Those flowers are from a cactus called Echinopsis. The variety is 'Flying Saucer.' I docent at the Ruth Bancroft Garden in Walnut Creek, CA. It is a premier drought tolerant themed garden, known worldwide for its vast collection of succulents and other xerophytic plants. If you're ever in the area, email me at pyrus321@yahoo.com, and I'll get you a guest pass (or two if you bring a friend or family member).

That's the compromise for having a zoom, but the flexibility is hard to beat, especially when the differences in IQ is minimal.

This Kenko has gotten very respectable reviews on B&H, rivaling the three times more expensive Canon 1.4X III. If it was compatible with my 100-400 L IS II, it would be a no brainer to use.

I have attached photos taken today in response to your reply. There is no noticeable degradation in IQ, IMHO. Photos are unretouched, handheld, and only resized for uploading. Equipment: 7D Mark II and Canon 100L IS/Kenko combo.

Wow, the clarity in the sandhill crane's eye after zooming in is amazing! And, the BIF shot gives me enough reason to pop for the Canon 1.4x.

Ken Rockwell said (http://www.kenrockwell.com/canon/lenses/100-400mm-ii.htm): "This 100-400 gives much better perspective at its longer focal lengths than shooting with a dedicated 100mm macro. It shoots down to about 1/3 life size, and does it with plenty of room between you and your subject — better than the 100mm f/2.8 IS L."

There is definitely an advantage to using this lens for closeups if access to the subject is restricted. And with the amazing IQ of this lens for closeups, it rivals the 100mm IS L (see attached photos I took this week at the Ruth Bancroft Gardens in Walnut Creek, CA), so if weight and space are limiting factors on trips (such as African safaris or backpacking), I just might leave my 100mm at home!

Thanks for your input. Much appreciated. And you are right -- the combo of the 7D Mark II and this lens is a dream fit!

Are BIF shots a significant part of your repertoire, and if so, is this combination, with only centerpoint focusing, satisfactory to you, or do you mainly shoot stationary objects?

I thought the 2.0 converter had that limitation. I'll double check. Thanks to all who responded.

I failed to mention that this only occurs when I attach the new Canon 100-400 IS II lens to my 7D Mark II. The Kenko works with my Canon 100mm L IS USM lens and my Canon 50 mm using the 7D. However when the 100-400 is attached, the viewfinder and top LCD won't even show any information (acts like the camera is not powered on), so I can't use this lens at all. Maybe it's because the 100-400 is too slow, but I thought that would only affect autofocus properties and I could still use the lens when manually focusing.

When I taped the contacts of the teleconverter, autofocus was disabled, and the aperture read nothing else except "00" while the shutter speed and ISO functioned normally. This was the same result whether in Av, Tv or M modes. I guess I'll need to buy a Canon teleconverter if I want to use one on my 7D with the 100-400. Or, just use the Kenko on my 70D with the 100-400, but with the AF and tracking superiority of the 7D over the 70D, I won't get great shots of BIF.

The Kenko 1.4x Teleplus Pro 300 teleconverter works on my T4i and my 70D, but not on my 7D Mark II. I get two error messages. One is Error 01, which says there is no communication between the lens and the camera, and to clean the contacts. The other error message says that the firmware update failed, and to try again. I spoke to Canon, and did not get a reason why this teleconverter won't work on the 7D Mark II. Also, there is no firmware update yet for this camera.

This custom kit not only includes the camera and lens, but also includes FIVE batteries, lens hood, lens cap, battery charger and cord, instruction manual, Hoya Pro 1 UV filter, Hoya circular polarizing filter, and original boxes.

My detailed photos show that both the camera and lens are in excellent condition. The Tamron zoom lens has always been protected by filters, so it is in pristine shape with no scratches. The view finder and LCD screen of my T4i are likewise blemish free. Be wary of other ads that do not show detailed images of what's being sold. Perhaps they don't want you to know the true, unbiased condition of their sale items.

The shutter count as of this ad's placement is 34,744. Although Canon does not officially give a shutter actuation life for the Rebel series, the typical agreed-to number for similar camera shutter mechanisms is 100,000, so there is still a lot of mileage left in this camera. See this website: http://www.shutteractuations.com/canon-eos-camera-shutter-lifetime/

My price for this kit is only $495, and I pay for shipping within the 48 states.

If you would like to purchase either item separately, the individual costs are:

T4i: $335
Tamron lens: $225

Go to eBay and Adorama to compare their used equipment prices that are in excellent condition, and you will see that my prices are significantly lower.

I only accept purchases thru PayPal. You need not be a member of PayPal to do this transaction. Also, if you pick up in person, I will accept a cash payment.

You can contact me at: pyrus321@yahoo.com

Includes: Lens hood, lens cap, Bower HD UV filter, case with strap and two paddings, instruction manual and original box.

Lens is in excellent shape. Only cosmetic scratches on barrel. My detailed photos show you EXACTLY what you will get for your money. Be wary of other ads that do not show detailed images of what's being sold. Perhaps they don't want you to know the true, unbiased condition of their sale items. Price is $895. I include shipping for free within the 48 states. I only accept purchases thru PayPal. You need not be a Paypal member to use this payment method. Used lenses sell for $800 to $1200 on eBay, B&H. Again, condition is paramount when considering buying used. The quality of my lens is apparent when viewing the attached hummingbird photos taken in April 2015 using it on my Canon 7D Mark II.

If you also purchase my Rebel T4i kit (see my other ad on this website) for $695, I will reduce the price of this lens to $795.

You can contact me at: pyrus321@yahoo.com

I guess the bottom line is that I am happy with applying sharpening to all my JPEGs instead of using it straight from a RAW conversion that I did or did not sharpen. Thanks to everyone who responded. I think we can put this issue to bed now.

My understanding is that Picture Styles are applied in RAW, but can be converted to any other PS in DPP with a few exceptions, just like white balance can be changed.

I now use a universal sharpening scale for my photos because they all appear to be better than the unsharpened images. I don't notice any additional noise or halo appearances at the print size that these photos will eventually be shown at in my photobooks. If I were to do an enlargement to hang on a wall (which I have yet to do), I would certainly revisit these photos to do a custom touch up.

When using DPP, the sharpness changes shown on RAW are subtle when compared to JPEGs. I guess I prefer more sharpness on my images than others. I went and reread the DPP instructions, and found the way to apply the sharpening of one photo to any or all photos of a set. The danger is that oversharpening can ruin images, so I set the sharpening slider to about 60% to the right, and that seems to make my photos acceptably sharp.

Apaflo,

I save JPEGs a full resolution. I contacted Canon, and the rep said that the sharpness tool does little to improve the image, but working on the JPEG is more dramatic. I guess I'll just do the sharpening on JPEGs and skip that step when working in RAW. He also suggested using "Standard" as the Picture Style.

thanks,
Ersten

I use Canon's DPP to process my RAW photos. When I use the "Sharpness" tool and move the slider to the right, there is very little difference that I can see in an increase in sharpness. After I convert the sharpened photo to a JPEG, the photo still does not look any sharper. However, when I again use DPP to sharpen this JPEG, the clarity is obvious as I move the slider to the right, and the photo looks much sharper. I use a 70D and use "Landscape" for my Picture Style. It doesn't matter what lens I use. The results are always the same. I don't print my photos, so I can't comment on a comparison of a JPEG's sharpness between the first sharpening and the second one. Is there a way around this predicament? It's not an efficient use of time to have to sharpen a photo twice.