SAMYANG 85mm F/1.4 IF UMC

Preface

The 85mm ƒ/1.4 Aspherical was announced in 2009. Samyang is a Korean lens manufacturer which has taken to producing manual focus lenses in a variety of mounts under both its own name and several others, including Rokinon, Bower and Pro Optic.

Samyang 85mm f/1.4 AS IF UMC is a bright prime lens that has been designed to work with both full-frame and APS-C cameras. The optical construction comprises 9 elements in 7 optical groups, including one aspherical lens. Just like all the other Samyang lenses, this product is also made of the anti-reflective UMC coatings to improve the contrast quality and faithfully reproduce all the colours. The 8-blade aperture brings extremely smooth background blur on the photography. 

Samyang is a Korean company which manufactures a variety of very affordable lenses. Till a few years ago they covered the low-end market but they are slowly moving up the value chain now with highly competitive and unusual lenses such as a 8mm f/3.5 fisheye, a 14mm f/2.8 ultra-wide lens, the already mentioned 85mm f/1.4 and as of the time of this review they're about the ship their brand new 35mm f/1.4. Samyang lenses are also marketed by some other companies such as Vivitar, Walimex, Opteka and probably a couple more. That alone may not be overly special but an ultra-large aperture 85mm f/1.4 lens sold for around 300-300EUR/US$ is almost a sensation. Samyang 85 mm is an extremely popular portrait photography lens. Thanks to its functional construction and high image parameters, the product is perfect for amateur and professional photography. 

Upon first contact you will experience two immediate drawbacks - the lens does not offer AF or any "native" coupling apart from the Canon EF-compatible mount - or in other words: it does not require an adapter but that's it. The product image below shows the back-view of the lens - you may notice the lack of electric contacts here. Consequently you have to focus manually - either by checking the viewfinder image or, probably a better idea with respect to the potentially very shallow depth-of-field, by using Live-View. The aperture is not controlled by the camera but directly on the lens using an aperture ring just like back in the old days. The camera is naturally unable to display the selected aperture so both the viewfinder as well as the EXIF data will only show f/0.0 here. The aperture will also be stopped down immediately as soon as you apply changes to the setting so consequently the optical viewfinder will show you a darker image at smaller aperture settings.

The Rokinon 85mm ƒ/1.4 Aspherical was designed to fit the full-frame 35mm sensors of Nikon, Canon and Sony cameras, as well as having models available in Pentax, Samsung NX and four-thirds mounts. On a APS-C sized sensor, the lens will produce an effective field of view of approximately 136mm (Canon) or 128mm (Nikon, Sony, Samsung or Pentax); on a four-thirds mount, the lens will produce an effective field of view of approximately 170mm. The Rokinon 85mm ƒ/1.4 ships with a round lens hood and is available new from between $300-400.

Now apart from these shortcomings - what are you getting for so few bucks ? Well, surprisingly ... quite a bit! The build quality is nothing short of excellent thanks to a combination of metal and good quality plastic parts - the lens puts many of the genuine manufacturer products to shame here actually. There's no wobbling whatsoever. The focus ring operates as smooth as silk (dampened) and the aperture ring has distinctive clicks in 1/2EV steps (except at f/1.4->f/2 and f/16->f/22). The lens features an internal focusing (IF) mechanism so the physical size remains constant during focusing and the big front element does not rotate.

Autofocus Operation

The Rokinon 85mm ƒ/1.4 is not equipped with autofocus.

Sharpness

The lens provides decently sharp performance when used wide open at ƒ/1.4; stopping down to ƒ/2 improves overall sharpness very slightly. Stopping down to ƒ/2.8 provides excellent results for sharpness, and at ƒ/4 we see tack-sharp results across the frame. This stays true through to ƒ/11, where diffraction limiting begins to set it, but is for all practical purposes still tack-sharp. At ƒ/16 diffraction limiting begins to rob the image of sharpness, and it is fairly apparent at ƒ/22.

Shading (''Vignetting'')

Corner shading isn't really a problem on the sub-frame Canon 7D, with the only noteworthy results being extreme corners that are 1/3EV darker than the center, when set to ƒ/1.4. At any other setting, light falloff is insignificant.

