RF 100-500 IS USM

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It’s been quite a week , testing Canon’s R5m2 body with this lens , the RF 400 f2.8. The Canon 400mm f/2.8 lens is definitely a high end super-telephoto lens aimed at the serious amateur and professional wildlife photographer offering exceptional image quality , super fast f 2.8 aperture and sharp images. And while the R5m2 body has a familiar feel , this lens feels like a giant leap from my usual kit lens the RF 100-500. It’s big and feels solid , a real powerhouse of a lens and i put it to the test both in the hide on a gimbal head and also hand held in the field.

So this is a big lens and the first question , can you shoot hand held. Technically the answer is yes , partly because of the excellent image stabilisation but in reality when you are mobile with this lens i think you will almost certainly need some type of support because of its significant size and weight require it to be supported by a monopod or tripod for comfortable use.  During testing i used a monopod , this lens does get heavy after a while but that’s to be expected. In the hide we used the lens on a gimbal head , so no problem here.

At the rear of the lens you will find the buttons and switches that control the settings for the lens , most of which are familiar such as image stabilisation and auto focus and manual shoot settings. ( the lens actually has three different modes of image stabilisation ) the lens comes with a few more options such as a new button to me, the focus preset “Set” button where you can set a pre-focus area and return to it over and over again.  At the rear of the lens, is a drop in filter holder.  This allows you to drop a smaller filter into the rear of the lens.  With a massive front element, buying a filter that big would be difficult if not impossible. 

I found the autofocus a little clunky close up and near to the minimum 2.5m focal length. It did work but needed a little bit of a prompt on the trigger button. ( more than likely due to my set up ? ) Once i moved on to a subject a little further away this niggle disappeared completely. The focus is quick and accurate as you would expect from a lens of this pedigree. And the resulting images , well pin sharp. One note the depth of field at f2.8 is shallow, producing super smooth boken , i had to change my shooting style to take this into account.

The f/2.8 aperture makes the lens ideal to use with teleconverters if extra reach is needed. When adding one, you multiply the aperture and focal length by the strength of the teleconverter; so if you are using a 2x, it would make this lens an 800mm f/5.6. And because its image quality is so good, the degradation to image quality when using converters isn’t really noticeable with this lens. The autofocus still works and is just as quick with the teleconvertor attached so for the price of a couple of teleconverters, you potentially have three lenses in one.

Key features

• Саnоn L-Ѕеrіеѕ Вuіld Quаlіtу
• Designed to capture wildlife, sports and action photos
• Optical structure comprised of 17 elements, in 13 groups
• A wide, bright and fast maximum aperture of f2.8
• Impressive low-light performance
• A 9-rounded blade aperture diaphragm for beautiful bokeh
• Image stabilisation system offers 5-stops of compensation

The lens features onboard image stabilisation that offers up to 5-stops of compensation, which combined with its wide aperture and low-light performance, you’ll be able to capture some truly stunning and dramatic super-telephoto images that are free of camera shake. When it comes to autofocus (AF), the RF 400mm f2.8 L IS USM Lens features a Dual Power Focus Drive that delivers impressively fast and accurate AF performance.

The lens structure is comprised of 17 glass lens elements that are arranged into 13 groups. The use of two Flourite lens elements and one SUD low dispersion glass lens results in exceptional edge-to-edge sharpness and clarity across each and every frame, as well as an Air Sphere coating (ASC) and Super Spectra coating that together enhances the anti-reflective properties of the lens. Image quality is ensured even at this lens’s wide maximum f2.8 aperture. This bright and fast aperture also makes for excellent low light performance, ideal for early morning wildlife.

What’s in the box

• 1 x Canon RF 400mm f2.8 L IS USM Lens
• 1 x Lens Cap E-180E
• 1 x Lens hood ET-155 (WIII)
• 1 x Lens Soft case LS400
• 1 x Rear Lens Cap
• 1 x Lens Dust Cap RF

Specification

• Fіltеr Тhrеаd [mm] 52mm

• Fосаl Lеngth ~ Теlе [mm] 400mm

• Fосаl Lеngth ~ Wіdе [mm] 400mm

• Lеnѕ Еlеmеntѕ 17

• Lеnѕ Grоuрѕ 13

• Lеnѕ Моunt Саnоn RF-Моunt

• Мах Ареrturе ~ Теlе 2.8

• Мах Ареrturе ~ Wіdе 2.8

• Міnіmum Fосuѕ Dіѕtаnсе [m] 2.5

• Ѕіzе 163mm х 367mm

• Wеіght [g] 2890

So as ever the question is would I recommend the lens. While this is the heaviest lens i have tested to date , the image quality and performance from it is unmatched, and definitely make it worthwhile carting around. With a little practice using a prime super-telephoto, you can create some striking images that you just cannot achieve with shorter focal lengths. The large aperture and the bokeh it produces at 400mm is dreamy, so the answer is a definite big fat yes. Is it the ultimate big wildlife lens , arguably yes , and in my opinion Canon have produced another fantastic lens , and it’s definitely worth the investment if you can.

Images taken with the RF 400 f 2.8 lens

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