G'day all..
Picked up my new 400 a few days ago and found a huge bonus that no-one has commented on.
Yes the IQ is stellar at 2.8 and yes it's way lighter than the previous one.
However to me the biggest bonus that I have not seen one comment on is how much better balanced the lens is.
Previously hand holding a 400 2.8 was a trial at best with a massively heavy font element making it very tiring very quickly.
Well for me other than he amazing weight reduction the center of gravity is now right where you hold it making it extremely easy to hold and swing around chasing fast targets.
An amazing achievement by the Canon engineers and to me the best feature of the new lens that sets it so far apart from its predecessor..
It's like 35-40% lighter but when combined with the balance change it feels more like a slightly heavier version 1 300/2.8 to use..
Very nice piece of kit...
dehowie wrote:
It's like 35-40% lighter but when combined with the balance change it feels more like a slightly heavier version 1 300/2.8 to use..
Very nice piece of kit...
Wow, I might consider picking one up now that you say this. I'm going to have to check one out to see how it feels. If it feels anything close to my 300 2.8 that would be amazing. Congrats on that beast.
Regardless of the reduced weight and/or better balance, I am still not handholding the beast . I don't mind using a monopod though. My favorite support for this or any other superteles is still a tripod with a Wimberley . The age is showing..... loud and clear .
Congratulations De, I must say the new 400 2.8 sounds very interesting. Is it possible to see some shots of the lens and even better some shots taken with it. Thanks in advance
HinGreg
I havn't done any serious stuff with it yet just been testing it or focus and IS testing.
Will be out this weekend.
Having only used but not owned the series 1 400 I won't really be able to judge from a difference perspective.
However I already see its very very sharp at 2.8 but that really is to be expected.
Like I said the big surprise to me is how well it handles compared to the I.
Significantly superior for hand holding which I mainly do with all my super teles for day stuff.
The IS seems very solid and provides an extrelemy stable shooting platform when combined with the better balance. Did one tests at 1/10th to 1/25 ith excellent results.
Impressed but so I think I should be based off its dollar value..
Wow, okay can someone please post the weight of the original and the new version? I can't search for it at the moment. 3.3lbs lighter seems like quite a bit, as if they just removed the weight of a 1DmkIII and an 85 1.8 off the end of it correct
artsupreme wrote:
Wow, okay can someone please post the weight of the original and the new version? I can't search for it at the moment. 3.3lbs lighter seems like quite a bit, as if they just removed the weight of a 1DmkIII and an 85 1.8 off the end of it correct
Yes that's correct the new one is 3.85kg which is almost a kilo lighter than the Nikon one.
The original was over 11 pounds the new one just over 1.5kg lighter...
Big big difference
dehowie wrote:
Yes that's correct the new one is 3.85kg which is almost a kilo lighter than the Nikon one.
The original was over 11 pounds the new one just over 1.5kg lighter...
Big big difference
artsupreme wrote:
Damn! No wonder why it's 11.5K. Thanks for the info.
I am unsure if you are being sarcastic or not but the sports photogs I know are looking forward to upgrade as this means for the same gear set they will carry less weight on the plane and to various venues. Looking at this another way iit also means you can bring more gear without going overweight.
Thanks, guys! I like the idea of being able to use the lens even for wildlife by adding a 1.4X or even a 2X TC since I am not much a sport shooter, if any. That's the main reason for me to get that lens. The reduced weight definitely helped... .
. I don't mind using a monopod though. My favorite support for this or any other superteles is still a tripod with a Wimberley 
. The age is showing..... loud and clear 
.