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Rent NowNOTE: Does not include tripod ring. Some artifacts in between lens elements, does not seem to affect image quality.
The Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM is a professional-grade telephoto zoom lens built for wildlife, sports, and action photographers who need extended reach without stepping up to a super-telephoto prime. As part of Canon’s L-series lineup, it pairs rugged build quality with the flexibility of a wide zoom range, making it a longtime favorite for photographers who need to react quickly to distant or moving subjects.
Optically, the lens is constructed from 17 elements in 14 groups and covers a focal range of 100-400mm, with a variable maximum aperture of f/4.5 at the wide end narrowing to f/5.6 at full telephoto. This design allows photographers to shoot everything from mid-range action to distant wildlife with a single lens, and on APS-C bodies the effective reach extends further due to the crop factor. An 8-blade aperture diaphragm contributes to smooth background rendering, particularly useful for isolating subjects at the longer end of the zoom range.
A distinguishing feature of this lens is its push-pull zoom mechanism, rather than the twist-ring design common on most modern zooms. This one-handed operation allows for fast focal length changes, which many action and wildlife shooters find advantageous when tracking unpredictable subjects, though it differs from what photographers accustomed to rotating zoom rings may expect. The lens incorporates Canon’s ring-type USM autofocus motor, providing fast, quiet autofocus along with full-time manual focus override for fine-tuning focus without leaving AF mode.
Canon’s Image Stabilizer (IS) system is built in, helping counteract camera shake and enabling handheld shooting at slower shutter speeds than would otherwise be possible at these focal lengths. As an L-series lens, it features weather-resistant construction to hold up in demanding outdoor conditions, along with a durable metal barrel built for professional use. A rotating tripod mount is included as part of the lens design, allowing the camera and lens assembly to be quickly switched between horizontal and vertical orientations when mounted on a tripod or monopod.
The lens has a minimum focusing distance of approximately 1.8m, yielding a maximum magnification of about 0.20x, and accepts 77mm filters. It is compatible with both full-frame and APS-C Canon EF-mount cameras, giving it broad applicability across Canon’s DSLR lineup.
Key Features
– 100-400mm telephoto zoom for Canon EF mount
– Maximum aperture f/4.5-5.6 (variable)
– L-series build with weather-resistant construction
– Push-pull zoom mechanism for fast one-handed focal length changes
– Ring-type USM autofocus motor with full-time manual focus override
– Built-in Image Stabilizer (IS)
– 17 elements in 14 groups optical construction
– 8-blade aperture diaphragm
– Rotating tripod mount
– Minimum focusing distance of approximately 1.8m
– Maximum magnification of approximately 0.20x
– 77mm filter thread
– Compatible with full-frame and APS-C Canon EF-mount cameras
