Canon EF 400mm F 4 DO IS II USM Bewertung | 54 Daten im Vergleich

The Canon EF 400mm f/4 DO IS II USM lens is hailed as a premier, lightweight super-telephoto option for wildlife and sports, offering massive optical improvements over its predecessor. Key advantages include exceptional edge-to-edge sharpness at f/4, negligible chromatic aberration, and a 2,100g weight allowing for extended handheld use, complemented by fast AF and effective 4-stop IS. Conversely, the lens comes with a high price tag and, under specific backlighting, may produce slight concentric circles in bokeh due to the diffractive optics. Additionally, the 3.3-meter close-focus distance limits tight shots on small subjects, and the f/4 aperture may require higher ISO settings in very low light compared to f/2.8 alternatives.

The Canon EF 400mm f/4 DO IS II USM earns an Editors' Choice for its remarkable engineering, featuring diffractive optics (DO) to achieve a compact, 4.6-pound build that offers exceptional edge-to-edge sharpness and zero distortion. This, durable, weather-resistant lens is ideal for professional, all-day shooting, producing high-resolution results with advanced, customizable controls. However, the lens is a premium investment priced at $6,899 and exhibits notable corner dimming (-1.2EV) at the maximum f/4 aperture, which improves at f/5.6. While providing excellent portability for a 400mm prime, it competes with more affordable, versatile zoom alternatives like the Canon EF 100-400mm for photographers not requiring a fixed f/4 aperture.

The Canon EF 400mm f/4 DO IS II USM lens is a specialized, professional-grade super-telephoto lens that uses third-generation Diffractive Optics (DO) to offer a lightweight, weather-sealed, and compact design ideal for wildlife and sports photography. Its primary advantages include outstanding, edge-to-edge sharpness across the frame even at the wide-open aperture of f/4, with peak performance at f/5.6, alongside a fast, silent Ring-type USM autofocus system. Conversely, the lens comes with a, very high price tag of roughly £7000 and a 3.3-meter minimum focus distance that makes it less suitable for close-up work. While optical performance is superb, sharpness begins to decline beyond f/11 due to diffraction.

The LensTip review concludes that the Canon EF 400 mm f/4 DO IS II USM is an exceptionally unique super-telephoto lens that delivers elite performance in a surprisingly portable package. Thanks to Canon's second-generation gapless Diffractive Optics (DO) technology, the lens is considerably shorter and lighter than standard 400mm glass, making it completely hand-holdable for extended wildlife and sports photography sessions. The review strongly praises its brilliant image resolution across the frame center and edges, superb correction of longitudinal and lateral chromatic aberrations, and lack of distortion or spherical aberration. Additionally, the lens features a ruggedly built chassis, a highly efficient image stabilization system, and incredibly silent, rapid autofocus that handles the 1.4x III teleconverter flawlessly. However, LensTip identifies a few notable downsides to this high-end optics system. The most prominent flaw is its weak flare and ghosting performance when shooting directly against bright light, where the physical structure of the internal diffraction lattice produces distinct artifacts and a sharp drop in image contrast. Furthermore, the lens suffers from a relatively long minimum focusing distance of 3.3 meters (roughly 11...

The Canon EF 400mm f/4.0 DO IS II USM is a highly innovative super-telephoto lens that heavily leverages Diffractive Optics (DO) to dramatically reduce its overall physical size and weight, measuring just 5.04 x 9.16″ and weighing a mere 4.63 lb. Tested on a Canon EOS 5D Mark III, it achieved an overall DxOMark score of 23 points, ranking 27th among 51 Canon EF models. While it falls behind premium f/2.8L counterparts, its optical performance remains highly impressive, matching the significantly larger, heavier, and costlier EF 200-400mm f/4L and EF 500mm f/4L II lenses. Key advantages highlighted in the review include exceptional image sharpness—particularly when shot wide-open where it matters most—and incredibly well-controlled chromatic aberration across the field. Furthermore, despite not bearing an official "L-series" designation, it provides professional-grade build quality featuring environmental sealing, aspherical and UD glass, a 4-stop image stabilizer, and advanced SWC and fluorine coatings. However, the lens does present a few notable performance trade-offs and structural weaknesses. Its optical quality cannot quite match the supreme sharpness and uniformity of the premium EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II...

