100-400 V2 with the 1.4 V3 extender

I know the extender will make this about an f/8 lens. But outside in good light will I see a drop sharpness?

There will be a slight degradation in image quality.

To see how it would look, check out this site. (I always find it accurate compared to lenses that I own, so I trust it for comparing other lenses)

http://www.the-digital-picture.com …omp=0&FLIComp=5​&APIComp=2

I see the difference. Not sure I'm happy with that.

chuckmiller wrote in post #17821785
I see the difference. Not sure I'm happy with that.

TDP also says: (comparing Canon 100-400 II vs Sigma 150-600 Sports)
" Add a 1.4x to get the Canon up to 560mm and the two lenses have similar image sharpness."

Comparing to the Sigma 150-600 C:
"Add a 1.4x to get the Canon up to 560mm the Canon is still at least as sharp"

If you want to take a photo of a subject and 400mm focal length will not result in the subject being large enough in the frame, adding a 1.4 III TC is the best solution unless you want to spend 3 to 4 times the price on a longer super tele. (assuming your body can AF at f8 or you are happy with manual focus)

From my own personal experience, my 100-400 II with my 1.4 V3 extender shows only a very slight drop in I.Q. For me, not enough to worry about. I love the combo and would highly recommend it. The two together is giving me sharper images than my old 100-400 without an extender.

James P wrote in post #17822270
From my own personal experience, my 100-400 II with my 1.4 V3 extender shows only a very slight drop in I.Q. For me, not enough to worry about. I love the combo and would highly recommend it. The two together is giving me sharper images than my old 100-400 without an extender.

My experience has been similar with regards to image quality. The reduction is slight. The bigger issue for me is being restricted to just the center focus point. Since I only use the extender occasionally, though, it is a reasonable trade off for the added portability of the 100-400L II versus the Sigma 150-600 offerings.

I was torn between the 100-400 and the extra reach of a 150-600. That comes from when I once rented a 100-400 v1 for use at an airshow and needed even more reach very often. A friend of mine uses his 150-600 (Nikon mount) for birding and to me he often gets soft shots, and he is a 70+ year old well accomplished photographer. That makes me question buying the Sigma or Tamron.

Fast forward to today. I bought a 100-400 last night. What I should have done is rented both lenses FIRST to see what works!

And .. staying with all Canon components I expect my 5D3 will still AF well enough.

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chuckmiller wrote in post #17821758
I know the extender will make this about an f/8 lens. But outside in good light will I see a drop sharpness?

In good light (meaning direct, but soft, sunlight on the subject) I do not see any dropoff whatsoever with the 1.4v2 on my 100-400v2 . . . . when the camera-to-subject distance is rather close, such as within 130 feet or so.

At greater distances, there is a dropoff when comparing images without the TC to those with (when images are framed the same way in the camera).

In my experience, the TCs are not really great at bringing distant objects closer. . Rather, they work best when you use them to frame nearby subjects more tightly.


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Thank you, Tom. Good to know.

Don't forget that the longer the focal length and the further away your subject, the greater will be the effects of atmospherics, i.e., haze, heatwaves and bubbles, smog, dust, etc. Many times complaints about unsharp images are really due to to the inescapable results of atmospherics. Rarely will you find clear atmospherics such as at higher altitudes with constant, cool temps.

And while you are at it it, you might want to read this:

http://cpn.canon-europe.com …l&utm_campaign=​Newsletter

Here are a couple comparison shots I took this summer. The first was with the 1.4x TC at 520mm and f/8, and the 2nd was without at 400mm and f/7.1.

Yes, a 1.4x on the new 100-400mm will provide very usable sharp results.

I use a 1.4 v2 with my 100-400v2 at airshows and there is minor loss in sharpness if you pixel peep. The whole point is to fill more of the frame so try not to crop in too much and you'll be happy. 560mm f10 example provided. entire frame and 1:1 crop LR sharpening set to zero and no output sharpening. 800mm probably would have been ideal for this size airplane and distance

Thank you.