Canon RF 200-800: First Impressions

Regarding the heat haze from the vehicle. Steve Perry found the problem was the lens hood, when hew as photographing wildlife from a vehicle, and it was cold outside. Simply take the lens hood off, and you get sharp photos. What happens is the lens in your car is warmer than outside. This traps warm air in the lens hood, and there is a sharp transition in air heat, between the end of the lens hood and the outside cold air, causing the shimmer. He later tried it out with 3 different systems in controlled conditions and found the same effect.

I have had this lens since December 14th. I have used it on my R7 and my R5. I have shot thousands of pictures in that time. I love it but it has some limitations, all lenses do. The coatings aren't as good as an L series lens like the RF 100-500 so chromatic aberrations occur quite easily toward the edges on a bright sunning day with a white object, like a Trumpeter Swan. I had the RF 800F11 and this is a much better lens. It is sharper and faster to focus. With half the minimum focus distance it a far superior lens for my use. I found your impressions to be accurate and I agree, I like that the collar doesn't come off. One coming off accidentally is not something I want to experience and why I am constantly checking on my RF 100-500 to make sure it is secure. I mounted a long ARCA-Swiss plate on the foot that I modified a few ago to have a Cotton Carrier puck on it. I do this on my RF 100-500 also. I secure the camera to the vest by the foot, not the camera body. I use a strap with quick release ends, PGYTECH, on my cameras. I put a set orange set of "beads" on the lens and black on my camera bodies. When I attach this lens to the camera I move the strap to the orange beads. My thinking is that this points less stress on the camera mount.

The new lense looks really good. Great shots 👍. Greets Stefan

Thank you Mathew :) I just got mine (unfortunately just a rental) 2 days ago. So far I have only been testing it from the back yard blind. I have been killing it.... but then again, I've been killing it for 18 months with the 800 F11 :) As for image quality, I think its right on par with the excellent, sharp 800 F11, which IMPO, says a LOT. Now, my use of these long lenses, is mostly to fill the frame with small birds. Of course shooting from the back yard blind, I've always shot with the 800 F11 from about 21ft, using my crop body R7 for a 1280mm equivalent. I've shot with this combo so much, it feels completely normal to me. So yesterday, I moved my blind up to about 13ft from the perches, I did get some Nat Geo shots, but I also found out how ridiculous thin the DOF is from 13ft at F9 ! It was super cool though, when a "long tailed" Phoebe popped up, and I was actually able to back off to 500mm (800mm eq.) and get the whole bird, with tail, in the shot :) And THAT I believe is the biggest plus of this lens, vs. my beloved 800 F11 > versatility ! Oh, the WAY shorter MFD is a plus too, but again, the DOF is SO shallow, I missed a lot of shots because of it. I want to get out and try more shooting from 13ft, stopped down to F13, to see how much this helps. Now I just need to get it out in the field, for some real world shooting. But even still, I usually try to get 20-30ft from the birds I'm chasing. And I ALWAYS use a tripod. If you want to see a few of the shots I've taken with it, I'll post a couple of those on my Flickr page now :) Link on my channel....

Thanks for the video! Looking forward to seeing more of your work with the 200-800. I shoot with a RF 100-400 and a RF 800 on a R7. Having just one lens with the variable reach instead of the two is very appealing.

by the time they come back in stock I might not even own canon by then anymore lol

For the strap, I use a black rapids crossbody strap. I don’t let the l lens swing, but it does allow me to carry my 100-500 by the foot and know it’s secured. Your comments of close shots of close subjects is interesting. I would love the reach for faraway subjects, like ducks. But I don’t think this is the solution there. I’m waiting for an R7 ii. For now the weight on this lens is a dealbreaker for me. The 100-500 is light and versatile. Nice review!

Regarding the strap: I used to always have a strap on the camera, which I mainly wrapped around my wrist. I simply can't put it around my neck and actually feel like I have freedom of movement. When I got my R5, I went for quite a while without putting any type of strap on it. I finally put on a wrist strap that I had gotten as a "bonus" with a lens purchase and quickly found that I really like it. It gives me a greater sense of security but doesn't hinder my movement. It also has a quick release clip so that I can take it off if needed, such as when putting the camera on the tripod. As for the lens, I'd love it, but definitely can't justify it, especially with already having the Tamron 150-600.

Matthew. Take a look at the iFoote Cobra 3 monopod as a weight solution. (I think I spelled iFoote right. It's close enough.) The Cobra 3 is the one that works well. I use it. It has a mini tripod like base with a foot lever. The foot lever pops it into a freely lean and swivel mode that gives you a gimbal feel. The Cobra 3 comes with a fixture that you screw into your camera base. There are many good reviews of it on line.

Just bought my 200-800mm via ebay yesterday and cant wait to get it 👍 Ill definitely get more excited when i get a shipping notification though....

I have it paired with the r6 mk2 and I have zero issues. Every lens has its pros and cons whether it’s price, weight or spec. It’s as long as my old sigma 150/600 sport and. Not as thick. Like any lens and camera they need to be fine tuned in the settings

У меня этот обьектив работает с R5 очень доволен этой парой! Из минусов, есть небольшие хроматические аберрации и хотелось бы f5,6 -7,1! )))

Camera strap on gang gang

Thanks for the review. The necessity to have so many revolutions and the physical extension of the lens probably means missing many quick shots. I was really interested in image quality, especially compared to the 100-500. Any future videos in the works? As for needing an adapter plate, I can’t ever remember any Canon telephoto lens not needing a plate; which is a real problem when renting a lens.

Great video and information. I don’t think I could handle the added 1.5lbs over my RF 100-500. I would love to see a comparison tho of the 100-500 with an extender compared to the 200-800…like with image quality.

Great review, thanks for the comparison. Debating between this and the sigma 60-600, wonder how much of a difference between the 600 and the 800 maximum focal length.

You nailed the purpose of this lens at around 8' - a lens like this isn't really meant for capturing beautiful images of very far-off subjects. Sure, it will get you into the scene and it's useful if you need a "record" shot of a bird or animal. But if you need 800mm to get enough pixels on a subject, then you probably need to move closer if you can, especially if you're limited to f9 anyway. I haven't got this lens because I have a 600mm f4 prime which works well with a 1.4 extender. I'm considering it though, for a lightweight walk around. As with my 600mm, I doubt I'd use it for distant subjects very often, unless I'm around water. I imagine it'll be excellent at close range though, especially for small birds with decent background separation in the scene.

My Canon EF 300mm F2.8 L lens (original version) weighs 6.3 pounds by itself. I add the 2x for even more weight and extension to get me to 600mm F5.6. I pair it on either my R7 or R8, and originally on my 5D MKIV (which I still have). I also have the RF 600mm F11 lens, with the jury still being out on it. I was debating on either the 200-800 or the 800 F11. This video helps in my decision but nothing definitive yet. Thanks!

I’ve heard more and more people comment on heat, distortion, atmospheric conditions, etc. with this lens. No one presented those excuses for the 800 F11. It’s very sharp. I do not own the lens and I have not held the lens, but to me, it does not seem as sharp as the 100–500. it does not seem as sharp as the 800 F 11. It has some annoying characteristics such as bulk, weight, length, lens collar, that won’t remove that becomes a handle. For me, the alternative is to use the 100–500, with a 1.4 extender, in crop mode, if necessary for more distance, better metering, and better focus. I’ll wait on the R5 mii to see if it justifies switching bodies. Thank you for your review.

Upgrade to Peak design strap with two points of contact, walking around in the countryside you are chancing it just using the handle/grip, Peak design are a love/hate I love mine