Canon RF 800mm f/11 IS STM Reviews
Remarkable Bargain
By David
Rated 5 out of 5
Date: 2023-09-08
I've owned some of the best Canon lens made, including the fastest EF 200, 400, 600, and 200-400/1.4x. They didn't have any of those available when I switched from the 1DxMkiii to the R3, and so I got this, thinking it would be a nice bridge lens until the good ones came out. But now that I've used it, I'm super impressed. Light and sharp as a tack. If you can live with the fixed f/11, you'll be amazed at the quality for the money. The attached was shot today, handheld, at 1/40 (yes!!!) sec and ISO 800.
Sharp
By Michael
Rated 4 out of 5
Date: 2023-08-17
Got the lens on sale. Worth the price. Negatives are always 600mm and always f11. Minimum focus is close to 20 ft.
Great value
By Chuck
Rated 5 out of 5
Date: 2023-08-14
I initially purchased RF100-500 with my R6mkIIv to capture birds and other wildlife and added the 800mm to better fill the frame. I've been very pleased with the image quality.
Excellent addition to my kit!
By Christy
Rated 5 out of 5
Date: 2023-08-11
I took a chance, acquiring this lens for use in wildlife/bird photography. I have used it on both an R5 and R3. Overall I am very pleased with the images I have gotten with this lens, despite it's limitations for low light situations. In bright light, the reach in combination with the two R cameras, has more than met my needs. Very pleased.
Great reach and IQ
By Chuck
Rated 5 out of 5
Date: 2023-08-02
I live along the ICW in NC andI initially bought the RF100-500mm for my R6MkII but added the 800mm to give me more reach when shooting birds. Very pleased with the IQ. I added the Kirk foot which allows tripod mounting and conveniently carrying with a sling equipped with a Kirk QD.
Great price for a super telephoto lens!
By Ken
Rated 5 out of 5
Date: 2023-07-15
If you always wanted to shoot with a super telephoto lens but they were just outside of your price range, then this lens is for you. This is a great entry level super telephone lens for the price. It is light weight and takes sharp photo. Sure, it is limited to f/11, but it takes nice sharp photo of distant subjects in good light. The only thing I dislike about this lens is that it has a minimum focus distance of 20 feet. If you need a full featured lens and have thousands of dollars to spend, go for a better lens. However, if you are on a tighter budget, but would still like to do super telephone photography this lens may be just the lens for you.
Not just for Birding
By Paul
Rated 5 out of 5
Date: 2023-09-04
I bought this thinking I would primarily use it for birds and other wildlife. I never owned anything longer than a 300 with a 1.4 TC, so this was a step up. Other reviews cover performance (excellent) so I thought I'd share what I've learned.
Sunrise/Sunsets - takes great sunset photos from pretty much nothing. The picture I share below was taken over a parking lot fence with many light posts, plus a building and wind turbine. It's easy to pull out just the sun. This is uncropped on full-frame to give you an idea of magnification.
Moon - I never thought much about the moon as a subject on its own until this lens. Again, uncropped FF.
Large objects in the distance at a better angle. The ship below was about a mile and a quarter away. Able to fill the frame from the front.
Compressing very distant objects - Buoys are 1-5 miles away. It's kind of like the JWST. Just point it in a direction and click. You might be surprised by what you see.
Other learnings - As a Canon user who grew up on aperture priority, the fixed aperture takes some getting used to. Change to shutter priority, set a speed to stop action, and use auto ISO.
Focus distance adjustment seems to improve speed considerably. Change from Full (20ft to infinity) to 20m - infinity, shooting more distant objects like birds. Just be careful to turn it off when a seal pops up 30 feet in front of you!
Phenomenal budget option for long focal lengths
By Joseph
Rated 4 out of 5
Date: 2023-08-20
the RF 800mm f/11 is a fantastic entry-level lens for anyone who wants to get into wildlife, sport, or action still/motion photo work. With a fixed aperture, this lens does limit the control you have over the photo, as well as limiting the lens to use with plenty of light. But for anyone who wants to dabble in longer focal lengths without breaking the bank, this is a great purchase.
