p.7 #1 · A Canon RF 300-600mm f/4-5.6L IS USM on the Horizon
rscheffler wrote:
Bigger, heavier, more complex, and more expensive depending on the image quality threshold Canon plans for such a lens?
Sony recently released a rather 'oddball' 400-800 2x zoom...
Maybe Canon considers this a 600/5.6 that happens to also have some zoom range? Add a 1.4x TC and now you have roughly 400-800/5.6-8 if you want the reach. But otherwise it's apparently rumoured to be a bit faster through much of its native range than the competing options.
having worked with a 150-600 L canon FD lens doing bird photography in Florida, the immediate flexibility can't be replaced. Having a flip in 1.4x helps but I don't think that is what they are talking about. In my experience, unless you are doing song birds, 800mm tends to be over rated (I've had two 800 f5.6L lenses FD and EF). If you need it adding an extender makes sense to get 800mm. I run canon's 200-400 with an external 1.4x to get 280-560 with the flip in in reserve to get 400-800. What ever canon produces it will be expensive. Considering the optic advances, 3x should not be that difficult or expensive considering all the 3x zooms that have be around for 40 years. Canon makes a 4x and 5x 100-400, 100-500. I'd settle for their image quality!
p.7 #3 · A Canon RF 300-600mm f/4-5.6L IS USM on the Horizon
Flowernut wrote:
having worked with a 150-600 L canon FD lens doing bird photography in Florida, the immediate flexibility can't be replaced. Having a flip in 1.4x helps but I don't think that is what they are talking about. In my experience, unless you are doing song birds, 800mm tends to be over rated (I've had two 800 f5.6L lenses FD and EF). If you need it adding an extender makes sense to get 800mm. I run canon's 200-400 with an external 1.4x to get 280-560 with the flip in in reserve to get 400-800. What ever canon produces it will be expensive. Considering the optic advances, 3x should not be that difficult or expensive considering all the 3x zooms that have be around for 40 years. Canon makes a 4x and 5x 100-400, 100-500. I'd settle for their image quality!...Show more →
I don't really disagree, in general. With this lens I think Canon will want to position it at a certain place in the market, at a certain price point. It will be priced relative to the direct competition. The 200-800 covers the low end of the super-tele zoom range. The 100-500 is the next tier. This 300-600 will probably be the next level up, but we're all assuming it will still be half the price of a traditional Canon super-tele. I really think it needs to be price competitive with the Nikon PF primes and of a similar optical calibre; it's currently a pretty significant gap in Canon's long-lens lineup.
p.7 #4 · A Canon RF 300-600mm f/4-5.6L IS USM on the Horizon
it is hard for me to believe the 300-600 will be any cheaper than the 200-400 f4 or the 100-300 f2.8. I'd rather put in another thousand dollars and a pound of weight and get what I want than settle because it is a little less expensive and a little lighter. Note the 100-300 f2.8 is a 3x zoom. Note a 200-600 f5.6 is a 100-300 f2.8 with a 2x multiplier which should give us an idea of what the weight and price and price could be. Please give us a drop in filter! No more 112mm screw on front filters!
Mar 28, 2026 at 08:56 AM
Steve Spencer Offline • • • • • • • Upload & Sell: On
p.7 #5 · A Canon RF 300-600mm f/4-5.6L IS USM on the Horizon
Flowernut wrote:
it is hard for me to believe the 300-600 will be any cheaper than the 200-400 f4 or the 100-300 f2.8. I'd rather put in another thousand dollars and a pound of weight and get what I want than settle because it is a little less expensive and a little lighter. Note the 100-300 f2.8 is a 3x zoom. Note a 200-600 f5.6 is a 100-300 f2.8 with a 2x multiplier which should give us an idea of what the weight and price and price could be. Please give us a drop in filter! No more 112mm screw on front filters!...Show more →
If this lens is a 300-600 f/4.5-5.6, then I think price was the comparison will be similar as the comparison between this lens and the Nikon 600 f/6.3 PF and the Sony 300 f/2.8 with the 2X TC, which is a very popular combo on the Sony mount will be similar to the price comparison between the Sony 300 f/2.8 and the Canon 100-300 f/2.8.
