Canon today announced the second-generation Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM telephoto zoom lens, featuring several refinements over its popular and sports-friendly predecessor, the Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L USM. Featuring a revamped inner focusing system with a closer focus range, new lens coating to reduce flaring and ghosting, improved Bokeh and a more advanced optical stabilizer, the new lens improves upon an already highly-regarded model.
Note: Adorama is currently accepting pre-orders for the Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM and will ship it on a first-come, first-served basis. Credit cards will not be charged until orders are shipped.
Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM
Key Features
- 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 Zoom Lens
- 21 Elements in 16 Groups
- 9-blade circular aperture
- 3-mode Optical Image Stabilization
- Inner focus system, USM
- Close focus to 3.2 feet
- 77mm filter size
- Rugged magnesium housing
- Dimensions: 3.7×7.6 inches
- Weight: 3.46 pounds
What’s New and Improved
The original Canon EF 100-400m f/4.5-5.6 IS USM lens was introduced 16 years ago, and an update has been long-awaited. Here’s a rundown of the new version’s new and improved features.
The new lens’s 21 elements in 16 groups mean the lens is slightly heavier (3.46 vs. 3.1 pounds) and larger (3.7×7.6 vs. 3.6×7.4 inches) but that’s a modest tradeoff for a new internal focusing AF system with closer minimum focus, ruggedization, and more advanced image stabilization (Canon claims 4 stops of image correction—a 1.5-stop improvement). Three image stabilization modes (standard, panning, and during exposure only) are said to provide steady handheld shots for a wide range of shooting situations. Users can now rotate to zoom the lens, rather than using the push-pull method.
As with its predecessor, the new lens includes one fluorite and one super UD element, which work to provide impressive contrast and resolution and reduced chromatic aberration across the entire zoom range. However, Canon has added Air Sphere Coating (ASC), which they say will significantly reduce backlit flaring and ghosting. Additional fluorine coatings on the front and rear lens surfaces are there to reduce smears and fingerprints. (To be extra careful, we always recommend a UV or Sky filter to protect the front element.)
Close focusing has been improved to 3.2 feet, or 0.31x magnification, to give photographers a close working distance to their subjects. The Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L II USM also features an inner focusing system, a powerful yet quiet Ring USM, a high-speed CPU and optimized auto focus (AF) algorithms for fast and accurate autofocusing in various shooting situations.
Other useful new features include a redesigned tripod mount that can be attached and detached without removing the lens from the camera, and a new lens hood with a side window that makes it simple to adjust polarizers and other specialty filters without the need to remove the hood. Usability enhancements include a rotation-type zoom ring with adjustable zoom torque for more precise, customizable zoom performance. Finally, the zoom torque adjustment ring has been improved to allow easy setting of zoom tension.
The Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM is expected to be available later this month at Adorama for $2,199. The new ET-83D lens hood is included; additional lens hoods will be available from Adorama for $95.
