Canon 400mm f5.6

[Alioff]

Would canon 7D Mark ii's auto focus work with Canon 400mm f5.6 when 1.4x extender attached? I know the autofocus will work with 1d series when 1.4x extender attached, I was wondering if it works with the newer SLRs.

[diverhank · Accepted solution]

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@Alioff wrote:

Would canon 7D Mark ii's auto focus work with Canon 400mm f5.6 when 1.4x extender attached? I know the autofocus will work with 1d series when 1.4x extender attached, I was wondering if it works with the newer SLRs.

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Yes it will work but you will have only the center point plus 4 assists.  As far as I know only the 80D, 5DIII, 7DII and the 1D series will AF at f/8

[ebiggs1 · Accepted solution]

"Would canon 7D Mark ii's auto focus work with Canon 400mm f5.6 when 1.4x extender attached?"

It may 'work' but you won't like it.  It's not a great idea.   IMHO, of course.

[TTMartin · Accepted solution]

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@Alioff wrote:

Would canon 7D Mark ii's auto focus work with Canon 400mm f5.6 when 1.4x extender attached? I know the autofocus will work with 1d series when 1.4x extender attached, I was wondering if it works with the newer SLRs.

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Taken Tuesday with the 7D Mk II and EF 100-400 L IS II and 1.4X TC at 560mm. The AF worked fine.

As already mentioned you are limited to center spot, center AF point, or center AF point with 4 AF expansion points.

[Alioff · Accepted solution]

Thank you. I was deciding between 7d mark ii and a used 1d mark4.

[kvbarkley · Accepted solution]

prime vs zoom does not matter, what matters is f/5.6 at 400 mm.

[TTMartin · Accepted solution]

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@Alioff wrote:
I meant the prime lens, 400mmf5.6 and not the 100-400. I have the lens, and shopping for a new camera

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The 7D Mk II will AF at f/8. Regardless if it is the EF 400mm f/5.6L with a 1.4X TC or the EF 100-400mm L IS II with a 1.4X TC.

[TTMartin · Accepted solution]

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@Alioff wrote:
Thank you. I was deciding between 7d mark ii and a used 1d mark4.

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With the 1D Mk IV f/8 is only with a single horizontal AF point. f/8 AF is not cross type or have the 4 expansion points like the 7D Mk II. 

[ebiggs1 · Accepted solution]

I guess you can see from sample it is soft and likely what you can expect.  With super teles the keeper rate is very important because as focal length increases, so do all the issues.  Adding an extender just adds more.

BTW ........

If you are seriously considering a decision between the 1D Mk II and a 1D Mk IV, you need to consider all the specs.  The Mk IV may not have as many AF points at f8 but in virtually every other spec it is the better camera.  But it does depend on what you intend using it for.

The Mk IV with its larger sensor with larger pixels is hard to over look. Much longer battery life and on and on.  There is no way I would have a 7D Mk II over a Mk IV if it was my only camera.  

[TTMartin · Accepted solution]

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@Alioff wrote:
I have a 5d marking now and looking to buy a crop sensor camera. Used 1d mark 4 is about the same price of a new 7d markii. This is why I am debating between the two. I like wild life photography.

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The 7D Mk II is a better choice over the 1D Mk IV. From the 7D Mk II's better AF system, to a greater crop factor, the 7D Mk II has the same high ISO perfromance, the same batteries as the 5D Mk II or Mk III, same degree of weather sealing as the 1D Mk IV, the choice of using a battery grip to give you similar ergonomics to the 1D camera, or the choice to go without the grip for a smaller more compact camera.

[Waddizzle]

"The Mk IV just feels better, too. It is more rugged.  Once you go I series, you will never go back!" 

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"Once you use a battery grip, you may never want to do without one again."  FIFY. 

BTW, I've tested out a Mark IV at my local camera shop, and didn't like the grip.  On my 6D, the Canon grip puts the buttons in the exact same locations when you turn the camera to portrait mode. The feel is identical in either direction.

Not so with the 1D Mark IV.  The feel of the rotated camera is different, and the buttons are in different locations.  There is an entirely different feel to the camera in portrait mode.  On a practical level, I don't rotate the camera too often, and when I do it is almost always on a tripod.

I would hesitate before buying a 7D Mark II, over a used Mark IV, mainly because of the various quirks and complaints folks have made about it.  The biggest stumbling block for me would be the APS-H sensor, which is what allows it to be so fast.

[TTMartin]

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@Waddizzle wrote:

I would hesitate before buying a 7D Mark II, over a used Mark IV, mainly because of the various quirks and complaints folks have made about it.  The biggest stumbling block for me would be the APS-H sensor, which is what allows it to be so fast.

