Customer Ratings & Reviews

I would say that to use this lens, you should really be familiar with your camera’s capabilities and the exposure triangle. Between the f/11 (low light intake) and the 800mm (requiring a fast shutter speed to avoid motion blur), you will need to know what settings you can get away with. I shoot with the R5 and so the dynamic range, ISO, and IBIS let’s me get away with some iffy settings. With that said, I LOVE this lens. It’s super light in comparison to my EF 100-400mm and RF 85mm and I have no problems walking around with it for a long time. It’s sharp and the IS lets you get away with a slower shutter speed without compromising image quality much. It is a bit hard to locate your subject due to the zoom, but that’s a reality of telephoto lenses as tight as this one. I’ve used this to shoot photos of birds, cityscape, planes, and pretty much anything that is far. I’m more of a portrait guy lately, but this has let me explore things like planetary and wildlife photography. One downside (aside from the obvious) is the need to unlock the lens and pull it out to use. I forget to do this, causing a bit of a delay when I grab my camera spontaneously and in a rush to capture a picture. And it leave me a bit worried keeping it extended when not in use. It’s a bit annoying but not really a dealbreaker. Overall though, I love going out with this lens. I can’t praise it enough. And when combined with the 2x teleconveter, it’s amazing.

This is a great lens for the price! It's sharp and allows you to get those far off shots that you would miss with anything with less reach. I was worried about the f/11 aperture in low light but it does an amazing job paired with the low light and image stabilization of the R6. For wildlife and daytime sports it's a spectacular deal in my opinion. I almost didn't purchase it because of the closed down aperture, but so glad I did! The only thing I wish it had is weather sealing since it is used mostly outside, but I just carry a lens cover on inclement days.

For an F11, plastic fantastic, this lens is remarkable. Buying a 16,999.00 lens is not possible for me at this juncture, nor is carrying the weight of it. That's the opposite of fun; however, this lens is light and saved me 16,000.00. Yes, the aperture is tight, but there's a trade off. Money and convenience. And the reach on an R5 is wonderful. Love the prime.

I'm going to start with the drawbacks of this lens, because they are significant. -Fixed f/11 aperture means no flexibility in depth of field, and no shooting in poor light (unless you're willing to really crank the ISO). -Fixed focal length means no flexibility in zoom range. -Minimum focus distance of 6m (about 20 feet) means no shooting objects close to you like you might be used to. All that said, I would still recommend this lens for those with an R5/R6 (or newer) who are interested in daylight wildlife photography (its main and really only use case). 800mm is a focal length that was long out of reach of most non-professional shooters. The pro lenses of this length have always been the price of a used car, so to have a reasonably-priced 800mm is a boon, even with the drawbacks mentioned above. Especially a stabilized lens that offers good sharpness and reasonably quick and accurate autofocus, as this lens does. But still, recognize that this is a compromise lens, and it still answers to the laws of physics. It will provide excellent images of a well-lit bird or mammal in the near distance. It will NOT bring a far-off bird close in, and it will not negate atmospheric haze. It will struggle to focus on a target obscured by branches and whatnot (and I'd note that it narrows the focus area to the center 50% or so of the frame). But for the price, it's really the only game in town, and it's not bad at all if you know what to expect from it, and what it can and can't do. Given the value for the money, as a specialist lens I'm giving it full marks.

An 800mm f/11?!? Honestly when canon announced this lens I thought they were joking but it’s amazing! It’s sharp. It’s lightweight enough to shoot handheld. It delivers great DOF. The auto focus is fast. I’ve shot a lot of wildlife with this lens and even though I’m using the cheapest R-series camera (EOS RP) which does NOT have animal eye AF, I’m getting amazing photos. Don’t overthink it. Just buy it!

Purchased this more for a curiosity factor, but actually loving it all in all, but there are some gotchas if you are going to use an Extender such as the RF1.4x ror RF2x. But if you are patient and using it with an R3,R5, or R6 (Even the R did pretty well) there are some nice pictures that can be taken with this lens. It is better suited for daytime and bright days if you are going to make it an F22 1600mm lens with the Extender. Which makes sense.. If you want a close up of that Lion at the zoo use this lense and an extender, dont be "THAT GUY" trying to get a macro shot with a 35mm lens up close (Spoiler: it ends badly). So all kidding aside, This will be used for astrophotography next to see how it does for some other shots. Overall build quality is spot on with what i would expect with Canon. Its not weather sealed but that is expected at this price point. Overall fantastic lens and focus is quick with R5/R6 camera. And no this will not fit in your camera bag unless you are going to lay this down and stretch the bag a little. Attached to my review are a couple of pictures i took using it with an RF2X extender and one without (Mountain - Son calls it "Valhalla" lol. I guess better name than any...

I was skeptical of how good could a fixed f/11 lens at this price point be and I was really impressed with how this lens performs. Good build quality, given the price point, excellent image quality and lightweight making handholding an 800mm lens very doable. Given the high ISO performance of the R5 and R6, this is a bird photographers dream lens.

