Your impressions of the Canon 100-400mm L IS?

[Triplenickle]

I get my 100-400mm next week and want to make sure it is a "good copy".. any suggestions/experiences with this lens?

 

[valdore]

I have one... totally fantastic lens. Although handheld at 400 mm even with IS activated can still be problematic. Sometimes I'll bump up the ISO speed to get a faster shutter. But, overall I love this lens.

 

[compuwar]

I get my 100-400mm next week and want to make sure it is a "good copy".. any suggestions/experiences with this lens?

I've only shot with one sample, it's about what you'd expect for a prosumer zoom of this class- good quality images until you compare it with pro glass in the same focal length. It's push/pull focus, so some folks complain it drags dust into the body.

IMO, Photodo has it right on:
http://www.photodo.com/topic_74.html

Here's a good review/comparison with the 400/5.6 and Bigma:
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1029&message=12049012

 

[Triplenickle]

Thanks for the replies so far. I have the 70-300mm IS now and wanted more reach and better IQ. We will see soon if the copy is a good one.