The Sony 300 f/2.8 is almost $7,000, with the 2X TC the price is close to $7,500. The Nikon 600 f/6.3 PF is $5,200 but is of course a third of a stop slower so should be a little less. The Nikon 800 f/6.3 PF might be seen as a competitor especially for birders and it costs, $7,000. I think this lens (if the specs are as most people suggest) won't be priced less than $8,000 and more likely will be price right around the 100-300 f/2.8 (i.e., $10,500). Canon will likely make you pay for this lens being a zoom, just like they did with the 100-300 f/2.8 which is significantly more expensive than the Sony prime.
p.7 #6 · A Canon RF 300-600mm f/4-5.6L IS USM on the Horizon
The whole point would be to have a zoom. Many of us had a 300/2.8 in the late 20th century and early 21st, but missed too many shots messing around swapping TCs in and out. Shooting wider and cropping is common but substantial IQ is lost.
p.7 #7 · A Canon RF 300-600mm f/4-5.6L IS USM on the Horizon
EB-1 wrote:
The whole point would be to have a zoom. Many of us had a 300/2.8 in the late 20th century and early 21st, but missed too many shots messing around swapping TCs in and out. Shooting wider and cropping is common but substantial IQ is lost.
EBH
I would be happy with any of the following:
1. Canon RF 300 f/2.8 - featherweight/compact like Sony for $7000
2. Canon RF 300 f/4-600 f/5.6 - L quality no shortcuts will be $10k+
3. Canon RF 300 f/3.5-600 f/6.3 - L quality no shortcuts razor sharp with 1.4x approx $5k
p.7 #8 · A Canon RF 300-600mm f/4-5.6L IS USM on the Horizon
artsupreme wrote:
I would be happy with any of the following:
1. Canon RF 300 f/2.8 - featherweight/compact like Sony for $7000
2. Canon RF 300 f/4-600 f/5.6 - L quality no shortcuts will be $10k+
3. Canon RF 300 f/3.5-600 f/6.3 - L quality no shortcuts razor sharp with 1.4x approx $5k
For volume #3 makes the most sense.
Yet #3 is the most difficult. I doubt it would be only $5K.
I'd prefer an internal 1.25x TC over 1.4x so it would be 750/8 at the long end. A 1.25x TC has been used well by Olympus and probably others. It also puts a bit less optical strain on the prime lens.
p.7 #9 · A Canon RF 300-600mm f/4-5.6L IS USM on the Horizon
EB-1 wrote:
I doubt it would be only $5K.
EBH
It should be possible considering the Sony 200-600 is only 2.2k, so Canon should be able to make a very similar size L lens for a little more than 2x the price of the Sony. Sigma sells the beast 300-600 f/4 for 6.5k, but of course we never know what the Canon tax will be. I guess they could price it in the 6k range but IMO it would be a hot seller near 5k.
p.7 #10 · A Canon RF 300-600mm f/4-5.6L IS USM on the Horizon
That part about "L quality no shortcuts razor sharp with 1.4x" ups the price considerably.
EBH
Mar 28, 2026 at 01:39 PM
Steve Spencer Offline • • • • • • • Upload & Sell: On
p.7 #11 · A Canon RF 300-600mm f/4-5.6L IS USM on the Horizon
EB-1 wrote:
That part about "L quality no shortcuts razor sharp with 1.4x" ups the price considerably.
EBH
I totally agree.
Having own the Sony it has several very important shortcuts:
1) It doesn't have top AF motors
2) At shorter distances it really is about 575mm not 600mm
3) The quality is affected not terribly but noticeably with the 1.4X TC
4) Even at 200mm it is f/5.6, which is of course a stop and a third slower than the lens artsupreme is suggesting
5) It is sharp but not as sharp as Sony's best optics
These are the reasons it is substantially cheaper than the lens that artsupreme is suggesting. It is in its own way a budget lens for Sony and a competitor with the RF 200-800 f/6.3-9 and the Nikon 180-600 f/5.6-6.3 that is also a budget lens.
