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Canon's new 200-800 RF Lens

coppertop
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Canon's new 200-800 RF Lens

Just saw the announcement and while it's a nice looking lens, it's a head scratcher.

I already have the 100-500mm and like it. Use the 1.4x converter with it to get 700mm of reach. Just not sure it's worth spending $2K to get an extra 100mm's of reach. Sure, it's a native 800mm and compatible with the 1.4x converter which has it's benefits. Hard not to think that if you have the 100-500mm, it is hard to justify the expense of the new lens.

Also... the 100-500mm is listed at $2599 and the 200-800mm is marked at $1899. Any idea why the difference in price? When I saw the announcement, $3K came to mind as the price and I was a little surprised.

Am I missing something that puts one of these lenses above the other?

Nov 02, 2023 at 09:01 AM

David Garcia
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Canon's new 200-800 RF Lens

I’ll wait for the 200-800 F22 version 😀. I was disappointed, as I was expecting news on the 200-500 F4.

Nov 02, 2023 at 09:09 AM

lighthound
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Canon's new 200-800 RF Lens

Nov 02, 2023 at 09:31 AM

nmerc_photos
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Canon's new 200-800 RF Lens

coppertop wrote:
Just saw the announcement and while it's a nice looking lens, it's a head scratcher.

I already have the 100-500mm and like it. Use the 1.4x converter with it to get 700mm of reach. Just not sure it's worth spending $2K to get an extra 100mm's of reach. Sure, it's a native 800mm and compatible with the 1.4x converter which has it's benefits. Hard not to think that if you have the 100-500mm, it is hard to justify the expense of the new lens.

Also... the 100-500mm is listed at $2599 and the 200-800mm is marked at $1899. Any idea why the...Show more →

Since the RF 100-500's release, people have lambasted it for being overpriced. ($3K MSRP IIRC).

The point of the new 200-800 is to compete with Sony/Nikon, which Canon previously didn't have an answer for (Sony 200-600mm, Nikon 180-600mm).

Their hope is that with a similarly priced lens, further reach, similar(ish) aperture, and lighter weight - they can attract some people.

Turns out most people don't care to spend the premium on a Canon L, or Nikon S (no idea what Sony has) lens, and the "cheaper" zooms/primes sell better for wildlife hobbyists.

I don't expect many people with the RF 100-500 to swap to the 200-800, just like when Nikon made their announcement - we didn't see many people swap from the Z 100-400 to the 180-600.

lighthound wrote:
This new lens is not an L lens and is a good bit slower. Those are the two main reasons it comes in at a lower price.

As far as the 100-500 + TC vs this lens. I'm of the opposite mind then you are. If I ever pick this new lens up there's a good chance I'll sell my 100-500 because I really like the idea of getting to 800mm with dicking around with a TC. Especially in nasty dusty environments.

this ^ as well. probably the most appealing part of the 200-800 is not having the clunky extender issues that the RF 100-500 currently has

Nov 02, 2023 at 09:38 AM

Tom_W
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Canon's new 200-800 RF Lens

https://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1830927

Nov 02, 2023 at 10:43 AM

Imagemaster
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Canon's new 200-800 RF Lens

coppertop wrote:
Am I missing something that puts one of these lenses above the other?

Yeah, you missed that two threads were already posted before yours.

Nov 03, 2023 at 02:41 AM

coppertop
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Canon's new 200-800 RF Lens

Imagemaster wrote:
Yeah, you missed that two threads were already posted before yours.

And I'm the first to start a discussion on a topic where other threads already exist.
Maybe I missed it but didn't see any discussion on why the noticeable price difference between the two lenses.
(and please don't add links to such comments if I did

Nov 03, 2023 at 08:00 AM

Zenon Char
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Canon's new 200-800 RF Lens

David Garcia wrote:
F9

I’ll wait for the 200-800 F22 version 😀. I was disappointed, as I was expecting news on the 200-500 F4.

The masses won't be able to afford the 200-500 f4 but they will when it comes to the 200-800. Who would have thought of this 10 years ago? That anyone can now shoot at 800mm and will produce tack sharp images. The 100-500 and the 600/800 f/11's were laughed at when first announced. Not so much these days. Brilliant move by Canon actually.

Nov 03, 2023 at 08:09 AM

alundeb
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · Canon's new 200-800 RF Lens

coppertop wrote:
And I'm the first to start a discussion on a topic where other threads already exist.
Maybe I missed it but didn't see any discussion on why the noticeable price difference between the two lenses.
(and please don't add links to such comments if I did

).

As far as the 1.4x and 100-500mm, I haven't had any issues but agree that if the 200-800mm performs strong enough to dump the teleconverter it may get a strong look.

Appreciate the insights and comments.
If you want to discuss the 200-800 vs the 100-500 specifically, it would help to say that in the thread title.

In addition to the technical differences, I would guess that there are market decisions related to pricing that somebody might understand better than me.

Nov 03, 2023 at 08:16 AM

Zenon Char
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · Canon's new 200-800 RF Lens

Manual is not out yet.

https://www.usa.canon.com/support/user-manual-library

Nov 03, 2023 at 10:48 AM

lighthound
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · Canon's new 200-800 RF Lens

If the IQ of this lens is nearly as good as the 100-500 such that it's difficult to see without pixel peeping, why would anyone choose the 100-500 over this lens considering the three major advantages of lower cost, 200mm longer reach and no need for a TC. Yes, this lens might be considered slow by some, but the speeds are so close at the various focal lengths that in real world situations there will be negligible differences. It's not like the 100-500 is some kind of Bokeh dream lens, so that's not even a concern. I'm personally a Bokeh whore so when I pick-up my 100-500 rather than my 500II, I'm already prepared for the challenges that a "slow" lens presents.
And perhaps the IS + IBIS combination (especially with future body designs) this lens could allow for a slightly slower shutter speed in low light situations such that it would eliminate the need for an ISO shift.

IDK, the more I think about it, the more appealing the lens is getting, especially at the price. With the high ISO capabilities we are already enjoying with our current RF Canon bodies plus the huge improvements in NR softwares recently, these slightly slower lenses aren't as big of deal as they were just a few years ago in the DSLR days. And that's not even considering the high ISO improvements in Canon bodies in future releases.

Here's an ISO 25,600 out of the R5 as an example.

Hungry boy

Nov 03, 2023 at 11:00 AM


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