An all-in-one ultra-zoom

SINGAPORE — Shutterbugs who find it cumbersome to lug a number of telephoto lenses may now heave a sigh of relief: The ability to use a 1.4X extender without having to dismount the lens from the DSLR is now possible with Canon’s latest super-telephoto zoom lens, the EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM Extender 1.4X. This new L-series lens is designed for use with all Canon EOS DSLRs and is perfect for sports and wildlife photography.

The in-built extender is a unique feature not seen in other telephoto lenses yet. The extender allows users to effortlessly go from a 200-400mm f/4 to 280-560 f/5.6 lens — it just needs a flip of a switch.

If you are using your left hand as the lens cradle, the 1.4X switch can be engaged with your right hand, and if you’re on a tripod, it can be easily flipped with your left hand. It also comes with a “lock” function to prevent you from changing the setting accidentally.

While the built-in extender may be a good idea, you should only engage it when the focal length is 400mm. For instance, at 200mm, users can zoom in manually to a focal length of 280mm instead of engaging the extender only to increase the f-stop, which reduces the light coming in.

For those who need more reach, do note that the lens will not auto-focus when an additional 1.4X extender is attached to the lens while its internal teleconverter is engaged.

While there is usually a loss in image quality when extenders are used, there was minimal quality loss in the EF 200-400mm f/4L USM when the extender was set at 1.4X. Colour quality was still crisp and the contrast remained.

There are three image stabilisation modes on the EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM Extender 1.4X, making it perfect for shooting in various circumstances. The third and new mode is geared generally to sports and wildlife photographers.

Both the horizontal and vertical motion are stabilised in this mode but it will only be activated when the shutter button is completely held down, which will in a way allow easier panning. The fast focusing sharp lens comes with a 9-blade circular aperture, yielding soft and unfocused backgrounds with an accurate auto-focus.

The focal length range (200-400mm) of this lens makes it perfect for most sporting events. At its maximum aperture of f/4, the image quality of the blurred background was highly satisfactory, hence making the lens a prime candidate to take to any sports event, compared to the several different prime lenses.

It would be advantageous in reducing the amount of time spent changing lenses and the possibility of trapping dirt and dust in its sensor. Most of all, not having to change lenses means it can hugely reduce the risk of missing out on a great photo opportunity.

The lens comes with a tripod collar which cannot be detached, and there are two different tripod fittings located at the bottom of the collar. A rotation knob can be found on the lens barrel to allow easy rotation of the DSLR from horizontal to vertical orientation when it is mounted on a tripod. Simply unscrewing the knob allows the lens to be smoothly rotated 360°.

The EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM Extender 1.4X weighs 3.62kg, coming between the EF 300mm f/2.8L IS USM at 2.55kg and the EF 500mm f/4L IS USM at 3.87kg.

With the lens hood attached at the end of the lens, weight is evenly distributed throughout the lens barrel. The lens may feel heavy when held at first but that should be expected with most lenses.

The Canon EF 200-400 f/4L IS USM Extender 1.4X is available for S$16,599.