EF lenses

[dtcheung]

I hamm ve an EF 100-400 1:4.5-5.6 L IS lens and have been quite happy with it.  I bought it just before the version II came out.  It cannot be used in combination with a 1.4 version extender on my 70D.

Doesanybody know if this lens work with a 1.4 extender on a 7D Mark II or a 80D?

[Waddizzle]

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@dtcheung wrote:

I hamm ve an EF 100-400 1:4.5-5.6 L IS lens and have been quite happy with it.  I bought it just before the version II came out.  It cannot be used in combination with a 1.4 version extender on my 70D.

Doesanybody know if this lens work with a 1.4 extender on a 7D Mark II or a 80D?

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By "cannot be used .... on my 70D", do you mean that it won't focus properly?  Because that should be the issue.  Do you know why that extender and lens combo do not work on your 70D?  It's because the camera cannot focus at f/8 apertures.

As to your question, both the 7D Mark II and the 80D have a center AF point that focus at f/8, which means either camera should work with your 100-400mm lens a 1.4x extender.  But, you will have to check the version of the extender, too.  I think the 80D will only work with the latest version, 1.4x III.

[dtcheung]

Yes, I was talking about autofocusing.  The older version of EF 100-400 mm 1:4.5-5.6 IS lens does not work with the 1.4 extender version II or III, eventhough 4.5 x 1.4 = 6.3 and 5.6 X 1.4 = 7.84 which are less than 8.  The Canon website for the extender stated that it does not work and I should have known better.  I have both the 1.4x and 2x version III extender and have been sitting their collecting dust.  I am about to upgrade my camera to either the 80D or 7DII.  I have also a 5D Mark III with EF 24-70 version II (not IS) and EF 70-200 mm f/2.8 version II IS...) The 80D or 7DII will be for birding (faster burst rates ad crop sensor).  I am leaning on the 80D because it is newer with articulated screen though not the 1/5/7D series.  I don't want to buy the new camera and finding out that my 100-400 mm won't take the 1.4 extender on the 80D or 7DII.  If it works, I will be quite happy with 560 mm (with the extender) plus the 1.6 crop factor...

I am also thinking about, instead, getting a commercial version of the Sigma 150-600mm which is lighter than their Sports model, has a very good review and would give me up to 960 mm on the cropped sensor...

Of course I can bite the bullet and buy the f/2.8 400mm prime lens at above $4K to be used with my 2x extender...(can't afford it)...

Any thoughts or advice?

[ebiggs1]

IMHO, tele extenders are always a bad idea.  More like a band aid.  Yes, you can get them to work but it is never as good as it is without them.

If you have the coin buy the 7D MkII and the big Siggy C 150-600mil zoom.  Life will become easier and you will be happier. 

[RobertTheFat]

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@ebiggs1 wrote:

IMHO, tele extenders are always a bad idea.  More like a band aid.  Yes, you can get them to work but it is never as good as it is without them. ...

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You say that at every opportunity, Ernie, but I think it masks a salient point. Which is that there can be compelling reasons (size, weight, cost, ...) to accept a slight degradation in image quality in return for the functionality of an extender vs an additional lens.

[ebiggs1]

Robert,

I did admit, "...you can get them to work but it is never as good as it is without them. ...".  So I also admit they do have a tiny bit of usefulness.  Very tiny!

They all seem to work well on any of the 70-200mm f2.8 lenses that everybody makes anymore.  I have one for each lens brand I own.

[Waddizzle]

"Yes, I was talking about autofocusing.  The older version of EF 100-400 mm 1:4.5-5.6 IS lens does not work with the 1.4 extender version II or III, eventhough 4.5 x 1.4 = 6.3 and 5.6 X 1.4 = 7.84 which are less than 8. "

Yes, both 6.3 and 7.84 are less than 8.  If the center AF point can focus at f/8, then that camera body should be able to focus with your lens/extender combo.  But, your 70D center AF point cannot focus out to f/8.  It can only focus reliably to f/5.6. 

[Waddizzle]

"Yes, I was talking about autofocusing.  The older version of EF 100-400 mm 1:4.5-5.6 IS lens does not work with the 1.4 extender version II or III,...."

Actually, those 1.4x extenders should work with the older 100-400mm lens.  They just will not work with that lens on certain Canon camera bodies, like the 70D.

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"I am about to upgrade my camera to either the 80D or 7DII.  ...  ...   I am leaning on the 80D because it is newer with articulated screen though not the 1/5/7D series."

An online vendor like B&H have experts that can tell you whether or not certain combos of gear will or will not work together.  I am pretty certain that your older 100-400mm and 1.4x III should work with either the 80D or 7D2. 

But, it doesn't hurt to check with experts, who actually have the gear on hand and can test it together, like Canon Support, 1-800-OK-CANON.

Having an articulated screen is not game changer feature for me.  How often do you expect to use it when you're out somewhere shooting birds in flight?  To me, it is just another thing that can break.  An articulated screen would only be useful to me under certan scenarios when I am shooting from a tripod, like macro photography.

With the introduction of the 5D Mark IV, curiously enough, the price of the 7D Mark II seems to have dropped more than the 5D Mark III.  I see this as a sign that there is a 7D Mark II upgrade just around the corner.

[ebiggs1]

"Having an articulated screen is not game changer feature for me."

If there were two models exactly alike, one with an articulated screen and one without, I will buy the one without 100% of the time.  They are simply a gimmick. 

[RobertTheFat]

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@ebiggs1 wrote:

"Having an articulated screen is not game changer feature for me."

If there were two models exactly alike, one with an articulated screen and one without, I will buy the one without 100% of the time.  They are simply a gimmick. 

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until you have to hold the camera over the heads of people in front of you in order to get the shot.