Once again, excellent content! On point, no BS, nice images, great insights, great personality. You've got it. This should explode. Quality quality content. More of this on RU-vid, please.
Thanks Duade for this great review! I used to own this EF400 5.6L for 10 years before I switched to the RF 800mm F11 last year, and I still remember the quality and mobility of this wonderful lens!
Chris (or Duade) I am curious about this reply. I have been using my 400 5.6 with 2x with my R6. Shots are pretty good most of the time. Was considering getting the rf 800 but as they are both fixed 800 and both f11 what is the image quality difference? is it substantial? is it the same but the autofocus is where you benefit? would be interested in what you saw.
@@MaddManzz00 Dear Ray, I was using the 5D3 with the 400 5.6 for 8 years but I seldomly put on the 1.4x, as it gets quite dark and slower the autofocus speed. I haven't tried the R6 (as I am using the RP) but I consider it is worth upgrading with the 800 f11 and I am sure you won't regard it. Hope this helps!
Yeah, I have an R6 and am very pleased with the performance of my twenty year old EF L glass. I thought it would be slow and I would just have to live with it. In my opinion they focus just as fast as they did on my DSLRs. I'm sure the new RF glass would be faster, but I can't beat the price of something I already own!
Hey Duade, Thanks for your videos, I really appreciate. I'm using the EF400L f5.6 on my EOS R for nature and I'm more than happy with this combination. In the meantime, my wife bought an EF2x iii extender as a surprise for me. Now it is my favorite nature gear EF400 with 2x extender on EOS R. Still sharp. Honestly, a bright day is not totally wrong 😉. But with ISO-automatic and shutterspeed 1/2000 I can do handheld shots. Thank god all R-cams work fantastic with higher ISO values. Keep on with your videos and style. Warm regards from Germany Andreas
Awesome and thanks for this. I just got the R5 and I use a 300 2.8 and 2X converter which runs a little soft wide open at 5.6. The 1.4 seemed about the same focus speed as my 1DX2 I came home yesterday a bit disappointed with the mechanical shutter speed. I will be using electronic any way. Eye focus was not the most reliable but still usable and a huge step up. Once again thankyou, I really enjoy your posts.
and thanks for the comment, yes electronic is fine most of the time, I have only noticed rolling shutter if you are panning or maybe really fast wing beats, otherwise its fine. I think using traditional AF to acquire the subject helps before engaging bird Eye AF. Cheers, Duade
@@tonyfluertynaturephotograp5272 I have AF-on as traditional and * as Bird Eye AF, Jan has them around the other way. You can choose to have traditional or bird as default. I have traditional as default. Jan has a video on how he setup his R5 here ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE--nnRqgXu7QI.html Cheers, Duade
@@Duade Yesterday I had front button focus on face detect/ eye tracking but I found it floundering. Now I have it set the front button for 6 points so I can get initial lock which I always use and once Im firmly on the bird hit the star button for face detect tracking and eye focus. I have a mate that is have great success with his set the other way round. Also using zone for flying birds. Play time lol will check Jan's video BTW I'm a shaker to we were born to shake lol
I've just received my R6 and, when the adapter ring arrives, I'm planning to use this combination of EF400 and 1.4TC (2) and 2.0 TC (3) so this presentation was very interesting to me, thanks. I do have the Tamron 150-600 G2 but, being a little older, I find the EF400 easier to carry and always sharp as a tack even wide open! I always enjoy and benefit from your RU-vids. Big thanks.
I use the R5 with my EF 500mm f4 IS II and EF 70-200mm f2.8 IS II, works a charm! Blazing fast AF, as tack-sharp as ever. I'm really glad the EF-RF adapter works so well, latest camera tech and a MASSIVE selection of older but still VERY nice (and if you're lucky, second hand and quite cheap) EF glass!
G'day LaKu that is great to hear, my 500 performs well also. Yes it's great to have a big selection of both EF and RF lenses to choose from. Cheers, Duade 👍
Exactly! That's why I don't understand the uproar about what I am certain will be Canon's temporary ban on third party RF glass! There are so many used EF lenses from all the third party manufacturers, and from Canon themselves, that work great with these new cameras. Frankly, I'm not sure I will ever buy any RF glass, just look for the sweet deals on used EF glass that I only dreamt of before! I have a 500 f4 version 1 that I bought twenty years ago, and it works great!
