New Toy.... I mean Lens

Whilst at the Focus on imaging I purchased a new zoom lens for my canon 500d. It is a Canon 100-400 IS USM L f4-5.6 lens. I chose this lens for a few reasons.

• Canon L series optics
• USM canons ultrasonic motor for smooth auto focus
• IS it has a 2 stage image stabiliser stage 1 for still shots and stage 2 for moving targets
• f5.6 aperture at full zoom which is quite fast for a 400 lens
• 400mm zoom should allow me to get closer shots of my subjects

The image stabilizer should really help out with hand held shots, although it must be turned off when using a tripod.

There are a few things I need to get used to with the lens which are:

Weight, it is very heavy which will take some getting used too, although with its weight initially it feels that it is a lot steadier to use. It does come with a tripod adapter so this makes it more balanced on the tripod.

Slide out zoom which is different to the twist style I am used to, this seems to be easy to use however need to keep the tension tight when not using the lens so it does not slip. Below is a picture showing the lens at its full 400mm zoom.

Large Lens as it is 77mm and my existing lenses are only 58mm and this should allow for more light to get in. I am hoping this lens will give me some great wildlife shots and will post them on here soon.