10 Things I Love about the Canon 800 f/11 Lens
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 29 ก.ย. 2024
- I've owned my 800mm lens for about 8 months now and in this video, I list 10 things I love about the Canon RF 800mm f/11 IS STM lens and a few things I don't like about it. This is basically a lens review in 10 things format.
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#Canon #800 #800mm
I discovered another reason I love the RF 800 f/11 IS STM. It has great image stabilization! I can get consistently good results with a shutter speed as slow as 1/250s when combining the IS in the lens with the IBIS in the R6. So the 11th reason I love this lens is the great Image Stabilization! It was pointed out to me that I didn't mention the fact that this lens can only focus in a box near the center of the screen instead of the entire screen as you can with other RF lenses. The smaller focus area really doesn't bother me at all or I would have mentioned it. It's not something I really even notice when I'm out shooting with the lens. I can always compose the shot rule of thirds with the bird's eye in the focus area box and the rest of the bird out of the box. Also, the limitation is no problem at all when tracking birds in flight. Would I rather have the entire sensor to focus instead of the reduced area available with this lens? Sure but again, it's really not a problem.
Phil it's time to do a review of the RF800 f11 with the R8!
I’m sure it’s good. I’d say I would miss the IBIS that I’m used to in my other Canon cameras. That combined with the excellent stabilization in the 800 allows me to work at very slow shutter speeds which is helpful with the slow f/11 aperture. Unfortunately, I won’t be buying an R8. It would be good to review but it makes no sense for me to buy one when I have an R6 Mark II with the same sensor and IBIS. Maybe Canon will send me one to review. I’m kidding about that, Canon has never sent me any gear. All the Canon gear I use I bought except the time my friend let me borrow the R3 to test for a day.
so tempted to buy the 800... saving up for it. thank you - love the plate idea...
Thank you! I think it is money well spent and certainly worth saving up for!
How about using with an R7? How much ISO boost did you do in good light?
It works great with the R7. The combination yields 1280mm full frame equivalent. I find, if I use electronic shutter, I can get down to 1/250s pretty easily and sometimes as low as 1/160s on shutter speed to keep the ISO low.
I agree totally. I have owned my rf800 for nin months now - use it on my r7, and taken 100's of shots with it - mainly birds. No complaints. One thing Phil didn't mention is the excellent image stabilization. All round a very practical and affordable lens for wildlife and sport.
It really does have great stabilization.
I wonder how well this lens will work on the new r7? That's almost 1300mm equivalent 😱
I would say it would work well, I will let you know as soon as my R7 comes in. 👍🏻
Was just thinking of this lens…this vid is great, really enjoyed your presentation. Now that you have the 200-800 does this lens still get some work out?
I still use it from time to time. Right now I'm on a Nikon kick so their 180-600 is getting the most use at the moment.
Hi Phil ... i need youre opinion from a top like you ... i have the R7 whit a 100m 500mL .. what do you think for more reach ... i buy the 800 m or i put money to buy a 1.4 ? duplicator thanks again ! PHIL love youre videos !
Honestly, I like the 800 mm better than the 100 to 500 with the Tele converter. I can’t explain that scientifically, and it makes more sense that the 100 and 500 with the extender would be better. But my favorite lens for bird photography on the R7 is the 100-500 alone.
I have R7 and I'm not sure which one to buy... ¿Some advice?
Thanks
Fantastic Video!
Thank you!
th-cam.com/video/gZ8VzyNGqqs/w-d-xo.html
Have you tried it on a crop camera? Even the cheap and very light R50 have eye detect (released this year)
Yes, I have used it many times on my R7, It’s almost too much but sometimes it’s really great.
The lens is ok, but the biggest downside, that you didn’t mention, is the small autofocus area. You are force to do always the same photo with center subject
The smaller focus area really doesn't bother me at all or I would have mentioned it. It's not something I really even notice when I'm out shooting with the lens. I can always compose the shot rule of thirds with the bird's eye in the focus area box and the rest of the bird out of the box. Also, the limitation is no problem at all when tracking birds in flight. Would I rather have the entire sensor to focus instead of the reduced area available with this lens? Sure but again, it's really not a problem. I will add this point to my pinned comment because I agree, I should have mentioned it even if it doesn't bother me.
