Canon RF 400mm f/2.8 L Is USM Lens

Camera body: 7D MK IITo begin, a lens cannot make up for poor composition or bad techniques. That is up to the photographer to practice and to hone the artistry. However, having the best tool you personally can afford will enhance your experience and perhaps allow you to focus on the other aspects of your photography journey. Granted, it is expensive, but in this case, you can absolutely reap the benefit of this investment.I scheduled a bucket list trip to Lake Clark National Park, AK, to see and learn about the coastal brown bears and felt that it was time to upgrade from a competitor's 150-600 lens. While that lens is OK, I felt that this faster lens would work better under the clouds and rain of a temperate rain forest. It did not disappoint.Prior to ... MoreCamera body: 7D MK IITo begin, a lens cannot make up for poor composition or bad techniques. That is up to the photographer to practice and to hone the artistry. However, having the best tool you personally can afford will enhance your experience and perhaps allow you to focus on the other aspects of your photography journey. Granted, it is expensive, but in this case, you can absolutely reap the benefit of this investment.I scheduled a bucket list trip to Lake Clark National Park, AK, to see and learn about the coastal brown bears and felt that it was time to upgrade from a competitor's 150-600 lens. While that lens is OK, I felt that this faster lens would work better under the clouds and rain of a temperate rain forest. It did not disappoint.Prior to departing, I calibrated the lens with my 7D and found that it had a touch of back focusing. Given that is is a Canon lens on a Canon body, the calibration was super simple.The autofocus is superb, but don't expect to go from a 400m target immediately to refocusing on a 5m target. Step it closer incrementally or use the focus ring to get it close then use the auto. Could there be a technique I'm missing? Probably. That's the joy of learning. The image stabilization worked without issue. Don't forget to turn it off when using a tripod.As it was pretty much guaranteed to rain, I kept my kit in a rain sleeve. Additionally, I used a ProMediaGear monopod with a ball head as the lens, like the 150-600, is a touch on the heavy side. Though the bears are not the fastest animals, you do not want to reach muscle failure holding your kit waiting for the cubs to look up.

I had more than a few reservations about ordering this. My biggest concern was whether it really could be hand-held. Several videos implied that it could be, but I still wasn't sure. Even Canon hedged (understandably) by suggesting it probably could be hand-held, albeit not for extended periods of time. Well, I got this yesterday and, even though I don't have very strong arms, I was able to hand-hold this without too much effort. OK, the build, quality, features, etc. are everything (and then some) I expected from Canon. Naturally, the images it produces are great as well. OK, it's length (and cost) certainly are such that it's not something everybody will need (OK, I really don't need it either). But if you're wondering if it really can be used without lugging a ... MoreI had more than a few reservations about ordering this. My biggest concern was whether it really could be hand-held. Several videos implied that it could be, but I still wasn't sure. Even Canon hedged (understandably) by suggesting it probably could be hand-held, albeit not for extended periods of time. Well, I got this yesterday and, even though I don't have very strong arms, I was able to hand-hold this without too much effort. OK, the build, quality, features, etc. are everything (and then some) I expected from Canon. Naturally, the images it produces are great as well. OK, it's length (and cost) certainly are such that it's not something everybody will need (OK, I really don't need it either). But if you're wondering if it really can be used without lugging a tripod along, you can relax -- it's weight and balance are such that it really is a joy using it, and I expect I'll like it even more as time goes on.

Now, this isn't cheapest Canon macro lens. Still at eBay used prices, this is a no brainer for people looking for Macro Lens. 100mm is a great range for Macro. Something shorter and you have to be very close casting unwanted shadows at uncomfortablely close distances to get 1:1 macro. Something longer and you are too far and harder to compose or keep steady. Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 USM Macro Lens (make sure you are get USM version which cost only little more than non-USM) has USM focus motor which is fast, quiet, and accurate. While many people tend to focus manually and on a tripod for macro, USM makes this lens more convenient as it has focus manual override, meaning you can af and still manually fine tune. Also, it makes it pleasurable to use for other uses like ... MoreNow, this isn't cheapest Canon macro lens. Still at eBay used prices, this is a no brainer for people looking for Macro Lens. 100mm is a great range for Macro. Something shorter and you have to be very close casting unwanted shadows at uncomfortablely close distances to get 1:1 macro. Something longer and you are too far and harder to compose or keep steady. Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 USM Macro Lens (make sure you are get USM version which cost only little more than non-USM) has USM focus motor which is fast, quiet, and accurate. While many people tend to focus manually and on a tripod for macro, USM makes this lens more convenient as it has focus manual override, meaning you can af and still manually fine tune. Also, it makes it pleasurable to use for other uses like portraits which it is excellent at. With 100mm with fast f/2.8 aperture gives you very nice bokeh and subject separation. The images are very sharp even wide open at f/2.8, comparable to quality prime lenses stopped down to f/2.8. There is one better lens than this lens which is Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 L USM IS Macro Lens. I have used that lens and ended up selling that lens to go back to this lens. Here are my reasons. Image quality wise, they are so comparable. There really isn't much to improve upon the image quality ofUSM non-L version. L is better but so marginally that image quality isn't a good reason for upgrade. Two biggest reason for upgrade is weather sealing/build quality and image stabilization. I didn't need either of those. I don't shoot macro shots in the rain or snow. USM version build quality is more than good enough. As for image stabilization, it's great for non-macro low light situations. I found it still difficult to hand hold even with image stabilization for critical macro shots under less than ideal light. You still want to use a tripod even with image stabilization for sharpest reliable results. (Perhaps I just have too unstable hands ...) I also found that I don't really need image stabilization under normal situations to get sharp images using 100mm f/2.8 handheld especially with modern cameras. Now there are other reasons, perhaps more important reasons for the L version than the two mentioned. It looks very nice. It's much more attractive looking lens than the USM version. Also, since it a "L" lens with the red ring, you can take pride in the fact that you are shooting with the very best that Canon is offering. Peace of mind with no other macro lens to upgrade to on an EF mount. (Until you "need" to get the RF version...) Well, there you have it. Since none of the reasons really attractive me to the L, I got rid of it and got 135mm f2 L USM and 100mm f/2.8 USM Macro instead. Thanks for reading and hope "my opinion" and experience help with your buying decisions~