Canon 200-400 issues on DSMC2

[Robert Hofmeyr]

I finally purchased myself a used Canon 200-400 f/4. It's a fantastic lens. Very sharp, and the built-in 1.4x teleconverter is super useful. But there seem to be some issues on Red cameras - I've tested on both a DSMC2 Helium and a Dragon (Magnesium):

1. Stabilisation does not work well - the camera knows that IS is active and [IS] appears on screen, and it helps a bit I think, but it is not nearly as effective as on a Canon camera.
2. IS element does not get locked into place when shutting down. So the element is loose and you can hear it when you shake the lens. It does lock if you turn off IS before shutting down the camera. When I first shot with the lens, I did not realise this, so I could have bashed it around a bit on bumpy roads with the IS element loose, perhaps causing problem 1.
3. When IS is turned on, the lens focuses all the way in one direction (with a clunk), then all the way in the other direction, so you then have to refocus.
4. The camera does not recognise when the 1.4x is activated - it does display the correct focal length, but the change in aperture is not recognised, so when you next change aperture it does not behave as expected.

None of these problems occur on a Canon body.

The Canon EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM 1.4x Extender is listed as a supported lens in the DSMC2 documentation.

Does anyone else have this lens? It would be great to confirm whether the problem is the lens or if it is just not fully supported by Red.

Thanks,
Rob

 

[Robert Hofmeyr]

Update: I've sent the lens in for a service and there is nothing wrong with the IS. So I think this is an issue with Red's profile for this lens. Does anyone else have this lens to confirm?

 

[Zack Birlew]

Wow that sounds like a really cool lens! Being on the expensive side might mean it isn't too common, same for legacy lenses like my 85-300 FD, however, I would hope that RED would have tested and enabled all the features on EF lenses as they come out, especially by now since everybody would be using various different EF lenses. Hopefully somebody has a solution or a RED bomb squad rep can help you out.

 

[Robert Hofmeyr]

Wow that sounds like a really cool lens! Being on the expensive side might mean it isn't too common, same for legacy lenses like my 85-300 FD, however, I would hope that RED would have tested and enabled all the features on EF lenses as they come out, especially by now since everybody would be using various different EF lenses. Hopefully somebody has a solution or a RED bomb squad rep can help you out.

Yeah, I'm really happy with the lens. Just wish it worked properly on DSMC2. I will test again when it gets back from being serviced and then contact Red.