DSLR with battery grip.
With the IS you can comfortably hand hold it down to (insanely slow shutter speeds for such a lens) around 1/30mm s.
↑ Shutter speed between 1/25 s and 1/30 s. Wow!
One more downside to get past is the price tag that unfortunately overshadows similar focal length lenses from other manufacturers. But once you have it on your camera you will feel it is money well spent.
For the technically interested: All images are taken with the Canon 100-400mm f4.5-5.6 L lens mounted on Canon's 30D camera. The wildlife images are from the Serengeti Plains, Lake Manyara and the Ngorongoro Crater in Tanzania (link to gmap), and Grouse Mountain Wildlife Refuge in Vancouver, BC (link to gmap). Even though capturing wildlife on the Serengeti is among the most real photographic experiences animals photographers can get, domestic wildlife refuges offer an great, inexpensive way of both honing your photography skills and enjoying magnificent animals.
