Del Paso said:

I see!
A 10-800mm !

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Only if it's under 500g not bigger than the 24-105

GMCPhotographics said:

The RF L is a great lens, optically comparable to my EF mkII, but a lot lighter and easier to carry in a camera bag. Loosing teleconverter usage is a bit naff though.

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Even the RF 70-200 Z is 40% lighter than the EF variants and you don't need the adapter. Actually compared to the Z version and the new Nikon 70-200, the weight of the original RF 70-200 with the external zoom is not that impressive.

amorse said:

I can certainly say that aside from some chipping paint, my EF 70-200 f/2.8L IS USM II is still going strong and certainly has some new life on my R5 ii. Hard to justify replacing that with a newer model to be honest.

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I’m with you there, I’ve also been rocking a mkII for a long time. Mine has a few battle scars, but still works great. I don’t think the new RF L lenses are as robust as the later EF lenses. Most of my lenses are over 15 years old and look pretty descent. Most RF casings look a bit shabby after 5 years of heavy pro use.
The new RF Z lens is certainly lighter, sharper and generally slightly better in every metric, although eye watering expensive!
The RF L is a great lens, optically comparable to my EF mkII, but a lot lighter and easier to carry in a camera bag. Loosing teleconverter usage is a bit naff though.
My issue with upgrading to the RF version is that I already have a EF mkII and it’s a focal range / aperture choice that I don’t use as much as I used too. These days I prefer a EF 135L or a EF 100-400mm f4.5 LiS II.

Odd, I can't delete any product I've purchased a CarePAK (now expired) plan for.

foda said:

Indochinese Green-Magpie photographed while birding in Vietnam, March, 2026.

R5MkII RF200-800mm

View attachment 229653

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Awesome! Beautiful bird and great photo.

neuroanatomist said:

Canon Japan has a list of lenses for which service has ended:

修理対応期間終了商品｜キヤノン

修理対応期間終了商品の一覧を掲載しているページです。

canon.jp

...and a list of lenses for which service has not yet ended but will at some specified or TBD date:

修理対応期間 個人のお客さま向け商品一覧

修理対応期間対象商品の一覧とサポート終了年月を掲載しているページです。

canon.jp

To delete a product you no longer have, log into your MyCanon account, the landing page should show a few products with a View All link at the top right, click that, then click on a product, then click the delete button (trash can icon) at the upper right corner.

View attachment 229294

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Interestingly enough, the EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS II is shown on the Japan website as no longer supported.

But on the Canon USA CPS qualified repair list, it still shows as eligible for repair, including the 20% discount for Gold Level and above.

EOS 4 Life said:

Canon does not make it

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Ouch! You're right. I didn't notice that at B&H. And it's got a cable running from the grip to the wired remote jack on the camera to control the shutter. Ugh.

amorse said:

I can certainly say that aside from some chipping paint, my EF 70-200 f/2.8L IS USM II is still going strong and certainly has some new life on my R5 ii. Hard to justify replacing that with a newer model to be honest.

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I have this one too and I agree, I really struggle to justify getting the new one, no of my clients will be able to tell the difference in sharpness. The Mark II sells for just over $1K while the new one brand new is $4K.... The math doesn't add up... AUD btw.

Amazing Canon exchange rate in action. $3200 = £3500

RF version M6 II like with updated spec, 2 mode, both APSC and FF

foda said:

Well done. What is your field of study?

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Protein science (at the interface of molecular biology, chemistry, biophysics and structural biology).

"Chipping Sparrow"

EOS R1, EF 600mm f/4L IS II + RF 1.4x Extender, 1/2000 s, f/5.6, ISO 4000

"American Redstart"

EOS R1, EF 600mm f/4L IS II + RF 1.4x Extender, 1/2000 s, f/5.6, ISO 1000

Indochinese Green-Magpie photographed while birding in Vietnam, March, 2026.

