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01/16/2009 06:49:55 PM · #1 |
Hi there,
I am buying a new telephoto lens. I am looking at the canon 100-400mm or 400mm f5.6. I will mainly be shooting wildlife and sports. Firstly is a 400mm prime to long for sports. I will be eventually getting a 70-200mm lens down the track. Also I have read reviews that the quality of the 100-400 lens varies from lens to lens. I think I will ask to try out a few samples at the camera store before I buy. What is the best way to check the sharpness of the lens. I have read to stop the aperture down to f8, then wide open and see if there is a big difference. Is this the correct way? |
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01/16/2009 07:56:52 PM · #2 |
Check out the links
100-400mm
400mm
Have a look around. Click on the Blur index on the right of the page. It has interactive sliders you can play with.
Hope this helps
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01/16/2009 08:31:35 PM · #3 |
For any lens you always want to check for lens effects on the edges of your field of view. Look for at least these three things:
1-vignetting
2-pincusion or barrel distortion
3-chromatic aberation.
For zoom lenses you want to check all those things at the extremes - shortest and longest focal lengths. Because of pure physics zoom lens must be optimized for a particular focal length. They always have some aberrations; you just need to know if they are acceptable for your purposes.
Note:
You might consider the 70-200mm before the 100mm-400mm or 400mm prime unless you specifically need a long telephoto for something like bird photography or distant fauna. You will probably use a 70-200 more than a 100-400. |
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01/16/2009 08:51:59 PM · #4 |
| I have both the 100-400 and the 70-200 2.8 IS. I use the 100-400 more outdoors as the 70-200 doesn't have the reach I want for outdoor sports or wildlife. You would benefit from the zoom of the 100-400 over the 400 prime. I tried both before I bought the 100-400. I don't use the 70-200 much. I just shot a couple of basketball games with it recently though and I will say it performed very well. Perhaps I was lucky with my sample, but this lens has been sharp from the beginning. |
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01/16/2009 08:54:21 PM · #5 |
| I love the 100-400 for wildlife; birds for me. I had the 70-200 and used a 1.4 extender with it. I am much happier with the 100-400 lens- it is really great. I do find, however, that when I switch lenses, that I need to change particularly the sharpness settings in the camera (higher for the 100-400 than the 24-105 for instance). But the quality is great and very dependable. |
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