May 14, 2013
One of the most-talked-about lenses of recent memory is finally here. And you can have one for $11,799. It's the new super-telephoto zoom lens, the EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM Extender 1.4x. Designed for use with all Canon EOS Digital SLR cameras, its top feature is the integrated 1.4x focal length extender and high-performance Image Stabilization technology. It certainly should offer exceptional shooting flexibility and range, ideal for sports or wildlife photography.
The lens features an optically matched built-in 1.4x extender that increases the maximum focal length to 560mm, simultaneously preserving image quality and enabling the seamless capture of distant, moving subjects. With a simple switch, photographers can easily increase zoom range, which is useful when it's difficult to change lenses quickly, and helps protect delicate equipment like a DSLR camera's image sensor in environments with dust, high humidity or other extreme environmental factors.
Peter Read Miller, an award-winning sports photographer, recently used the lens and dubbed it "incredibly versatile, replacing several different prime lenses that I would usually carry."
To help deliver beautiful, soft, image backgrounds, the lens features a 9-blade circular aperture. It also uses inner focusing, ring USM, a high-speed CPU and optimized autofocus algorithms for fast and accurate focusing. Quiet and smooth focus shifts - essential for filmmaking - are made possible with Canon's Power Focus mode.
Using advanced optical materials such as fluorite crystal and UD glass, the new lens provides excellent correction of chromatic aberration throughout the entire zoom range, and delivers high-quality images with high levels of resolution, color fidelity and contrast. With three image stabilization modes, (standard, panning, and during exposure only) and stabilization effective up to four shutter speed steps, the new EF 200-400mm lens provides excellent results for a wide range of subjects and shooting scenarios. The new lens also includes dust- and water-resistant construction designed for extended usage under harsh conditions.
The EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM Extender 1.4x zoom lens is expected to be available at the end of May for an estimated retail price of $11,799.00.
