Canon EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM Extender 1.4x review

The Canon EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM Extender 1.4x comes complete with an internal tele-converter

Canon EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM Extender 1.4x
(Image: © Canon)

Digital Camera World Verdict

If you can see further than the eye-watering price tag, this lens is a real heavyweight in terms of performance as well as physical construction. It has a 200-400mm zoom range in standard trim with a built-in 1.4x tele-converter or ‘extender’, boosting maximum reach to 560mm. It’s a force to be reckoned with for action, sports and wildlife photography.

Pros

  • +

    Great image quality

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    Super-fast autofocus

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    Tough build quality

Cons

  • -

    Hugely expensive

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    Big and heavy

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The Canon EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM Extender 1.4x is a real whopper. It’s nearly twice as long as the Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM and two full kilograms heavier, weighing in at 3,620g. Its main claim to fame is that it has a built in ‘extender’ or tele-converter, which you can bring into play via a simple lever at the rear. It’s massively quicker and easier than removing the lens from the camera body, attaching an extender and then refitting it.

Specifications

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Matthew Richards

Matthew Richards is a photographer and journalist who has spent years using and reviewing all manner of photo gear. He is Digital Camera World's principal lens reviewer – and has tested more primes and zooms than most people have had hot dinners! 

His expertise with equipment doesn’t end there, though. He is also an encyclopedia  when it comes to all manner of cameras, camera holsters and bags, flashguns, tripods and heads, printers, papers and inks, and just about anything imaging-related. 

In an earlier life he was a broadcast engineer at the BBC, as well as a former editor of PC Guide.