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.the-digital-picture.com
Canon has manufactured four 400mm prime lenses: EF 400mm 2.8L IS III USM EF 400mm 2.8L IS II USM EF 400mm 4 DO IS II USM EF 400mm 5.6L USM
The 400mm 4 DO IS II USM, which replaced an earlier version of the same lens in 2014, 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.the-digital-picture.comthe-digital-picture.com
These lenses are compatible with the Canon Extender EF teleconverters.
Specifications of the EF 400mm lenses Attribute 2.8L USM 2.8L II USM 2.8L IS USM 2.8L IS II USM 2.8L IS III USM 4 DO IS USM 4 DO IS II USM 5.6L USM ImageKey features Full-frame compatible Yes Image stabilizer No Yes No Ultrasonic Motor Yes L-series Yes No Yes Diffractive Optics No Yes No Macro NoTechnical data Aperture (max-min) 2.8-32 4-32 5.6-32 Construction 9 groups / 11 elements 13 groups / 17 elements 12 groups / 16 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 6.26 lb / 2.84 kg 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 77mmAccessories Lens hood ET-161B II ET-155 ET-155 (WII) ET-120 ET-120 (WII) Built-in Case 400 400C400E 400B 400D LH-D29Retail information Release date April 1991 March 1996 September 1999 August 2011December 2018 December 2001 September 2014 May 1993 Currently in production? No Yes Yes No No No MSRP $870,000 yen980,000 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. The array is designed to image astronomical objects with low surface brightness such as some satellite galaxies. The array started with three lenses but this has since increased to 24 with plans for 50. By march 2026 it had 48.
A second project also using Canon 400 mm f/2.8 lenses known as the Massive Optical Telephoto Hyperspectral Robotic Array plans to use 1,140 lenses. Work started on it at the beginning of 2025 with an aimed completion date of the end of 2026.
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