If the Canon 300-600 isn't going to be a budget lens and I think it will either occupy the $7,000 price slot and be a slower lens with an f/6.3 max aperture at 600mm or will occupy the $10,000 price slot and be a f/5.6 max aperture at 600mm.
p.7 #12 · A Canon RF 300-600mm f/4-5.6L IS USM on the Horizon
We never really know the thinking behind those making the decisions at Canon but from my perspective I still think it's the Nikon PF lenses that are the target competition for this rumoured RF lens. It being a zoom can on paper command somewhat of a premium, but for it to be much more than the 600/6.3 IMO would be missing the point. Therefore I don't expect a built-in TC. That said, maybe someone at Canon sees it more as competition for the OM System 150-400, priced at ~$8800? 600 vs 800 equivalent isn't quite the same but with 1.4x TC it would be 800/8 or 800/9 and a 45MP FF sensor would put more pixels on the subject, if one can fill the frame. The 150-400 does have the built-in 1.25x TC, making it 1000/11 equivalent, which could be addressed with the RF 2x TC.
Combine it with a significantly upgraded R7II and maybe this is where a 300-600 is going to see a lot of (birding) use?
Mar 28, 2026 at 08:20 PM
Steve Spencer Offline • • • • • • • Upload & Sell: On
p.7 #13 · A Canon RF 300-600mm f/4-5.6L IS USM on the Horizon
rscheffler wrote:
We never really know the thinking behind those making the decisions at Canon but from my perspective I still think it's the Nikon PF lenses that are the target competition for this rumoured RF lens. It being a zoom can on paper command somewhat of a premium, but for it to be much more than the 600/6.3 IMO would be missing the point. Therefore I don't expect a built-in TC. That said, maybe someone at Canon sees it more as competition for the OM System 150-400, priced at ~$8800? 600 vs 800 equivalent isn't quite the same but with 1.4x TC it would be 800/8 or 800/9 and a 45MP FF sensor would put more pixels on the subject, if one can fill the frame. The 150-400 does have the built-in 1.25x TC, making it 1000/11 equivalent, which could be addressed with the RF 2x TC.
Combine it with a significantly upgraded R7II and maybe this is where a 300-600 is going to see a lot of (birding) use?...Show more →
I think if Canon wants to competes with the Nikon PF lenses, one obvious way to compete is their own DO primes. They could compete directly with similar DO lenses or simply produce a 400 f/4 DO for RF mount, or perhaps something like a 500 f/4.5 DO, perhaps with a built-in TC, would be good competition for both the 600 f/6.3 PF and the 800 f/6.3 PF, providing a shorter lens but fast and very useful at 500mm lens and with the TC a nifty 700 f/6.3 that nicely slots between the Niion PF lenses.
p.7 #14 · A Canon RF 300-600mm f/4-5.6L IS USM on the Horizon
The certainly could and should release at least one or two DO primes to fill the gap between prosumer super-zoom and top-end super-tele primes, but I kind of get the feeling Canon is more into zooms. And with the RF system, so am I, so this meshes with what I would want. But as stated earlier, for chronically reach-limited birders, they may rather prefer a smaller prime.
Apr 01, 2026 at 01:27 AM
Steve Spencer Offline • • • • • • • Upload & Sell: On
p.7 #15 · A Canon RF 300-600mm f/4-5.6L IS USM on the Horizon
rscheffler wrote:
The certainly could and should release at least one or two DO primes to fill the gap between prosumer super-zoom and top-end super-tele primes, but I kind of get the feeling Canon is more into zooms. And with the RF system, so am I, so this meshes with what I would want. But as stated earlier, for chronically reach-limited birders, they may rather prefer a smaller prime.
I agree with all you say here. Obviously is Canon is making any 300-600, as this rumor suggests, then Canon is into zooms and probably making a higher level zoom than anything out there except the Sigma 300-600 f/4. They did the same thing with the 100-300 f/2.8, so yes I think it makes sense to say that Canon is into zooms.
