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

Wow! I bought this lens two months ago to take pictures of birds. I have taken several thousand images. I’m still learning all the nuances when combined with the R7, however I am amazed at the quality images I am getting on just the auto mode. Very lightweight. I have hiked up to 10 miles with it and the R7 with very little fatigue. You definitely cannot go wrong with this lens, especially when combined with the R7.

Excellent, high-quality lens! I'm a bit picky and really believe in using the right lens for the right job - and this lens is not perfect for everything. That being said, I prefer this lens for nature photography rather than sports. I like using a fixed focal length lens for sports where I might use a long telephoto (300 or 400mm, f/2.8). I could see myself using this for something like auto racing. I have used it for rodeo (roping, etc.), but most other sports I, personally, won't use this for. Also, I'm probably not carrying this lens on long hikes as it is a larger lens. I noticed someone else posted about the 100-400 EF version being lighter and better to carry, although I'm not sure I'm carrying either on long hikes. For nature photography (animals and landscape) I love this lens. The quality is outstanding (both build quality and image quality at all focal lengths) and it's very easy to use.

Canon 100-500 is an incredible lens I recently added. The additional reach I get beyond my 300 prime lens is superb. In a twist I can back off to 100 for a wider shot. The fact that this powerful of a lens can weigh so little allows handheld shooting vs a monopod with the 300. Price is not an issue when comparing to the benefits with this lens! Thank you Canon for creating this one!!

Have had it 13 months. Excellent for all wildlife. Including Birds inflight. Have taken over 100,000 shots with it Very happy. Easy to hand hold and carry with should strap for over and hour at a time even for a 79 year old.

Bought for a trip to Yellowstone but didn’t use it as much as I thought I would. It’s HEAVY. That being said it’s sharper and focuses better than my 100-400, but the 100-400 weighs much less and is much better to hike with. Most people know this but make sure to support the weight by cradling the lens, NOT by the camera body. It may be ok but I was worried I would damage my R6 with the lens hanging unsupported with the strap over my shoulder. Added a 1.4 extender and got some great pictures of a supermoon, but there’s a caveat there too. To use an extender with this lens you must extend the lens to full zoom BEFORE installing the converter, and then the lens will only zoom back to around 300mm making the entire package very long and unwieldy. If you need longer than 500mm consider the 200-800 or one of the prime lenses instead of using an extender with this lens for anything other than tripod use.

out of the box the lens had trouble with focus. Lens loses focus and images are soft.

Great Lens - sharp. definitely recommend. will use for wildlife photography.

Brought this for SF Fleet Week 2024. The lens is exceptional sharp for 8K resolution. The fast AF + RF extender 1.4x + R5C gives a different kind of experience of far distance airshow photography.

Great lens, not a fan of variable aperture, but for the price, small disadvantage, especially with new cameras and being able to use higher iso's.

I have a few months on this lens and it does everything I need it to do. Even shooting outside the range images crop pretty well and with some Denoise are excellent quality so I’ve never felt the need for a teleconverter. So far I’ve carried it on 10 mile hikes with 2000+ feet elevation gain. I notice it but it’s manageable.

I've been working with this lens for almost a year, and it's just great! Super sharp throughout the range and has great bokeh especially at longer focal lengths. Would definitely recommend if you've got the money.

I like this lens very much I am getting used to yet

rented this lens for my daughters track and field events. IT ROCKS!!!! Now I have to buy one. LOL

Nice reach and range and works well in good light conditions

This is an exceptionally sharp lens throughout the zoom range, but especially at 500mm. On an R6 and R6 Mark II, it produces amazing results. If you provide enough room between your subject and the background, there’s plenty of separation and pleasingly smooth bokeh, even at f/7.1. Bump the ISO and use DxO PureRAW if the light is a little low. You’ll still get beautiful results. This lens is worth the price.

I bought this and the 2x extender and I am glad I did. It’s perfect for all my beginner wildlife work

I'm blown away by how sharp this lens is at 500mm and they stay sharp when using the 1.4x & 2.0x extenders! Also, this lens works perfectly with the R5, it's almost like they were custom made for each other!

Great lens for sports and indoor crowd shots. Great flexibility with the 100 to 500 range!

This lens is simply fantastic. Super sharp, quick to focus, exceptional minimum focusing distance. I use it on my R6mkii and love it.

Bought this when the R6 first appeared to replace an EF100-400m1. Quality at least as good as you would expect from an L telezoom at this price point. It really stars when paired with the R7, the resolution at full aperture more than matches the 80Mp (FF equivalent) pixel density of the R7.