On the full-frame 1Ds mkIII however, it's somewhat more significant: at ƒ/1.4 light falls off to make the extreme corners around 3/4 EV darker than the center; at ƒ/2, this falloff lowers to around 2/3EV. At ƒ/2.8 and smaller apertures, falloff results are a quarter-stop or less, which isn't really significant.

Distortion

The 85mm ƒ/1.4 is very well designed, providing no significant distortion.

Chromatic Aberation

The Rokinon 85mm ƒ/1.4 Aspherical provides a very good level of resistance to chromatic aberration, and it's fairly constant across the range of apertures (if you see it, you'll see it in the corners in areas of high contrast).

The 85mm ƒ/1.4 suffers, as do most ''fast'' lenses, from problems with longitudinal chromatic aberration, where fringes of red and green are found near the plane of focus when the lens is used at wider apertures. This is easily viewed on the sample images taken with this lens, as magenta fringing when used at the ƒ/1.4 aperture setting.

Macro

The lens isn't designed as a macro lens, providing only 0.08x magnification when used at its minimum close-focusing distance of just over three feet.

Build Quality and Handling

The Rokinon 85mm ƒ/1.4 Aspherical is a small optic, weighing 559 grams (19.7 oz). The lens is black with a slightly stipled finish and has a gold accent ring near the front. The lens mount is metal and the 72mm filter threads are plastic.

Generally, the Rokinon 85mm ƒ/1.4, when mounted on the camera body, will provide absolutely no information to the camera, meaning the camera will generally only work in Manual mode. Advanced features like in-body image stabilization may not work. Rokinon does produce a Nikon version of the lens with a CPU chip that allows the lens to communicate with the camera, and use the standard P/A/S/M modes.

The lens provides only a very basic feature set. The lens has an aperture ring with half-stop click marks, however there is no locking feature to keep the lens locked at its smallest aperture for modern cameras. Also, there are no half-stops between ƒ/1.4 and ƒ/2, and none between ƒ/16 and ƒ/22. The lens has a distance scale marked in feet and meters, but no depth-of-field scale, or infrared index marker.

The inch-wide focus ring is rubber, a series of ribs running parallel to the body of the lens. The focusing ring provides around 140 degrees of turn, and the range ends in hard stops at the infinity and close-focusing ends of the lens. There is no lens extension during focusing, and the front element does not rotate. The lens uses eight diaphragm blades to make up the aperture.

The round lens hood is around 1 1/2 inches in depth. The hood is a bayonet-mount that reverses onto the lens for easy storage.

Verdict

The Samyang 85mm f/1.4 Aspherical may be a very affordable lens but it's a very decent performer nevertheless. It is capable of delivering a very good center performance at f/1.4 although it's fairly soft in the image corners at this setting. The contrast level could be a tad better here as well. The global quality is pretty good at f/2.8 and impressive from f/4 onwards. At f/5.6 it is as good as the very best lenses out there. Lateral CAs are very well controlled which contributes to the very high sharpness perception at medium apertures. You may spot a little light falloff at f/1.4 but it's a non-issue beyond. The level of distortion is minimal as well. The bokeh is surprisingly smooth although strong bokeh fringing (LoCA) can be an issue at times. However, this is rather typical for such ultra-large aperture lenses regardless of the manufacturer.

The Samyang 85mm f/1.4 Aspherical started a new era for the company a few years ago. It was the beginning of a path away from an exotic niche manufacturer towards the mainstream. Samyang may not be there yet - primarily due to the lack of AF - but this simply takes a while. If you can live with the manual aperture and manual focus the Samyang 85mm f/1.4 (as well as is cousins) is certainly worth a serious consideration. After all it costs just a fraction of a "conventional" AF 85mm f/1.4 so it's also within reach of more budget-oriented users. Remember also that the "native" Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM may be a tad "slower" but it resides in the same price league.

