More Than Hard to Get: the Canon EF 400mm f/4 DO IS II USM Lens

What’s Up?

Almost finished my 2014 taxes; I should have them on the way to the accountant tomorrow. I enjoyed a late swim and then got right into my ice bath. And froze. Even though the pool is a warm 80 degrees it is more than 18 degrees cooler than the human body. The effects of cooling are cumulative….

This blog post took about an hour to prepare and should be published at 5:00am on Thursday, June 18.

Flying off the Virtual Shelves!

Selling your used (or like-new) photo gear through the BAA Blog or via a BAA Online Bulletin is a great idea. We charge only a 5% commission. One of the more popular used gear for sale sites charges a minimum of 20%. Plus assorted fees! Yikes. The minimum item price here is $500 (or less, for a $25 fee). If you are interested please e-mail with the words Items for Sale Info Request cut and pasted into the Subject line :). Stuff that is priced fairly–I offer free pricing advice, usually sells in no time flat. In just the past month, we have sold just about everything in sight. Like these items:

Canon EF 24-70 f2.8L II USM Lens was sold by Dave Bourgaize for $1699 on June 15, 2015.
Canon EF 180mm f/3.5L USM Macro Lens sold by Carl Zanoni for $975 on June 14, 2015.
Canon 500 mm f/4L IS Lens (the old five) sold by Greg Asnis for $4999 on June 13, 2015.
Canon 500mm f/4L IS II USM lens sold by Clemens Vanderwerf for $7999 on June 10, 2015.
Two Canon 600mm f/4L IS lenses sold by Pat and Alan Lillich within a week of listing for $9500 in early June 2015.
Canon 300mm f/2.8L IS lens sold by Kevin Hice within two days are being listed for $4750 in early June 2015.
Canon 500mm f/4L IS sold by Richard Rhudy for $4200 in late May, 2015.
Canon EOS-1D Mark IV Digital Camera Body sold by Marc Lombardi for $1300 in mid-May.
Canon EOS 7D DSLR Digital Camera Body (with battery grip) sold for $579 by Barbara Garmon on May 23, 2015.
Canon EOS-1D Mark IV sold by Gerald Barrack for $1599 in May, 2015.
Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens sold for $4999 by Jacques Bouvier on May 20, 2015.
Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM sold by Barbara Garmon for $749 in mid-May.
Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II sold by Carl Zanoni for $1649 on May 19, 2015.
Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM sold by Owen Peller for $799 on 5/19/15.

Two New Listings/June 17, 2015

Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L USM Lens

Steve Torna is offering a used Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L lens in excellent condition for the BAA lowest-ever price of $825. The sale includes the front and rear lenses caps, the tripod collar, a Realtree Max4 LensCoat and insured Ground shipping via Fed-Ex to US addresses. You can call Steve at 406-670-5359 or contact him via e-mail.

I put this one, my then beloved “toy lens” on the map, more than two decades ago. It remains in production, makes a great starter lens, autofocuses with a 1.4X TC (best on a tripod with Wimberley P-20 lens plate and a Mongoose M3.6), and is a great flight lens for those with a steady hand. artie

Canon EF Extender 1.4X II (Teleconverter)

Steve Torna is also offering a used Canon EF Extender 1.4X II (teleconverter) in excellent condition for $175. The sale includes the front and rear lenses caps, the grey fabric carrying pouch, the original box, and insured Ground shipping via Fed-Ex to US addresses. You can call Steve at 406-670-5359 or contact him via e-mail.

The 1.4X II TC is the optical equal of the 1.4X III TC. artie

The Rest of the Show

There are a slew of different 400mm lenses still listed on the Used Photography Gear For Sale Page here.

This image was created somewhere in California by Arash Hazeghi with the hand held Canon EF 400mm f/4 DO IS II USM lens, the Canon Extender EF 2X III, and the Canon EOS-1D X. ISO 1600: 1/3200 sec. at f.8. Processed with DPP 4.15. American Avocets copulating/Image courtesy of and copyright 2015: Arash Hazehi

More Than Hard to Get: the Canon EF 400mm f/4 DO IS II USM Lens

As they are in extremely short supply and the demand is very high, only a few lucky folks have been able to get their hands on one of these great, hand holdable, super sharp telephoto lenses. I have spoken to perhaps a dozen folks who own the lens; all have commented ecstatically with regards to how manageable, versatile, and sharp the lens is whether used alone or with either the 1.4X III or the Canon Extender EF 2X III TC.

I have been able to help three folks who ordered using my B&H affiliate link have their orders expedited. Despite the fact that each waited more than two months, they were thrilled as many folks have been waiting four months to get theirs…. Folks need to remember that they actually need to pre-order this lens to have a chance to receive one in a somewhat timely fashion; wishing and hoping will not help.

If you do place an order using my affiliate link shoot me your B&H receipt via e-mail and I will do my best to have your order expedited.

Thanks to Arash for the use of this great image. I first came upon it in his post here in the Avian Forum on Bird Photographer’s.Net. Arash is one of our top Avian Forum moderators. Many might enjoy reading the post as like me, Arash has strong opinions that he is more than willing to share. Arash has co-authored several guides with me including the DPP 4 RAW Conversion Guide.

My BPN Comment

I posted this to the thread:

Wonderfully sharp image. Exposure and framing perfect. If Arash had been able to get a lot lower how (all else being equal) might his image have been improved?

Blog folks are invited to take a shot at the question….

Facebook

Be sure to like and follow BAA on Facebook by clicking on the logo link upper right. Tanks a stack!

Support the BAA Blog. Support the BAA Bulletins: Shop B&H here!

We want and need to keep providing you with the latest free information, photography and Photoshop lessons, and all manner of related information. Show your appreciation by making your purchases immediately after clicking on any of our B&H or Amazon Affiliate links in this blog post. Remember, B&H ain’t just photography!

…..

Amazon.com

Those who prefer to support BAA by shopping with Amazon may use this link:

Amazon Canada

Many kind folks from north of the border, eh, have e-mailed stating that they would love to help us out by using one of our affiliate links but that living in Canada and doing so presents numerous problems. Now, they can help us out by using our Amazon Canada affiliate link by starting their searches by clicking here. Many thanks to those who have written.

Typos

In all blog posts and Bulletins, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors. Just be right :).