Canon RF 100-400/5.6-8.0 IS review
Posted: Mon 18 Oct 2021 21:45
RF 100-400/5.6-8.0 IS review
The 100-400 range or similar is a focal range that I use a lot. 15-20 years ago(at that time as a Nikon shooter) Nikon's first 80-400 was the lens that got the most time on my D1-...-D3 bodies later replaced with the new version (80-400 AF-S VR) and finally with the excellent 200-500. "Excellent because unlike the 80-400 AF-S VR, the 200-500 provides significantly more sharpness at its widest aperture.
Even though very sharp, the 200-500 is big and heavy to lug around on a long hike and if you love to capture a dragonfly as much as a heron that takes off 50 meters further it isn't the best choice because of its closest focusing distance which isn't that close.... For that reason, -at that time as a Nikon user-, I always envied Canon's second version of the 100-400 that can be used at a very close distance while focusing significantly faster ànd lighter to carry around.
In my second year with Nikon Z6 & Z7 the great Fringer EF-to-Z adapter pulled me in the Canon direction for the first time with a EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 L IS II USM that was working very well on my Nikon Z bodies....
After my EOS R5 encounter and complete brand switch, the EF 100-400 remained a lens that I use a lot.
Under while very sure that my Nikon Z to Canon RF is a one-way ticket I was very tempted by the size and weight of the RF 100-400mm F5.6-8, and I pre-ordered my copy @ Audiophil in Aachen, Germany. A "real" shop with professional advice where you can see, feel, and try before you buy...
On the day of receipt and early testing, I was unlucky with the weather circumstances which confirmed that a 400mm lens with F8 as its widest aperture needs good light for decent BIF or insect in flight captures which require fast >< very fast shutter speeds. A full stop difference with the EF 100-400... I hate to go above iso 3200...
but...
In good light this lens is simply a marvel... And in bad weather? ... I don't go for a hike
...
Some samples...(crops with the original scene and Exif pasted into the image).
Underneath images have not been post-processed or sharpened.
Very fast focusing and super sharp at close focusing distance(comparable with my RF 100 F2.8 MACRO). THE perfect lens for handheld dragonfly photography.
An image at medium distance & high iso (3200),heavily cropped provides still good detail although in-camera noise reduction is visible:
Because of the very fast focusing and sharpness, excellent for (big) birds in-flight photography:(I was following this heron for approx 50 shots, all perfectly sharp...)
Underneath image is also heavily cropped as you can see in the pasted screenshot-exif.
About the focusing ability, -accuracy and -speed, of course partly because combined with the incredible EOS R5, a special experience: In the middle of a pond where I was waiting for a kingfisher passing by, I saw a couple of dragonflies mating above the water. I took 77 consecutive pictures of their erratic mating dance and they were ALL sharp, despite the big distance for an insect that you normally need close to the camera to get a decent shot...
What is incredible here is that the EOS R5 combined with this lens can keep tracking perfectly a couple of dragonflies at a distance of 20,2 meters !!!
...until a hungry moorhen made an end to the love story...
------------------------------------------------
If you like this topic, and you appreciate the time we did spend to back up our conclusion with information and pictures ...
then you can support this website with a donation...
Kindest regards,
Rita and Stany Buyle - eSBee creations.
The 100-400 range or similar is a focal range that I use a lot. 15-20 years ago(at that time as a Nikon shooter) Nikon's first 80-400 was the lens that got the most time on my D1-...-D3 bodies later replaced with the new version (80-400 AF-S VR) and finally with the excellent 200-500. "Excellent because unlike the 80-400 AF-S VR, the 200-500 provides significantly more sharpness at its widest aperture.
Even though very sharp, the 200-500 is big and heavy to lug around on a long hike and if you love to capture a dragonfly as much as a heron that takes off 50 meters further it isn't the best choice because of its closest focusing distance which isn't that close.... For that reason, -at that time as a Nikon user-, I always envied Canon's second version of the 100-400 that can be used at a very close distance while focusing significantly faster ànd lighter to carry around.
In my second year with Nikon Z6 & Z7 the great Fringer EF-to-Z adapter pulled me in the Canon direction for the first time with a EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 L IS II USM that was working very well on my Nikon Z bodies....
After my EOS R5 encounter and complete brand switch, the EF 100-400 remained a lens that I use a lot.
Under while very sure that my Nikon Z to Canon RF is a one-way ticket I was very tempted by the size and weight of the RF 100-400mm F5.6-8, and I pre-ordered my copy @ Audiophil in Aachen, Germany. A "real" shop with professional advice where you can see, feel, and try before you buy...
On the day of receipt and early testing, I was unlucky with the weather circumstances which confirmed that a 400mm lens with F8 as its widest aperture needs good light for decent BIF or insect in flight captures which require fast >< very fast shutter speeds. A full stop difference with the EF 100-400... I hate to go above iso 3200...
but...
In good light this lens is simply a marvel... And in bad weather? ... I don't go for a hike
...Some samples...(crops with the original scene and Exif pasted into the image).
Underneath images have not been post-processed or sharpened.Very fast focusing and super sharp at close focusing distance(comparable with my RF 100 F2.8 MACRO). THE perfect lens for handheld dragonfly photography.
An image at medium distance & high iso (3200),heavily cropped provides still good detail although in-camera noise reduction is visible:
Because of the very fast focusing and sharpness, excellent for (big) birds in-flight photography:(I was following this heron for approx 50 shots, all perfectly sharp...)
Underneath image is also heavily cropped as you can see in the pasted screenshot-exif.
About the focusing ability, -accuracy and -speed, of course partly because combined with the incredible EOS R5, a special experience: In the middle of a pond where I was waiting for a kingfisher passing by, I saw a couple of dragonflies mating above the water. I took 77 consecutive pictures of their erratic mating dance and they were ALL sharp, despite the big distance for an insect that you normally need close to the camera to get a decent shot...
What is incredible here is that the EOS R5 combined with this lens can keep tracking perfectly a couple of dragonflies at a distance of 20,2 meters !!! ...until a hungry moorhen made an end to the love story...
------------------------------------------------
If you like this topic, and you appreciate the time we did spend to back up our conclusion with information and pictures ...
then you can support this website with a donation...
Kindest regards,
Rita and Stany Buyle - eSBee creations.
(Winnie & Baloe's life story 