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Canon EF 24–105mm f/4.0L IS USM

The EF 24–105mm f/4.0L IS USM is an EF mount wide-to-telephoto zoom lens. It was introduced by Canon in 2005 to complement the well-regarded 17–40mm f/4L USM and 70–200mm f/4L USM. The lens is often compared to the other L series zoom of comparable range, the 24–70mm f/2.8L USM, losing one full stop but gaining image stabilization (IS) in return, stabilizing camera shake up to three stops. It also has rubber gaskets for moisture and dust protection, although weather sealing is only effective if the photographer uses a weather-resistant camera body. Some early production models of the lens had a flare problem (reportedly the first 10,000 batch) and Canon offered to repair them for free. On a 1.6x APS-C camera body, this lens' field of view is equivalent to that of a 38–168mm lens on a 35mm film camera; this is a very useful range, covering most normal to medium-telephoto needs.
 

Specs
Optical scheme of Canon EF 24–105L IS USM lens
The lens includes sealing against dust and water, although it is not waterproof. It includes an 8-bladed curved diaphragm which remains nearly circular from f/4 to f/8. Uses common 77mm filters. Characteristic of zoom lenses, it exhibits some barrel distortion at its shortest focal length. This lens is available in kits packaged with the Canon EOS 5D Mk II, 5D Mk III and Canon 6D. The Canon 24-105mm f/4L IS EF USM AF Lens is an easy-to-use standard zoom lens that can cover a large zoom area ranging from 24mm wide-angle to 105mm portrait-length telephoto. The EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM incorporates Canon's highest standards of precision optics. The L-series is Canon's flagship professional lens range, combining outstanding image performance and ultimate operability with dust and moisture resistant construction.

Canon's ring-type USM gives silent but quick AF, along with full-time manual focus. Moreover, with dust- and moisture-resistant construction, this is a durable yet sophisticated lens that meets the demands of advanced amateur photographers and professional photographers alike.

Fixed Aperture
    With no change in aperture over the full focal length range, photographers can set exposure at the widest aperture and zoom through to 105mm without slowing shutter speed. 

Image Stabilizer
    Ideal for handheld work, IS Image Stabilizer allows use of shutter speeds up to 3-stops slower with no perceptible increase in image blur.

Super UD and Aspherical Lens Elements
    Constructed with one Super-UD glass element and three aspherical lenses, this lens minimizes chromatic aberration and distortion. The result is excellent picture quality, even at wide apertures.

Super Spectra Coatings
    Optimized Super Spectra lens coatings and lens element shaping suppress flare and ghosting - more prone to occur with digital cameras due to reflection off the image sensor. Coatings also help achieve true color balance and increase contrast for vivid hi-fidelity images.

Ring USM
    Ring USM (Ultrasonic motor) uses ultrasonic frequency vibrations to drive responsive, near-silent high speed auto focus. Good holding torque stops the focusing lens group with precision without overshoot. Full time manual focus override is available without having to switch out of AF.

The Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 USM L IS was an eagerly awaited lens since the old film days. On full frame (D)SLRs it is surely a near-perfect standard zoom with a 4.4x zoom ratio in combination with a relatively compact size, a relatively low weight and an image stabilizer on top. Some may not like the rather modest max. aperture but then there's always a trade-off somewhere with all zoom lenses. With a weight of 670g and a size of 84x107mm it is quite a bit more compact and light-weight than the EF 24-70mm f/2.8 USM L. Unlike its cousin the lens has a conventional zoom mechanism so it extends towards the long end of the range. While this feels right somehow the lens hood (part of the package) isn't quite as efficient because it was only optimized to the 24mm setting of the lens. The front element does not rotate during focusing so there're no issues when using a polarizer - without hood at least.

On APS-C DSLRs its field-of-view resembles a classic 39-168mm lens on full-frame cameras so by most standards things aren't quite as interesting here as on a full frame DSLR/SLR. The lens is also sold as a kit lens in combination with the Canon EOS 5D where it certainly makes more sense due to the full frame image sensor of the camera. The lens has a ring-type USM drive based on a front-focusing system resulting in an extremely fast AF speed and extremely low AF noise. Full-time manual focusing (FTM) is always possible in one-shot AF mode. The optical construction is made of 18 elements in 13 groups including three aspherical elements (two replica, one glass molded) plus one S-UD (super ultra-low dispersion) element. The min. focus distance is 0.45m resulting is a max. object magnification of ~1:4 at 105mm. The lens features 8 circular aperture blades. Typical for most Canon L zooms the filter size is 77mm.

