Canon EF 600mm f/4L

Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS III USM Lens

Canon

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Canon SLR Lenses

Canon EF 600mm f/4L 

Capture stunning images with the Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS III USM lens. Superior image quality, fast autofocus, and robust build. Shop now!

Lean and PowerfulGet ready to capture the action. The EF 600mm f/4L IS III USM offers professional and advanced photographers the excellent image quality of a Canon L series super telephoto lens and is the world's lightest 600mm f/4.0 lens. For brilliantly clear results even in challenging situations, Super Spectra Coatings (SSC) and Air Sphere Coatings (ASC) help minimize ghosting and flare. The inclusion of heat-rejecting paint and two-layer barrel structure helps you shoot longer even in hot weather. Usability is further improved with a shorter minimum focusing distance, full-time manual AF and two easily selectable focus presets to help you quickly dial in the shot you want. Highly versatile, the EF 600mm f/4L IS III USM makes it easy to bring the action clear and up close in virtually any situation.Featuring carefully refined optics, the EF 600mm f/4L IS III USM offers a familiar feel to its predecessor while being even more comfortable to handle thanks to its significantly lighter build. Super UD lens elements offer improved image quality while being more compact in size, while the Image Stabilizer unit has also had its weight reduced. This results in a lens that's more than twenty percent, or approx. 1.92 lbs., lighter than its predecessor.Super Spectra CoatingTo create memorable images with vibrant colors and deep lifelike contrast, minimizing unwanted flare and ghosting is crucial. Canon's Super Spectra Coating (SSC) helps reject extraneous light wavelengths, maintaining overall image quality and color fidelity. Additionally, Canon's Air Sphere Coating (ASC) helps minimize unwanted glare and reflections.Get closer to your subjectThe EF 600mm f/4L IS III USM can help you get close to your subjects with a minimum focusing distance of approx. 13.8 ft./4.2m. This makes it easy to fill the frame with details, letting you capture action-packed scenes for dynamic and impressive results.Circular Aperture for Soft BackgroundsThe EF 600mm f/4L IS III USM features a 9-blade, circular aperture to help create gorgeous, evocative out-of-focus areas and soft backgrounds. With an incredible level of control over background blur, the 9-blade circular aperture helps create intimacy and intensity in photos.Even when used outdoors in the heat for extended periods of time, the EF 600mm f/4L IS III USM delivers consistent and reliable performance you can trust. A new paint formulation reflects even more heat than before, while a two-layer barrel structure helps reduce the thermal effects on the lens elements.An excellent addition to Canon's L series collection of lenses!An excellent addition to Canon's L series collection of lenses, the EF 600mm f/4L IS III USM offers outstanding optics, reliable performance and a refined design, featuring the quality professionals and advanced photographers demand. Engineered to complement Canon's high-resolution camera sensors, it's poised to deliver phenomenal image quality in any number of applications.Capturing the right momentA customizable electronic manual focusing ring helps ensure you'll get the shot that you want at the right moment. Three sensitivity levels are available to select how quick and precise you want to adjust the focus. This can help whether you need a slow speed to switch between someone's eyes in a distant profile, or a fast speed to dial in on different birds in a large, swiftly moving flock.

Great!!! I use it for bird photography. Love the wide appature for low light,and the sharpness is unbelievable. It's an extra bonus that is is so light

600mm f4 lens

Looks to me more like diffraction softness than a lens defect. Most of the newer lenses are sharpest at around f/8 or f/11. While I appreciate the need for smaller f/stops with a 600mm lens, the difference in sharpness, whether lens performance or diffraction, though noticeable to a critical eye when enlarged to this extent, it is in my experience well within the capabilities to be equalized by the better sharpening programs say from Topaz Labs, ON 1, Projects and Landscape Pro. I am less sure of the ancient sharpening algorithm used by PS but I find that every digital photograph I've seen in the past 10 years, no matter what the lens/camera combination, benefit by some post shooting sharpening. I photograph mostly fast moving objects, airplanes, birds and cars, so having a lens that weighs almost 2# less, has better balance and may focus just a little faster matters quite a lot to me when photographing two airplanes converging on each other at 1000 ft/sec. And the weight and balance matters even more when you are at events that last 6-7 hours. I also am a user of the 1DX III and the full range of Canon EF lenses from 11mm-600mm  -sfoAlan