Great review. How did those extenders help with the MFL?
They didn't really help much.
Great video - thank you. I've just traded in an old lens for the 800mm f11. Your comments about the lens are reassuring, since I'm buying it without having ever even held one. What tripod foot are you using? It looks very low-profile. Since there's no collar, I think I'd find a normal foot annoying. I usually rotate the foot around to the top of my lens and use it as a carrying handle until I need to mount it on my tripod or monopod.
It’s actually not a tripod foot that I use. It’s just an Arca Swiss plate. I hope you enjoy your 800 as much as I have mine.
Aha! That makes sense. I have at least one of those on hand, so I can try it out without spending any more money. There are some nice conventional feet available if that doesn't work out, but I really like the low profile of your solution. I can also easily see the potential for having the same issue with the focus ring that you were having.
How about Canon EOS R7?
I use mine with my R7 from time to time. Nothing beats the 100-500 on the R7 but the 800 f/11 can produce some det images even on the demanding R7 sensor.
Thank you for a fine review. I have this lens and also the shorter 600mm stm. These lenses are very sharp ,light and useful. The reason number 11 is that with my R8 the AF area is much larger than with my earlier R6 and the birds eye AF works even better, Cheers
Thank you! I now have the R6 Mark II, it also features the larger focus area like the R8. When I made this video, neither of those cameras were available yet.
Excellent review Phil. Having seen the gorgeous photographs you produce with the 800, I can see why you love it.
Thank you, Clare! :)
what about whit R7 ? thanks you Phil
It works with the R7 but it's almost too much in many situations. I like this lens much better on full frame.
So have you used this lens on the R7
Yes, have a look at my Wildlife playlist, there you will find a handful of videos using the 800 f/11 on the R7. It’s usually more than you need but can be amazing sometimes.
Extension tubes are great for reducing the closest focusing distance.
But the do lose some light - I dont know if thats a good idea on the 800mm F11...🦘
I haven’t really tested the tubes out much yet but I was disappointed that they only shortened the minimum focus distance by 2 or 3 feet.
In general, extension tubes work best on shorter lenses with regard to their affect on minimum focus distance - less so on super-tele lenses. So this is not peculiar to this lens - just physics.
Great video Phil. I plan on picking up this lens after I get my R6 paid off. Gotta love interest free financing.😁Animal Kingdom in less than a week!
Thank you! We are very excited about Animal Kingdom! Looking forward to seeing you there!
I have the R6 with 100 to 500 and extender, I thought I was all set!! Now, I want the 800 to use on my tripod with my Wimberly head, the fixed mm will make using that alot easier. Thanks for a great review, your photos convinced me to get it!!
Thank you, Mary! I hope you enjoy it! I may pick up the 1.4 extender at some point. Which one did you get and how do you like it?
@@PhilThach It was the Canon one and I haven't used it enough to make a fair evaluation, I'll let you know though!
Thanks for the hood tip. I'll use that when I upgrade my 600mm to 800. My cam is R6 and I have the 100-500 4.8 also. Great lens. Question. What happens when you set R6 to crop mode with any of these lenses? I know the logic; but have no idea the results. Not much info out there on this. Before I went full frame I was spoiled by my 7D Mk II with its crop sensor.
Thank you. The R6 is very low resolution in crop mode, only around 6.5 or 7 megapixels. Even the high-resolution R5 is only around 17 megapixels in crop mode. This is why I'm desperately hoping for them to make an APSC R7 with 20 or more megapixels and the R6/R5 autofocus system. I have a video about that coming out on January 26 that you might enjoy.
@@PhilThach Thanks Phil. If your related video is above, I should find it.
Thanks for these details ,
Do you think choosing this lens with Canon (r10 or r7) will be a great gear for daytime sports photography ?
No, this lens is too long for sports. Get the RF 100-400 or 100-500 for daytime outdoor sports.
@@PhilThach I completely understand you
But I photographed sports at a very long focal length level ( 1120mm f6.3 )
( canon 7dm2 with 500mm f4.5 with tele 1.4 )
Because of the large area of the football field .