The image stabilzer provides an equivalent effect of a 3 f-stops gain in shutter speed for hand-held photography (at cost of slower shutter speeds if exploited to the max). The IS works for static scenes only so there's no 2nd mode for panning. Regarding the nature of the lens this isn't a big drawback because action photography is normally not a primary application. It is worth to mention that this lens has been serviced by Canon due to the flare problem present in very early production lenses. The build quality of this lens is exceptional. No significant wobbling and smooth control ring - almost perfect. The lens is also designed to survive in harsh conditions with a sealing against dust and moisture.
 

The 24-105 L's color and contrast are excellent. The rectangular baffle (above) over the rear of the lens is purposed to increase contrast and reduce flare/ghosting. CA (Chromatic Aberration) is well controlled with some CA visible in area harsh contrast primarily at full-frame edges at both ends of the focal length range. The 24-105 L features a reasonably fast widest aperture setting of f/4 which remains constant throughout the zoom range. This lens rounds out Canon's f/4 zoom lens line - Up to 200mm at least (many of us would like to see a Canon's f/4 zoom lens line extended to include an EF 200-400mm f/4 L IS USM Lens).

Eight circular aperture blades provide excellent quality defocused image quality (bokeh - foreground/background blur). While f/4 in this focal length range is not the best at creating diffusely blurred backgrounds, close subjects at 105mm can have pleasingly blurred backgrounds. Canon's latest generation Image Stabilizer (IS) provides an additional 3-stops of handholdability in the 24-105 L. This is definitely one of my favorite features of the 24-105 L. The 24-105 L's IS is very quiet and very well behaved (does not jump when starting, ...). IS does not stop subject motion blur, but it is excellent for stopping camera shake. IS allows use of narrower aperture settings to increase DOF (Depth of Field) in handheld shots with non-moving subjects (landscapes, sculptures, art ...). IS allows use of longer shutter speeds to create motion blurs - such as moving water. Or simply shoot handheld in low light levels with the lens wide open using IS to steady the shot.

Theoretically, IS enables this lens can be shot handheld at shutter speeds as low as 1/3 second at 24mm on a full frame body. Your results will depend on how steady you are, but I am seeing sharp shots at 1/3 second (and many longer) at 24mm and 1/6 second (and longer) at 105mm. Very nice. A tripod was not used for most of the 24-105mm sample pictures (link below) with shutter speeds below 1 second. I would unscientifically rate this lens as delivering a keeper rate as high or higher than any lens I own or have owned. And most of my throw-aways are the fault the person behind the lens.

Conclusion

This is the big Kahuna of normal zooms. It's well made and tack sharp. I love the range, AF speed, sharpness and feel of this lens. It balances well on larger bodies such as the EOS 3 or 5D Mark II but is front heavy on a Rebel. Yes, the largest aperture of F4 is slow, but the 3-stop IS almost makes up it. While not a small or light lens, it is my favorite optic for travel due to a near perfect balance of image quality, range and versatility. Regarding its equivalent zoom range (39-168mm) on an APS-C DSLR the Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 USM L IS may not be the most sexy lens here but its performance figures are very impressive nonetheless. In fact the resolution results beat those from the EF 24-70mm f/2.8 USM L and match the EF 28-70mm f/2.8 USM L with its much more conservative zoom range (but higher speed). There's a slight decrease in performance at 105mm but even here the quality remains on a very high level. As to be expected from a modern Canon L lens the construction quality is up to pro standards matching its fasters cousins. The lower price tag plus the extra IS should compensate the slightly more moderate max. aperture for most users. Is it a perfect lens then ? Well, there're also downsides like pronounced barrel distortions and higher than expected CAs at the wide-end of the zoom range. However, the package remains extremely attractive if you can live with the rather unattractive zoom range on an APS-C DSLR - similar to other 28-xx or 24-xx zooms this lens is really more meant for 1.3x or FF (D)SLRs.  Price: $1,149.00

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Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM

  The Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM Autofocus Lens is a fast lens that delivers superb optical performance. A maximum aperture of f/1.2 makes it the professional's choice for shooting without flash in low light conditions. The large aperture also provides fine control over depth of field for compelling portrait photography.