I’ve used this lens with the R5 and if you can get close enough to your subject, it is very sharp. For the money it’s a great light weight walk around lens!
I'm pleasantly surprised that even the older lenses still give very nice results on a hypermodern camera like the canon R5. That's a big compliment to Canon
Was planning on selling this lens before trying it on my new r6. Now with camera image stabilization there is new life for a great lens. I use auto extension tubes for closer focus with birds on my deck.
I think the R5 body has given my EF glass new life. The IBIS and eye detect/tracking are luxuries I never had previously, so the end result are more professional quality photos. AF performance is good, but likely not as good as the RF glass would provide. Now that I have the body, my plan is to slowly upgrade to RF glass over time.
Hello, Good morning from India, I have used my Canon R5 with my 300 mm F 2.8 EF-L USM IS version I and the 800 mm F 5.6 EF-L USM IS lens. I have used these lenses for bird and animal photography with the 1.4 X version III extender and 2X version III and without the extender. I have used the 2X converter on the 300 mm F2.8 and not on the 800 mm. The AF is fast, eye AF is extremely accurate and the tracking too is excellent. I have used this combo for capturing birds in flight, birds tossing their prey, animals in action and I can definitely say that I have had no difficulty in getting sharp photos (I have blown up some photos to 20 X 30 post some cropping and the detail retained is truly amazing) . Thanks for sharing an excellent review highlighting the pros and cons of using old EF lenses on the R 5. You certainly have one more addition of your list of satisfied followers 😀
Vijay, sounds like you are having a lot of success with your R5 which is fantastic, we are fortunate we can continue to use our EF gear on the new mirrorless bodies. Cheers, Duade
Being contemplating ( mainly procrastinating because of cost) an R5 body and RF 100-500lens, for sometime now. Your video makes me more confident to just buy the body and adaptor and use my EF lenses. I have a 12 year old 400mm 6.3 which takes really good bird images. You also answered my questions on TCs. So many thanks.
Really informative. I just purchased a 400mm f5.6 L USM for my R6. This video helped me understand how my X2 extender will perform and I may now purchase a X1.4 extender. I have been learning a lot from this channel and look forward to seeing more.
WONDERFUL VIDEO!, you know we don't have those worms you mentioned, but I use my mouth to make bird sining lol, and they are always curious enough as to get lots of photos :) You definetely live in a birding paradaise! And I loved the lens idea, it seems the camera worked really well with those old lenses!Congratulations! Another excellent piece of work!
I am really satisfied with my Canon EOS 77D + Canon 400 5,6 + TC x 1,4 equipment and I do not think for the moment to continue in the race in which the manufacturers induce us. Thanks for the good video
Miguel, It's great to hear you are very happy with your kit and that you do not feel the need to upgrade like many of us. I must admit to being pleasantly surprised whenever I take out the 400 5.6, I took so many wonderful photos on my old 7D. Cheers, Duade
I've used this lens with the Canon 2x extender version III mounted on a Canon 5DII. Had to focus manually. The bird shots that I got correctly focused were great and quite useable.
Quazi, great to hear, it can take nice shots on a tripod with stationary subjects, it really struggles with moving subjects and low light. Cheers, Duade
I have the R6 and the EF lenses work flawlessly with the Canon adapters. I've lenses both from Canon and Sigma. It's astonishing how well they work. Tack sharp images and the AF is flawless. I also have a few RF lenses and there is almost no difference in AF capabilities. Kudos to Canon on a home run.
Haha, looks like you couldn't resist and finally bought an R5? Congrats! I mainly use the older 300mm 2.8 L IS USM with the 2x II, it's a good combo, although at some point I'll get the 100-500 I hope. Or Canon will come out with a RF 500 f5.6 PF or something similiar, that would be awesome!
I have just shifted from New Zealand to Northern Ireland and my wife did not want me to buy a R5 in nz due to the 1 year international war. Now that Im here I get to play with my new toy and I dont have to put up with my anoying R5 owning mates giving me a hard time for for owning a lowly DSLR lol
Hi Duade, Same here, sold my R6 yesterday and got the R5 instead. It's a lot of money but I love the extra reach one can achieve through the crop. Have yet to try the new combo! Enjoy the R5, Wim
I have used my 1st generation Canon EF 70-200 L IS USM from 2006 on my brand new Canon Mirrorless connected with a Canon Control Ring Adapter. The autofocus was a bit slower than the native RF Lenses but the images were razor sharp. The old workhorse lens is still being use on a regular basis by my step daughter who has it rigged to my old 90D.
