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Author Topic: Canon 400mm DO  (Read 22274 times)

Victor Meldrew

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Canon 400mm DO
« Reply #40 on: February 19, 2007, 06:25:55 pm »

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The 400 DO IS seems to have inspired controversy ever since its introduction; folks seem to love it or hate it, but are rarely neutral about it. 

Anyone else heard the rumours about an 800mm version of the DO? Given my current love affair with the 400, that would certainly be a lens to lust after  

Paul Flackett

http://www.photosofwildlife.co.uk
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jani

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Canon 400mm DO
« Reply #41 on: February 20, 2007, 04:36:22 am »

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Anyone else heard the rumours about an 800mm version of the DO? Given my current love affair with the 400, that would certainly be a lens to lust after 
That rumour is certainly new; I didn't know of anyone claiming that Canon integrated the 2x TC into an existing design.

But perhaps what you're thinking of is the rumour of a completely new lens with DO, the EF 800mm f/5.6 DO IS USM. That is largely considereda fake.

If you want to keep track of all the more or less ludicrous rumours that have appeared during the past years, check this site out:

Northlight Images - New Canon EF Lenses

This is of course a page that wouldn't exist without the Canon 1DS Mk3 rumours page.

But they're just that -- rumours.
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Jan

Fotophil

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Canon 400mm DO
« Reply #42 on: February 27, 2007, 12:15:23 am »

I have been shooting with a 400mm DO for several years. It is a great best bird flight lens for hand held shooting. For me, my best 400mm DO images seem to be taken against open sky with no distracting backgounds. The lens has a rather strange boken pattern which can be very distracting. It also does not treat bright specular highlights very well. I have had to use Gausssian Blur to clean-up some backgrounds - lots of extra Photoshop time!!

Despite the shortcomings , I continue to shoot the 400mm DO because of the combination of relatively light weight and BALANCE. The lens is not front heavy as is the 300mm f/2.8 which is probably the main reason that it is so easy to hand hold. In comparison, the 300mm f/2.8 with 1.4x is rather front heavy and not much fun to hand hold.

I would not recommend the 400mm DO to you without knowing your application. It is a specialized lens with definite limitations. Based upon my tests, the lens is about as sharp as the 300mm f/2.8 with a 1.4 extender. The 300mm is sharper when used without the extender. The 400mm DO works just O:K with a 1.4X - not acceptable to me with a 2X.

If you can live without IS and f/4 - the little 400mm f/5.6 lens would be a good candidate. Try it - you can always find a buyer if you don't like it!

Phil Lindsay
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