I always thought mine was a touch soft wide open on the 400mm end. Sent it in to Canon and it came back sharp as a tack. Anybody who feels their copy is soft, I'd recommend sending it in instead of stopping down and struggling with it, it's a great lens.
Only if I could... no Canon USA to do that for me. How did it work in Switzerland? My copy was bought in Germany, so I could maybe send it there when I move there...
yauyi wrote:
40D with Kenko Pro 1.4x
560mm
f/11.0 (should be f/16.0?)
1/350s
ISO 200
MLU enable
10s timer (don't have a cable release)
Rig is setup on el-cheapo tripod I bought about 10yrs ago from Best Buy
Weather condition: Sunny and clear sky
this one looks almost identical to the wide open shot, weird. 2 stops down did not gain any sharpness even when I pixel peep the detail at 300%...maybe due to the crappy tripod I was using.
With the small pixels of the 40D, what you are seeing here is diffraction, softening the image. The trouble with small pixels is that once you start stopping down too much, the physics of light kicks in and you start losing sharpness.
I too have an exceptional copy of the 100-400mm. I suspect that Canon tweaked their manufacturing process two or three years ago and this resulted in better overall optical performance on more modern samples of the lens.
yauyi wrote:
The bokeh of this lens is not the smoothest, and it is obvious in harsh lightning with busy background or foreground, now that I think about it....the choppiness looks similar to my 24-105, maybe it is a 4x zoom thing?? It is not bad when I get closer to the target, and if the background and foreground objects are further away though. Oh yea, hand holding at 400mm(640mm in 1.6x) can be challenging so I'll need more practice for sure.
Yes, the 100-400's bokeh is not among the best.... but it isn't particularly bad, even when compared to the 400 5.6L.
A quick bokeh comparison between the two 400s, both pics shot under the same conditions:
Here ya go...one by my teenage Daughter 1st time shootin' 40D 100-400 handheld 100% crop.
This lens so rocks. I can make yer eyes bleed. Soft copies maybe, more likely soft shooters!
FWIW, UV date code on my copy.
I suspect that Canon tweaked their manufacturing process two or three years ago and this resulted in better overall optical performance on more modern samples of the lens.
Yeah, and they kept it secret instead of naming it mkII and sell that at a higher price. Conspiracy against competition No, really neither the design nor manufacturing process has been changed. Early copies of the 100-400L IS are as good as new ones that we sell in our camera store. It's just imagination that create urban legends as stated in the header of OT poster. Anyway, maybe some owner of the latest lenses get more EOSfun out of that new tiny buttons and the kyosei signs for recyclable parts
eosfun wrote:
No, really neither the design nor manufacturing process has been changed. Early copies of the 100-400L IS are as good as new ones that we sell in our camera store.
Could you please spread some of that insistent EOS fun around by sharing the source of that information.
Photon wrote:
I bought one in Feb., and am completely satisfied with the optical quality. Out of curiosity, I did careful testing at various apertures (mirror lock-up, etc.), and found only a tiny improvement in micro-contrast from f/5.6 to 6.3, and again from there to 7.1 (at 400 mm). This was on a 1DMkIII. AF is accurate and consistent. Considering the versatility of the lens, I could hardly be happier, other than wishing for the latest version of IS. The IS on this lens is certainly helpful, but not up to the level of the newer lenses.
the IS does show its age, with the 1.4x extender I can not get reliable result to hand hold with shutter speed less than 1/1000s because I haven't master the technique yet, I have shaky hands. But 560mm (896mm FF equivalent) is no joke.
aero145 wrote:
EOS-1D Mark II N + 100-400/4.5-5.6L IS @400mm, f/5.6, ISO 1250, MLU, Manfrotto 055XProB tripod with a 808RC4 head, IS off - 100% crop from centre:
EOS-1D Mark II N + 100-400/4.5-5.6L IS @400mm, f/8, ISO 1250, MLU, Manfrotto 055XProB tripod with a 808RC4 head, IS off - 100% crop from centre:
Dunno........
yours do look kinda soft, i assume you get the same softness even with lower ISO and this is not due to front/back focus of any kind? have you try this lens on a different body? maybe you can sell it and get a new one locally, test it out before you plunge down the cash. Man, if my new lens look like that I would be very disappointed.
surreywharf wrote:
I too have an exceptional copy of the 100-400mm. I suspect that Canon tweaked their manufacturing process two or three years ago and this resulted in better overall optical performance on more modern samples of the lens.