I meant what is the level of quality of this lens with the use of Canon r10 in natural lighting in the daytime
Excellent review Phil. Price and the fact it’s awesome for travel too. Can compact down and is light. Glad to see you’re enjoying it. Thanks for sharing the video 👍🙏
Thank you, Adrian! I hope you are having a great week! Oh, Heather, who visited Australia 10 or so years ago said she loved a place called Kangaroo Island. I think it's a long way from you but I wondered if you have ever been there.....
I played around with this lens in store and did not like the 6 metre minimal focus and f11 so decided against it and got the rf100/400f8 which is half the weight again. I love this lens even with a converter taking it to f11 was still sharp with great autofocus which convinced me to get the 800f11 after all and love it for all the reasons you mention.
Awesome! Thanks for watching!
I purchased the 800mm f11 for my R6 as I wanted something long for small birds and my EF 100-400mm ii L with telextenders was not doing it for me (for many of the reasons stated in the video). The 800mm is my favorite RF lens too. Then I purchased the RF 100-400mm and a RF 1.4 converter. Now I have great focal range of 140-560mm with the converter, closer focus than the 800mm alone, plus 1120mm if I use the telextender with the 800. All are so much lighter, compact for carrying and I find the RF extender much sharper than the EF iii versions. I am taking way better bird photos with my R6 and these lenses than ever before with my EF lenses. These are all very under-rated lenses - many reviewers just have not spent enough time with them to appreciate their strengths. I take these on walks that I never would have considered with my former, heavier EF lenses.
@@DrLoneyDal I believe Canon will be releasing more of these slow tele lenses in future taking advantage of the improved iso performance of these new cameras. It seems to be a tact only Canon are going with, so do l like it? Yes and no as it brings us usable, affordable lenses for sure but at this price point they refuse to weather seal to keep with lower prices.
@@isotechimages.9130 Agreed! For my use case, the number of times I shoot in real lousy weather is pretty much nil, but if one does, either these are not the lenses for you or you need to use a good rain cover (which can be a pain). For the price they work for me. I’ve used L lenses in light snow and light rain, but really nothing else and I could buy a new one of these inexpensive RF lenses and still have change left over compared to the L’s. For others it makes more sense to buy equipment that will last in harsher conditions. We can wish that Canon would include lens hoods and also provide at least low level weather proofing with these non-L lenses but I don’t think they’ll ever do either. That just decreases profits or increases prices. But buyers need to consider these factors as you point out.
@@DrLoneyDal I too try not to shoot in rain but sometimes there a passing shower and l just don't like to have to think about my equipment, l am sure many like me would happily pay the few hundred extra it may cost for sealing. Otherwise the reality of what Canon are enabling us to do for the cost is mind blowing.
The Extension Tubes Work Great
Thanks. The long minimum focus distance makes this lens uninteresting for me, since I'm chasing butterflies in addition to birds and whatnot. Anyway I already have the 100-500 and 2x and 1.4x, so I guess there isn't much point in having this too. The only things might be the weight, the 2x800 = 1600, and the compact storage.
Btw, the short focusing distance of the 100-500, even with 1.4x which I recently found out, is just extraordinary. I used a 70-200 with 2x earlier, and I could catch a butterfly on the ground a few feet away from me when I was standing. With the 100-500 and 1.4x I can move in much closer, though I haven't checked how much closer yet. The butterfly is almost guaranteed to fly away long before the limit is reached.
Awesome review mate! It’s a great lens for sure. Beautiful shots too! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you, Peter!
Brilliant video i agree to all you said got ride of my sigma 150=600mm lens thats in the the bag not to b used and having great results with the 800mm and you can walk around with all day long keep safe and happy shooting
Thank you!
Great video, really glad you like the lens.
The main reasons I haven't picked this up for my R6 are:
1. The minimum focus distance, 6m is crazy. 90% of the time I shoot small birds so wouldn't be too much of an issue, but I sometimes photograph Squirrels and they come really close sometimes. also the odd fox, and again they can be quite curious too...
2. I'd be worried it's not as sharp as my old Canon EF 400 F5.6L lens that I've been using (with a 1.4x iii Canon extender). I used to have the rf 600mm f11, which wasn't the sharpest, especially after cropping so I sold that.
