Canon EF 200-400/4L IS USM Extender Preview - Finally! Bob Atkins Photography
Back on February 7th 2011, Canon announced the development of a EF 200-400/4L IS USM Extender, a 200-400/4 zoom with a built in 1.4x extender which could be switched in an out of the optical path, turning the lens into a 280-560mm f5.6 zoom. Since then the lens has been seen, tested in the field by Canon selected photographers and displayed at trade shows. I played with one last fall in New York and even took some shots with it (which Canon didn't want published because it was a prototype lens). So, now, just 816 days later (that's 2 years, 2 months, 26 days) it's finally been released. You can now actually order one...if your wallet can take the hit. The price will be $11799.00 and if you want Canon's case for it it will be an extra $799.95 (that's a total of $12398.95. My guess is that the lens will be in short supply and if you want one you'd better get your name down now. I would if I had the cash and I wanted the lens, but the price is too high for me to consider it :-( The expected shipping date is the end of May 2013.
I'm not 100% sure exactly what the extra case is. Normally the Canon super telephoto lenses come with a hard shipping case. Whether Canon are charging for the case now I'm not sure, but it appears so.
One thing the new EF 200-400/4L IS USM does do, is to make the EF 100-400/4.5-5.6L IS USM look like an absolute bargain at only $1500!
Actual real, working copy of the EF 200-400/4L IS USM Extender
You can place an order with ADORAMA via the following link. They'll ship it as soon as they get it from Canon (expected to be the end of May) and there are no charges made to any credit card until it does actually ship to you.
• CANON EF 200-400 F/4L IS USM 1.4X USA $11799.00
If you want the case too, here's where to order it:
• CANON LENS CASE FOR 200-400 LENS $799.95
B&H are also taking pre-orders:
•
•
The specs look good (and so they should). Canon's MTF plots are impressive both with an without the extender in the optical path.
For those who don't speak MTF, these plots show excellent performance wide open both at 200mm and 400mm. With the extender in place the MTF actually looks better in the corners than at 200mm due to a reduction in astigmatism, though center sharpness does drop a touch. At 400mm with the extender in place there is again a very slight drop in sharpness. My guess based on experience with Canon telephoto lenses and corresponding MTF plots is that most users won't actually see any drop in image quality when the extender is switched into the optical path.
There are two benefits to having the extender built into the lens. The first is that it's much faster to put in place then having to remove the camera, add the extender and replace the camera. The second is that the extender can be perfectly (or as near as perfectly as possible) match the optics of the lens. With externally added extenders they have to work with a variety of lenses. The built in extender has 8 elements in 4 groups, while the Canon EF 1.4x III has 7 elements in 3 groups.
My understanding is that you can add an external 1.4xTC (or 2x TC) if you want even more reach, but no doubt image quality will suffer a little. With a 2x you'd have an effective aperture of f11 and so no AF with any EOS body. With the 1.4x you'd have an effective aperture of f8, so you should get AF on those bodies supporting AF at f8.
Closeup of the extender engagement switch/lever. It can be locked in either position
Note the three focus switch positions, AF, PF and MF. "PF" is power focus and is electronically driven manual focus that allows a smooth shift in focus mainly for manually tracking focus when shooting video. To quote Canon "...It is aimed at users shooting HD EOS Movies with their DSLR cameras as it makes it possible to produce a very smooth and controlled focus pull from one focus distance to another..."
Canon EF 200-400/4L IS USM Extender Specifications
| Focal length | 200-400mm (280-560mm with extender) |
|---|---|
| Image stabilisation | Yes (4 stops) |
| Maximum/Minimum aperture | f4 - f32 (f5.6 - f45 with extender) |
| Number of diaphragm blades | 9 |
| Elements | 25 (33 with extender) |
| Groups | 20 (24 with extender) |
| Special elements | Fluorite and Ultra-Low dispersion glass elements |
| Coatings | Sub-Wavelength Structure Coating and Super Spectra Coating |
| Minimum focus distance | 2.00m (78.74") |
| Maximum magnification | 0.15x (0.21x with extender) |
| AF Motor type | Ring-type ultrasonic |
| Focus distance limiter | 3 positions: Full, 2m-6m, 6m-infinity |
| Materials | Magnesium alloy barrel |
| Weather Sealing | Yes |
| Filter | 52mm Rear drop-in filter holder |
| Hood (supplied) | ET-120 (WII) |
| Weight | 3620g (7.98lb) |
| Diameter | 128mm (5.04") |
| Length | 366mm (14.41") |
You can place an order with ADORAMA via the following link. They'll ship it as soon as they get it from Canon (expected to be the end of May) and there are no charges made to any credit card until it does actually ship to you.
• CANON EF 200-400 F/4L IS USM 1.4X USA $11799.00
If you want the case too, here's where to order it:
• CANON LENS CASE FOR 200-400 LENS $799.95
B&H are also taking pre-orders:
•
•
