The Canon RF 300mm f/2.8L IS USM appears to be getting closer [CR3]

What is it about this lens that you find desirable? Serious question. I know it is the "affordable" big white, but it seems to me that 300mm would be too short for most of what I want a big white for. I'd end up using it with a 2x converter almost all the time and would then be limited to "just" 600mm at f5.6. Not a "bad" option, but I wonder if the compromises of a converter would make it worth the investment. It seems like a 400 f4 DO (if an RF version is ever made) would be a more versatile lens at about the same price.
Can any RF (or adapted EF?) handle stacked RF TCs? I believe it was the case for EF lens/DLSR but for RF/R mount?
 
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I for one will be looking forward to the used mk ii price drop once the RF comes out.
There would be more second hand ones on the market once the RF lens drops but do you expect the 2nd hand prices to reduce? I was looking for a second hand EF100-400mm to adapt on my R5 but the second hand prices didn't reduce much and there were suspiciously few on the market even when the RF100-500mm had been around for a while. I ended up with the RF100-500mm when there was a sale on and no regrets.
 
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Yes, it's horses for courses. With more and more AI coming along that can successfully blur background, I wonder if the days of big wide aperture lenses that are used for that are limited?
The computational photography boundaries are being pushed in smart phones (portrait mode) but still not fantastic but are getting there. phones are limited by reach unless they somehow get such high pixel density that they can crop for telephoto shots...

Otherwise we are left with post-processing a la LR/PS etc. PS can do a reasonable job for subject selection and gaussian blur the rest but still not better than in-camera/lens raw images. I am surprised how often I am using LR's AI based sky mask for quick editing or at least using it and then adding/subtracting from it. ML/AI will certainly change how we shoot in the future!
 
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Pixel

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Sep 6, 2011
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There would be more second hand ones on the market once the RF lens drops but do you expect the 2nd hand prices to reduce? I was looking for a second hand EF100-400mm to adapt on my R5 but the second hand prices didn't reduce much and there were suspiciously few on the market even when the RF100-500mm had been around for a while. I ended up with the RF100-500mm when there was a sale on and no regrets.
Mine will be on the market for $4500 when I get my hands on this.
 
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Wider apertures are also better in low light
True but sensors have better high ISO performance as well and post processing options with Topaz AI etc at a pinch.
With mirrorless removing the minimum focusing aperture then great shots with cheaper lenses are getting easier.
 
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Can any RF (or adapted EF?) handle stacked RF TCs? I believe it was the case for EF lens/DLSR but for RF/R mount?
Not natively. IIRC, there was one combination of older EF TCs that could be stacked, but the MkIII versions could not.

However, with a modified EF-RF adapter and an R body, it is possible to mount an RF TC behind the adapter and an EF TC in front of it.
 
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mxwphoto

R6 and be there
Jun 20, 2013
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The computational photography boundaries are being pushed in smart phones (portrait mode) but still not fantastic but are getting there. phones are limited by reach unless they somehow get such high pixel density that they can crop for telephoto shots...

Otherwise we are left with post-processing a la LR/PS etc. PS can do a reasonable job for subject selection and gaussian blur the rest but still not better than in-camera/lens raw images. I am surprised how often I am using LR's AI based sky mask for quick editing or at least using it and then adding/subtracting from it. ML/AI will certainly change how we shoot in the future!
I just saw this report on Google's computational AI on images and was blown away. It looks like it is still in the R&D phase but if this gets released as a product we can pretty much kiss large aperture lenses goodbye.
 
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I just saw this report on Google's computational AI on images and was blown away. It looks like it is still in the R&D phase but if this gets released as a product we can pretty much kiss large aperture lenses goodbye.
That's simply remarkable!
RawNeRF denoise, 3D rendering with specular highlights and ability to change focus point!
It would be great to understand just how much processing time would be required but I can see it (or a less stellar option) on phones in a couple of years or less.
 
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mxwphoto

R6 and be there
Jun 20, 2013
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Hope it's a lens designed from the ground up for the RF mount unlike a few other super-telephotos which are just the EF mount variants with a built-in adapter.
It will have to be. The current EF version saddled with a RF adapter weighs not much different than the latest 400mm 2.8 (only a 17% difference). Considering the 400mm is 27% wider, 38% longer, and at has at least 50% more volume than the 300mm, I would be absolutely shocked if they just slapped on a permanent RF mount adapter to a 2011 design and called it a day.
 
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H. Jones

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Aug 1, 2014
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The real question for me is if Canon releases this and a 120-300mm or just picks one or the other. Nothing made me more jealous of Nikon lenses than Nikon finally releasing a native 120-300mm F/2.8, that's a lens that I would consider my white whale if it was high quality and solid. Add a 2x and get a 240-600mm F/5.6, not bad at all.

The 120-300 range is nice because, with the R5 using the 24-70, you can definitely crop in to make up the 70 to 120mm gap, so for big field sports at night it would save me from needing to use three cameras to cover the 24-300mm range.

I rented the Sigma one years ago and absolutely hated the look and feel of it. That specific lens also had pretty weird bokeh and not the best image quality. Between that experience and my commitment to Canon Pro Services, I can't imagine ever buying another third party lens.
 
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C
The computational photography boundaries are being pushed in smart phones (portrait mode) but still not fantastic but are getting there. phones are limited by reach unless they somehow get such high pixel density that they can crop for telephoto shots...

Otherwise we are left with post-processing a la LR/PS etc. PS can do a reasonable job for subject selection and gaussian blur the rest but still not better than in-camera/lens raw images. I am surprised how often I am using LR's AI based sky mask for quick editing or at least using it and then adding/subtracting from it. ML/AI will certainly change how we shoot in the future!
Stop calling computational photography "photography". It's not "photography". LITERALLY BY DEFINITION IT IS COMPUTER GENERATED "ART".
 
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