I doubt it is as sharp as the old 400 5.6 but it’s twice the focal length. For small birds on a Z6 I think it’s the best way to go. Thank you!
Hi Phil. James's again. Reason 11 is extra reach more than Heather's 200-500 hehe
That’s a very good point. However when I’m on full frame and she’s on Nikon APSC, there’s only about 50 mm full frame equivalent between us. Soon we will both be using Canon R7.
Best review I’ve seen for this lens. I own it and love it. I’ve owned 90% of the competitors.
Thank you!
Would this lens work well with the Canon EOS m6 mkII?
No, it’s an R mount lens. The M6 is an M mount camera. They are incompatible.
Great video :) TY. @10:10... that bird is just stunning !!! :)
Thank you! :)
I love my R6 & 800mm set up, many thanks for the video!
Thank you!
Shouldn’t ur ss be at least 1/800 th of a sec ?
Conventional wisdom says that 1/800 is the slowest I should use, however Combining the internal stabilization of this lens with the Ibis in the camera I can go as low as 1/250 and still get consistently good results handheld.
@@PhilThach what about moving say subjects as in sports say, football players with helmets and masks that 50/50 cover the eyes ? Would it not just revert to head/face detection and make a blue square over the tracking subject ?
@@policeluber6720 The newest firmware for the R5, R6, and R3 is designed to detect torsos in situations where the eye, face, or head is not detectable.
Thanks Phil, the 800mm f/11 is indeed value for money!
Thank you!
I also use the R6/800f11 for small bird shots & this replaces the 7DII/Tamron 150-600G2. I miss the zoom and much closer focus distance, but I'm waiting for my R7 to use with the Tamron. I'm keen to see the results of using the RF-800 with extension tubes, as I'm not interested in infinity focus. Thanks for a great show.
Thank you! I did try the extension tubes and they didn't seem to reduce minimum focus by very much. Every little bit helps though I suppose.
Great video reviewing the RF800 mm lens Phil! Excellent information. As a Canon shooter it’s only a matter of time before I go to Canon mirrorless. I keep waiting for the Canon mirrorless APS.
Thank you bill! Me too! I have a video about that coming out on January 26.
Another great review Phill! I use this lens with the Canon R I love this lent Thanks for the review! what brand is the backpack that you use
Thank you! That backpack is a lowpro pro runner 300 AW. It is very old, I have two of them and I have three of the 200s.
I'd love my 600 more if it had an optional rotating tripod ring even if that meant it had to be removed when the lens was collapsed or that it did not collapse at all. I shoot many verticals and want a better way to mount and level it than an L bracket. The terrible minimum focus distance goes away with an extension tube which ruins infinity but still goes out farther than I expected. Idea: Change firmware so you have the option of shooting with the lens collapsed to any length. Make a glassless adapter that returns infinity when the lens is fully retracted. When you want macro distances, turn the ring and slide out the lens. Bonus: The adapter could include a groove for adding a tripod ring, preferably one that already exists for a previous lens about the same size. C(W)II would work.
You have a lot a great ideas. Canon needs to hire you for their design team!
I've been impressed with your 800 and wonder how post processing helps with sharpness. It's a new day in lenses; I'm glad I waited.
I always run all of my photos through Topez DeNoise AI. I like that program for the way it sharpens just as much as the way it reduces noise. I use it on every photo, not just the ones made with the 800. I use it for landscape photos at 100 ISO. I could not recommend it more highly.
thank you for this amazing Informative video.i recently got the Canon RF 800mm f/11 IS STM lens and started taking pictures do you also use the canon extender rf 1.4 to take pictures more up close or you don't recommend it. thank you
Thank you! I have used the 1.4 extender on my R6 but find that I really don't need it on the R7.
@@PhilThach thank you very much for answering I got the EOS R camera by canon because the R6 AND R7 was sold out do you recommend me to buy later on the 1.4 extender or the Canon EXT. RF2X(N extender for the Canon RF 800 mm or its not really needed
I have an m6 ii with a sigma 150-600 and I plan on switching to an r6 with an 800 f11 for the lightweight and superior stabilization. I'll still keep the m6 ii with sigma 150-600 though.
