Canon 100-400

[Nick Cooper]

Hey guys,
cool site lots of good shhit. my first post on this forum but am a respected member on other forums. ive been shooting for 2 years now. mainly surf and bodyboarding but love landscapes.

Im not sure if this was already a previous post. But I was disappointed with my purchase of the 100-400. Im a surf photog and many of my shots have been soft or OOF.
Ive checked all my settings twice. part of the reason could be my use of the 30D and others have said the lens works well with camera such as the mark 3 and mk 2 n.

Has anyone else had the same problems?
id like to know as ive had a bi discussion about this on another forum and wanted to see what others thought.

[aim54x]

Sorry but I dont think I will be able to help much. I am a Nikon user, but I have used this lens (very briefly) on a Canon EOS 40D and on a 20D. I didnt get this problem or softness or out of focus, but then again I was using it for landscape and wildlife work. I was very impressed by its ability to resolve fine detail, it was sharp edge to edge.

Have you considered taking it to Canon to have it checked out? Maybe you got the bad apple?

Hope this helps, or at least bumps it up a little so you stand a chance of getting more replies.

[sydney1965]

Gday, I use my 100-400 IS on my 30D and its fantasic. I use it at the drags , tractor pulls and jet boats without a problem.

[Nick Cooper]

ok.

my lens seems to have its days. its kinda dissapointing coz it needs mid morning light to be good.

ive had it for around 6 months now. im wondering if i should keep it or bail for a 2nd hand something?

anyone else have any experience with this? or wanna post any shots?

[Molly Sheldon]

Nick,

I have used the EF 100-400 on a Canon EOS 300D but have not experience your problems (so far). I'm using it mostly for wildlife. Just like "aim54x" I'm also very impressed by it's ability to resolve fine details, the pictures are sharp from edge to edge. I am shure you should take it to Canon to have it checked out!

Here some of of my shots:


Molly

[ozimax]

Nick, welcome to the forum.

The Canon 100-400, although a superb piece of glass, is not known as a sports lens, and the 30D is not known as a sports body. (I have one, love it and consider it to be the classic all rounder. Not as good as a 5D for portraits and landscapes, not as good as 1Dxxx for sports, but capable nonetheless for all these scenarios.)

In fact, I have taken many thousands of surf shots and I found my old Nikon D70 to be a better focussing camera than the 30D. The auto focus of the 30D struggles sometimes. That is not to say that you can't take award winning sports photos with it.

When I do shoot an occasional surf/sports/motor racing image, I use the 70-200 F2.8 (non IS) lens. This is a superb all rounder, with instant focussing etc. I can only imagine how good it is when attached to a 1D Mkxxx body!

The other thing is this: your 100-400 is, I believe, only an F4.5 lens. This is fine in full sunlight but you will struggle sometimes in low light conditions. Maybe you should consider trading for a 70-200 F2.8 sports lens? Just a thought. I think these can be had for around $1100-$1200 new.

Lastly, your lens may be fine and just need calibrating. There are good copies and not so good copies.

Regards,

Ozi

[ozimax]

Another thought Nick: you may care to look around for a used 400mm-500mm lens, although I think they are as rare as hens' teeth. Alternatively, you could buy a 70-200 and then attach a 1.4x extender, which, coupled with the 30D, would give you an approximate range of 400mm.

[sydney1965]

Ozimax,
In reply to your comment on the 100-400mm that its not known as a sports lens and the 30D is not known as a sports body.
In regards to the 30D first, its 6.5fps is better than the 5D's 3 fps i own both and that in itself makes it a great motorsports body. And who is to say when the 100-400mm is a great sports lens. In my opinion that lens + 30D is a great motorsports combination. The 5D is a great landscape body with its full sensor. Each to his own im saying and im not having a go at you Ozimax but just because that combo" is not known as a sports combo" doesnt mean its not.
Maybe Nicks problems are 1. Not using a tripod or monopod 2. Is the image stabiliser turned on? What are the settings he is using? I found that using the sports creative setting gave me a much better photo than the P setting or Av Tv or manual setting.
If i knew how to post photos on here i'd share some of my motorsport shots to show how sharp the lens is and how good the camera is.
Cheers.

[ozimax]

Ozimax,
In reply to your comment on the 100-400mm that its not known as a sports lens and the 30D is not known as a sports body.
In regards to the 30D first, its 6.5fps is better than the 5D's 3 fps i own both and that in itself makes it a great motorsports body.

G'day Sydney,

I too own a 30D and in fact it shoots at 5 fps max, not 6.5. That belongs to the 40D Coupled with a 100-400 makes a fine combo, but IMHO is not in the same class as say a 1D MkII + 70-200 F2.8 or bigger sports lens.

I know opinions are just that, opinions, and I admire my 30D, but as a part time surf/sports photographer, I actually found the autofocussing capabilities of my old Nikon D70 coupled with an el cheapo 70-300 Tamron lens actually better than my current 30D / 70-200 F2.8 setup. Not that I'm planning on going back to the light side any time soon (Unless of course someone gives me a D3).