Questions About EF 400mm f/5.6L USM Lens

[Styner]

Hi Y’all what is a Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L USM Super Telephoto Lens for Canon? What do they mean by EF ? is 400 mm good? I am trying to take pictures of wildlife now far away. I have a canon rebel T3. I am looking for a good lens that will capture wildlife giving me high-quality photos that are taken far away.  I’m looking to spend under $900

[rs-eos]

EF is the type of mount that the lens would require to attach to a camera.  Your T3 would be able to work with EF-S or EF mount lenses to include an EF 400mm f/5.6.

Do you have a rough idea of how far away your typical wildlife will be?   There may be better options depending upon that answer.

[Styner]

Several hundred feet away

[rs-eos]

At a 1/4 mile away, even with a 400mm lens on your APS-C camera, your subject will be very tiny within the frame.  Here's an estimate showing a human-sized figure:

Size in frame for 400mm on APS-C body at 1/4 mile

[deebatman316]

EF & EF-S lens mount is what Canon uses. 

• EF: Full Frame/ 35mm & APS-C compatible (original EOS Lenses)
• EF-S: APS-C (1.6x) only works on APS-C cameras (20D-90D, All Rebel Digital or XXXXD, XXXD, cameras)
• L: Luxury/ Professional grade lenses (only available in EF Mount ONLY no EF-S) Has red ring on barrel
• DO: Diffractive Optics (Has Green ring on barrel)
• IS: Image Stabilization 
• USM: AF Motor type. There are 3 different variants Ring Type (best and fastest shaped like a ring, MF can be Focus by Wire or mechanical connection with a clutch under focus ring), Micro Motor (cheaper version not as fast uses gears, Full time manual focus is not possible), Nano USM (hybrid STM & Ring Type USM, Focus by wire).
• STM: STepper Motor Quiet AF Motor (supports full time manual, Focus by wire)
• AFD: Arc Form Drive/ (originally named Autofocus Drive) Original EOS AF Motor no longer in use
• I, II, III, IV, V: Some lenses have many revisions such as the 24-70mm F/2.8L lens for example
• Macro: Macro lens with 1:1 magnification
• MP-E: Manual Focus & high magnification lens with electronic aperture control.
• TS-E: Tilt Shift Electronic Aperture Control. Lens is manual focus with electronic aperture control.
• Soft Focus: Lens is designed to add creamy bokeh 

[Styner]

Thank you!

[Tronhard]

My colleagues have already explained some of the issues associated with your question as regards the lens itself, but there are significant issues that need to be addressed before we can suggest the suitability of a lens.  I shoot mostly wildlife and must say that your range of 1/4 to 1/2 mile is extreme, and begs some questions:
1. Precisely what are you shooting that requires such a long distance to subject?  
2. How big is it?  The only kind of wildlife that I can think of that would require such long distances would be whales or similar - but they are usually very large...
3. What do you intend to produce: i.e., images for social media, for small prints or for large, detailed prints or submission to a magazine.  Your comments suggest 'high-quality photos' but what precisely does that mean in terms of output resolution.

[kvbarkley]

At that distance, you might want to try one of the 150-600 mm lenses from Tamron or Sigma. Since this is a big purchase, I suggest you rent what you are thinking about to try it out. LensRentals is a good place to rent from.

[Styner]

Hi Y’all what is a Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L USM Super Telephoto Lens for Canon? What do they mean by EF ? is 400 mm good? I am trying to take pictures of wildlife that is several hundreds of feet away. I have a canon rebel T3. I am looking for a good lens that will capture wildlife giving me high-quality photos that are taken far away.  I’m looking to spend under $900

[shadowsports]

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@Styner wrote:

Hi Y’all what is a Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L USM Super Telephoto Lens for Canon? What do they mean by EF ? is 400 mm good? I am trying to take pictures of wildlife that is several hundreds of feet away. I have a canon rebel T3. I am looking for a good lens that will capture wildlife giving me high-quality photos that are taken far away.  I’m looking to spend under $900

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Hi Y’all what is a Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L USM Super Telephoto Lens for Canon?  

A: This is a lens Canon made in 1993

What do they mean by EF ?

A: "EF" is a lens mount designation or type.

Is 400 mm good?

A; Depends on what you are taking pictures of.  This lens does not have IS, so you might want to consider a tripod.  The slightest movement could cause blur in your images.  Because this lens was designed for a full frame camera, your field of view will be more narrow if used on a body with an APS-C sensor.  Your T3 is an example.  

Prime or fixed focal length lenses can be really good, but they can also present challenges since they cannot zoom.  This means you have to physically move closer or farther from your subject when composing your image.  

I am trying to take pictures of wildlife that is several hundreds of feet away. I have a canon rebel T3. I am looking for a good lens that will capture wildlife giving me high-quality photos that are taken far away.  I’m looking to spend under $900

A: I think a better lens for your purpose might be a Sigma 150-600mm Contemporary.  You should be able to find one at or slightly below your price point.  In addition, the T3 is a very old camera now. 12 yrs old and 12MP's.  You may want to consider an upgrade there as well.  However, the two will work together.