    Retaining the impressive optical performance and large aperture of its predecessor, this medium telephoto lens has been improved with a Ring-type USM, high-speed CPU and optimized algorithms to achieve an autofocus speed approximately 1.8x faster than the original. The high-speed AF and circular aperture create a shallow depth-of-field that brings attention to the subject and blurs the background, which is ideal for portraits and weddings.

    The L-series is Canon's flagship professional lens range, combining outstanding image performance and ultimate operability with dust and moisture resistant construction. Large maximum aperture of f/1.2 provides outstanding speed for shooting in low light conditions, without the need for flash.

    The floating optical system, which includes an aspherical lens element, suppresses aberrations and ensures excellent imaging performance. Super Spectra lens coatings and lens element shaping suppress flare and ghosting, more prone to occur with digital cameras due to reflection off the image sensor. Coatings also help achieve true color balance and increase contrast for vivid hi-fidelity images. Ring USM uses ultrasonic frequency vibrations to drive extremely rapid auto focus with near-silent operation. A high-speed CPU and optimized AF algorithms contribute further to AF speed. Full time electronic manual focus override is available without having to switch out of AF and the circular aperture creates a shallow depth-of-field that brings attention to the subject and blurs the background, which is ideal for portraits and weddings.

In the box  Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM Autofocus Lens:

• E-72 72mm Snap-On Lens Cap
• Lens Dust Cap E (Rear)
• ES-79 II Lens Hood
• LP1219 Soft Lens Case
• 1-Year Canon USA & Canada Limited Warranty

Conclusion

Pros

1.) Exquisitely sharp and contrasty, even wide open, even in the corners, and even on full-frame.
2.) Exquisitely well made.

Cons

1.) Slow autofocus, needed for accurate f/1.2 focusing.
2.) Clumsy, indirect electronic manual focus.
3.) Doesn't focus very close, only 3.2' (0.95m).
4.) Slightly more flare than the Canon 85mm f/1.8.
5.) Huge.
6.) Heavy.
7.) Expensive.


Canon calls this the CANON LENS EF 85mm f/1.2 L II USM.

• EF: Electronic Focus. All modern Canon lenses focus with a motor in the lens. 
• L: Expensive as L. No exact meaning other than this being Canon's lingo for lenses with extra durability and weather sealing. L lenses work on all cameras including film and full-frame digital. Canon puts a red band around the front of these. 
• II: Canon's second version of this lens. There is an older version, introduced in 1989, called CANON LENS EF 85mm f/1.2 L USM, without the "II".
• USM: Ultra-Sonic Motor: The focus motor operates silently.

Full frame canon 85mm at f/1.2

     AF speed is slow, slower than the 85mm f/1.8. This f/1.2L II version is much faster than the first 1989 f/1.2L version. Canon says this new version is 1.8x faster than the original f/1.2, but it's still slower than the f/1.8 I tried. The lens needs to be positioned mechanically within distances measured in wavelengths of light, so this takes a while longer than less precise, slower f/stop lenses. This is because the system needs to be much more precise than other lenses to ensure accurate focus at f/1.2. Depth of field at f/1.2 is a few inches (5 cm) at one hundred feet (30m), so extreme AF accuracy is required to make real use of the f/1.2 aperture.

   

      Advice: you'll want to look for the green focus confirmation dot in the finder (in which case you'd be better off with AF) or use a special high-precision manual focus screen. The standard focus screens in AF cameras are optimized for brightness with modern f/2.8 and slower zooms.

      Standard focus screens therefore aren't ground glass; they are laser-cut with special patterns that only see though the lens at about f/2.5. Want to see this? Stop the lens down with the field preview button. You won't see any dimming until you get to f/2.5. That's right: this lens looks no brighter than an f/2.8 lens through the finder! You also can look at the finder screen through the front of the lens. You'll see a weird image: you'll only see the light coming through the finder screen in a circle where the diaphragm would lie at f/2.5. The rest is dark, if you're looking through the camera from the front. The special manual focus screens available for some Canon cameras use traditional ground glass to let you see more accurately at f/1.2. The Canon 85mm f/1.2 L II changes magnification as it focuses, like most still camera lenses.

