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$151.99
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Review Summary
2025-06-01T20:00:00
Wow! I bought this lens two months ago to take pictures of birds. I have taken several thousand images. I'm still learning all the nuances when combined with the R7, however I am amazed at the quality images I am getting on just the auto mode. Very lightweight. I have hiked up to 10 miles with it and the R7 with very little fatigue. You definitely cannot go wrong with this lens, especially when combined with the R7.
Dan71
2025-03-09T16:53:19
Has done a solid job. Lighter than the EF 100-400 mm. Has some limitations in low light, so setting adjustments are needed.
JOSEPH M.
2025-03-09T16:48:58
It has done a great job so far. Gets a bit tricky in low light, but no more so than the EF 100-400 MM. Weighs less than the 100-400 so that is a plus.
JOSEPH M.
2025-02-27T06:51:58
incredible versatile wildlife lens
GREG S.
2025-02-14T19:00:00
Excellent, high-quality lens! I'm a bit picky and really believe in using the right lens for the right job - and this lens is not perfect for everything. That being said, I prefer this lens for nature photography rather than sports. I like using a fixed focal length lens for sports where I might use a long telephoto (300 or 400mm, f/2.8). I could see myself using this for something like auto racing. I have used it for rodeo (roping, etc.), but most other sports I, personally, won't use this for. Also, I'm probably not carrying this lens on long hikes as it is a larger lens. I noticed someone else posted about the 100-400 EF version being lighter and better to carry, although I'm not sure I'm carrying either on long hikes. For nature photography (animals and landscape) I love this lens. The quality is outstanding (both build quality and image quality at all focal lengths) and it's very easy to use.
Vincenzo
2025-01-28T19:00:00
Canon 100-500 is an incredible lens I recently added. The additional reach I get beyond my 300 prime lens is superb. In a twist I can back off to 100 for a wider shot. The fact that this powerful of a lens can weigh so little allows handheld shooting vs a monopod with the 300. Price is not an issue when comparing to the benefits with this lens! Thank you Canon for creating this one!!
Ken W.
2024-12-28T19:00:00
Have had it 13 months. Excellent for all wildlife. Including Birds inflight. Have taken over 100,000 shots with it Very happy. Easy to hand hold and carry with should strap for over and hour at a time even for a 79 year old.
Gary78
2024-11-30T19:00:00
Bought for a trip to Yellowstone but didn't use it as much as I thought I would. It's HEAVY. That being said it's sharper and focuses better than my 100-400, but the 100-400 weighs much less and is much better to hike with. Most people know this but make sure to support the weight by cradling the lens, NOT by the camera body. It may be ok but I was worried I would damage my R6 with the lens hanging unsupported with the strap over my shoulder. Added a 1.4 extender and got some great pictures of a supermoon, but there's a caveat there too. To use an extender with this lens you must extend the lens to full zoom BEFORE installing the converter, and then the lens will only zoom back to around 300mm making the entire package very long and unwieldy. If you need longer than 500mm consider the 200-800 or one of the prime lenses instead of using an extender with this lens for anything other than tripod use.
Shaw
2024-11-19T07:36:59
Beyond awesome. I have the holy trinity and strongly feel this lens should become the 4th "musketeer".
EDUARDO P.
2024-10-20T20:00:00
out of the box the lens had trouble with focus. Lens loses focus and images are soft.
VJara
2024-10-14T20:00:00
Brought this for SF Fleet Week 2024. The lens is exceptional sharp for 8K resolution. The fast AF + RF extender 1.4x + R5C gives a different kind of experience of far distance airshow photography.
hc888
2024-10-14T20:00:00
Great Lens - sharp. definitely recommend. will use for wildlife photography.
bdoon
2024-08-21T20:00:00
Great lens, not a fan of variable aperture, but for the price, small disadvantage, especially with new cameras and being able to use higher iso's.
Tom S.
2024-07-09T20:00:00
I have a few months on this lens and it does everything I need it to do. Even shooting outside the range images crop pretty well and with some Denoise are excellent quality so I've never felt the need for a teleconverter. So far I've carried it on 10 mile hikes with 2000+ feet elevation gain. I notice it but it's manageable.
Swellhunter630
2024-06-16T20:00:00
I've been working with this lens for almost a year, and it's just great! Super sharp throughout the range and has great bokeh especially at longer focal lengths. Would definitely recommend if you've got the money.
jbott
2024-06-13T20:00:00
I like this lens very much I am getting used to yet
Marvin F.
