Canon RF 800mm f/11 IS STM lens
In summary
Birders will be attracted to the RF 800mm f/11 IS STM lens for essentially the same reasons as we outlined with the 600mm lens – a light weight, effective stabilisation, and an affordable price.
It could also be of interest to some sports photographers, particularly those who shoot with long distances to their subjects (sailing comes immediately to mind).
Plane spotters could also find this lens useful as it’s light enough to use hand-held at air shows and when photographing aerobatics. It’s also great for taking photographs of the moon, although not really powerful enough to use for capturing planets or star clusters.
Close-ups are another possibility for this lens due to its large camera-to-subject distances. The minimum focusing distance of six metres provides a magnification of 0.14x without a lens extender and double that with the RF2x extender.
The RF 800mm lens is not weather resistant, and it covers a very narrow field of view (2.6 degrees horizontal, 3.1 degrees diagonal), which can make it tricky to locate and track small, fast-moving subjects – a common factor of all 800mm lenses.
Like the RF 600mm lens, this lens is fun to use – but it can also be quite challenging. It will test the shooting techniques of even experienced professionals while providing serious enthusiasts with a valuable learning experience.
We’ve awarded it an Editor’s Choice because it’s surprisingly manoeuvrable for its focal length as well as capable of delivering outstanding results.
Full frame
The RF 800mm f/11 IS STM lens is a close relation to the RF 600mm f/11 IS STM lens with essentially the same construction and modus operandi but a longer reach. Weighing just 1.26 kilograms and 351.8 mm in length when extended for use, it is designed to enable hand-held shooting for long periods thanks to built-in optical stabilisation, which works with the IS in Canon’s EOS R cameras. Its retractable barrel contracts to 281.8 mm, enabling this lens to be packed into a standard camera bag.
Side view of the retracted RF 800mm f/11 IS STM lens. (Source: Canon.)
Like the RF 600mm f/11 IS STM lens, the RF 800mm f/11 IS STM lens contains a gapless dual-layered diffractive optics (DO) element in its optical design, which consists of 11 elements in eight groups. And, like the 600mm lens, it has a fixed f/11 aperture, which eliminates the need for adjustable diaphragm blades.
Also like the 600mm lens, its inner barrel must be extended before the lens can be used. The same locking mechanism is used in both lenses. Users will be warned by the camera when the lens is not in the correct shooting position if they switch the camera on with the barrel retracted and, as with the 600mm lens, a firmware update will be required for EOS R cameras older than the latest R5 and R6 models.
Angled view of the fully-extended RF 800mm f/11 IS STM lens in use on an EOS R camera. (Source: Canon.)
Both lenses use the same autofocusing system, which is driven by a stepping motor controlled from the camera. Built-in shake correction is CIPA rated for up to four f-stops.
Like other RF lenses, the RF 800mm lens supports in-camera corrections for distortion, peripheral illumination and chromatic aberration of magnification. Users can also take advantage of the Digital Lens Optimizer (DLO).
The lens is supplied with front and end caps but its hood (ET-101) is an optional extra. As with the 600mm lens, the hood is difficult to find in Australia; none of the local specialists had it listed on their websites and a Google search sent us straight to Amazon and B&H.
Both are located off-shore and neither had it in stock, although B&H listed it at US$54.95, which is roughly equivalent to AU$74. While we would normally recommend using a hood with any lens, with this lens it could present vibration problems if the lens was used in windy conditions because of the length of the lens plus hood.
Angled view of the fully-extended RF 800mm f/11 IS STM lens on an EOS R camera. (Source: Canon.)
Like the 600mm lens, this lens was tested on the EOS RP camera, for which it was well suited, although its size suggests a slightly heavier body like the R5 or R6 would be a better match. We also took some test shots with the RF 2x extender.
Angled view of the RF 800mm f/11 IS STM lens in use with the RF 2x extender.
Who’s it For?
Once again, birders will be an important target market for the RF 800mm f/11 IS STM lens for essentially the same reasons as we outlined with the 600mm lens. It could also be attractive to some sports photographers, particularly those who shoot with long distances to their subjects (sailing comes immediately to mind).
Plane spotters could also find this lens useful as it’s light enough to use hand-held at air shows and when photographing aerobatics. It’s also great for taking photographs of the moon, although not really powerful enough to use for capturing planets or star clusters.
Close-ups are another possibility for this lens due to its large camera-to-subject distances. The minimum focusing distance of six metres provides a magnification of 0.14x without a lens extender and double that with the RF2x extender.
Focusing is internal so it’s easy to use this lens with angle-critical filters. And the 95 mm diameter filters are affordable and readily available.
Like the 600mm lens, the RF 800mm lens is not weather resistant, which limits its outdoor use. In addition, it covers a very narrow field of view (2.6 degrees horizontal, 3.1 degrees diagonal), which can make it tricky to locate and track small, fast-moving subjects. But that’s a common factor of all 800mm lenses.
Build and Ergonomics
The RF 800mm f/11 IS STM lens features the same basic design and construction as the RF 600mm f/11 IS STM lens. Made mostly from industrial quality moulded resin but with metal components in key locations, such as the lens mount, it has the same extending barrel which has to be unlocked, pushed forwards and locked again in place before it can be used.