Full frame canon 85mm at f/2.8

     It's almost silent. It makes a slight sliding noise as it moves, with almost no clunking. The manual focus ring sounds nice when spun with the camera off. It makes a super high precision encoder sound, if you listen for those things.


Overall

     It's a huge hunk of glass. It feels weird on-camera. It weighs 36% more than the 70-200mm f/4L, and is a lot shorter. My camera always feels like it wants to flop forwards. AF is slow, and manual override is a weird indirect electronic system. It is a masterpiece of manufacturing. It reeks of quality and precision, and its images are extraordinary.

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CANON 200-400mm f/4 IS 1.4x

For wildlife photographers and photojournalists, Canon has announced the new Canon EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM Extender 1.4x lens (what a mouthful!), which we will henceforth refer to as the “Canon EF 200-400mm f/4L”.

Weighing a hefty 3.6kg (8lb) in the red corner, this challenger packs 25 elements in 20 groups and measures 36.6cm (14.5”) in length. Like other new Canon super telephoto lenses, it is weather sealed and features ring-type ultrasonic motors with full-time manual focus override.

Precisely on the February 7, 2011 development announcement of the Canon EF 200-400mm f/4 L IS USM Ext 1.4x Lens. I was personally excited – a Canon EF 200-400mm f/4 L IS USM Lens had long been on my most-wanted Canon lens list. Finally, I would not have to envy the Nikon DSLR owners and their Nikon 200-400mm f/4G AF-S VR II Lens. My excitement was tempered when, on Nov 15, 2011, Canon announced that this lens had been delayed until an unknown future date. Probably none of us expected the official product announcement to be another 18 months away at that point.

I was confident that, when the Canon EF 200-400mm f/4 L IS USM Ext 1.4x Lens finally arrived, it was going to be another incredible addition to the big white Canon telephoto lens family. And this lens has not let us down. Producing very impressive image quality even with a wide open aperture, this lens has very accurate AF, an 4-stop-rated image stabilization, best-available build quality and - a GREAT focal length range. That last part is something I've never been able to say about a Canon great white EF lens as this is Canon's first great white EF zoom lens (note that the FD 150-600mm f/5.6 L was Canon's first great white zoom lens). This lens' negative attributes are easy to discern – the price tag and the size/weight.

Causing great excitement among Canon photographers was the February 7, 2011 development announcement of the Canon EF 200-400mm f/4 L IS USM Ext 1.4x Lens. I was personally excited – a Canon EF 200-400mm f/4 L IS USM Lens had long been on my most-wanted Canon lens list. Finally, I would not have to envy the Nikon DSLR owners and their Nikon 200-400mm f/4G AF-S VR II Lens. My excitement was tempered when, on Nov 15, 2011, Canon announced that this lens had been delayed until an unknown future date. Probably none of us expected the official product announcement to be another 18 months away at that point.

I was confident that, when the Canon EF 200-400mm f/4 L IS USM Ext 1.4x Lens finally arrived, it was going to be another incredible addition to the big white Canon telephoto lens family. And this lens has not let us down. Producing very impressive image quality even with a wide open aperture, this lens has very accurate AF, an 4-stop-rated image stabilization, best-available build quality and - a GREAT focal length range. That last part is something I've never been able to say about a Canon great white EF lens as this is Canon's first great white EF zoom lens (note that the FD 150-600mm f/5.6 L was Canon's first great white zoom lens). This lens' negative attributes are easy to discern – the price tag and the size/weight.

Since I typically start my own lens selection by determining the focal length or focal length range (FLR) that I need, I also typically start my lens reviews with the same. And any discussion about the FLR of the Canon EF 200-400mm f/4 L IS USM Extender 1.4x Lens requires a look at the bulge on the side of this lens.

Housed in that bulge is a dedicated, optimized, 1.4x extender (teleconverter). The large, lockable lever allows that extender's elements/groups to be included in or removed from the lens' active optical path as desired.

Throwing the lever is as quick and easy as the illustration above makes it look (click on or mouseover the labels below the image). The extender switch is lightly spring-loaded to prevent an in-between setting from being used. A dampened "thunk" can be heard as it springs into place. Resistance on the lever is just right.