2024-06-12T04:03:00
Excellent lens and filter choice.
RICHARD L.
2024-04-27T20:00:00
rented this lens for my daughters track and field events. IT ROCKS!!!! Now I have to buy one. LOL
Lb E.
2024-04-24T20:00:00
Nice reach and range and works well in good light conditions
Tww
2024-04-09T08:15:40
Really happy with this lens.
Wayne T.
2024-04-05T10:11:46
Although I'm not accustomed to shooting with any lenses without at least an f/2.8 capability, this lens more than makes up for the aperture limitations. The stabilization, sharpness, and range are just game changers. Hand holding at 500mm just seems crazy to me, but it's totally possible. I'm loving this lens.
JESSE L.
2024-03-27T20:00:00
This is an exceptionally sharp lens throughout the zoom range, but especially at 500mm. On an R6 and R6 Mark II, it produces amazing results. If you provide enough room between your subject and the background, there's plenty of separation and pleasingly smooth bokeh, even at f/7.1. Bump the ISO and use DxO PureRAW if the light is a little low. You'll still get beautiful results. This lens is worth the price.
jghop
2024-02-20T19:00:00
I bought this and the 2x extender and I am glad I did. It's perfect for all my beginner wildlife work
Better D.
2024-02-01T19:00:00
I'm blown away by how sharp this lens is at 500mm and they stay sharp when using the 1.4x & 2.0x extenders! Also, this lens works perfectly with the R5, it's almost like they were custom made for each other!
Mikey12654
2024-01-07T16:31:05
This is a fantastic lens! I recently started shooting with a Canon R5 and have taken the plunge and plan to use this lens for birding. I have not shot much yet, but look forward to shooting as we get closer to spring migration season!
Jonathan R.
2023-12-31T15:21:08
This is my first foray into the RF lens world. I've been shooting with Canon bodies for many years, from way back to the old film AE-1 Program up to my last EOS 5D Mark IV, and I've enjoyed each one. I am now just breaking in an EOS R5 and I'm enjoying my first introduction to the mirrorless world. This 100-500 lens is a replacement (sort-of) for my tried and true birding lens from my EOS 5D MkIV, the excellent Sigma 150-600. I am so happy I made the choice to try this lens out, I'm extremely happy. Sharp, crisp images, fast focusing, and I love being able to stop down to f4.5 which helps when shooting birds. Highly recommended for any fast moving subjects!
Jonathan R.
2023-12-29T19:00:00
Great lens for sports and indoor crowd shots. Great flexibility with the 100 to 500 range!
Hoopshots
2023-12-15T19:00:00
This lens is simply fantastic. Super sharp, quick to focus, exceptional minimum focusing distance. I use it on my R6mkii and love it.
Steve C.
2023-12-10T02:48:50
I chose this lens over the new rf 200-800 due to it's light weight and close focusing distance. I have an R6 and and R7 so if I need a little extra reach I will use it on the R7.
ANDY W.
2023-11-28T19:00:00
Bought this when the R6 first appeared to replace an EF100-400m1. Quality at least as good as you would expect from an L telezoom at this price point. It really stars when paired with the R7, the resolution at full aperture more than matches the 80Mp (FF equivalent) pixel density of the R7.
James G.
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Browse our FAQ
100-500mm, f/4.5-7.1
1/3 steps, 1/2 steps:
Wide: 4.5, 4.5, Tele: 7.1, 6.7
1/3 steps, 1/2 steps:
Wide: 32, 32, Tele: 51, 54
At 100mm: 2.95' (0.9m)
At 300mm: 3.28' (1m)
At 500mm: 3.94' (1.2m)
Full Frame
At 100mm: 0.12x
At 500mm: 0.33x
20 elements in 14 groups
One Super UD, Six UD
3" (77mm)
9
Shortest (wide): 3.69 x 8.17" (93.8 x 207.6mm) Approx.
Longest (tele): 3.69 x 11.71" (93.8 x 297.6mm) Approx.
No tripod mount: 3 lbs (1365g) (Approx.)
Tripod only: 0.35 lbs (160g) (Approx.)
The old adage in real estate is location, location, location. For wildlife photography my mantra is glass, glass, glass. What do I mean by that? The most important piece of equipment is a really good lens.
Excellent Lens
By ShaunW
I've owned the EF 100-400 II lens since 2015 and it is by far favorite and most used lens. The RF 100-500 is just as good (if not better with an extra 100mm built in. Paired with the EOS R5 it's really an amazing combo.
