Canon 100-400mm mk1

Anthony from Gateshead

Anthony from Gateshead

Suspended / Banned
Messages
6
Name
Anthony Gallagher
Edit My Images
Yes
Hi all

I spotted a 100-400mm in a local add for £500 and I am off to view it tomorrow. Are there any specific things I should look out for on a used this lens?....wear and tear etc? It is listed for £500 with carry case. To me this seemed very cheap, any pointers would be very useful as it's a lot of money for a beginner :Oo Cheers in adavnce!

Anth
 
Dust inside it. Is a push pull and over time they will draw in a bit of dust. Look through the lens from each end against the light and make sure its as clean as you would like. Take a camera and check it auto focuses ok, that it stops down properly, that the IS works and isn't noisy and that the image does stabilise in the view finder.
 
I have of spoken to 2 people who have had problems with the black lining pealing off.
 
Last edited:
It gets a reputation for 'sucking' in dust however I've never had an issue.

Any external focus lens (one that moves in and out) extends in much the same way - just that you twist them rather than slide them.

As already mentioned - check dust / Image Stabilisation etc as you would any lens.

One thing worth checking is the black papery stuff that can sometimes degrade on worn 100-400 models. It can begin to come out in little flakes around the edge of the smooth / tight collar.
 
Last edited:
Check the friction collar works OK.
 
Internal dust itself is normal due to this lens's design, but pay very close attention to distinguish dust from potential fungus.

Focus lock ring lining has a tendency to wear. Look for any sticky material appearing around the focus ring long on the barrel (especially near the number 100). Push and pull the zoom several times trying to feel for friction. If it feels like metal is touching metal, or close to that, then worry a little bit about said lining, but then again it is quite cheap after all.

Definitely try it out and make sure it focuses nice and quick from close to infinity, and make sure IS is functioning nice and quiet.
 
I always chuckle when people say the 100-400 is a dust pump because it's a push pull. Any lens that changes length during zoom or focussing is just as likely to have dust in it regardless of zoom design as they all need to draw in air when the volume changes.
 
The silver lining with the push/pull design is that it kick the dust out when you pull.... Just kidding...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top