Canon 100-400 Zoom lens

Simon_Walker · #1 (**permalink**) 18-01-2011, 04:09 PM

I've almost decided on buying one of these, along with a Canon 7D body; but I noticew that Amazon show two lenses that seem to be almost identical apart from the price. One is described as "Canon EF 100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS USM Telephoto Zoom Lens for Canon SLR Cameras," and the other as "EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM." Maybe I'm stupid - well, actually I KNOW I am - but I don't understand how they differ. The product codes are 2577A011AA and 577A002, and they're at this address on Amazon:

Amazon.co.uk: canon 100-400mm ef f 4.5-5.6l is usm

Does anyone know which one I should pick? And why?

Simon

slimrbp · #2 (**permalink**) 18-01-2011, 04:33 PM

They don't differ the one with Canon in the title will is the 'official' Amazon listing. When buying from amazon always check who the seller is as some items are sold by third parties.

Simon_Walker · #3 (**permalink**) 18-01-2011, 08:42 PM

Ah. Thank you. You learn something every day. Sometimes, several things.

johnf3f · #4 (**permalink**) 18-01-2011, 09:44 PM

I think you will be wery happy with the 7d + 100-400 when you start playing with them. There is better gear out there but the money and weight get really silly, for what you are spending there is (IMHO) no other wildlife camera/lens combo that offers anywhere near the versatility and picture quality of this setup.
Happy snapping!

Simon_Walker · #5 (**permalink**) 20-01-2011, 12:04 PM

Right. I've ordered the Canon 7D and the Canon EF 100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS USM Telephoto Zoom Lens; now I have another question!
Has anyone tried the Canon 14XEF II 1.4x Extender with this combination? Please be as non-technical as you can, because I'm not that well versed on the intricacies of photography (I'm learning, though!)
Is it worth doing? It's within my budget, so the cost isn't an issue. I want to know (a) will it work and (b) will the degradation in image quality be significant?
Is there anything else I need to worry about when using it?

Thanks

Simon

slimrbp · #6 (**permalink**) 20-01-2011, 02:13 PM

Personally I think at this early stage you would be better off without the converter.

It will leave you with manual focus only and you need to play around to get the best out of the combination.
The 7D is a powerful camera that I am sure you will enjoy using it but my personal opinion would be to concentrate on the kit you have to begin with. (Less variables to play with).

Wizmatt · #7 (**permalink**) 20-01-2011, 06:58 PM

With 400m and lots of megapixels on the 7D I think you would be able to comfortably crop pictures if the subject were too small in the frame. Otherwise all it takes is some carefull fieldcraft.

johnf3f · #8 (**permalink**) 21-01-2011, 05:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by slimrbp

Personally I think at this early stage you would be better off without the converter.

It will leave you with manual focus only and you need to play around to get the best out of the combination.
The 7D is a powerful camera that I am sure you will enjoy using it but my personal opinion would be to concentrate on the kit you have to begin with. (Less variables to play with).

+1. My 100-400 ( a nice sharp one) was a bit dissapointing with t/c's. AF on a 1 series was OK but nothing special and there is a loss in IQ. In theory it will not AF on a 7D unless you tape the pins and even then it's not brilliant. If one can nail the shot I found it better not to use the converters and crop.