I think you will like it!
@@PhilThach Yeah haha. I've heard that one can call Canon and get a discount if you tell them the serial code or something from an old camera or lens. I have heard that you can get a 20% discount with old full frame cameras (15% with apsc) or 15% discount with old lenses which is nice. People say they buy a broken camera online just to get the discount lol. That would make the r6 $2000 and the 800 f11 $850 (now that it costs $1000). That makes it even better. It seems that Canon doesn't like advertising this deal though.
I also notice how the sigma lens focuses rather loudly and has a tendency to "pulse" back and forth when in servo af. I assume the 800 would be quieter and not pulse as much which would make videos better. Plus the r6 has better 4k video and bird eye af which helps when the depth of field makes it a little bit harder to get the eye in focus.
@@WestVirginiaWildlife This is the first I've heard of this interesting discount. Yes, the RF 800 f/11 auto-focus is virtually silent.
Thank you For this Phil.
Thank you!
Mine will be here this Friday! Can't wait to try it out!
Awesome! My Sony 200-600 came in today.
@@PhilThach oh nice! I really have enjoyed that lens and I'm so glad I didn't sell it at any point. All of the pros that use it really enjoy it also. It's really nice to have that short smooth throw between 200-600mm and it stays balanced perfectly on a tripod. I got an iShoot ARCA Swiss replacement foot and a RolanPro lens cover that feels really good on it.
Thanks Phil for this interesting review !! What I am most afraid of getting this lens is its lack of weather sealing. I guess we have in Belgium a lot more rain than you do .. I also enjoy the R6, but my 100-400ii (even with TC1.4x) feels short compared to using the naked lens on my retired APS-C. For a rainy region, would you still recommend the RF800/11 over getting a TC2x on my 100-400ii ??
Btw, I read in the comments you'll be announcing the R7 on January 26 .. can't wait to see that !
I have used the 800 in rain without any problems, so far. but I know it is not recommended. My video on January 26 is not an announcement video unfortunately, it is basically I wish they would announce it video lol. I have extensive experience with Nikon teleconverters but I have never used a canon extender so I can’t really give you good advice on that topic. I will probably buy a RF 1.4 extender sometime this year just to experiment with. It would work on even this crazy 800 mm lens!
@@PhilThach Yeah, I have been waiting for a long time for the R7 unicorn but after my old 70D nearly died due to rain on my first day of vacation in Norway, I got the R6 end of September. The R7 should be something like everything of the R6, and as sensor the one of the R5 in crop mode or slightly higher resolution. But not too much mp or it will suffer in low light.
Having stopped waiting, now I would prefer Canon to compete with Sony's 200-600 (and Nikon plans something similar). My dream would be around 350-750 as an L lens with about f8 at the long end, and weighting & costing not more than the 100-500. And it should work with extenders over the entire range!
Nice one like the idea of the spacer to reduce minimum distance look forward to seeing the results ps got my 800 other day still waiting on delivery of the R6 but hopefully next week 🤞🤞🤞
I wasn't thrilled with the extension tubes, they only reduced the minimum focus distance by 2 or 3 feet. I will still test them out someday with real subjects but the early results were not encouraging. Congrats on your 800 and R6!
@@PhilThach cheers had confirmation the r6 will be with me tomorrow 👍👍👍
It’s length ?
11.5” stored, 14” functional.
With this 800 lens with a canon r6 be usable for sports like football,soccer etc .... ? What iso do u feel co,forts le shooting with this lens and canon r6 ? It’s gotta be higher than iso 8-10,000 as the canon 1dxii maxed out there in my use I was not comfortable with going higher iso than 10,000 iso 12,800 looks crappy imo.
Personally, I think 800mm is too long for sports. This is really more of a bird lens. The 100-500 is a good soccer lens if you have plenty of light. I also like the 70-200 f/2.8 for soccer but I'd really like for Canon to produce a 120-300 f/2.8 like Nikon and Sigma make. As for your ISO question. I made a photo of a cardinal recently that looks great at 25,600 ISO, other shots I've made at 6400 don't look good. Strangely, I don't think there is an exact ISO that is too high. Sometimes high ISos look acceptable, sometimes they don't.
