Canon 400mm f5.6L USM is a Fixed aperture Auto Focus (AF)
Super Telephoto Prime lens with 35mm FF max sensor coverage, and it is designed to be used with
EF Mount cameras.
What type of photography is the Canon 400mm f5.6L USM lens good for?
The type of photography that you are planning to use the Canon 400mm f5.6L USM is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated its suitability to various photography scenarios:
Canon 400mm f5.6L USM is a member of Canon's EF L series of lenses. Below you can see the latest lenses in this series.
EF L Series Lenses in Canon EF Mount
Reasons to Buy Canon EF 400mm f5.6L USM Lens
Here we've included a summary of the advantages and disadvantages of the Canon EF 400mm f5.6L USM lens in a list form to help you determine whether it offers the features you need.
| Autofocus |
| Distance Scale |
| DoF(Depth of Field) Scale |
| Compatible with Canon Teleconverters |
| Hood supplied |
| Tripod Collar |
| Full-time Manual Focusing |
| Covers Full-Frame Sensor |
| 8 Diaphragm Blades for Smooth Bokeh |
| 400mm reach great for Wildlife Photography |
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| Slow Aperture for a Prime Lens |
| Heavy |
Lens Mount
Canon 400mm f5.6L USM is compatible with cameras that have a Canon EF lens mount. Some of the latest released cameras that are compatible with the Canon EF lenses are Canon 1D X III, Canon 6D MII and Canon 5D MIV.
Size, Weight and Filter Thread
Size and weight is a very important decision factor when searching for your next lens. Canon 400mm f5.6L USM has a maximum diameter of 90mm and total length of 257mm. It weighs 1250g / 44.1 oz.
Canon 400mm f5.6L USM has a filter thread of 77mm. Below are links to the filters that we recommend you to consider for your Canon 400mm f5.6L USM:
Focal Range
Canon 400mm f5.6L USM has a fixed focal length of 400mm. When it is mounted on an APS-C sensor camera with 1.6x crop, it provides an 35mm (FF) equivalent of 640mm.
Teleconverter Compatibility
Canon 400mm f5.6L USM is compatible with the Teleconverters below. With the use of these TC/extenders, you can find how the total focal reach and effective aperture of your Canon 400mm f5.6L USM changes below:
Canon 400mm f5.6L USM Focal Range and Aperture Change with Teleconverter
Tripod Collar
With a total length of 257mm and a weight of 1250g, the Canon 400mm f5.6L USM is a large lens. Fortunately, it comes with a tripod collar which you can use to attach the lens directly to a tripod or monopod instead of attaching the camera. This connection helps to better balance the lens/kit combination.
Optical Image Stabilization
Canon 400mm f5.6L USM doesn't have an optical image stabilization system so the only option to stabilize the image taken with this lens is to mount on a camera body with IBIS (sensor based In-body image stabilization).
Alternatively, you can check the Canon 400mm f2.8L IS II USM in Canon EF mount that have similar focal range but features Optical Image Stabilization.
Lenses Similar to Canon 400mm f5.6L USM With Optical Image Stabilization
Maximum Magnification Ratio
Canon 400mm f5.6L USM has a Max Magnification Ratio of 0.12x and has a minimum focusing distance of 3.5m. 0.12x means that the max magnification ratio is very low and not suitable even for modest close-up shots.
Below are the 3 Super Telephoto Prime type Canon12 mount lens alternatives with highest max magnification ratios:
Aperture
Canon 400mm f5.6L USM has a max aperture of F5.6 and a minimum aperture of F32.0.
Optical Formula
Canon 400mm f5.6L USM's optical formula consists of 7 elements in 6 groups . Special elements used in this design is 1 UD-glass element.
Lens Hood
Canon 400mm f5.6L USM comes with a built-in lens hood which is handy to reduce lens flare and glare in your photos.
Body Colour
Canon 400mm f5.6L USM is available in White color.
Popular Comparisons of Canon 400mm f5.6L USM
Here are the eight most popular comparisons of the Canon 400mm f5.6L USM amongst Camera Decision readers.
Top Alternatives of Canon 400mm f5.6L USM Lens
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