If you are watching through the viewfinder while slowly moving the lever, you will see what looks like a double exposure move across the viewfinder. If you move the lever more quickly, you see the viewfinder dim modestly. An f/5.6 max aperture presents a darker viewfinder image than an f/4 max aperture.

The built-in extender is a great feature. Swapping a conventional extender in and out of use on a super-telephoto lens takes far more time, effort and inconvenience than throwing a switch. A subject can easily be gone in the time it takes to install a conventional extender. The inconvenience of installation is often enough that it does not get done.

The built-in design is also far less risky to your gear. It is not unusual to hear of extenders (or lenses) being dropped during field installation, a process that really could use three or four hands. Extender installing/removing can also allow dust and moisture into the camera and lens - removing dust from a large stack of photos can take days.

Another significant advantage of a built-in extender is that it can be optically tuned specifically for the lens it is designed for use in, giving it a potentially strong optical quality advantage. I'll talk more about the optical effects of the built-in extender below.

While this design is new to many (most) of us, it is not the first Canon lens to incorporate a built-in extender. The Canon EF 200-400mm f/4 L IS USM Ext 1.4x Lens has inherited the built-in 1.4x extender concept from the rare Canon FD 1200mm f/5.6 L Lens (see picture on PBase.com). The 200-400 L is the first "EF" lens to receive a built-in, switch on/off extender.

With the extender locked out of the active lens groups, this is a 200-400mm lens with a modestly wide f/4 max aperture across the entire range. The throw of a lever moves the extender lens elements/groups into the optical path and this lens becomes a 280-560mm Lens with an f/5.6 max aperture across the focal length range. Combined, this becomes a 200-560mm f/4-5.6 lens with an incredible range of mostly-outdoor uses.

If you are shooting with an APS-C format body, you can multiply the numbers in that table by a factor of 1.6x to get the full frame AOV (Angle of View) equivalency. Those results are some very big numbers.

Keep in mind that, unless you have a Canon EOS 5D Mark III or a 1-Series DSLR, you will lose autofocus functionality when the maximum aperture reaches f/8. No Canon EOS DSLR will autofocus with an f/11 max aperture lens combo mounted.

Also remember that flipping the extender into place while using a wide open aperture means that an exposure setting adjustment must also be made (the camera takes care of this in auto modes).

Two more things Canon wants you to know. First, with any EOS bodies introduced prior to the EOS-1D X, EOS-5D Mark III, EOS 6D and EOS Rebel T4i (650D): Switching the lens’ extender lever in either direction should only be performed when Live View or Video mode is off (LCD monitor not active) and when camera is inactive (not when pressing shutter button half-way, Image Stabilization active, writing to memory card and so on).

And second, moving the extender lever on the lens is possible during LCD monitor operation with those SLR models listed above or subsequently introduced EOS cameras. Users should still make sure that the camera is momentarily inactive (not writing to memory card, etc.) before moving the lever.

                 Canon EF 200-400mm f/4 L IS USM Ext 1.4x Lens with Hood

When the 200-400 L IS lens was first introduced, I received many questions from people wanting to know if this was the LONG-rumored replacement for the Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 L IS USM Lens. That it is not. While the 200-400 L is a significant upgrade from the 100-400 L in nearly all ways, these two lenses are not in the same class – in size, weight, image quality - or price.

Zooming out to 100mm, the 100-400L has the wide-end angle of view advantage and matches the sans-extender 400mm long end. The 100-400 L also accepts extenders, so the two lenses compete in this regard at the long end of the FLR. But, with its native f/4 aperture at 400mm, the 200-400 L allows twice as much light into the lens as the 100-400 L's native f/5.6 aperture at 400mm. Thus, with-extender combinations also have 1-stop wider apertures on the 200-400. That extra stop can be huge – and can make the difference between active AF and MF-only with some cameras including all review-time-current Canon APS-C format DSLRs.

You could buy a pile of 100-400 L lenses for the price of one 200-400 L lens. A large number of 100-400 L lenses will fit into the case of one 200-400 L lens. It takes many 100-400 L lenses to make the weight of one 200-400 L lens.

 The image quality of the 200-400 L is at a completely different level of excellence.