Thanks for sharing, I do believe lenses seem sharper on mirrorless bodies, I have the very first 70-200 without IS and it takes lovely shots. Have fun with your photography. Cheers, Duade 👍
I watched your videos over and over reviewing the 400 5.6 debating whether or not to grab one. I made the jump and picked one up and I'm super happy I did! I found it to be sharper than the rf100-500 in good light and the autofocus to work almost perfectly on my R6. The eye focus hits nearly perfectly every time, and I find the performance just as good as my 70-200 2.8 M2. I've had it for almost 2 months now and have not found the lack of IS to be an issue at all, unless I'm trying to shoot video. The only time I found the minimum focus distance to be an issue was while shooting at the zoo, when the animals are very close, but this was not an issue out shooting wildlife, nothing ever gets closer than 3 meters up here in the Adirondacks. Thanks for the reviews, I would not have bought it if you did not put these out!
Thanks for the feedback Mike and congrats on the 400 5.6, it is crazy how sharp this lens is and considering how old it is. I wish Canon had released a 500 5.6 in the same design but unfortunately we never saw it. Have fun with the lens. Cheers, Duade
Really good content IMO. I've got some EF lenses and being able to use them on a RF body with full functionality would make the transition to mirrorless much easier.
Duade, great content as I have come to expect from your awesome videos. I recently purchased the R5 and a F11/800mm RF lens. Along with all my EF lenses, Sigma 2.8/ 120-300, Sigma 150-500, Canon 100 macro, Canon MPE65 and Canon F4/70-200, they all work flawlessly. I have no need to buy any more RF lenses as all my EF's do a great job for what I need. Keep up the good work.
I have an extensive collection of EF lenses I use on my Sony A7R3 body. Overall I am happy with them, although the AF is slower along with the lack of eye focus.
I went out for a couple of days back in March with my R5 and my trusty old 400/5.6 just to see how it would go. It was literally the first time in years that the lens had been out of the cupboard, but I was curious. One of the first subjects was a fulmar colony, me standing on the top of a cliff as the birds preparing for the breeding season swept briskly past at close range on a stiff breeze. The combination worked amazingly well, although as you say the shutter (part mechanical, 1st curtain electric) was noticably slower that with my Sigma Sport 150-600 (the reason my 400 stayed in the cupboard, but since replaced in my affections by the RF100-500). Eye detection on the birds as they zoomed past was excellent. Other subjects over two days were various gulls (easy targets), but also a Ruddy Turnstone in flight, passing along the river with a background of ripples and Eider drake, flapping on the harbour and also in flight. I didn't try a conveter, but all of my shots were hand held and the performance was good. Hundreds of fulmar shots, passing and coming in to land, and also approaching the camera head on.
Alan, sounds like a wonderful outing, I must admit I got a little jealous hearing about the Fulmars, that would be an awesome experience. Cheers, Duade
@@Duade :) Duade, we might have a plentiful supply of fulmars, eiders and other generally whitish stuff, but we have a distinct shortage of red-capped robins and fairy wrens.
I asked this question on one of your other videos - I should have searched all your videos first lol, sorry. I’m new to your channel and I am loving your content and presentation, so relaxed and ‘down to earth’…..and of course very helpful. Thank you.
400mm F5.6 Is da bomb even on my retro 6D, I can imagine it be super-charged when pair with R6/R5/R-family 💥💥💥💥 No doesnt bother me much with it not having IS (just avoid super low shutter speed and use good gimbal combo) nor weather sealing (just wrap it nicely with towel/cover when shooting under the rain) 😂😂
Basically every of my EF lenses is performing great on EOS R and R5, even better than with any DSLR But the greatest difference is with the TS lenses. This is a new world with the R5!!!
@@Duade Canon had made a decent job innovation the EF mount "some years ago". There are basically two issues no-one had foreseen decades ago: - the resolution of recent sensors are far beyond Kodachrome 25 - the aperture drive can't follow the shutter running at 20 fps to enable open aperture between the shots. Yes, there are some improvements regarding AF and IS as well, but the EF mount platform was revolutionary and is reused with some extensions for RF mount. This makes adaption of basically any EF lens a non brainer.
Duade. Thanks for another great vlog, nice to see your channel growing as it always has great content and excellent presentation style. Thank you . Ian (UK)
Hey Duade! Thank you for your great and detailed videos! I started bird photography only half a year ago and already learned a lot from you. Greetings from the other side of the world (Switzerland).
