Would you recommend a good quality 400mm lens for my EOS Rebel T3i

[cgates326]

I want to upgrade from a 250mm lens to a 300 or 400mm lens for my EOS Rebel T3i.  I know that some of the canon lenses are incompatible but my technical skills are lacking so I don't know the best lenses for my camera.  Suggestions?

[RobertTheFat · Accepted solution]

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@cgates326 wrote:

I want to upgrade from a 250mm lens to a 300 or 400mm lens for my EOS Rebel T3i.  I know that some of the canon lenses are incompatible but my technical skills are lacking so I don't know the best lenses for my camera.  Suggestions?

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All Canon lenses currently in production (except the "M" series, which are for Canon's line of mirrorless cameras) are compatible with your T3i. The incompatibility is in the other direction: EF-S lenses, which are designed exclusively for "crop-frame" cameras like yours, cannot be used on full-frame cameras, such as the 1DX, the 6D, and the 5D series.

[RobertTheFat · Accepted solution]

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@cgates326 wrote:

Thanks for the info.  Do you know the difference between the

Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM Lens

and the

Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM Lens

There seems to be a $1000 difference between the IS and the IS II

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No, I don't. But there are probably some in this forum who do. Ernie Biggs, for example, knows the Canon lens line very well and has owned most of them at one time or another.

Generally speaking, the "II" or "III" designation on a lens indicates an upgrade in optical and/or mechanical quality since the original release of the lens. Some such upgrades are very significant, resulting in a lens that bears little physical resemblance to the original. Whether a given upgrade is worth an additional $1000 is left as an exercise for the potential purchaser. 

[cicopo · Accepted solution]

The main differences between the 100-400 L IS & the NEW L IS ll are better IS on the new lens, marginally better IQ at the edges & the original is a push / pull zoom while the new one is a twist to zoom lens. Many claim there is more than a bit better IQ but the tests say otherwise. According to Lens Rentals the new lens is VERY well built.

[RobertTheFat · Accepted solution]

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@cgates326 wrote:

I want to upgrade from a 250mm lens to a 300 or 400mm lens for my EOS Rebel T3i.  I know that some of the canon lenses are incompatible but my technical skills are lacking so I don't know the best lenses for my camera.  Suggestions?

---

All Canon lenses currently in production (except the "M" series, which are for Canon's line of mirrorless cameras) are compatible with your T3i. The incompatibility is in the other direction: EF-S lenses, which are designed exclusively for "crop-frame" cameras like yours, cannot be used on full-frame cameras, such as the 1DX, the 6D, and the 5D series.

[cgates326]

Thanks for the info.  Do you know the difference between the

Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM Lens

and the

Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM Lens

There seems to be a $1000 difference between the IS and the IS II

[RobertTheFat · Accepted solution]

---

@cgates326 wrote:

Thanks for the info.  Do you know the difference between the

Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM Lens

and the

Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM Lens

There seems to be a $1000 difference between the IS and the IS II

---

No, I don't. But there are probably some in this forum who do. Ernie Biggs, for example, knows the Canon lens line very well and has owned most of them at one time or another.

Generally speaking, the "II" or "III" designation on a lens indicates an upgrade in optical and/or mechanical quality since the original release of the lens. Some such upgrades are very significant, resulting in a lens that bears little physical resemblance to the original. Whether a given upgrade is worth an additional $1000 is left as an exercise for the potential purchaser. 

[cicopo · Accepted solution]

The main differences between the 100-400 L IS & the NEW L IS ll are better IS on the new lens, marginally better IQ at the edges & the original is a push / pull zoom while the new one is a twist to zoom lens. Many claim there is more than a bit better IQ but the tests say otherwise. According to Lens Rentals the new lens is VERY well built.

[ebiggs1 · Accepted solution]

Recently sold my ef 100-400mm version I.  I used it for several years.  Most of the issues you read about it are not true.  I have since bought and am using a Tamron 150-600mm and a pair of Sigma 150-600mm (an S and a C) lenses.  I can tell you without doubt any of these are very nice lenses.

I have not bought the new ef 100-400mm but I can say after just a short while playing a friend's lens, it is totally different.  It is a complete redesign.