Canon 100-400mm f4.5-5.6 AF

...bolting this lens to a Canon DSLR such as the 300D or 350D increases it effectively to a 160-640mm lens, making it extremely useful for wildlife, sports or aviation photography. Some claim the lens is a little soft around the edges but I've yet to experience this for myself. The lens hood is easy to attach.

Some may say the lens is heavy but I've lugged it all over mountains and hills in my Lowepro backpack and don't even realise it's ...
...say it's heavy, but it may just be a case of getting used to it. I have hand-held it all day at airshows, etc., without problems.

Yes, it may be pricey at just over the £1000 mark, but you're getting a very good piece of kit for your money. It may struggle in bad light as it only goes down to f/4.5 - splash out on a f/2.8 300mm and an extender (and re-mortgage the house while you're at it!) if you need the extra stop. It certainly ... more

New prices are around the £1100-1300 mark - I saw a second hand one in my local camera shop last spring for around £800 and jumped at the chance. Hardly used at the time, but I've made up for that now....

As an aviation photographer who specialising in low-level jet shots, I needed a big lens that was relatively easy to carry up mountains, had a solid build quality (as it would be in a camera backpack) and delivered excellent results with ease of use (no second chances to get that all important shot!). With the f/4.5-5.6 L 100-400mm USM IS lens, I wasn't disappointed at all.

Build quality is superb, the lens is solid yet easily operated. The push-pull zoom mechanism may fool some people but I find it exceptionally easy to use. A locking collar on the lens can slow the zoom movement or lock it completely. The tripod attachment is fastened to another collar, which can be removed to save weight or, in my case, turned 180 degrees so to provide a convenient carrying handle when picking it up. There are two Image Stablising modes - effectively for whether you are moving (e.g. on a boat) or your target is. The IS can also be turned off and manual focus used, but I've never had to do this - the autofocus works very quickly and quietly, never needing to 'hunt' for the subject in my experience.

Some reviews say you can use this lens with a x1.4 or x2 extender - you can, but you will probably have to tape over the contact pins in the camera as there are issues with the autofocus when the camera detects a f/5.6 lens attached. In addition, you lose a full stop with the x1.4 and two with the x2. Due to the crop factor, bolting this lens to a Canon DSLR such as the 300D or 350D increases it effectively to a 160-640mm lens, making it extremely useful for wildlife, sports or aviation photography. Some claim the lens is a little soft around the edges but I've yet to experience this for myself. The lens hood is easy to attach.

Some may say the lens is heavy but I've lugged it all over mountains and hills in my Lowepro backpack and don't even realise it's there. Other people who hold it for the first time say it's heavy, but it may just be a case of getting used to it. I have hand-held it all day at airshows, etc., without problems.

Yes, it may be pricey at just over the £1000 mark, but you're getting a very good piece of kit for your money. It may struggle in bad light as it only goes down to f/4.5 - splash out on a f/2.8 300mm and an extender (and re-mortgage the house while you're at it!) if you need the extra stop. It certainly turns heads, being a 'white lens', so you'll look the part even if your technique doesn't quite come up to scratch!

Seriously, though, you could do worse than buy this lens. I have never regretted spending the money on it, and the results I get justify my decision every time.  

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