Canon RF 200-800mm F/6.3-9 IS USM Lens

Overview

The Canon RF 200-800mm F/6.3-9 IS USM lens is a super-telephoto autofocus zoom lens designed for Canon’s RF mount mirrorless cameras. It offers a versatile zoom range of 200-800mm, making it suitable for capturing both close-up and long shot expressions in the telephoto range. This lens is particularly useful for wildlife and sports photographers due to its long reach and image stabilization capabilities.

The lens features a 4x zoom, allowing users to keep shooting even as the subject moves, with the convenience of a single lens. It also supports RF 1.4x and RF 2x extenders to further expand the telephoto range while enabling autofocus. When combined with an APS-C camera, the lens achieves a 1.6x crop factor, getting users closer to the action.

The lens has a relatively lightweight design, weighing approximately 2kg, making it manageable for handheld use. It also features in-lens Optical Image Stabilization that provides up to 5.5 stops of shake correction, helping to provide sharp and clear images when shooting handheld, at long exposure, or in low light.

The lens has a Nano USM focus motor that provides smooth and accurate autofocus capabilities, making it easy to track moving subjects. Additionally, the lens function button allows users to switch between functions assigned in advance, such as autofocus and exposure compensation, simply operated by the thumb even while looking through the viewfinder.

The Canon RF 200-800mm F/6.3-9 IS USM lens is compatible with the RF 1.4x and 2x extenders, which expand the focal length to 280-1,120mm and 400-1,600mm, respectively. However, this also affects the aperture, making it more challenging in low-light situations. The lens is also relatively large, measuring 31.4 centimeters in length and 41 centimeters when extended to 800mm, but it is manageable with the supplied strap and tripod collar.

The lens has received mixed reviews regarding its image quality. While it is sharp in the middle and has good background blur, it can struggle with focus accuracy, particularly in low-light conditions. It also exhibits vignetting and some purple fringing around tree branches and subject edges. However, the lens is still considered a great option for wildlife and sports photographers due to its long reach and image stabilization capabilities.

Overall, the Canon RF 200-800mm F/6.3-9 IS USM lens is an attractive option for photographers who need a long telephoto lens with image stabilization. While it has some limitations, such as its relatively narrow aperture and focus accuracy issues, it is a versatile and manageable lens that can be used handheld and is suitable for a variety of applications.