re: the one bad review of 600 f/4 usm is iii

This lens is awesome... Can’t wait to get it out more often

600mm III

Hemingway, even at his sesquipedalian best would fail to provide sufficient praise for a lens of this caliber. Mind you, the circus I went through to purchase it bears mentioning;
Over a certain price threshold the accounting department requires a wire transfer, but nobody will inform you at the time of purchase. No email is sent out, one must wait on a phone call they do not anticipate. I did not receive this call, and endured some less-than-productive time being anointed with idiotic opinions from the staff of an indifferent call center. 
FORTUNATELY!! A member of the Executive Response Team stepped in and took personal oversight of the situation until everything was resolved. 

As for the quality of the lens? I’m still overwhelmed with a feeling of near enlightenment with the luscious background blurring from such a perfectly designed aperture. The weight savings is so gloriously noticeable that your inner soul will feast upon it with every mile hiked, and every rapid shot taken. 

Honestly the best part is being able to drop that gem of a line from Ferris Bueller the rest of your life, “If you have the means, I highly recommend picking one up.”

690mm usmIII

Please, Canon. I am a die hard user of Canon, and nothing else. You MUST continue the production of the 600 L IS II for the day mine eventually fails. The 600 f/4 lens is the most integral piece of imaging equipment next to the flagship sports body( more so actually. The real life experience using it is that it's "unusable" compared to the "Version II" EF 600 f/4L IS II. This product will be the first ever negative experience I have ever had with Canon shooting them my entire life and owning nearly every professional Lens and camera. The I.S is nothing short of defective. "flawed" would be an inappropriate understatement. But maybe even worse, the image quality is not on par with the Version II, whether it be with teleconverters or not.

I would be totally happy if Canon continued the production of the Version II. I would literally pay more for it, and I already own 1 copy of the Version II ( it would be for a duplicate backup because it's the best lens I've ever used in my entire life, (along with the EF 50 1.2L). While you're at it, please continue production of the EF400 2.8 L IS II as even that lens has superior image quality to it's version III counterpart.

Trust me, No one is buying these lenses for connivence, the weight savings between the Version I IS and Version II was much more significant to the usability and also the image quality was IMPROVED, instead of reduced.

Unacceptable for purpose of "weight saving" in an already bulky lens

Awesome lens, mind-blowing sharpness.  regret not buying this earlier!! If you are in for this range no need to think twice.

Unbeatable quality

Only lightweight compared with 600 mm f4 version 2 
Sharpen almost the same with version II

600 mm f4 version III

An amazing lens- quality of photos is unparalleled, light weight for such a long lens, and properties are really useful. The lens is very hand holdable which makes it useful in situations where setting up a tripod is not possible or there isn’t enough time to set one up and still get the shot. I didn’t think about having the ability to preset focus points when purchasing the lens, but find that really useful in the field with bird photography. It will also be good when photographing wildlife. It is expensive, will be used much more than I even thought.

Best tele I have used

What a lens just as sharp is not sharper than the Mark II, but what a weight redistribution and reduction, can now hand hold for birds in flight and have an 8 out of 10 keeper rate.

Big A-- Lens is aussume

I have bought this lens in April and just could'nt believe how light it was and the perfect balance it has. It makes the old 600II feel like it has twice the weight of the new one. In good light the lens is sharp and a joy to use.
However, when I have begun to actually us it in the field I have noticed that the images looked very bad when using it in low light with a 5D4. Below 1/250s the images are unusable. They are displaying a vertical blur no matter the settings.
I've tried the lens on 4 different 5d4 and it's always the same. All users I know have the same issue.
This is unacceptable for a supertele and there is no answer to this, yet. Again unacceptable. 
Stick to the old one until Canon gets it fixed.

Great lens with one major issue.

I bought this lens at the end of March as an upgrade to my 600 Version II (which was an upgrade from 600 version I which was preceded by 500 f/4 IS Version I.  The promise of the weight savings plus the improved IS were appealing to me since I have spent a significant amount of time handholding these lenses over the past 10+ years.

This new lens meets or exceeds the 600II in image quality, which is excellent.  I have been pleased with the images coming out of the bare lens, with the 1.4X TC III and 2X TC III.  The lighter weight as well as the shifting of the elements close to the lens mount was a huge benefit as well.  Basically everything works fantastically with ONE major exception.

