Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM Lens w/1.4 ext and 50d

[Sharon Hallowell]

Will this lens and body combo still autofocus or do I need a 70d? Thanks for your help! Sharon

[John Flynn]

Only the 7DII (NOT the 7D), 5DIII, 5DS and the 1-series bodies will AF with the max aperture at f8 like the 1.4x and the 100-400II combination. I have gotten some great flight shots with the 7DII combination including an osprey flying head on but be aware that the focusing at F8 max aperture is significantly slowed down. Erratically moving birds that are not parallel to the film plane can be very difficult. I'm not sure how you are with flight shots but it definitely ups the difficulty level. Static subjects work great.

[Daniel Cadieux]

No, it will not AF with the 50D (and the 70D either if memory serves - perhaps with liveview but that defeats the purpose when it comes to bird photography). There is also the "tape the pins" trick but you get slow as molasses AF. You'll need at a minimum the 7D2.

edit: Thanks John, look like you were typing faster that I :-)

[Sharon Hallowell]

Thanks to you both, John and Daniel! I was pretty sure it wouldn't and was hoping I could hold off on purchasing both right now. Oh well! Glad I asked! Sharon