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Every camera Canon has ever introduced has had various quirks and complaints. 

Just Google '1D Mk IV focus issues'. 

Most complaints can be traced back to user issues, rather than the camera.

This is especially true with a complex camera like the 7D Mk II which is priced so that many more inexperienced users can buy it. So it is going to have a lot more RTFM and inexperienced user issues. 

[Waddizzle]

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@TTMartin wrote:

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@Waddizzle wrote:

I would hesitate before buying a 7D Mark II, over a used Mark IV, mainly because of the various quirks and complaints folks have made about it.  The biggest stumbling block for me would be the APS-H sensor, which is what allows it to be so fast.

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Every camera Canon has ever introduced has had various quirks and complaints. 

Just Google '1D Mk IV focus issues'. 

Most complaints can be traced back to user issues, rather than the camera.

This is especially true with a complex camera like the 7D Mk II which is priced so that many more inexperienced users can buy it. So it is going to have a lot more RTFM and inexperienced user issues. 

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Yup.  Like I said, the biggest strike against the Mark IV is the sensor.  In a way, it is a major step backwards going from a 20MP full frame on a 6D, to a 16MP APS-H sensor.  I've been dabbling at shooting birds, I'm mostly a still photographer.  All of the features that make a Mark IV attractive to the real photoheads out there are not as important to me, at least not yet anyway. 

I'd take a similar stance, regarding the sensor, with the 7D Mark II.  Going from a 20MP full frame to a 20MP APS-C sensor is a step backwards in image quality, too. The AF features of the 7D Mark II are nice, but they are not as useful to me as they would be for an action photographer.  But, hey, I never figured I'd have folks asking to do Little League shoots, either.

But, I'd bet that the AF system in the 7D Mark II is going to trickle across into new camera releases over the next year, or so.  One thing I love about the EOS M3 is the built-in focus peaking.  I didn't realize it had it until I used the camera.  It's a small camera with a smallish battery, so I had been planning on using the EOS-M adapter with smallish EOS lenses, like the pancake lenses and the nifty fifty. 

With the focus peaking, the 24MP M3 sings with my fully manual, cinema lenses.  Instead of 200 shots on a single charge, I can get hundreds and hundreds of shots between charges.  If Canon added focus peaking to any of their new releases, those cameras would sell like hot cakes, once people realized what it can mean when you're shooting video.  You can set up a shot that needs varying focus in seconds, instead of minutes.

[TTMartin]

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@Waddizzle wrote:

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@TTMartin wrote:

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@Waddizzle wrote:

I would hesitate before buying a 7D Mark II, over a used Mark IV, mainly because of the various quirks and complaints folks have made about it.  The biggest stumbling block for me would be the APS-H sensor, which is what allows it to be so fast.

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Every camera Canon has ever introduced has had various quirks and complaints. 

Just Google '1D Mk IV focus issues'. 

Most complaints can be traced back to user issues, rather than the camera.

This is especially true with a complex camera like the 7D Mk II which is priced so that many more inexperienced users can buy it. So it is going to have a lot more RTFM and inexperienced user issues. 

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Yup.  Like I said, the biggest strike against the Mark IV is the sensor.  In a way, it is a major step backwards going from a 20MP full frame on a 6D, to a 16MP APS-H sensor.  I've been dabbling at shooting birds, I'm mostly a still photographer.  All of the features that make a Mark IV attractive to the real photoheads out there are not as important to me, at least not yet anyway. 

I'd take a similar stance, regarding the sensor, with the 7D Mark II.  Going from a 20MP full frame to a 20MP APS-C sensor is a step backwards in image quality, too. The AF features of the 7D Mark II are nice, but they are not as useful to me as they would be for an action photographer.  But, hey, I never figured I'd have folks asking to do Little League shoots, either.

But, I'd bet that the AF system in the 7D Mark II is going to trickle across into new camera releases over the next year, or so.  One thing I love about the EOS M3 is the built-in focus peaking.  I didn't realize it had it until I used the camera.  It's a small camera with a smallish battery, so I had been planning on using the EOS-M adapter with smallish EOS lenses, like the pancake lenses and the nifty fifty. 

With the focus peaking, the 24MP M3 sings with my fully manual, cinema lenses.  Instead of 200 shots on a single charge, I can get hundreds and hundreds of shots between charges.  If Canon added focus peaking to any of their new releases, those cameras would sell like hot cakes, once people realized what it can mean when you're shooting video.  You can set up a shot that needs varying focus in seconds, instead of minutes.