When you consider that it's a super-telephoto range at 3-digit pricing, that's an amazing thing. Yes, the aperture is a dim f/11, but the mirrorless cameras handle noise so well that you can boost the ISO and still get clean images. Daylight photos are superb and surprisingly sharp. It's a fun toy that opens up a world that most hobbyists could never dream of touching!

Perfect for my price point and for what I like doing bird photography. I am not a professional but have attached some clicks from my recent trip to my local park. I am still learning to use this lens with my EOS R. Will update in few more days as the weather improves, as I can use this more.

Althoguh it has relative price for this focal length, it was not compromised to the iamge quality. Althoug its aperture is only F11 which really sucks, it still can give very sharp image when the ligth is bright enough. It was beyond my expectation and I am really happy to have it.

I bought this lens primarily for taking pictures of the moon and wildlife photography. While I haven’t had it long, and am a beginner photographer at best, I have managed to get some great photos of the moon and even got a photo of the Orion Nebula. I’m very happy with this lens and look forward to learning more about what it and my camera are capable of as I know right now I am being held back by my own skill level.

Switching from the SIGMA 150-600 c was a great idea ( even though I love that lens ) … This lens is soooo much lighter ( even coupled with the 2x extender . Ive only had the lens a few days but I love it and Im glad I bought it .Its light enough to carry for hours on wildlife shoots with no problem.I have only had the chance to take a few moon shots and shoot a squirrel in my neighbors yard … but so far so good . Cant wait go shoot some Ospreys !!!

Super light, sharp and surprisingly good at f11. Great 800mm lens for the money on the EOS mirror less system.

Great telephoto lens! Works great on my R6! Very heavy though, of course.

This lens is something else. Seriously awesome.

This is a great lens that serves a purpose, but is not a versatile lens that will be the primary lens in your kit. It is a niche piece of equipment and for the price is the perfect compliment to my other lenses. So what is the purpose of this lens? My primary lens is the rf100-500 which is one of the best lenses ever made. This is my go to for birding and wildlife; however, there are times where I need more reach to get that bird on the other side of the lake, river, or field. The f/11 800mm solves that problem. It is lighter than a thermos, easily stores in my pack, and is switched out in seconds when I need that long distance shot. Common concerns: First, the f/11 aperture that you hear about - it’s not that big of a deal. I shoot higher apertures at long distances anyways for sharpness. It does need light and ISO will climb, but with modern denoise technology it is not a big deal. For the price and simplicity, the lens is fairly sharp and will get great images, even with a 1.4 teleconverter. Also, you need room to shoot your subject - approx. 21ft between you and the subject. This is not a problem as I use it to shoot far away subjects anyway. Overall, I’ve been very impressed and it is perfect for my needs. If you have your primary lens and need a companion for reach, this is for you. If you are looking for a primary lens, then go for the new rf200-800 which is more versatile.

Considering that a professional 800 mm lens cost nearly 13 thousand dollars, this lens is an excellent deal. It opens up bird photography to a broader spectrum of photographers. Overall, the lens is very light and with excellent stabilization can be easily held by hand. It is sharp and the dynamic range is OK. I was worried by the f11 minimum aperture but it has been no problem yet. The great ISO capabilities of the Canon R5 helps this tremendously. Perhaps it could be a bit tougher and have better weather sealing, but for the price - I am 100% happy!!!!!

Used this with my Canon R6 Mark ii to Photography the Eclipse in Bulrington VT. The Photos came out great and on par with a lit of the other professional grade photos I've seen online of the same eclipse afterwards. For the price this is actually a great option for distance photos. Granted you're dealing with F11 fixed and will likely have to compromise with some noise in poorly lit wildlife/urban conditions, for it's price and image quality, I'm very satisfied with this purchase.

For the price this is a surprisingly excellent in IQ. Of course, for anyone who knows anything about lenses would know prior to purchasing it that its f/11 poses some limitations. Given the latest camera bodies that handle high ISO better and the advanced NR softwares available, such as Topaz AI DeNoise, this lens can shine given decent enough ambient light. For anyone looking for a lens that produces beautiful bokeh, look for something else. Sure, it doesn't come with the weather sealed protection, but I'll take its lightness and the cost over shooting in rain and snow. The hood is outrageously expensive, but I decided to get it rather than waiting for a third-party hood. It's a good thing that I got the hood, because I dropped the R5 with the lens attached on my first out testing the lens. The hood took the initial blow and saved both the lens and the body except for some permanent scuff marks sustained. Guess I already paid for the hood.

I promise I hated this lens. I swore the joke was on me and I had a bad copy. I was literally headed to return this joker and decided to take pictures along the route just to show how terrible it was. And then this happened… perfect pictures. To anyone purchasing this lens, give it time to get used to it. Embrace the weight of it and relax when shooting. Make sure you use servo because it will help you get that ONE GREAT photo in the event you slightly move.