Canon 100-400 lens

[itcanbe]

Does anyone have any opinions on this lens. I am looking for longer distances and sharper pictures. People seem to be recommending this lens. Because of the price and the weight I'm trying to get feedback before I commit.:confused:

[dkippen]

I'm a little behind in posts, but I do have this and LOVE it. Does take practice with the push-pull zoom, but I'm very impressed with the shots I've taken so far.

[coffee]

Does anyone have any opinions on this lens. I am looking for longer distances and sharper pictures. People seem to be recommending this lens. Because of the price and the weight I'm trying to get feedback before I commit.:confused:

I've had this lens for some months now, and use it quite a bit. This is a wonderful lens, and expensive. Like Deb said, the push pull zoom does take some getting use to, but becomes second nature after a while. What will you be taking pics of with this lens? Depending on the lenses you have now, I would recommend the 400 prime if you can afford it. If you will be on the long end of the 100-400 most of the time, and can afford the 400 prime, I would go that route instead. I wish I would have because when I use my 100-400, I'm almost always at 400. And pound for pound, the 400 prime is going to produce much better and sharper shots than the 100-400. at 400, the 100-400 is a touch soft I feel. One thing the 100-400 has though is a locking ring so you can lock it down at 400 or any focal lenth you want. That makes it a little easier to deal with if you want to stay at a certain FL.

I'm not saying the 100-400 isn't good, it's a very good lens, but if you send most of your time at 400 anyway, the prime is going to be better in the long run.