That said, they have DO technology and I think it is silly if they don't use it with RF lenses. As you say it seems the Nikon PF long telephoto lenses appear to be a hit with birders. Canon should take their piece of that market and for that market at least on this foum people seem to switch systems to get what they want and Canon is highly regarded for their AF, which is also important to these shooter. It seems to me there is a market for DO lenses for Canon cameras that could sell some pretty expensive cameras and lenses if they can just make lenses that compete well with the Nikon PF lenses and the Sony 300 f/2.8 which seems to also be popular with this same group of shooters.
p.7 #16 · A Canon RF 300-600mm f/4-5.6L IS USM on the Horizon
84 years later ... This spring has had so many over cast days so far in the Midwest it's been a struggle. I'm jumping ship in November if they don't have mid price 7 to 8k lens with a respectable aperture.
p.7 #17 · A Canon RF 300-600mm f/4-5.6L IS USM on the Horizon
Steve Spencer wrote:
I agree with all you say here. Obviously is Canon is making any 300-600, as this rumor suggests, then Canon is into zooms and probably making a higher level zoom than anything out there except the Sigma 300-600 f/4. They did the same thing with the 100-300 f/2.8, so yes I think it makes sense to say that Canon is into zooms.
That said, they have DO technology and I think it is silly if they don't use it with RF lenses. As you say it seems the Nikon PF long telephoto lenses appear to be a hit with birders. Canon should take their piece of that market and for that market at least on this foum people seem to switch systems to get what they want and Canon is highly regarded for their AF, which is also important to these shooter. It seems to me there is a market for DO lenses for Canon cameras that could sell some pretty expensive cameras and lenses if they can just make lenses that compete well with the Nikon PF lenses and the Sony 300 f/2.8 which seems to also be popular with this same group of shooters....Show more →
I had an interesting conversation this week about this very topic with the owner of one of the larger camera stores in Canada. I was asking him why he didn't have any Canon L-series telephotos in stock, and he replied that it wasn't worth carrying them in inventory for the "two or three" he sold per year. He then mentioned that during a recent Nikon in-store promotion, the store sold several hundred of the Nikon Z 400mm, 600mm, and 800mm telephotos, mostly the PF lenses, in a matter of a few days.
I would hope that Canon's marketing people are aware of the size of this market segment and how many units their competitors are moving, but I'm surprised they aren't offering anything to compete in that space.
May 24, 2026 at 08:36 AM
Steve Spencer Offline • • • • • • • Upload & Sell: On
p.7 #18 · A Canon RF 300-600mm f/4-5.6L IS USM on the Horizon
Cliff L. wrote:
I had an interesting conversation this week about this very topic with the owner of one of the larger camera stores in Canada. I was asking him why he didn't have any Canon L-series telephotos in stock, and he replied that it wasn't worth carrying them in inventory for the "two or three" he sold per year. He then mentioned that during a recent Nikon in-store promotion, the store sold several hundred of the Nikon Z 400mm, 600mm, and 800mm telephotos, mostly the PF lenses, in a matter of a few days.
I would hope that Canon's marketing people are aware of the size of this market segment and how many units their competitors are moving, but I'm surprised they aren't offering anything to compete in that space....Show more →
It will be interesting what Canon does in this space. For primes in addition to the big whites (400 f/2.8L, 600 f/4L, 800 f/5.6L and 1200 f/8L) I would love to see Canon offer a 300 f/3.4L and a 500 f/4.5L (the latter ideally with DO tech to keep it smaller). I think that would complement the big whites nicely and especially if they compete with the Nikon PF lenses for cost. I would think the 300 f/3.4 could be a $2,000 lens, the 500 f/4.5L could be a $9,000 lens. Right now Nikon has a stronger lineup of super teles, but adding these two lenses and some sort of 300-600, I think would flip the situation and Canon's offerings would be stronger.
p.7 #19 · A Canon RF 300-600mm f/4-5.6L IS USM on the Horizon
Go to a place like yellowstone. when it comes to super telephoto lenses its 55% canon, 40% sony, 5% nikon.
Cliff L. wrote:
I had an interesting conversation this week about this very topic with the owner of one of the larger camera stores in Canada. I was asking him why he didn't have any Canon L-series telephotos in stock, and he replied that it wasn't worth carrying them in inventory for the "two or three" he sold per year. He then mentioned that during a recent Nikon in-store promotion, the store sold several hundred of the Nikon Z 400mm, 600mm, and 800mm telephotos, mostly the PF lenses, in a matter of a few days.
I would hope that Canon's marketing people are aware of the size of this market segment and how many units their competitors are moving, but I'm surprised they aren't offering anything to compete in that space....Show more →