R5MkII RF200-800mm

AlanF said:

Please forgive a fellow experimental scientist for using your image to test those theories - after all as Max Planck wrote: "Experiments are the only means of knowledge at our disposal, the rest is poetry, imagination." (especially what's on Facebook).

View attachment 229615

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Well done. What is your field of study?

ISv said:

It illustrates that it's the ambient light and the exposure that are doing the difference, no surprise...
But: "Experiments are the only means of knowledge at our disposal, the rest is poetry, imagination." I would say that the experiments start with "poetry, imagination.", usually called hypothesis.
And only the results from the experiments are the thing that will kill or uplift your hypothesis! In this particular case the hypothesis didn't survive the experiment. For the "experimental scientist" it means (most of the time but not always) your chances to get money for your next experiment are diminishing...

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Actually (and this is almost always missed), analysis of observational data precedes the generation of a hypothesis. The hypothesis then generates a testable prediction which can be verified or falsified by further experiment.

Beautiful shots, Noreaster.

Black tern with jewelry

Looks like a nice option for crop camera shooters who until now did not have this kind of zoom available.

It's a little odd to point out a "savings" over the 7-14mm Canon RF lens, but I sort of get that.

I'll add that we RF 7-14mm shooters, (or EF 8-15mm) never called our lenses "dual fisheye lens shooters". It's a zoom lens, with lots of great options.

Least sandpiper, lesser and greater yellow legs spotted sandpiper, verigina rail

At one time, there were f/2.8 and f/4 versions with and without IS, so four options for everyone.

I had two EF 70-200s, and they sort of bookend my trajectory from ignorance to experience. The f/4 non-IS was my first L lens (in 2012) and it wowed me with the image quality, every shot I took with it seemed so much better than what I was used to. However I wanted more reach so swapped it for the EF 400 f/5.6. I got the f/2.8 IS II a few years later, maybe 2016, after returning a faulty Sigma 180 f/2.8 macro lens, to see if the zoom would provide similar quality with extra flexibility, but I was so unimpressed with the images around MFD that I quickly got rid of it (later I got a second copy of the Sigma which I still have).

I never did much event/portrait work so these zooms never quite fitted me - and 200mm was never enough for me (I also had the EF 200 2.8 cheap L prime and the colour fringing was too much for me). But they were certainly fine pieces of kit.

I still have my EF 70-200 f/4 original! Works great; takes a 1.4x fantastically; takes a 2x when necessity strikes; and slips into a travel pack quite well for what it is. DLO keeps it modern for large and small farm game. But, I do look at the 2.8 side and wonder whether I should get one for the collection. There's an article from Grant Atkinson on the quality of the 2.x combo with the EF 2.8 II (and I presume III) that keeps nudging me. Other priorities first, however.

In my opinion, the extra-compact 70-200 f/4 and f/2.8 RF editions make these long-term road apples or collector curiosities: very innovative for their compactness, yes, but not useful for general bag inclusion at the prosumer level with the lack of extender support (it means more lenses, or swapping for lenses that are aperture compromised in the 70-200 range). I think moreso that they showed off what can be done with the then-new mount, more than anything — while also letting Canon say "me too" for the range. My f/4 remains an excellent 70-200 f/4, a great 98-280 f/5.6, and good 140-400 f/8 (f/9 to milk it). Yes, solid alternatives exist that cover that range, but none of them are f/4 at 70-200. The f/4 EF nicely balances IQ with extendability, weight, size, and cost. If the lens is making money, then I think that the 2.8 achieves the same thing in spades with some nice weekend flexibility thrown in. Unless it's the compact 2.8, that is — then it's somewhat boring.

Nice article, thanks! It's neat to see the EF -> RF evolution in one place.

A true classic, a refined, battle-tested tool that defined an era.

I can certainly say that aside from some chipping paint, my EF 70-200 f/2.8L IS USM II is still going strong and certainly has some new life on my R5 ii. Hard to justify replacing that with a newer model to be honest.

Maybe you wouldn’t count this since it wasn’t an L, but I still have my original EF 70-210 F4 circa 1987.