In addition to the focusing system of the 200-400mm f/4L, three distinct optical stabilizer modes are also available for rendering sharp imagery, albeit by minimizing the appearance of camera shake that becomes increasingly noticeable when working with lenses of this length as well as in dimly lit conditions. The three modes are selectable via a switch on the side of the lens, and all provide support to account for up to four shutter-speed steps of camera shake, which allows greater handholding potential with this lens.

The first mode is the standard stabilizer mode, which will correct for vibrations from all directions and is most suited for working with stationary or slow-moving subjects. The second mode is a more dynamic type of stabilizer that corrects for vertical shake during lateral panning shots and for horizontal shake when panning vertically. The third stabilizer mode functions the same as the second one does; however, it will only provide these benefits at the point of exposure—this allows for better tracking of more irregularly and fast-moving subjects, since there is no lag for the stabilization system to perform constantly. The other two stabilization modes will produce a stabilized image in the viewfinder to aid more careful compositions. Image stabilization can also be completely disengaged for instances where it can possibly be counterproductive, such as when working with your camera mounted on a tripod.

Both the focusing and stabilization mechanisms work together to benefit the most crucially designed aspect of this lens: its optical construction. One fluorite and four UD (Ultra Low Dispersion) elements are integrated into the lens’s makeup to provide an effective reduction in chromatic aberration and color fringing throughout the entire zoom range, leading to imagery with notable clarity, sharpness and resolution. Additionally, lens coatings have been applied to select elements to further improve image quality by reducing flare, ghosting and surface reflections to render images with vivid contrast and color neutrality.

This optimized optical design improves imaging performance throughout the zoom range, and when the 1.4x extender is in place, giving way to an effective focal-length range of 280-560mm. This bit of extra reach was especially crucial when photographing smaller targets from greater distances. By being able to toggle between having the extender locked in or out of place, you could use the 400mm setting to generally frame your shot, then quickly flip to 1.4x prior to releasing the shutter. When working from the native focal-length range—200-400mm—the constant f/4.0 maximum aperture provides consistent performance for lower light and selective-focus control. When the extender is seated, the maximum aperture is narrowed to an effective f/5.6. The diaphragm is constructed from nine rounded blades to form a nearly circular aperture, which helps to render out-of-focus backgrounds with a pleasing quality and out-of-focus highlights that take on an aesthetic circular shape.

Overall impressions

Canon has a reputation for designing spectacularly good telephoto lenses, and from the lab test results and a few handheld shots of static subjects, it's clear that the 200-400mm is exceptionally good. On full frame it's near-flawless, and there's practically no perceptible sharpness penalty for using the extender. On the more resolution-hungry APS-C format it also performs exceptionally well, suggesting it has plenty in reserve for any upcoming higher resolution sensors. This is pretty stunning stuff for a zoom.

Equally important for this kind of lens, of course, are the autofocus and image stabilisation systems. While shooting with it for an hour in one of the less-interesting parts of West London isn't an ideal way test these things, we can say that AF with static subjects is very fast and extremely accurate, while the IS system is good enough to allow you to compose shots with this monstrous lens hand-held. We can't assess how well continuous AF will work, of course, but there's no reason to believe it will be any worse than Canon's other professional super-telephotos.

The question, of course, is whether all this can justify Canon's asking price. We've got to be honest here - we're not professional sports or wildlife photographers, and therefore not best-placed to judge the value proposition of the 200-400mm, or how it compares to other top-end telephotos in real-world use. Of course it is also the kind of lens that very few individual photographers will buy for themselves; instead it's more likely to be purchased by agencies, for whom the value proposition is entirely about the saleable shots it can bring in.

In this regard the Canon's capabilities make it unique among top-end super-telephoto zooms. For example the Nikon AF-S Nikkor 200-400mm f/4G ED VR II doesn't have the built-in extender (but is half the price), and the Sigma APO 300-800mm F5.6 EX DG HSM is even larger and heavier, but lacks image stabilisation or weathersealing. This doesn't excuse the 200-400mm's price, but it does go some way to explaining why Canon feels justified in asking it. From my point of view, the absolutely stellar optics and innovative design earn the lens our top award.

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