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Canon RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1L IS Lens Reviews Roundup

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The Canon RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1L IS USM lens is a highly portable option (Amazon, B&H, Adorama) for EOS R series camera users. Here are the latest Canon RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1L IS Lens Reviews published online.

The RF100-500mm F4.5-7.1 L IS USM lens delivers superb optical performance. Featuring a versatile focal length range, high-speed Dual Nano USM autofocus motors and more, it helps capture sports, wildlife and even aviation photography all while maintaining a compact, travel-ready size and weight. Great telephoto zoom lens for Canon EOS R5 and Canon EOS R6.

Best Canon RF Lenses

First one comes from Dustin Abbott. He posted his exhaustive Canon RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1L IS lens review. See full details after the break!

From Dustin Abbott conclusion:

[the RF 100-500mm] builds on the very strong foundation of the EF 100-400L II while offering some real improvements. Most notable is the additional 100mm of zoom range. The fact that the RF 100-500L reaches 500mm makes it a bit of a unicorn, somewhere between the 100-400mm and 150-600mm lens range. That extra 100mm of reach means that more photographers will feel like they can get sufficient reach without resorting to using a teleconverter and allows them to benefit from the smaller, more portable body style of the 100-400mm type lens.

All […] aspects of performance are generally excellent. The build and handling is good, the autofocus is excellent, and, as noted, there aren’t really any flaws in the optical performance. My chief criticisms center on the surprisingly small maximum aperture on the telephoto end and the only partial compatibility with extenders (from 300-500mm only). I suspect both of these flaws are probably the sacrifices that were made at the altar of keeping the lens compact. But the price point of about $2900 is going to be the primary gatekeeper.

Dustin Abbott also releases video reviews of the lens.

fStoppers posted an in-depth review of the lens and here is their conclusion :

The Canon RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1L IS USM is not the most light-sensitive telezoom lens available, but you will have a very versatile and capable lens. It has very good image quality, and on top of that, it is easy to carry with you. I can recommend it to every landscape and animal photographer.

What They Liked

  • Very versatile zoom range
  • Five stops stabilization and one extra with a camera that has IBIS
  • Weather-sealing
  • Well-designed and easily removable tripod mount ring
  • Very good image quality
  • Dual Nano USM autofocus that is both quiet and fast
  • All AF possibilities of the EOS R5 and EOS R6 are available throughout the full zoom range
  • Must-have lens for the mirrorless system when shooting birds, wildlife, and landscapes

What They Didn’t Like That Much

  • Extenders can only be used when zoomed in to 300mm and longer focal lengths
  • Not cheap

Canon RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1 USM L IS – Review / Test Report from opticallimits.

The Canon RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1 USM L IS is a natural choice for Canon R-mount users … but at this stage, it’s also the only native one at the time of this review. Even so – given its capabilities, it’s a no-brainer if you can live with its very moderate max aperture. In order to freeze fast action at 500mm f/7.1, you will either need a lot of light and/or boost your ISO settings. Within its scope, we can still rate it as “highly recommended”.

Canon RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1L IS USM Lens

$2,699 at Amazon, B&H, Adorama.

Covering a variety of telephoto focal lengths, the Canon RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1L IS USM spans a short- to super-telephoto range within a sleek and portable form factor. The modest maximum aperture enables a relatively portable design that is well-suited to handheld, walkaround use and optical image stabilization also helps to steady photos and videos by up to five stops when working in difficult lighting conditions. This lens is also characterized by its advanced optical design, which includes a series of Super UD and UD elements to greatly reduce chromatic aberrations and color fringing throughout the zoom range for a degree of clarity and color accuracy.

Balancing the distinguished optical assets is the Dual Nano USM focus system, which delivers fast, nearly silent autofocus performance with full-time manual focus override. A unique Control Ring is also integrated into the lens design for intuitive control over exposure settings from the lens itself and the rotating zoom ring also feature torque adjustment for fine-tuning the feel of the lens. Additionally, this 100-500mm is weather-sealed and has a fluorine coating to protect the front and rear elements.

  • Versatile telephoto zoom lens is designed for use with full-frame Canon RF-mount mirrorless cameras.
  • Six UD (Ultra-Low Dispersion) elements and one Super UD element help to minimize chromatic aberrations and color fringing in order to provide greater clarity and color accuracy.
  • An Optical Image Stabilizer helps to minimize the appearance of camera shake by five stops to better enable working in low-light conditions and with slower shutter speeds. Three distinct IS modes are available: standard single-shot mode, a panning-optimized mode, and a mode that only activates the Image Stabilizer during the exposure.
  • Dual Nano USM system utilizes both a ring type USM and an STM mechanism to realize quick and accurate focusing that is also smooth and nearly silent to suit both photography and video applications. This focusing system also affords full-time manual focus control when working in the one-shot AF mode.
  • Configurable Control Ring can be used to adjust a variety of exposure settings, including aperture, ISO, and exposure compensation.
  • Protective fluorine coating has been applied to the front and rear element to resist fingerprints and smudges and to make cleaning these elements significantly easier.
  • As a member of the esteemed L-series, this lens has a weather-resistant design that protects against dust and moisture to enable its use in inclement conditions.
  • Rotation-type zoom ring features torque adjustment capabilities to fine-tune the handling of the lens or to prevent the lens from accidentally extending.
  • Included lens hood features a side window to allow for easier adjustment of specialized rotating filters, such as polarizers, while the lens hood is attached.
  • Compatible with optional Extender RF 1.4x and Extender RF 2x teleconverters, when used within the 300-500mm range of the lens, to further extend the effective focal length range.