Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L USM discontinued!

It appears Canon has discontinued a legend of almost three decades EF 400mm f/5.6L USM. I feel deeply saddened for this occurrence. Since its release in 1993; many dedicated bird photographers rated this super telephoto lens as the best glass in the world for Birds In Flight (BIF) photography. When used with APS-C bodies, it produces a focal length of 640mm of full-frame equivalent.

This telephoto prime possesses all the attributes to be the champion BIF lens. Here are the reasons:

• This is the lightest super telephoto prime lens for handheld flight photography. Most of the bird photographers prefer to shoot flying birds with a handheld system.
• Autofocus is lightning fast.
• It produces fantastic image quality.
• The rather small aperture is good enough for capturing action in good light and also under overcast conditions.
• Granted, it lacks IS however, the fast shutter speed necessary for flight shots adequately compensates for the camera shake. Moreover, if image stabilization technology is incorporated in the lens; it certainly will get heavier.
• Due to the presence of IBIS in Canon’s mirrorless cameras; this lens is more relevant with the MILCs.

I can only hope that Canon produces a similar lens for its MILCs in the near future. There’s no competitor of this lens for the function it is intended to perform.

I own one for the last 13 years which is still as efficient as new and will take it with me to the grave. Because it produces wonders like this.