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The OP is looking for a camera for wildlife photography, and unless you have an unlimited budget there is no better choice than the 7D Mk II. That crop sensor that you don't like gives you extra reach. When the EF 500mm f/4L IS II is $8000 and the EF 600mm f/4L IS II is $11,500, you start to realize why some people would want to have a crop sensor camera.

The 7D Mk II's focus system is tied to its 150,000-pixel RGB + IR metering sensor so it picks out wildlife against cluttered backgrounds like no other camera I've used (including the 1D Mk IV). The 80D's only has a 7560 pixel metering sensor. So while I agree the tech will trickle down to lower end cameras eventually, it hasn't currently. 

[Waddizzle]

"The OP is looking for a camera for wildlife photography, and unless you have an unlimited budget there is no better choice than the 7D Mk II. That crop sensor that you don't like gives you extra reach. When the EF 500mm f/4L IS II is $8000 and the EF 600mm f/4L IS II is $11,500, you start to realize why some people would want to have a crop sensor camera.

The 7D Mk II's focus system is tied to its 150,000-pixel RGB + IR metering sensor so it picks out wildlife against cluttered backgrounds like no other camera I've used. The 80D's only has a 7560 pixel metering sensor. So while I agree the tech will trickle down to lower end cameras eventually, it hasn't currently. "

I understand the extra reach part.  It's just not as important to me, a still photographer, as it might be for some people. 

I'm expecting some of the 7D Mark II's focus system to trickle across to a 6D Mark II, a 5D Mark IV, or maybe both.  But if they did that, that would leave a big question mark as to what would make a 7D Mark III standout from its' cousins.  As it stands right now the latest 5D, 6D, and 7D each has a little something that the other two do not have.  They'd want to maintain that.

[diverhank]

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@Waddizzle wrote:

I'm expecting some of the 7D Mark II's focus system to trickle across to a 6D Mark II, a 5D Mark IV, or maybe both.  But if they did that, that would leave a big question mark as to what would make a 7D Mark III standout from its' cousins.  As it stands right now the latest 5D, 6D, and 7D each has a little something that the other two do not have.  They'd want to maintain that.

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I suspect that Canon will improve the 7DII AF some more to make the 7D Mark III stand out.  The biggest AF improvement - which is already available in the 1DX II - will be the use of all focus points at f/8.

For a reach hungry guy like me, being able to use the 2X with the 600mm f/4 effectively  is very important.  With the 7DII, the AF is so sluggish, that with my skill level, I'd miss most of the action shots (like ospreys scooping up fish).  Prior to having the 7DII, I used to think having a high frame rate was not important.  I know different now.  Take this picture...the fast AF and 10 fps really helped. Canon 7DII, 600mm f/4L IS + 1.4X, f/5.6, 1/1600, ISO 1600

So you might wonder why I didn't get the 1DX II if AF with 2X and f/8 is so important? Again the problem is with reach...with the 1DX II, I'd lose that 1.6 factor which is huge for a reach hungry guy.

[Waddizzle]

" Prior to having the 7DII, I used to think having a high frame rate was not important.  I know different now.  Take this picture...the fast AF and 10 fps really helped." 

I have been discovering what a difference frame rate makes, just by trying to photograph bees pollinating flowers.  I cannot catch one airborne to save my life.  They're always out, or at the edge, of the frame with the 6D.  I can catch them in the frame more easily, and in better focus with the 1D Mark IV, but the angle of view is putting some at the edge of the frame.  I'm using a EF 100mm f/2.8L macro, BTW.

[diverhank]

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@Waddizzle wrote:

" Prior to having the 7DII, I used to think having a high frame rate was not important.  I know different now.  Take this picture...the fast AF and 10 fps really helped." 

I have been discovering what a difference frame rate makes, just by trying to photograph bees pollinating flowers.  I cannot catch one airborne to save my life.  They're always out, or at the edge, of the frame with the 6D.  I can catch them in the frame more easily, and in better focus with the 1D Mark IV, but the angle of view is putting some at the edge of the frame.  I'm using a EF 100mm f/2.8L macro, BTW.

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Catching bees does get easier with practice and with a camera with good focusing ability (like a 1D or 7DII) it is a lot easier...ever since I got the 7DII, catching bees has become fairly routine.  I also use the EF 100mm f/2.8L macro.  Below is one I recently got:

Canon 7D Mark II, 100mm f/2.8L IS Macro, f/5, 1/400, ISO 640

[Alioff]

Nice pix.

[diverhank]

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@Alioff wrote:
Nice pix.

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Thank you 🙂