p.3 #1 · A new super telephoto zoom will arrive in September
I really don't understand the rumored pricing on a 300-600mm f/5.6 lens. When you consider both Sony and Nikon have 600mm zoom lenses that start even wider, giving greater versatility, and are only 1/3 stop slower at the long end, and both those lenses are excellent and cost around $2,000 - I can't see any viable reason to have a lens like this cost $3,000-$4,000 more than the competition. 1/3 stop is not worth anywhere close to that sort of price premium. I could see, if it's optically excellent, it going in the $3,000 range, but ~$6,000? Lunacy.
p.3 #2 · A new super telephoto zoom will arrive in September
Jman13 wrote:
I really don't understand the rumored pricing on a 300-600mm f/5.6 lens. When you consider both Sony and Nikon have 600mm zoom lenses that start even wider, giving greater versatility, and are only 1/3 stop slower at the long end, and both those lenses are excellent and cost around $2,000 - I can't see any viable reason to have a lens like this cost $3,000-$4,000 more than the competition. 1/3 stop is not worth anywhere close to that sort of price premium. I could see, if it's optically excellent, it going in the $3,000 range, but ~$6,000? Lunacy.
I agree. If it's over $3,500 it's a no go for me. At that point I might sell off my RF 100-300 along with both bodies and wait it out a bit until Nikon launches the 120-300TC. I am considering jumping back to Nikon due to the lack of long lens options in the RF lineup that make sense for what and how I shoot.
p.3 #3 · A new super telephoto zoom will arrive in September
Jman13 wrote:
I really don't understand the rumored pricing on a 300-600mm f/5.6 lens. When you consider both Sony and Nikon have 600mm zoom lenses that start even wider, giving greater versatility, and are only 1/3 stop slower at the long end, and both those lenses are excellent and cost around $2,000 - I can't see any viable reason to have a lens like this cost $3,000-$4,000 more than the competition. 1/3 stop is not worth anywhere close to that sort of price premium. I could see, if it's optically excellent, it going in the $3,000 range, but ~$6,000? Lunacy.
Acceptance of mediocre lenses like the 200-600/6.3 are why we cannot have nice things like a 200-600/5.6 L. It's far more than the difference of 1/3 stop. And I have used many Sony cameras with that lens, used several copies and taken over 100K images just with 200-600/6.3s. Unfortunately now Sony has such a sensor advantage over the Canon, that 200-600/5.6 or 300-600/5.6 is probably not doing much for me without a TC. I'd actually prefer a built-in 1.25x like OM has so that the effective would be 750/7.1. That would produce about the same reach as I get on the 67MP a7rVI at 600mm.
p.3 #4 · A new super telephoto zoom will arrive in September
I don't have extensive experience with the 200-600 Sony, but I do have lots of experience with the Nikon 180-600mm and it's an excellent lens. Even if you account for better optical quality, there's just no way to justify 2.5x the cost. I think $3k for an optically excellent lens with those specs could work, but if they go significantly higher than that, I just don't see it.
Canon needs a good telephoto zoom that isn't dog slow, and also isn't a bazillion dollars.
Their slow zooms are good, no doubt, but it's still a big gap that needs to be filled.
p.3 #5 · A new super telephoto zoom will arrive in September
If Canon had not made that ridiculous 200-800/9 and made a good 200-600/6.3 instead, we probably would not be in this mess.
EBH
Aug 06, 2026 at 09:56 AM
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p.3 #6 · A new super telephoto zoom will arrive in September
Jman13 wrote:
I don't have extensive experience with the 200-600 Sony, but I do have lots of experience with the Nikon 180-600mm and it's an excellent lens. Even if you account for better optical quality, there's just no way to justify 2.5x the cost. I think $3k for an optically excellent lens with those specs could work, but if they go significantly higher than that, I just don't see it.
Canon needs a good telephoto zoom that isn't dog slow, and also isn't a bazillion dollars.
Their slow zooms are good, no doubt, but it's still a big gap that needs to be filled....Show more →
I agree. 400 f/4.5, 500 f/5.6, and 600 f/6.3 are done by various manufacturers for much less money and lenses that represent good value. Canon did 800 f/9. That is good for some people, but unless you need all that reach you are better served by a shorter faster lens.
So what should Canon do? My vote would be a 200-400 f/4.5 that could be excellent quality for $4,000 to $5,000. That lens is clearly faster than the 100-500L but doesn't have the reach of this new 300-600 f/5.6L.
A lineup of tele zooms of 100-300 f/2.8; 100-500 f/4.5-7.1; 200-400 f/4.5, 200-800 f/6.3-9; and 300-600 f/5.6, I think would be quite competitive with what Nikon and Sony offer and if we do see the 300-600 f/5.6 next month, they are just one lens away. I agree that one lens, however, should come in at less than $5,000 and still be quite capable with a decently fast aperture. It should be designed to compete well against the new Sony 100-400 f/4.5 and be a higher quality alternative to the Sony 200-600 f/5.6-6.3 and the Nikon 180-600 f/5.6-6.3.
p.3 #7 · A new super telephoto zoom will arrive in September
EB-1 wrote:
Acceptance of mediocre lenses like the 200-600/6.3 are why we cannot have nice things like a 200-600/5.6 L. It's far more than the difference of 1/3 stop. And I have used many Sony cameras with that lens, used several copies and taken over 100K images just with 200-600/6.3s. Unfortunately now Sony has such a sensor advantage over the Canon, that 200-600/5.6 or 300-600/5.6 is probably not doing much for me without a TC. I'd actually prefer a built-in 1.25x like OM has so that the effective would be 750/7.1. That would produce about the same reach as I get on the 67MP a7rVI at 600mm.
p.3 #9 · A new super telephoto zoom will arrive in September
If it's a constant f/5.6 lens it is an oddball because it doesn't meet the aperture requirements for fast prime users and it won't meet the price point for the rest. But if constant f/5.6 lens, they will have to meet highest standards in all categories with prime like sharpness, lightning fast AF, internal zoom, great compatibility with TC's, and most importantly it will have to be lightweight in order to charge the Canon tax.
So a razor sharp lighting fast AF internal zooming f/5.6 that takes TC's like the 100-300, and weighs 5.5'ish lbs or less, then Canon will get their $6500+ for it.
The weight might be Canon's strategy here, to keep it more attractive than lugging around a 600 f/4, and not having to pay 14.5k for one.
p.3 #11 · A new super telephoto zoom will arrive in September
Everything else being equal a 200- or 300- 600/5.6 would not be lighter than a 100-300/2.8 since the diameters are the same and the longer focal length makes it longer. Maybe 3 years later the technology has changed a little or they decided to make it flimsier.
p.3 #12 · A new super telephoto zoom will arrive in September
EB-1 wrote:
Everything else being equal a 200- or 300- 600/5.6 would not be lighter than a 100-300/2.8 since the diameters are the same and the longer focal length makes it longer. Maybe 3 years later the technology has changed a little or they decided to make it flimsier.
EBH
What if it's a DO lens.
(Note: pure speculation on my part, but that would reduce the weight quite a bit)
