EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM Review WOW!

Jorgac wrote in post #18862934
One of the things I do miss with Canon was this lens. A great lens to take on vacation with you when space is limited. These were with the 1.4X converter in Iceland. If anyone could id the bird for me I'd appreciate it.

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Super pics! It's a Black-tailed Godwit (Limosa limosa islandica)

Archibald wrote in post #18863411
I usually redo the MFA each spring. I do find variation, but it is just a couple of points. Any time you do measuring of any kind, you will get variation due to chance.

There can also be the issue of AF inconsistency due to the lens, but that is a different issue!

This is true with any method. It is always windy in Manitoba. You can't work and think lol. An old joke trying to build something outdoors on a very windy day. Also I just second guess my results too much which is I prefer Focal that tells me what adjustment to use.

As for MFA I was never thrilled about these various distance recommendations by different authors. When MFA first came out in a blog Chuck Westfall (RIP) said Canon recommended 50X but said said if you can do better. I thought what? I'm not whittling a toy horse. I'm working on thousands of dollars of precision equipment. You engineered it, you provide a reliable method.

I think 50X was suggested at first because it was more forgiving so less customer problems and support calls. As this matured at location or the distance you normally shoot at made the most sense. The camera manuals say it is best to do this at the location.

I'm always curious about Romy Ocon's approach. The first image shows a 500mm lens and at 50X which is 82 ft total DOF is 1.93 ft. At MFD which is 12 ft total DOF is 0.04 ft. So a drastic difference. I had to re-MFA one body at 560 and didn't have the space so I went about half the minimal distance Focal recommended and it seems OK. I'm going to experiment more with this one day when I need to MFA. Distances for some telephoto lenses are impractical.

digital paradise wrote in post #18863423
This is true with any method. It is always windy in Manitoba. You can't work and think lol. An old joke trying to build something outdoors on a very windy day. Also I just second guess my results too much which is I prefer Focal that tells me what adjustment to use.

As for MFA I was never thrilled about these various distance recommendations by different authors. When MFA first came out in a blog Chuck Westfall (RIP) said Canon recommended 50X but said said if you can do better. I thought what? I'm not whittling a toy horse. I'm working on thousands of dollars of precision equipment. You engineered it, you provide a reliable method.

I think 50X was suggested at first because it was more forgiving so less customer problems and support calls. As this matured at location or the distance you normally shoot at made the most sense. The camera manuals say it is best to do this at the location.

Sounds like you've used Focal software on your 100/400 with good results. I don't have any reservations on spending money for a good product but the reviews seemed to be all over the place, some good some not so good plus software chrashes.Even though I used the green dot method with success I would prefer to use the software for more precise results. Thanks for posting.
Harry

Sorry for bumping so much. Things come back as I think about it. Many years ago during these conversations a member here said there was a company in Europe that did MFA with the super telephoto lenses at 21 ft or something like that. I asked for a link but never got one.

harryv wrote in post #18863467
Sounds like you've used Focal software on your 100/400 with good results. I don't have any reservations on spending money for a good product but the reviews seemed to be all over the place, some good some not so good plus software chrashes.Even though I used the green dot method with success I would prefer to use the software for more precise results. Thanks for posting.
Harry

No problem. It was a little wishy washy went it first came out but they really stabilised it with newer releases. I have been using it for about 4 years and repeat tests are consistent. Distance, lighting, target and ink type of said target are all important. Some don't read the manual.

digital paradise wrote in post #18863470
No problem. It was a little wishy washy went it first came out but they really stabilised it with newer releases. I have been using it for about 4 years and repeat tests are consistent. Distance, lighting, target and ink type of said target are all important. Some don't read the manual.

Thank you, did you purchase the software on a download or a disk from a dealer? If you don't mind. Thank you!
Harry

Jack Dawe wrote in post #18863416
Super pics! It's a Black-tailed Godwit (Limosa limosa islandica)

Thank you, Jack.

harryv wrote in post #18863476
Thank you, did you purchase the software on a download or a disk from a dealer? If you don't mind. Thank you!
Harry

I downloaded it from the site.

An edit. The target needed a lot of light for the early versions but that was corrected as well.

Thank you.
Harry

Lot's of good free ones out there. I hate to say it something is great when it comes to money. It is like telling people about a great restaurant you ate at for years and then the one time they go.

I'm picky about MFA. Last year I rented a community college to MFA at 800m If a lens is really out like over 10 I'll send it to Canon. Check to see if you can get a refund in case you don't like it. I can only say it worked good for me.

Taken on a boat, at sunset, lighting was not idea. IS mode 3 on this lens worked very good.

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More from the boat.

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