p.1 #1 · Anyone with experience on the RF 800mm f/11 IS STM?
Thinking of renting one for an upcoming African trip. I've used my trusty 100-400, but sometimes it just doesn't reach. This would likely be going on my R7, but I could rent some other R body if that would work better.
p.1 #2 · Anyone with experience on the RF 800mm f/11 IS STM?
I have an R6 and rented the 800/11 a couple of years ago to shoot some birds at a local wetlands.The longest lens I own is the EF 100-400 II. The 800 feels super light, like a piece of PVC pipe rather than a lens. Image quality was pretty good and the focal length was great. I quickly adapted to finding stationary subjects with the lens, but flying birds were tough. I also struggled to acquire focus on birds in flight. It's a fun lens overall.
I rented a 200-800 more recently and much preferred it. I'd preset the focal length to 400-500mm for target acquisition, then zoom in while shooting. This made shooting a lot easier vs. the 800. It's a heavier lens for sure, but wasn't bad on a sling strap attached to the tripod foot.
Either either lens, you'll have more issues with the atmosphere. You get tempted to shoot things that are really too far away for a good shot anyway. Since you already have a crop factor with the R7, maybe just adding a 1.4x TC to your 100-400 would work. That's 900mm equivalent.
p.1 #3 · Anyone with experience on the RF 800mm f/11 IS STM?
With a field of view of a FF 1280mm you will include every atmospheric swirl in the image. It can be artistic and/or catastrophic. Never been to Africa, never will, but there should be plenty temperature differences to find. When it works though, the reach is phenomenal!
If you find a 600/11 to try out and compare, you will find that the 960mm FoV is not far behind the 1280mm. The 600´s sensitivity to atmospherics is marginally better and the 600 is such a small package in comparison. The handiness of the 600 is great! I have both, used both on the R7, preferred the 600 at the end despite the awesomeness of the 800. The 800´s singular superpower is in practice its greatest weakness. The lens is sharp but the images all too often not. Where is your threshold?
p.1 #4 · Anyone with experience on the RF 800mm f/11 IS STM?
R100 & 800 f/11. The hawk was about 400' away. The moon, a little further. The pictures would have been better if not for all that atmospheric haze
Jim
Canon EOS R100RF800mm F11 IS STM lens800mmf/11.01/800s400 ISO0.0 EV
Canon EOS R100RF800mm F11 IS STM lens800mmf/11.01/640s400 ISO0.0 EV
Canon EOS R100RF800mm F11 IS STM lens800mmf/11.01/1000s400 ISO0.0 EV
Canon EOS R100RF800mm F11 IS STM lens800mmf/11.01/800s400 ISO0.0 EV
Canon EOS R100RF800mm F11 IS STM lens800mmf/11.01/100s100 ISO0.0 EV
p.1 #7 · Anyone with experience on the RF 800mm f/11 IS STM?
I have this lens and use it very rarely, like when I need to shoot a solar eclipse (with the proper solar filters!), play with birds up close, or as has been pointed out, the moon. I would never dream of bringing it on a safari, though. If you need an 800 on a safari, you're doing something wrong. I don't recall needing more than my 400/2.8 on safari.Usually the 100-300 is the better choice. Unless you are looking for tweeties, you need to get closer or the atmospheric interference will ruin your photos.
p.1 #8 · Anyone with experience on the RF 800mm f/11 IS STM?
A 100-400 or 100-500 is all I’ve ever needed on safari with a crop camera like R7 or R10. Decent guides will get you more than close enough most of the time. If wildlife is too far away for those lenses, you’ll usually get closer opportunities at another time, in my own experience. A fixed 800mm will likely be too tight for many/most situations. With a crop body, a 100-400 with a 1.4x converter will be plenty for most everything. The RFS 18-150 comes in handy too. Small and light is good.
p.1 #9 · Anyone with experience on the RF 800mm f/11 IS STM?
I've got a 600 f4 IS iii, but take the 800 f11 out with me in my kayak. Not a bad lens. Definitely not as sharp as my 600, but it cost 1/20th the price and is lighter. Where I've found it shines brightest is shooting video out of my kayak -- not something I'm going to try with the massively larger 600.
Using something like this at that length is always going to come down to the set up. It works well on the river and when getting in closer to birds, and in shooting up. But, if you're skimming surfaces there is always the risk of atmospheric haze.
Also, it is fixed aperture f11, which does have implications for high ISO, and you are going to have to deal with that for peak wildlife hours in Africa.
p.1 #10 · Anyone with experience on the RF 800mm f/11 IS STM?
I own the 800 f11, the 100-500 and the 200-800. On the R7, I would rank the 100-500 #1, 200-800 #2 and the 800 f11 #3. Not due to image quality, as all 3 are good, but you can have too much reach and as an only lens 1120 on the R7 is a bit much. I am talking for your trip, not every day photography.
p.1 #11 · Anyone with experience on the RF 800mm f/11 IS STM?
dj63401 wrote:
I own the 800 f11, the 100-500 and the 200-800. On the R7, I would rank the 100-500 #1, 200-800 #2 and the 800 f11 #3. Not due to image quality, as all 3 are good, but you can have too much reach and as an only lens 1120 on the R7 is a bit much. I am talking for your trip, not every day photography.
Do you find the 800/11 and 200-800 to have the same sharpness? I recently saw a Youtube video from someone I watch from time to time and he said the 800 is sharper. I've rented both and didn't really see a difference, but my experience is limited and I didn't have them at the same time.
I have the RF 800. I like it a lot. I use it on my R7. But [never having been on a safari or to Africa] I wouldn't think it is appropriate for a trip to Africa, especially if your reason for taking it for large animals far away [which is what I think safaris are all about]. And since it such a single purpose lens, I'd be worried about having to do lens swaps under safari conditions.
I like it for when I'm doing daily walkabouts when mostly I expect to try to photograph small birds or waterfowl. If I'm expecting large birds or animals I use my R5 and 100-500.
p.1 #13 · Anyone with experience on the RF 800mm f/11 IS STM?
Mike_5D wrote:
Do you find the 800/11 and 200-800 to have the same sharpness? I recently saw a Youtube video from someone I watch from time to time and he said the 800 is sharper. I've rented both and didn't really see a difference, but my experience is limited and I didn't have them at the same time.
Mike,
I have not done side by side testing, but I would say the 800 f11 is a tiny bit sharper than the 200-800.
You can look at my Flickr page and see both, but since the 200-800 came out I have hardly used the 800f11. https://www.flickr.com/photos/dj63401/
Dave
p.1 #14 · Anyone with experience on the RF 800mm f/11 IS STM?
I find the 800mm F11 to be an amazingly sharp lens for its price. I like it on my R5 and R3 not so much on an R7 which I no longer have but did. Whether its the lens you need for your safari that's a different story but it could be a very effective lens for the African birds while on safari and it's super light for travel. I could think of a number of uses for it on safari and would be glad to have it along
Canon EOS R5RF800mm F11 IS STM lens800mmf/11.01/800s800 ISO0.0 EV
Canon EOS R5RF800mm F11 IS STM lens800mmf/11.01/1600s800 ISO0.0 EV
Canon EOS R5RF800mm F11 IS STM lens800mmf/11.01/1250s800 ISO-0.3 EV