When shooting at shutter speeds of around 1/200 or 1/250 and slower, IS on, and through the viewfinder, there seems to be a blurring of every single image in the same plane as the movement of the shutter.  I have never had this issue on any Canon telephoto lens.  This makes these images all unusable.  For a lens advertised to have up to 5 stops of image stabilization, this is absolutely 100% unacceptable.  Using the 1/focal length rule, 5 stops of IS would suggest that handheld shots could be expected at around 1/20 second.  

I have been in contact initially with Canon repair, then the same through CPS, and eventually I was transferred to Canon's corporate department in the USA.  I was about to send my lens and body in for the third time to them for their engineering department to review.  The combo had been to CPS, but Canon finally acknowledged that Canon Japan was aware of the issues and were working on a fix.  This was about a month ago (today is September 8th, 2019).  I was told Canon Japan was on vacation the coming week and that I would hopefully hear back the week after they got back.  The vacation was over three weeks ago and I still haven't heard anything except for a suggestion to use the lens without image stabilization and use it on a tripod or a beanbag.  This does help with the problem, however I rarely am in a situation in which this is possible, so I am constantly reviewing my settings, even with camera up to my eye, to ensure that I do not get blurry images.

From significant amounts of time discussing these issues with others across various internet forums, I have not been able to find anyone who can consistently get sharp photos at 1/160 of a second with IS on.  There is something within the system that it seems the IS is unable to account for mirror or shutter motion (more likely shutter) and creates a vertical blurring of the image.

The issues described were most egregious on the 5D Mark IV, but it also affects the images from the 1DX Mark II and the 5DSR that I own.  Others have reported issues with the 7D Mark II.

If Canon is able to fix this, I would easily give the lens a 5 star review.  I gave it a 2 star review at this point as it is the flagship piece of still imaging equipment produced by Canon and I should be able to easily get handheld shots that are sharp at 1/100 of a second with this lens (as I had with previous lenses).

IS problems on this lens

This lens is a powerful tool that is surprisingly light for a 600mm lens. It is a must-have for wildlife photography and works perfectly with the 1.4 extender. 

Note:  The case is flimsy and won’t protect this lens when traveling. I immediately put the Canon soft case in the closet and purchased a better carrying case with backpack straps. I chose one big enough to leave my camera attached to the lens when I stow it. It also has a built in raincoat. 

Note:  if you put on a “lenscoat” the Canon lens cap (cloth) will not fit and the lens is harder to fit down into the carrying case. So, I removed the camo lenscoat from the hood until I am in a place where I need the camouflage. It is the easiest piece to put on and remove. 

Negative:  For 13k I think Canon could have provided a better case and thrown in the shorter hood.  

Positive:  Dream lens.  Love it!

Wow!  Lightweight!  Crisp images!

This new lens is perfect. The weight is much lighter than the previous version

Perfect!

I've always wanted a long lens for wildlife photography.  I'm older & was unsure if I could handle the weight of the 600 & 800 mm lenses. So when this new version came out & was lighter, I decided this was the "one". It's not so heavy that I can't hand hold it. I've used it for distance pics & as a Macro Lens. I'm glad I purchased it.

A Must Have For Wildlife Photography

After waiting years to be able to "justify" the expense of this lens, when I finally decided it was time, it was another wait of many months for Canon to roll them out and mine to arrive. After 5 months of waiting, it was absolutely worth the time for the amount of weight shaved from the previous version. As a female wildlife photographer, this weight reduction allows me to handhold it if necessary for short periods of time and not have issue with transporting it while walking. Works like a dream and images are absolutely gorgeous. Would be nice if Canon included the shorter hood that they make for it  - (or offered a choice) -as the standard hood really increases the length and makes portability a bit more challenging. I debated endlessly about the 400/ 2.8 or the 600 f/4  and am glad that I decided to hold out for the 600. For birds I almost always need that reach. I find that for wading birds, the lens alone is usually fine and for smaller birds the lens with my 1.4 iii  extender works flawlessly. A beautiful piece of equipment  that I am over the moon to now own!

Well worth the Wait!

Took it out last week for the first time. Two less pounds really does make a difference. Particularly helps when shooting without a tripod. This lens balances perfectly on the tripod. Pictures seemed even sharper than the previous version.

Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS III USM Lens

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