As always great video Duade. I ve got the R7 paired up with the 400 + 1.4x. I get sharp photos every once in a while. I use a monopod for the time being since I have to move around a lot. Wish this lens had IS! Keep up the good work 😊
Hi Duade, thanks for this great video. In my review of the R5/400 ef combo I had good results hand held (withouut extender) with the IBIS. I keep getting loads of questions about extenders though - so I'll be happy to refer them to your review. You covered all aspects. Great sparrow hawk shot. Now I know your real reason for keeping chooks!
Thanks Andrew, I appreciate it, good luck with the channel. I'm not sure the chooks appreciate the attention but it can be good to get raptors. Cheers, Duade
I bought this lens this last spring and had to pay a little over 700 plus a lens mount for 39 from KEH camera plus 180 for a 1.4 extender from another place . Now, the only ones they have listed are for a little over 1k!
That shaking problem is a sod, I’ve always had to have high shutter speeds but the IBIS certainly helps compared to using a 7D2, ignore Jan he’s young still
Hi Duade, another solid infotainment here, really good solid information as always. That bit of camouflage on the lens hood sure must make the difference ;)
Another very interesting video Duade .. and perfectly in line with the chat we had on Jan's youtube ;-) Let's cross our fingers that Canon finally sees it fit to release their R7 unicorn after understanding "Duade from down under" got his dream R5 at last .. sounds like you could get R5 sales conditions approaching what we in Europe still need to pay for the R6. damn right we're jealous :-P!
Thanks Werner, yes, the R7 is the unicorn at the moment, let's hope Canon release it. Yes, the R5 has come down in price a lot, I think I paid around 3200 Euro including tax. Cheers, Duade
@@Duade Oh boy, that's less as what they charge us for an R6 plus the 1.4x iii extender (which yield combined an equivalent of 39mp, less than the 45mp of the R5 !) tomorrow I have a presales call with an Australian customer .. I should push for the potential project to include an onsite visit .. and then I shall buy my gear over there :-P
Omar, did you see my recent video with the Red-capped Robin? That might help, Cheers, Duade ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-2LGMBUR_hdE.html
I have a 100-400 II and a 500 II. The 1.4x on the 100-400 in conjunction with the R5 is okay (I didn't like the results using the 2x, but it's decent on the R6), but the 500 is on a completely different level: even with the 2x, it's still astonishingly sharp to my eyes. It's pretty much glued to the R5. That being said, I'd love for Sigma to bring their new 150-600 Sports to RF....
Great content. I totally agree with you regarding the 400 and 2x. I tried to use it hand held in OK light but never got sharp shot. I was actually surprised to see your results which are better than mine. I shall give this a shot again in tripod. Thanks again loved your videos!
I'm really looking forward to the RF 400mm 5.6L. I just can't get past the age on the EF, and every time I think of buying one I think, "I should just get the 100-400L II" or 100-500 now. But for me it would be a sometime used lens (500L II is my main lens), so the required $2000-2500 always creates a pause. So hopefully a light $1500 RF 400L IS 5.6 lens make's its way to the market. When I tried a friend's 400L 5.6 I wasn't amazed like other lenses on my R5. It wasn't bad, but it simply didn't tickle me like my main lens or some of my other lenses. Performance was good, but like you, I noticed making shots with the 2x was much more difficult than I would expect. My results weren't as bad as yours, but it was noticeably harder to get it right. Looking at yours they appear to be front focused... which should never happen in mirrorless, but that's what it looks like. I can't remember if that is what happened in my bad ones too, but its possible.
@@Duade I think the possibility of you getting your wish is reasonably high. Canon's new 800 and 600 DO F11s show they are looking outside of the present box. I left those possibilities out of my initial comment because I fear both will push up closer to $2500. I remember Rudy Winston mentioning they had considered the 100-500 as a 5.6 max apt. but the price would have been in the $3500+ range. Using the DO tech and not the L branding, I could see a good lens with a reasonably fast aperture in the $2000'ish range, but that might be outside of Canon's perceived sweet spot. We'll have to wait and see.
@@mikejackson9585 Yes, very interesting times for sure, the 1200 f/8 is another strange one that is rumoured. I guess anything is possible. Canon will ultimately release what they think will sell and is needed. Birders represent a tiny fraction of the market so it's just a matter of luck for us I guess.
