Canon RF 200-800mm f/6.3-9 IS coming on November 2, 2023

[EOS 4 Life]

I just realized this... the focal length and aperture will be similiar to the Olympus 150-400 f4.5 (300-800 f9 equivalent). Makes one wonder what would get better images, the $9500 m43 system ($7500 lens, $2000 body), or a $4500 (estimated) full frame system ($2000 lens, $2500 camera).

I would just adapt either the EF 100-400 L or EF 400 f/4 DO II to the OM 1 instead of paying so much for an Olympus lens.

 

[danfaz]

Well, Nikon lens are black and OK design, but this 600mm f11 / 800mm f11 and now this now are veryy ugly designs.

How do you know what the design is for this lens?

 

[EOS 4 Life]

A wildlife lens without weather sealing is not a wildlife lens in my opinion.

That is a fair opinion but Canon is selling a lot of such lenses.
There is no doubt that Canon has fallen behind Nikon and Sony in terms of affordable weather-sealed lenses.

 

[EOS 4 Life]

The nikon tc lenses work flawlessly as they should for their huge cost.

I have heard that the TC in the 400 f/2.8 is magnificent but not the one in the 600 f/4.
I have no first-hand experience with either.

 

[esglord]

Nice, I would buy this. Would love to have a zoom in this range that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg but isn’t total junk either.

 

[EOS 4 Life]

But I do think Canon will abandon this path to reduce weight and size of future lenses.

Both Nikon and Canon could give us a choice and make one with a TC and one without.
Although, I would opt for a 400 f/2.8 x 1.4TC over a 600 f/4 with no TC.
Canon's switchable external extender patent would theoretically obsolete the need for built-in TCs.
However, that would lose the advantage of having custom teleconverters.
The 100-300L seems to work perfectly with TCs so maybe that is unnecessary.
It seems they designed that lens for extenders instead of designing extenders for the lens.

 

[EOS 4 Life]

Most unsealed lenses are still closed pretty tightly and can take some light rain. There will be a bevy of "weather coats" made for the lens if you're really concerned about water. Most water damaged lenses that I have experienced either took a bath, or high humidity got them.

There is no such thing as a lens with zero weather sealing or one that is 100% sealed against all possible weather.
I wish Canon would use IP ratings like Olympus/OM.
Until then I will use extra protection for all my lenses.

 

[scyrene]

Hmm, not sure. But then I don’t know if the answer would help anyway. I think (with moderate certainty) that this lens will be white, yet it won’t be an L-series lens. So what canon has done in the past might not be entirely relevant. It should have some weather sealing.

Funnily enough (with no evidence either way) I expect this lens to be black.

 

[Quarkcharmed]

RF 200-800? Too late, I've already ordered an RF 100-500, it'll be my first RF lens.

 

[Quarkcharmed]

There is no such thing as a lens with zero weather sealing or one that is 100% sealed against all possible weather.
I wish Canon would use IP ratings like Olympus/OM.
Until then I will use extra protection for all my lenses.

Canon L lenses generally hold well in light rain and in the sea spray. After the sea spray I wipe them with a clean damp tissue, that's all.

 

[Sigurd2]

It's just a matter of acclimating lenses properly for extremes. When coming inside from cold and damp, the lens should be in a bag and left in the bag for an hour or so once inside a warmer environment. Always have silica packs in your bag as well.

Yes, there is more air needed to move in and out of the lens when zooming externally.

All camera gear was in the same room in the same cabin before we went out. And the fogging problem inside the RF 100-500 occurred first after been outside for a couple of hours. In my experience, external zoom is just more vulnerable to dust and moisture.

 

[scyrene]

Explain your reasoning in detail, please.

Pure trolling, presumably.

 

[scyrene]

If Canon wants to own the low end and give up share with pros and prosumers this sort of lens will do that. Just look at nikon at the long end... 400tc and 600tc if you want the best of the best. 600 and 800pf if you want sharp and fast with small size and light weight, and toss in the 400 4.5 just to add another sharp lens to the mix. Oh, and let's not forget the new 180-600.this new Canon lens won't get anyone to switch from nikon to Canon, but nikon's long lens lineup is getting people to move the other way. And at least for now, Canon is behind at the high end on bodies as well. I may be one of those soon to switch.

Genuine question: if I wanted to shoot at 800mm for less than ~$1500 what would be my Nikon option(s)? Also it bears repeating: Nikon has to be more aggressive than Canon because they have lost so much custom in recent years. I've no doubt they offer a great system, which is a good thing!

 

[scyrene]

You could combine that with some holiday on the continent

I'm not sure prices are much better in the rest of Europe, not enough to cover more than the difference?

 

[scyrene]

And with modern AF and IBIS, EF400L f5.6 shines again.

Does IBIS have any effect at 400mm?

 

[scyrene]

Initially, I was quite skeptical of this lens, but am starting to reconsider it as a purchase especially if the price is right. For me the yes or no will come down to the focusing mechanism: USM (yes) or STM (no). Can does use USM motors in non-L lenses such as the RF 24-240 mm.

Surely autofocus performance is what counts, not how it is achieved? Not seeking to argue but I don't understand people who say the underlying mechanism is what they care about (a similar one is stacked sensors). If STM gets the job done then why does it matter? I presume they choose the appropriate motor for the design and price point.

 

[scyrene]

The current RF teleconverters are slightly worse than the mkIII EF versions optically.

Genuine question: how is that measured? Given you can't mount EF and RF teleconverters on the same lens. Is it possible RF TCs are optimised for different things given the lenses they mount on include designs that have no equivalent in the EF system (like the 100-400).

 

[scyrene]

I got a perfectly good hood for my 800/11 for $15 on Amazon.

Same!

 

[chasingrealness]

I am. Really intrigued by this lens. It will all come down to image quality (can it hold up at f/9 on the R7 at 800mm?), autofocus capabilities, and size/weight. Seems like a perfect pairing for a full-frame camera sporting a brighter 100-400(or 500)mm.

 

[tron]

RF 200-800? Too late, I've already ordered an RF 100-500, it'll be my first RF lens.

You will not regret it. It is versatile and super sharp. And it works great with (both) teleconverters.