Cheers,
Jim
You might have something there Jim I have owned many of the 100-400 over the years. First it was the 100-400 against the Bigma I switched I don't know how many times between these two. Then it switched back and forth between it and the 300 4 IS then it was with the 400 5.6 and I have always gone back to the 100-400 I think that should tell me something . But I am finding the 100-400 I have owned the past couple years are so nice better than the older ones I have tried., So who knows maybe Canon is listening
Persuasive indeed I've always read the story on here to about then being not sharp producing soft out of focus images but then alot of good story suck as this one.
another 2 weeks until my tax return check arrives hmmm hopefully someone post about how theirs is a pos so i dont end up buying one.
jhapeman wrote:
With the small pixels of the 40D, what you are seeing here is diffraction, softening the image. The trouble with small pixels is that once you start stopping down too much, the physics of light kicks in and you start losing sharpness.
Jeff
ahhh....I see, will have to keep that in mind and limit the aperture to no higher than f/16 with extender on.
Liquidstone wrote:
Yes, the 100-400's bokeh is not among the best.... but it isn't particularly bad, even when compared to the 400 5.6L.
A quick bokeh comparison between the two 400s, both pics shot under the same conditions:
Link to my user-report on my 400 5.6L and 100-400 IS:
Very interesting finding, agreed...it could be better but ain't too bad, If I want a superior bokeh in the 400+ range I think I would have to pay a premium for something like the legendary 300 2.8is + extender, or the 500 4 is, for a dedicated sport or bird shooter it might be worthwhile to invest in one of those, but for now I can live with what I got, the usefulness of this 100-400 outweighs other cons that it also posses
eosfun wrote:
Yeah, and they kept it secret instead of naming it mkII and sell that at a higher price. Conspiracy against competition No, really neither the design nor manufacturing process has been changed. Early copies of the 100-400L IS are as good as new ones that we sell in our camera store. It's just imagination that create urban legends as stated in the header of OT poster. Anyway, maybe some owner of the latest lenses get more EOSfun out of that new tiny buttons and the kyosei signs for recyclable parts
Are you implying that majority of those softness complaints were either causes by user error, or just by imagination? I guess the only logical reason is that the early generation consumer grade body with inferior sensor or processor, like those in D30 or D60, may be to blame? Perhaps we haven't heard as much complaint in recent years may be due to the improved sensor/processors with better precision to drive this lens to the level where it should have been all along? I don't know, because from what I have read and seen, the "softness issue" also plague some of the pro level body(like the 1D series) with newer and more advance sensor and processor, don't know what the deal is, I'm just glad I am a happy owner of this lens.
aero145 wrote:
Only if I could... no Canon USA to do that for me. How did it work in Switzerland? My copy was bought in Germany, so I could maybe send it there when I move there...
I sent in a 5D and seven lenses, including the 100-400, all with a mixture of European and US warranties. All warranties were honored by Canon Switzerland and were calibrated at no cost. I read somewhere recently that in practice Canon were honoring all warranties worldwide. Try contacting Canon Iceland and see what they say.
Jimbo Jones wrote:
Persuasive indeed I've always read the story on here to about then being not sharp producing soft out of focus images but then alot of good story suck as this one.
another 2 weeks until my tax return check arrives hmmm hopefully someone post about how theirs is a pos so i dont end up buying one.
hehehe....I was in the same boat, a portion of my tax return paid for this lens, money well spent I must say. Now I just need to convince myself that I'm going to need a WA to cover the low end.
I have alsways enjoyed my 100-400. I had the Bigma before and switched almost two years ago. The IS really helps, and I may be the minority but I like the push/pull zoom. I find it is faster and easier than a twist zoom. Here is a shot I took last summer with it.
John Topham wrote:
I sent in a 5D and seven lenses, including the 100-400, all with a mixture of European and US warranties. All warranties were honored by Canon Switzerland and were calibrated at no cost. I read somewhere recently that in practice Canon were honoring all warranties worldwide. Try contacting Canon Iceland and see what they say.
Canon Iceland does not honour US warranties and I’m not sure about European either. Still, 66.6% of my lenses have got a working Icelandic warranty, so I can at least try to get them calibrated. Not sure about what will happen with the German 100-400.
No, really neither the design nor manufacturing process has been changed. Early copies of the 100-400L IS are as good as new ones that we sell in our camera store. It's just imagination that create urban legends as stated in the header of OT poster. Anyway, maybe some owner of the latest lenses get more EOSfun out of that new tiny buttons and the kyosei signs for recyclable parts 
I just got my new one last week adn it's so nice. Here is a shot about 20 to 25 feet away and cropped I am impressed 
