Canon EF 400mm lens

The Canon EF 400mm are seven super-telephoto lenses made by Canon. These lenses have an EF mount that work with the EOS line of cameras. These lenses are widely used by sports and wildlife photographers.^[1]

Canon has manufactured four 400mm prime lenses:

EF 400mm f/2.8L IS III USM
EF 400mm f/2.8L IS II USM^[2]
EF 400mm f/4 DO IS II USM
EF 400mm f/5.6L USM

The 400mm f/4 DO IS II USM, which replaced an earlier version of the same lens in 2014,^[3] is one of only two Canon lenses that make use of diffractive optics (the other is the EF 70–300mm f/4.5–5.6 DO IS USM). The use of diffractive optics allows the lens to be significantly lighter than it might otherwise be.^[4]^[5]

These lenses are compatible with the Canon Extender EF teleconverters.

Specifications of the EF 400mm lenses

Attribute	f/2.8L USM	f/2.8L II USM	f/2.8L IS USM	f/2.8L IS II USM	f/2.8L IS III USM	f/4 DO IS USM	f/4 DO IS II USM	f/5.6L USM
Image
Key features
Full-frame compatible	Yes
Image stabilizer	No		Yes					No
Ultrasonic Motor	Yes
L-series	Yes					No		Yes
Diffractive Optics	No					Yes		No
Macro	No
Technical data
Aperture (max-min)	f/2.8-f/32					f/4-f/32		f/5.6-f/32
Construction	9 groups / 11 elements		13 groups / 17 elements				12 groups / 18 elements	6 groups / 7 elements
# of diaphragm blades	8			9		8	9	8
Closest focusing distance	4 meters (13.1 ft)		3 m (9.8 ft)	2.7 m (8.9 ft)	2.5 m (8.2 ft)	3.5 m (11.5 ft)	3.3 m (10.8 ft)	3.5 m (11.5 ft)
Max. magnification	0.11×		0.15×	0.17×		0.12×	0.13×	0.11×
Horizontal viewing angle	5°10'
Vertical viewing angle	3°30'
Diagonal viewing angle	6°10'
Physical data
Weight	13.44 lb / 6.1 kg	13.03 lb / 5.91 kg	11.83 lb / 5.37 kg	8.48 lb / 3.85 kg	2.840 kilograms (6.26 lb)	4.27 lb / 1.94 kg	4.63 lb / 2.10 kg	2.8 lb / 1.25 kg
Maximum diameter	6.57" / 167mm		6.41" / 163mm			5.03" / 128mm	5.04" / 128mm	3.54" / 90mm
Length	13.70" / 348mm		13.74" / 349mm	13.50" / 343mm		9.16" / 232.7mm	9.18" / 232.7mm	10.09" / 256.5mm
Filter diameter	48mm		52mm drop-in filter					77mm
Accessories
Lens hood	ET-161B II		ET-155	ET-155 (WII)		ET-120	ET-120 (WII)	Built-in
Case			400	400C	400E	400B	400D	LH-D29
Retail information
Release date	April 1991	March 1996	September 1999	August 2011	December 2018	December 2001	September 2014	May 1993
Currently in production?	No			Yes	Yes	No	No^[6]	Yes
MSRP $	870,000 yen	980,000 yen	$7,999	$9,999	$11,999	$6,469	$6,899	$1,249

Use in astronomy

Canon 400 mm f/2.8 L IS II USM lenses are used in the Dragonfly Telephoto Array.^[7] The array is designed to image astronomical objects with low surface brightness such as some satellite galaxies.^[8]^[7] The array started with three lenses but this has since increased to 24 with plans for 50.^[7]^[8]