Review: Canon RF 800mm f/11 IS STM

May 30, 2022

Jordan Steele

Conclusion

Pros

Extremely compact and lightweight for an 800mm lens
Excellent image stabilizer
Accurate autofocus
Good image sharpness
Pleasing bokeh
Nice color and pleasing rendering
Good control of chromatic aberrations
Affordable
Fun!

Cons

f/11 constant aperture
Autofocus is only moderate in speed
Autofocus limited to the central 50% of the image frame
Lower contrast than most modern lenses
No rotating tripod collar
Hood not included

The Canon RF 800mm f/11 IS STM continues the trend of unique and relatively high quality consumer-grade lenses from Canon. Like I discussed in my review of the 16mm f/2.8 STM and the 100-400mm f/5.6-8, I’m having a lot of fun with these lightweight lenses from Canon. When the lens was first announced, like many I dismissed it immediately as too slow and limited. If you are in that camp, and you want a lightweight and compact lens with a lot of reach, I would strongly recommend trying out this lens.

I was quite pleased to see that image quality is very good for such an optic. While not reaching the lofty heights of Canon’s big white supertelephotos, the RF 800mm f/11 produces images with good sharpness, nice bokeh and an overall pleasing rendering that punches above its price point and weight. The biggest compromise for that size, cost and reach is the fixed f/11 aperture, which means that this lens is going to require higher ISOs for fast shutter speeds, especially in lower light situations. The slow aperture also limits the autofocus area (on older RF bodies), which can make it a little more difficult to track subjects.

While dedicated bird photographers will likely want to save up for the considerably more expensive 600mm f/4 or 800mm 5.6, those who are more casual wildlife shooters, or simply want to be able to carry a very long lens while not breaking their back will be well pleased with the 800mm f/11. It’s a really compelling lens, even at its current $999 price point. Recommended!

Image Samples

Click on an image to enlarge

Brown Cowbird – Canon EOS R5 with Canon RF 800mm f/11 IS STM @ f/11, 1/500s, ISO 3200

Squirrel Eating – Canon EOS R5 with Canon RF 800mm f/11 IS STM @ f/11, 1/1250s, ISO 2500

Woodpecker – Canon EOS R5 with Canon RF 800mm f/11 IS STM @ f/11, 1/1600s, ISO 3200

Bluejay – Canon EOS R5 with Canon RF 800mm f/11 IS STM @ f/11, 1/1600s, ISO 3200

Pink Dogwood – Canon EOS R5 with Canon RF 800mm f/11 IS STM @ f/11, 1/100s, ISO 400

Doves – Canon EOS R5 with Canon RF 800mm f/11 IS STM @ f/11, 1/1000s, ISO 2500

Squirrel – Canon EOS R5 with Canon RF 800mm f/11 IS STM @ f/11, 1/1250s, ISO 2000

Bald Eagle – Canon EOS R5 with Canon RF 800mm f/11 IS STM @ f/11, 1/1000s, ISO 1250

Moon – Canon EOS R5 with Canon RF 800mm f/11 IS STM @ f/11, 1/30s, ISO 200

Female Cowbird – Canon EOS R5 with Canon RF 800mm f/11 IS STM @ f/11, 1/800s, ISO 3200

If you enjoyed this review, please take a look at my other reviews in the Review Index.

Tags:

800mm, Canon, diffractive optics, f/11, supertelephoto

Comments

5 responses to “Review: Canon RF 800mm f/11 IS STM”

Tom

July 6, 2022

Hi. I noticed your recent lens reviews are being tested on r5 camera, did you upgrade from r6. Which one will you recommend as I’m having hard time to decide … and which 2 lenses will you buy first with let’s say R5 ?

Reply
1. Jordan Steele
  
  July 12, 2022
  
  Yes, I purchased the R5 last January, and it has now been my primary camera for the past year and a half. The two cameras are extremely similar, and really only differ in the sensor in most practical sense. (of course mode dial vs. digital mode dial is another, plus a few very minor settings.) So, if you need 45MP or 8K video, the R5 is your camera. If 20MP is fine for your needs, the R6 is every bit as capable. AF is identical between them, as is IBIS, general handling, etc. The R5 has a nicer EVF, but the difference isn’t enormous, and it has a slightly larger rear screen. However, all the other stuff is very minor and not worth upgrading to the R5 if you don’t need the extra resolution.
  
  As to lenses, that’s a very personal decision, and it’s not something that I could certainly answer for you. It really depends on what you shoot. For me, the two most used are my RF 14-35/4L and 24-105/4L, but if I could only have two lenses, I’d probably swap the 24-105 for the 70-200mm/2.8. Then again, you can do just fine if you’re on a budget with the 24-105 STM and the 50/1.8. If you shoot more wildlife, then the 100-400 (if budget constrained) or 100-500L (if not) are great options. Too many possibilities to really guide, but I could do about 90% of my photography with my 3 zoom setup of 14-35, 24-105 and 70-200. The other lenses I own are certainly useful for certain things, but maybe not essential.
  
  Reply
Gianluca

August 3, 2022

Thank You very much, I’d used this lens con EOS R and I agree totally your conclusions. A very good lens, in its peculiarity and for its price

Reply
padam19

January 11, 2023

It is worth mentioning that with cameras like the R3 and R6 Mark II the focusing area sees a big increase.

Reply
John Arvesen

March 31, 2024

I am using the R5 with the 800mm f/11 lens onboard a very stable, vibration-free high altitude balloon. All images are essentially at infinite focal distance. Images are taken at ~ 1-second intervals. I am finding that image focus is sharper and faster with image stabilization turned off. I believe this should be expected for an environment without vibration. Do you think this is correct?

Reply