At the front of the outer barrel is a bayonet fitting for attaching the optional ET-101 lens hood. Inside this fitting is the 95 mm diameter filter thread. The front section of the lens is 100 mm long and has four moulded areas plus a leatherette cladding to provide a secure grip. The upper and lower mouldings are wider than those on the sides.
Behind the front section is the control ring, which is made from metal and is 12 mm wide, with a cross-hatched grip to make it easy to identify by touch. As on other RF lenses, this ring can be set to adjust a frequently-used function like shutter speed or ISO speed. It has a click action to indicate adjustment steps, which are controlled by the camera.
From this point, the 800mm lens is identical to the 600mm lens. The focusing ring behind the control ring is 35 mm wide and covered with rubberised ribbing. Behind the focusing ring is a 37 mm wide section of the barrel containing the Canon brand and 800mm focal length label.
Slider switches for the focus limiter/distance selector, AF/MF mode selector and image stabiliser on/off switch are also located here and the tripod mount panel with a metal-lined socket is located on the bottom side of this section of the lens.
The 32 mm wide lock ring is located just behind this section. The camera end of the lock ring indicates the edge of the inner barrel, which fits entirely within the outer barrel when the lens is retracted. A 20 mm wide band separates the outer barrel from the chromed metal lens mount. Like the 600mm lens, this lens is not weather-resistant.
Performance
As with the 600mm lens, we were unable to carry out our normal Imatest tests on this lens because of a lack of space in our testing setup so our performance evaluations have been made on the basis of subjective assessments. All our tests were carried out with EOS RP camera bodies and all shots were captured as RAW+JPEG pairs.
In the Samples section of this review you’ll find a selection of representative images, most coming from CR3.RAW files, which were converted into 8-bit JPEGs with Adobe Camera Raw, our preferred raw file converter. We’ve provided a number of enlarged crops to demonstrate how sharply the test lens could focus upon and resolve subjects.
If anything, the RF 800mm f/11 IS STM lens was more impressive than its 600mm sibling because the extra degree of magnification made any issues more evident. It’s worth noting that the extra magnification tends to show up even tiny specs of dust on the sensor when you’re shooting scenes with large areas of blue sky, such as photographs of the moon or birds in flight.
We didn’t have much success when shooting birds in flight because the very small field of view of this lens made locating and tracking them difficult. With more practice we feel our technique could improve although such subjects are always likely to be challenging.
Similarly, the effects of haze will be amplified if you try to photograph distant scenes with this lens. It’s best to stick with subjects it handles particularly well, such as close-ups of birds and flora and water sports. And it’s also best to use this lens in bright conditions to avoid the need for very high ISO settings which can affect perceived sharpness in the resulting images.
Bokeh was quite dependent upon lighting conditions. With evenly-lit backgrounds it tended to be smooth and attractive but with backlit subjects, bright highlights in the background were sharply outlined, an effect some people might consider unattractive. Foreground blurring was usually smoother.
Conclusion
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SPECS
Picture angle: 2.6 degrees horizontal, 3.1 degrees diagonal
Minimum aperture: f/11 (fixed aperture)
Lens construction: 11 elements in 8 groups (including gapless dual-layered diffractive optics element)
Lens mounts: Canon RF
Diaphragm Blades: None
Weather resistance: No
Focus drive: Stepping motor plus lead screw
Stabilisation: Yes, 4.0 stops
Minimum focus: 6.0 metres
Maximum magnification: 0.14x
Filter size: 95 mm
Dimensions (Diameter x L): 101.6 x 281.8 mm retracted (351.8 mm extended)
Weight: 1260 grams
Standard Accessories: E-95 lens cap, end cap
Distributor: Canon Australia; 1800 021 167
SAMPLES
Vignetting.
ISO 400, 1/800 second at f/11.
A crop from the above image at 100% magnification showing no coloured fringing.
ISO 400, 1/400 second at f/11.
The same subject photographed from roughly the same distance with the RF 2x extender fitted; ISO 400, 1/100 second at f/22.
The full moon photographed after sundown; ISO 200, 1/150 second at f/11.
ISO 800, 1/1000 second at f/11.
A crop from the centre of the above image at 100% magnification.
A crop from the lower left side edge of the above image at 100% magnification.
ISO 1600, 1/320 second at f/11.
The same subject photographed from roughly the same distance with the RF 2x extender fitted; ISO 1600, 1/100 second at f/22.
ISO 1600, 1/640 second at f/11.
Shot from the minimum focusing distance of 6 metres with the RF 2x extender fitted; ISO 1600, 1/100 second at f/22.
A crop from the above image at 100% magnification.
Framing shots can be difficult when shooting moving subjects with this lens hand-held with the RF 2x extender fitted; ISO 1600, 1/250 second at f/11.
ISO 1600, 1/400 second at f/11.
ISO 1600, 1/320 second at f/11.
Extreme perspective compression with the RF 2x extender fitted; ISO 800, 1/250 second at f/22.
Close-up at 6 metres distance showing outlined highlights in the background; ISO 200. 1/400 second at f/11.
Close-up at 6 metres distance with the RF 2x extender fitted; ISO 1600, 1/200 second at f/22.
Action shot of water sports; ISO 400, 1/1000 second at f/11.
ISO 1000, 1/1250 second at f/11.
ISO 640, 1/1250 second at f/11.
Rating
RRP: AU$2030; US$899
- Build: 9.0
- Handling: 9.0
- Image quality: 9.0
- Autofocusing: 9.0
- Versatility: 8.5
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