Canon EF 200-400 f4 IS & Canon 7D

Many people have been asking if the Canon 7D produced soft images when coupled with the new Canon EF 200-400 f4 IS lens.
Well, at first it did for me. This was my first “big lens" and though I read the manual and researched long lens technique etc before using it I was getting more soft images than sharp ones. This was not what I am used to. My 300 f4 & the 70-200 L both produce tack sharp images almost every time. Most of the images on my website are with the 70-200L & the 300f4.  My Canon EF 200-400 f4 IS lens was producing some amazingly sharp images but more soft ones.

I wondered, like many others, if the New Canon EF 200-400 f4 IS was too much lens for the 7D to drive.

Like most people, I was under the impression that if I was getting sharp images with the lesser lenses my images should and could only go one way- super sharp. I just had to slap on the new lens and would immediately start getting  images that were way better than I was getting with my old lenses. Research on the internet showed that  people have used lenses like the 500 f4 with a 50D etc..Had I not spent  $$$ on this new state of the art lens? So why all my images were not super sharp?

Now was the time to sit back and take stock of the situation. Most of the pros use it with the 1DX, but then it is a FF camera and I am in love with the APSC body. [ Even though I am waiting for the 7D mk ii or whatever it will be called & I was not going to invest in a 1D] 
Realisation dawned on me that by just attaching the Canon EF 200-400 f4 IS to the 7D body was not going to get me the best results. The 7D is a very capable camera.  There was no reason why the 7D should not be able to get sharp images with the Canon 200-400 f4 IS lens.
I came to the conclusion that it must be operator error.  Effort was required on my part.

My observation is that any handling / holding error made while using the Canon EF 200-400 f4 IS is going to be magnified by this lens. You do it right and you will get the results. Make a mistake and you end up with soft images

So last weekend I got the gear together  to prove to myself that  the 7D & Canon EF 200-400 f4 IS combo was not be be blamed for poor images. The weather was not ideal. It was dark & cloudy, with a few short fine breaks. I tried it on different subjects including bats & birds. Results are below.
If I did everything deliberately and right I ended up with a series of super sharp images and if I shot in a hurry hoping it would be OK the hit rate dropped.

People have likened shooting with a long lens to Rifle shooting & I agree. These days I don’t shoot in the high speed burst mode [ only use it for action] and shoot slowly and deliberately, pay attention to my stance [ I use a monopod], breathing, focusing & shutter release. Now I am getting more tack sharp shots than before and ratio of  the sharp ones to the soft ones is getting better everytime I go out and shoot.

Finally I have arrived at the conclusion - Yes the 7D & Canon EF 200-400 f4 IS will produce tack sharp images provided you do your part. This combination is much more capable than most new users of big lenses including myself. 

This lens takes some getting used to. Practice with it till you are getting the results you want.