Canon 400mm F5.6 L Lens: Field Review After 1 Year
Вставка
- Опубліковано 14 жов 2024
- Well, it's been a rocky road with this lens and my Canon EOS 70D. Finally, we are becoming one.
In this video I take you out with me birding in a Dutch wetlands with the 400mm.
We put this combo through it's paces and try to determine, after 18 months - Is this lens worth it?
#Canon400mmlens #birdphotography #wildlifephotography
The software will throw the focus out, and then refocus for the test.
On the TEST PREFERENCES page, under the PRO menu, you have the the option: Defocus Away From Camera or Defocus Towards The Camera.
I run the test both ways, so that the lens must attempt to focus from both extremes.
Sometimes the Microadjustment Setting is exactly the same, other times it may be one number away.
So I run the each test twice to confirm -- sometimes three or four times to hone in.
Great video Andrew. Nice use of music beds in the background.
I love your videos as they are practical, real and down-to-earth.
Thanks so much Tim. I really enjoyed making this one. Glad you liked it too!
Thanks for your video, some nice pictures there! How does this lens work with a full frame ?
Hi Florent, it works fine with a full frame body because they tolerate low light and higher ISOs better than APC bodies. The only downside is that you get a 400mm reach with a FF body but with a crop body it's closer to 640mm.
Im planning to buy this lens. It's supposed to be one of the sharpest lenses for wildlife available, especially at the relatively low price. Did you calibrate your lens to the body yet, as people suggested? I think that this lens should be capable of much sharper images than what you have in the video. I do like your photos, But I think that this lens, can do way more.
Hi Adam, no I haven't calibrated the lens. I'm happy with the IQ now I know how to optimize my settings. I'll be switching to mirrorless soon so I'll see how it adapts to that system before i start tweaking further.
Nice photos. I have the 400 f/5.6 also and like it a lot.
If you feel that one of your camera bodies appears soft with the 400mm, especially wide-open aperture, you may benefit from camera-lens calibration.
I bought a software program 'Reikan FoCal Pro Lens Calibration' and profiled about ten Canon lenses into the 5D Mark IV body.
Even my Canon L-lenses needed adjustments -- for EACH camera body: some up to +5 and others down to -5, instead of the camera's zero default setting.
I can easily see a quality difference when shooting wideopen or even 1-2 stops from maximum aperture.
Further than 2-stops from maximum aperture, the depth-of-field hides the auto-focus error.
I think that you can calibrate it w/o the software by photographing a newspaper and adjusting the focus setting in increments until you find the auto-focus perfect at widest aperture.
Then, you save the calibration setting in the camera's memory.
The camera will automatically use this focus calibration each time you mount that lens to the body by reading the s/n from the lense's electronic chip.
A zoom lens gets two calibration adjustments: a correction at WIDE (e.g. +3) and a correction at TELE (e.g. -2). Both the WIDE and TELE calibrations get saved to that particular zoom lens.
Another thing to consider is shutter speed. If using a 400mm lens, the old rule states use at least 1/400 seconds (minimum) shutter speed for hand-held shots.
However, using a 400mm with 1.4x T/C magnification now requires 1/560 seconds (minimum) for hand-held shots.
The 70D's 1.6x crop magnification now requires 1/640 seconds (minimum) for hand-held shots.
I enjoyed your video and hope that you add another with an R-body mirrorless with IBIS.
I never heard about lens calibration until reading your comment? Is this a thing I can do with the 1dx mk iii and the 400 5.6?
Will have to look into doing this, I've heard of it before but never had to do it, my 300 f4 seems soft wide open sp it maybe my issue with the 70D
@David_Quinn_Photography
If you shoot wide-open with a DSLR camera, then this should help you.
If you use a Mirrorless Camera, then it is not necessary because Mirrorless Cameras do not require calibration.
Hi there Andrew! Good to know that you are getting good pictures now with this lens. I have heared that it maximum sharpness is slightly higher in the F number of aperture than you tested in this video. You do the pictures at F 7.1 and this max sharpness is at about F 8 if I am not mistaken, of course you would have to compensate pumping up ISO aswell. If you have tried higher aperture number let me know the results. It would be also interrsting to try the lens with a 1.4 extender to get the reach that you need for that faraway birds. Sometimes cheaper extenders dont work with the autofocus but as they are so cheap you can still focus manually if the conditions are right and still get somethig decent. I was so concerned about the extender before, but now I ve got it I use it a lot even with manual focus and pictures are acceptable. Good job with your bird photography and go on making more wildlife pictures and sharing it with us!
Hi Anderson Boy, thanks for your thoughts. F7.1 was a good compromise to me between sharpness and light gathering. I'll do some tests at f8 now that Lightroom has improved it's AI noise software. I only have a Sigma 1.4x extender but I can give it a try. It wasn't very impressive with my Sigma 70-200. Maybe the canon F5.6 will perform better with it. Stay tuned 🙂
Hi Andrew, so nice to see you birding and photographing. Nice birds!!! So good that you are getting used to the 400mm for wildlife 🤩
Hi Edgloris. Thanks very much. I loved doing this one. It was great to get out and snap some birds. And finally I'm used to the 400mm!
The first thing that I'd do (and do do) is to use a monopod. Let a stick hold the camera and lens weight not your arms. You have to be careful here that you are measuring how well you can hold the camera, not how sharp or useful the lens is.
Thanks David. I don't like using a monopod unless it's for static or ground dwelling kritters. I think the AI denoise Lightroom function has solved my problem. I can get clean images now at up to 6400 ISO and shutterspeeds up to 1/2000th. So far. Still testing its capabilities.
excellent video Andrew i have been looking at this lens for my 90D and R6 the only issue i have is will it work at H+ mode on the R6.
Thanks very much. I'm not familiar with the R6. Is H+ a crop mode? If so, I think it would most likely work. However with a 20 MP sensor the image would be pretty low res when cropped. Might work well with video though as I believe that is less resolution sensitive.
realised you were asking about higher frame rate mode. I think the frame rates go down with the ef lenses adapted to the R6. Not sure by how much though. I'll tests it next time I use one with the lens.
@@andrewbalcombe1338 yes i know the older EF lenses do work with H+ but only in electronic for full fps but slows on Mechanical just wondered if this lens was the same thank.
Hello. Do you know how this lens works with a Canon RP with EF Lens Adapter or with a Sony A7iii using Canon Lens Adapter? thanks.
will be a great lens with the new canon eos r7 i would say. Nice video, thanks
I agree Graeme - I'll be interested to find out!
I'm so tempted to buy this lens from KEH for my R7 but it seems like getting a native RF lens like the 600mm or 800mm would make more sense.
Thanks for the comment. I think it depends. You have to remember those lenses are fixed f11s. The max aperture of the 400mm is f5.6. The R7 is not exactly a low-light beast. It's for that reason i'll stick with the 400mm. Especially in dark old Holland. In full frame, it might make more sense, maybe.
I own the canon R5 and the 400 5.6L. They pair beautifully. If you’d like to see some sample shots most of my wildlife was done with this lens - search for Chuiphoto
This EF prime absolutely shits on the RF f11s.
What a great video!
Thanks Samuel! Much appreciated. Cheers, Andrew
Beautiful shots. I prefer the 5.6 for the birds in the marsh, more depth.
Thank you Kitty. Yes, makes a difference when there is a busy background.
Too many ads