The EF 500mm f/4L IS USM (Released July 1999) works well with the R5; however, for birds in flight, it is a bit slow focusing. Considering the new RF Mount 600mm, but it's a pricey alternative.
Great review Duade, always great entertainment, thanks for sharing, sorry but your shakes make me laugh, I can just see Jan giving you a rev up about it lol
Duade have you ever considered making a video trying out other areas of photography? I personally think it could be super cool to see the eye of a wildlife photographer in a different context like portraits or landscapes.
Micki, an interesting idea and perhaps one day I might try and do a collaboration with another RU-vidr. I suspect I would fail pretty badly but it would be a lot of fun. Cheers, Duade
Perfect video for me. Now, I know for sure it's useless to buy a X2 extender with the 400L (my choice already) even if it's working with the R5 / R6, and that the RF 800/11 is a better investment (not really surprising either). And so, now, you're on the R5 over the R6 eventually... That one is a bad news for the wallet 😜
What a perfect video for me personally! I am looking to transition from my Canon M50 + this EF 400mm lens to an RF mount with the same lens. I don't know if I can afford the R5, but I suspect the IQ won't suffer on the other cameras, yeah? Great video, thanks!
@@Duade I'm really hopeful there will be a cheaper RF mount camera with the bird eye AF. I found it a godsend for small birds like the silver/white eyes. I literally cannot get pictures of them without it
It's all down to personal needs in the end, but I transitioned from a 5D3 to the R6 7-8 months ago. I couldn't justify the extra cost for the R5, and was worried that I would feel that the lesser resolution would be limiting. But now, in hindsight, I have not regretted this step one second. Technically it has lower resolution than my 5D3, but that has not been a limiting factor for me. And in every other conceivable aspect it is just so much better. I am using it a lot with older EF glass such 300/4 L IS, a first-generation 500/4 L IS (with extenders), and it works like a charm.
I find with a high mp camera the 400mm L 5.6 works best at f6.3. I suspect the R6 and this lens would be a fantastic combination. Can’t wait to see this lens and the R3. I am hopeful the R3 and the R6 mark II share the same sensor.
Adam, I'm sure it would be fine, a few things wont work like the focus preset and you are limited to I think 6.8fps but should get the 20fps electronic. Cheers, Duade
Hey Duade I have used the EF 300 f4 on my R6 and it is tack sharp at f11. I like the 300 better than the 400 as it has image stabilization. I used the 1.4 teleconverter with the 300.
Tom, that is great to hear, yes that is also another great sharp prime that Canon released. It also has a far superior MFD if I remember correctly. Thanks for sharing, Cheers, Duade
i wish i could use my 60D to make some of this images, my telephoto lens is a old vintage vivitar 70-150mm f/3.8 close focusing auto zoom with a 2x multiplier :D old school gear... great video, thank you for your work
Wow this is an amazing video. I was planing to get me a sigma 150-600mm lens, and a photographer mentioned this lens, I was looking it has been discontinued but great reviews about it, planning to use it with my Canon M50.
I have the R6 and the RF 600mm F11. Love the combo, super lightweight and easy to bring around on walks etc. My only gripe is the image quality on the 600mm F11 isn't the sharpest (for a budget lens it's great) so I always found I wanted more, but the better lenses are way out of my price range. (I envy Sony and Nikon for their amazing options that are sub €2000 and super sharp). I ended up selling the 600mm F11 and ordering the Canon 400mm F5.6 and the Canon 1.4x III extender so I'm hoping to get a bit of better quality out of it, until sigma/tamron release a newer 150 - 600 for RF or canon release a more afforable 600mm lens for RF that's a bit sharper (highly unlikely). Thanks for the great video, super helpful to come back to and see if it's a viable option :)
Alan, I understand your dilemma and it can be tough, I do hope Canon release that 150-600 and its not super expensive. The Sony 200-600 is wonderful. Congrats on the new lens, just remember it does not have IS so you will have to try and keep those shutter speeds up, I usually try to keep it above 1/400. Cheers, Duade
@@Duade yes different times. I hope you can get back to the lake for the return of the migratory birds. I am off to Canada in a few weeks on a travel exemption for family. One of conditions of travel is to be out of country for three months so I will miss their arrival. Nice to see you have a great backyard to play in while waiting for Covid restrictions to ease. Thanks for all the great content you share. I really would like a R5. Although still happy with the 5DIV for now.