The Canon EF 400mm f/4 DO IS II USM lens delivers impressive image sharpness and clean bokeh, standing out as an exceptionally light and portable prime lens for its class. Weighing just over 4.5 lbs, it is roughly 4 lbs lighter than the 400mm f/2.8L IS II, making it comfortable to hand-hold for long periods during mobile shooting. Its weight distribution is very well-balanced, which makes it feel lighter and more comfortable on long walks than extended zoom alternatives. Additionally, it pairs relatively well with version III extenders, particularly the 1.4x III, maintaining highly usable image quality for larger, distant subjects. However, the lens has notable performance trade-offs, specifically slower autofocus tracking and a limiting 11-foot minimum focusing distance. The autofocus struggles with rapid, hunting behavior that results in missed shots of small, fast birds, especially when using extenders where it fails to match the speed of a 500mm f/4 lens. Furthermore, the long minimum focusing distance makes it difficult to maximize subject size for small wildlife nearby, as closer alternatives like the 300mm f/2.8 allow users to physically stand...

The Canon EF 400mm f/4 DO IS II USM lens delivers outstanding, near-flawless optical sharpness at its maximum f/4 aperture, making it an excellent choice for fast-paced action like "Birds in Flight" (BIF) photography. Its defining advantage lies in its specialized Diffractive Optics (DO) technology, which grants the lens a remarkably compact length of 9.2 inches and a relatively lightweight build of 74 ounces compared to traditional f/4 or f/2.8 super-telephotos. When paired with an APS-C camera like the Canon 7D Mark II, its handling mobility is highly praised, and its built-in Image Stabilization (IS) with dedicated panning modes effectively counteracts the natural physical wobble of hand-holding a long lens. When shooting stationary subjects, the lens achieves a nearly perfect 100% autofocus success rate. However, the lens comes with notable downsides, primarily its steep retail price of $6,900 and a noticeable dip in performance when paired with a 1.4x teleconverter. Adding the teleconverter slows down autofocus acquisition speed, causes the lens to occasionally hunt or completely stall out-of-focus, and creates a razor-thin depth-of-field that makes tracking small, erratic birds incredibly...

According to ⁠Ken Rockwell, the Canon EF 400mm f/4 DO IS II USM is an ultra-high-performance, hand-holdable super-telephoto lens that uses diffractive optics (DO) to remain remarkably lightweight. It is praised for its exceptional sharpness, fast autofocus, and an advanced 4-stop image stabilization system that enables steady handheld shooting. Key disadvantages noted include a long minimum focusing distance of 3.3 meters and an extremely high price tag. Despite these factors, the lens is considered an ideal, portable choice for bird and wildlife photographers needing significant reach without the weight of an f/2.8 alternative.

The Canon EF 400mm f/4 DO IS II USM is a professional-level supertelephoto lens designed for wildlife and sports photography, utilizing specialized Diffractive Optics (DO) to drastically reduce size and weight compared to standard telephoto primes. Optically, it improves upon its predecessor by moving a new gapless, dual-layer DO element further back in the lens barrel, significantly minimizing previous issues with flare. Built like a tank with full weather-sealing, this white lens weighs a manageable 4.6 lbs. It is highly praised for being extremely well-balanced for handheld shooting, especially when compared to the massive 8.5 lb. Canon 400mm f/2.8L IS II. Key operational features include superb autofocus speed, a focus preset system, Power Focus (PF) mode for smooth video focus pulling, and an impressive, tripod-aware Image Stabilization (IS) system featuring three distinct modes. The lens delivers outstanding performance, yet it comes with clear trade-offs. The pros feature uniform sharpness across the entire frame even when wide-open, exceptionally low chromatic aberration, practically nonexistent geometric distortion, and virtually unnoticeable vignetting. The cons include its steep $6,899 retail price tag, a slight drop...