Canon has introduced some popular lenses over the years. The company has a wide range, catering from fisheye lenses to some truly iconic telephoto lenses and zooms. While they moved to the mirrorless mount less than a decade ago, their older lenses, for the EF mount, continue to be hailed by professionals around the globe. It now appears that one such telephoto lens is biding goodbye, which is truly saddening for those who like EF lenses.
According to Asobinet, Canon has now discontinued the EF 100-400mm f4.5-5.6 L IS USM II, which was first introduced in 2014. The lens has been listed as ‘discontinued’ on Camera Kitamura, a Japanese retailer’s website. Moreover, it is also not available for purchase on Canon Japan’s original website.
This means the lens is no longer in their ordering system and the production will not continue. Even as this is the case, many retailers still have it in stock.
While there is no word from Canon, often, such news is 99% correct. On Canon USA’s website, the inventory is still available, which means that as long as stocks last, one can purchase the lens.
Canon’s gear has never been discontinued across various countries at the same time. It usually begins in Asia, and then other places follow over the next few months. This means that while stocks are available, we are not sure how long they will last.
For the unversed, the Canon 100-400 USM II is the second iteration of the iconic version launched in the 1990s. The lens, despite the decade’s time, is still quite expensive ($2,699). For many young users, it may not make sense, given that they will have to rely on a lens adapter to use the lens.
Some of the things the Canon 100-400mm does right is the inclusion of Air Sphere coating, which prevents backlight flaring and ghosting. There is also weather resistance on the magnesium exterior of the lens, and it also features one fluorite element and one super UD element inside. There is a close focusing distance of 3.2-feet, and that is quite a factor considering the lens’ focal length. There is also four steps of image stabilization.
The lens comes with 9 aperture blades for bokeh, and there is also a new hood that allows photographers to remove the hood even while the hood is still attached.
So far, Canon’s RF range also features a 100-400mm lens, but the apertures are different. The EF version has f4.5-5.6, while the RF one supports f5.6-8. The latter is also less costly ($699), which makes it ideal for many serious enthusiasts. Moreover, the latter is not an L-series lens, and has some frustrating problems with subject detection. For those looking to purchase a new lens in the same range, then the Canon RF 100-500mm L is a much better option. As we said in our interview about the 100-400mm:
Why would I shell out so much money for a weather sealed camera and not care any bit about the lens being sealed? That’s just odd. All of Canon’s RF cameras have weather sealing as of this moment. And the more affordable ones can’t use the features that you’d need with a lens like this. So again, it’s in a very weird place.
It’s sad to see some wonderful lenses go, but given that the EF mount may never return, this is for the best.