Home > Consumer Reviews > Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L USM Super Telephoto Lens for Canon SLR Cameras

I've been using this lens about six years. In all that time, I can't remember ever shooting at any aperture smaller than f/5.6. It's amazingly sharp wide open and I've never had any reason to stop it down. When I first bought it, I used it on a tripod almost all the time. These days, I've started using it handheld and I can appreciate how well it handles. In good light, autofocus is fast and accurate. In low brightness and low contrast light, it gets a little slow and sometimes hunts. Not a real problem, just switch off the autofocus and use the superb manual focus ring. Images snap in and out of focus easily whether you do the focusing or you let the lens do it.

The lens is made like a tank. Mine has been subjected to a lot of use but it has never failed me. I sometimes use it with the Canon 1.4x Extender which makes it a 560mm f/8 lens. That combination does usually require a tripod but it is still a handy combination that retains great sharpness. I've also used it with the Canon 2x Extender as an 800mm f/11. It's a good idea to put it on a sturdy tripod and stop down a wee bit to get the best results.

If you can make use of the focal length and you can live with f/5.6 as the maximum aperture, I recommend it highly.

A 400 MM prime for about a grand? Neat.

I originally bought the 100-400 when I got my Canon body, as I wanted to do wildlife photography and wasn't even AWARE of this lens. I wish I had, because this lens is (1) a pound lighter than the 100-400 (two pounds vs three), (2) doesn't pump dust into my camera body when I adjust the zoom (as there isn't any zoom!), (3) is shorter and so easier to balance in my hand, (4) has a built-in lens hood -- the one with the 100-400 is separate and surprisingly flimsy for a $1500 product, (5) produces a somewhat better picture, and (6) it is a 77 mm L lens, which means I needn't buy a new set of UV and polarizing filters. (Many, but not all, "L"s are 77 mm diameter lenses.)

No, there's no IS, but -- and here's the important part -- it doesn't NEED it. That one pound and shorter length makes all the difference, at least for me. But if you're undecided, then keep in mind that: (1) the 100-400 has that zoom, which means that when you CAN shoot in, say, 100 mm, then you're doing it at F/3.5, and (2) if your hands are a bit wobbly then you can do a lot of hand-held shooting with the IS.

I wondered if I'd miss the zoom, but in all honesty there has only been one shot in the two years that I've shot with this lens that I wished that I could dial it back a bit. A great lens for the money.

I got this lens as a way to capture birds in flight and as a sports lens. Don't let the f/5.6 discourage you from buying this beauty, because in my experiences, it's one fast lens. The sharpness is absolutely stunning, with razor sharp edges!! The color and contrast are also remarkable!!

If you like photographing nature and sports, than this is the lens for you. Take my word for it, you won't regret it!!!

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I started out with the sigma 50-500 and shot with that for about a year. Dissapointed with the fact that I had to stop it down to F8 to get acceptable results, I started to look for a new telephoto in the same range. Besides, I was always at the long end of the sigma anyway, so I didnt need the zoom that the sigma provided.

After reading pages up and pages down on the 100-400, the 300 f4 and the 400 5.6L, I landed on the latter.

It is true what they say, the lens is tack sharp at f5.6, you need to zoom into 200% to properly see any improvement to around f7-f8 (atleast on my copy). Contrast and color are both beautiful and the bokeh is awsome, although you need to get closer than with a 400 f2.8L to completely wash out the background. (the f2.8 L does cost you an arm and a leg though).

Build quality is excellent, my lens accidently took a dive from 6 feet when mounted to a 20D, the lens hit the floor with the lens shade (which was in the back-position) with a very foul sounding thud.

Result: No damage, no mis focus, not a single mark and the lens works just as well as it always has.

The lens is primarily a birding lens, but there is no problem using it on larger wildlife or even for portraits. It also performs well as an air show lens, giving you the cool pilot-in-seat pictures that the 70-200 owners can only gawk at.

I will never sell this lens, even if I in the future own the 600mm L, it's just too good to part with.

I've had this lens for about two weeks and it is truly one of Canon's classic L primes. I got it for nature shoots and it has produced "WOW" results. Don't worry about the f/5.6. It's as sharp at that as many lenses are a f/8. It's in the class of the 35L and the 135L.