To help us provide you with free impartial advice, we may earn a commission if you buy through links on our site. Learn more
1 / 6
Canon’s own top-end lenses have long been objects of desire for photographers. Outstanding image and build quality come as standard, with the lenses being weather-sealed for working in the most inhospitable of climates. However, the new Canon EF 200-400 F4.0 we saw today goes one better.We go hunting big-game at the Birmingham NEC with Canon’s new monster lensAt this top-end level, camera companies such as Canon aren’t known primarily of innovation. Serious photographers like things to work as they’d expect and so change is rare and new features (on a lens especially) are rarer still, but here Canon has come up trumps with a simple idea.
You see the lens may be weather proof, and the camera too, but if you need to swap lenses you may have a problem. More specifically, if the 200-400mm focal length isn’t quite enough, you’d usually have to add a 1.4x or 2x extender to the lens to get the extra zoom. And in doing so you not only have to potentially expose lens and sensor to the elements, but also mess about unmounting and remounting a great big lens.From standard to 1.4x in the flick of a switch, simple but brilliantThe new Canon EF 200-400 F4.0 solves this problem with the flick of a switch. It’s the first lens Canon will release with a built-in 1.4x multiplier, which is controlled manually by a simple switch. That way you can keep your sensor safe, your arms from aching, plus it lets you switch far-faster than it was possible before. Meaning some photographers might be able to leave a whole second camera at home.It is big and it’s a little clever, but mainly it’s just heavy and expensive
The switch itself has a nice firm action – you aren’t going to be knocking it by accident. Canon wasn’t sure what effect exactly the multiplier would have on the F4.0 end-to-end aperture, or how much the lens might cost, but it looks like a great buy for wildlife enthusiasts and other outdoors types.
Written by
Seth Barton
Seth Barton is a manager for UX Writing at PlayStation Partners and was previously the editor of Expert Reviews.
Are home photo printers really worth it? Modern inkjet printers can output top quality photos, but is it worth investing or should you send your photos to a print service?