@@PhilThach how would iso 25,600 look great but at 6400 they don’t look good ?
I currently have a canon 1dxii 4 years old that i purchased brand new from adorama nyc. Would the R 6 with a grip surpass the 1dxii ? And could I trad my 1dxii in for sequel trade or ?
@@policeluber6720 I think you misunderstood what I was saying or more likely I didn't say it clearly enough. What I was trying to say is there is no set ISO number where good turns to bad. I have 1 or two examples where 25,600 looked good and I have examples where 6400 or less don't look good. Of course, more often it is the opposite of that. But again, there is no steadfast rule in my opinion.
@@policeluber6720 I just saw your question about the 1dxii versus the R6. I've never used a 1dxii so I can't say for sure. You can sell or trade your 1dxii. I recently sold some of my gear to the folks at used photo pro and was satisfied with the experience.
I enjoy your channel, keep up the great work !
Thank you!
@@PhilThach looking forward to hearing how the extension tubes went !
@@dychui I haven’t done any serious photography with them yet but I was disappointed because they only reduced the minimum focus distance by about 2 1/2 or 3 feet. I will still take them out and make some shots with them at some point.
@@PhilThach Ahh thanks for doing the experiment !! Saves us some $$ your diligent work ! :)
Thanks for your review! It would be interesting to see how many of these lenses Canon have sold. I wish Nikon had something similar. I love my 200-500mm. I am thinking of adding a 1.4x teleconverter to it. I miss the extra reach since moving to the Nikon Z6ii. I am planning my summer vacation and thinking of renting the Nikon Z 100-400 and a 2x converter for wildlife.
Hi Stephen! Thank you. In my experience, 2x teleconverters are great for paperweights. In other words, they magnify a lot but the images are not too good. Here's what I would suggest. Skip the teleconverter and buy a Z50 or Z fc for your 200-500. You might be able to pick up a used Z50 pretty cheaply. The Z50 has a higher pixel density (what you need for birds) than even the Z7 and Z9!
1.4 teleconverters are typically much better about not destroying image quality than the 2x. I sold my 2.0 and 1.7 teleconverters but I kept my 1.4. Someday I might pick up the Canon R 1.4 but I’d much rather have them make an R mount APSC camera.
@@PhilThach Couldn't you just use the Z6ii in DX mode and get similar results?
@@leonfisher that is a very good question but the answer is no. Z6 in DX mode is only 10.3 megapixels. Z7 in dx mode is 19.5. Z50 and Z fc DX mode is 20.9. So the Z50/Zfc has the highest pixel density of any Nikon mirrorless camera.
@@PhilThach Thanks for clarifying this.
Extension tubes fir reducing minimum focus distance?? That sounds interesting...will be watching this space.
Btw I too use the R6+ rf800mm f11...and completely agree with all your observations in this video.
Thank you! I have the tubes now and am a little disappointed because they only reduce minimum focus distance by 2 or 3 feet. Will try them on something more than household targets at some point.
Phil, I am a Nikon Fanboy, can’t do Cannon so unsubscribing. Nothing personal just can only afford one system and that is Nikon. Best of luck…
You do know I still own and shoot Nikon cameras, right? I used my Z6 to make this video. 🤷🏻♂️
Phil,, I know you shoot Nikon that's why I first subscribed. I enjoy your videos and will re-subscribe. Some folks on TH-cam switch to Sony, some prefer Cannon but I can't afford to switch at this point. Don't get me wrong Cannon makes some great camera and lenses as does Sony, I thought you were making the big switch some others have made to another system. BTW, I own the Z6 as well, as a D-500, love both of them. Thanks...
@@garygodfrey9708 Thanks, Gary! My Z6 and D500 are just two of the Nikon cameras that I still own as well as my Z fc, Z50 and D800. I use the Z fc the most, it's my number one camera for vlogging, number one for street photography and it's in a 3 way tie for my most used landscape photography camera. My Z6 is used for almost all "studio" videos like this one and it's one of the three cameras I use for landscape photography. Heather, who is featured on the channel often uses her Z50 all the time for all types of photography. I use my Canon R6 mostly for wildlife, portraits, and sports.