Canon Announces EF 200‐400mm F/4L IS USM Lens
Today Canon has announced their long rumored 200-400 F4L IS Lens with built in 1.4x teleconverter. This lens could be yours for the low low price of $11,799. Yes this may be a very expensive lens but you have to look at what it offers.
The ability to have a 200-400 fixed F4 with built in 1.4x matched teleconverter is pretty amazing. What matched means is that the lens and converter share the same type of glass resulting in better image quality.
What is really interesting about this lens is your ability at a flick of the switch to turn your lens into a 560mm mega zoom. Why is this important, well you no longer have to carry around multiple prime lenses to get the same results. Second you no longer have to remove the lens from the camera in order to attach a teleconverter which slows you down and in certain environments may introduce dust in the camera.
This lens is perfect for professional sports and wildlife photographers. I can only imagine what it would be like to shoot with this lens in combination with the Canon 1DX. There is a very good chance I will be able to borrow this lens from BorrowLenses.com and put it through its paces.
CANON U.S.A. ANNOUNCES THE AVAILABILITY OF THE VERSATILE
EF 200‐400mm F/4L IS USM EXTENDER 1.4X SUPER-TELEPHOTO ZOOM LENS
Award-Winning Photographer Shares First-Hand Experiences with the EF 200-400mm F/4L IS USM Extender 1.4x lens
MELVILLE, N.Y., May 14, 2013 – Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digital imaging solutions, today announced a dynamic new super-telephoto zoom lens, the EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM Extender 1.4x. Designed for use with all Canon EOS Digital SLR cameras, the new L-series lens has an integrated 1.4x focal length extender and high‐performance Image Stabilization technology, offering exceptional shooting flexibility and range, ideal for sports or wildlife photography.
The new EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM Extender 1.4x zoom lens features an optically matched built-in 1.4x extender that increases the maximum focal length to 560mm, simultaneously preserving image quality and enabling the seamless capture of distant, moving subjects. With a simple switch, photographers can easily increase zoom range, which is extremely useful when it’s difficult to change lenses quickly, and helps protect delicate equipment like a DSLR camera’s image sensor in environments with dust, high humidity or other extreme environmental factors.
Peter Read Miller, an award-winning sports photographer and Canon Explorer of Light, recently used the new lens while shooting various worldwide sporting competitions.
“I had the opportunity recently to use Canon’s new 200-400 lens at a number of sporting events,” said Miller. “I found it to be incredibly versatile, replacing several different prime lenses that I would usually carry. The zoom allows me to control my framing; the autofocus has speed equal to or faster than most fixed focal length telephoto lenses and the ability to engage the 1.4 extender without taking my eye away from the camera is a unique feature not found in any other telephoto lens available today.”
To help deliver beautiful, soft, image backgrounds, the lens features a 9-blade circular aperture. The lens also utilizes inner focusing, ring USM, a high-speed CPU and optimized AF algorithms for fast and accurate autofocusing. Quiet and smooth focus shifts – essential for filmmaking – are made possible with Canon’s Power Focus mode.
Using advanced optical materials such as fluorite crystal and UD glass, the new lens provides excellent correction of chromatic aberration throughout the entire zoom range, and delivers high-quality images with high levels of resolution, color fidelity and contrast. With three image stabilization modes, (standard, panning, and during exposure only) and stabilization effective up to four shutter speed steps, the new EF 200-400mm lens provides excellent results for a wide range of subjects and shooting scenarios. The new lens also includes dust- and water-resistant construction designed for extended usage under harsh conditions.
“The EF 200-400 along with the Canon EOS-1D X camera body is my new ‘go–to’ combination for shooting sports,” concluded Miller.
The EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM Extender 1.4x zoom lens is expected to be available at the end of May for an estimated retail price of $11,799.00.
For more information about Canon’s new EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM Extender 1.4x lens, and a full list of product specifications, visit www.usa.canon.com.
About Canon U.S.A., Inc.
Canon U.S.A., Inc., is a leading provider of consumer, business-to-business, and industrial digital imaging solutions. With approximately $40 billion in global revenue, its parent company, Canon Inc. (NYSE:CAJ), ranks third overall in U.S. patents registered in 2012† and is one of Fortune Magazine’s World’s Most Admired Companies in 2013. In 2012, Canon U.S.A. received the PCMag.com Readers’ Choice Award for Service and Reliability in the digital camera and printer categories for the ninth consecutive year, and for camcorders for the past two years. Canon U.S.A. is committed to the highest level of customer satisfaction and loyalty, providing 100 percent U.S.-based consumer service and support for all of the products it distributes. Canon U.S.A. is dedicated to its Kyosei philosophy of social and environmental responsibility. To keep apprised of the latest news from Canon U.S.A., sign up for the Company’s RSS news feed by visiting www.usa.canon.com/rss.