Exceptionally good at 500mm, especially for a zoom
By jghop
This is an exceptionally sharp lens throughout the zoom range, but especially at 500mm. On an R6 and R6 Mark II, it produces amazing results. If you provide enough room between your subject and the background, there's plenty of separation and pleasingly smooth bokeh, even at f/7.1. Bump the ISO and use DxO PureRAW if the light is a little low. You'll still get beautiful results. This lens is worth the price.
The RF100-500mm F4.5-7.1 L IS USM super telephoto zoom lens delivers a superb combination of cutting-edge performance, compact construction and brilliant resolving power specifically designed for the EOS R system. The versatile range of 100mm to 500mm is ideal for sports, wildlife, and even aviation photography while maintaining a compact, travel-ready size and weight.
High Performance L-Series Versatile Super-Telephoto Zoom RF Lens.
The RF100-500mm F4.5-7.1 L IS USM lens is a highly portable option for EOS R series camera users from professionals to advanced amateurs shooting sports, wildlife, photojournalism, aviation subjects and more, providing a wide zoom range from medium telephoto to super telephoto, with high quality results.
Optical Image Stabilization With Up To 5 Stops* Of Shake Correction.
The RF100-500mm F4.5-7.1 L IS USM lens is designed to work in conjunction with EOS R series cameras, with both the camera and the lens sharing data to dramatically reduce camera-shake blur, regardless of the situation, whether shooting video or stills. With up to 5 stops** of optical image stabilization, it delivers impressively clear results.
Three Image Stabilization Modes (Standard, Panning, and during exposure only) For Creative Versatility.
Three image stabilization modes (standard, panning, and during exposure only) provide corrective camera shake functions for outstanding results in a wide range of shooting situations. These include when shooting stationary subjects like portraits (IS Mode 1); helping to correct vertical camera shake when panning horizontally, or horizontal camera shake when panning vertically, depending on the camera’s orientation (IS Mode 2); and when tracking movement during a sporting event, for example (IS Mode 3).
High Speed, Smooth & Quiet Auto Focus With Dual Nano USM.
The RF100-500mm F4.5-7.1 L IS USM lens uses two NANO USM focus motors which provide a near-silent, power saving, and high-speed autofocus operation so fast moving subjects can more accurately be tracked and captured without missing the moment for both stills and movies.
Minimum Focusing Distance Of 2.95 ft. / 0.9 m.
With a minimum focusing distance of 2.95 ft./0.9m (at 100mm or 3.9 ft./1.2m at 500mm), the RF100-500mm F4.5-7.1 L IS USM lens is capable of capturing sharp and detailed images from various distances. Whether you're photographing birds, landscapes or a sporting event, the RF100-500mm F4.5-7.1 L IS USM lens' combination of impressive minimum focusing distance and a maximum magnification of 0.33x at 500mm provides outstanding versatility and impressively sharp images.
Rotation-type Zoom Ring & Torque Adjustment For Precise Composition & Traveling Convenience.
Rotation-type zoom ring allows you to adjust from Smooth to Tight for more precise composition and excellent balance when handholding.
12-Pin Communication System.
Designed to quickly communicate shooting data, the RF100-500mm F4.5-7.1 L IS USM features the 12 pin communication system inherent in all RF lenses. This helps coordinate complex processes requiring high-speed communication and large data transfer, such as fast AF response with broader AF area, Image Stabilization, the Digital Lens Optimizer, and even the adjustment of the customizable Lens Control Ring for a quick and efficient user experience.
One Super UD & Six UD Lens.
The RF100-500mm F4.5-7.1 L IS USM lens features an optical design built specifically for the RF mount. This includes one Super UD lens, plus six UD elements to reduce both axial chromatic aberration and chromatic aberration of magnification to achieve high image quality throughout the zoom range. Additionally the inclusion of Air Sphere coating is employed to alleviate flare and ghosting.
Dust & Weather-Resistant With Flourine Coating.
For reliable performance even when weather conditions get difficult, the RF100-500mm F4.5-7.1 L IS USM lens features a dust- and weather-resistant construction in the lens mount, switch panel and all rings. Sealing is applied to lens joining sections, and switch panels to help prevent water and dust from entering into the lens.
The RF100-500mm F4.5-7.1 L IS USM lens features fluorine coatings on the front and rearmost surfaces to help prevent oil and water from adhering to the lens, making it easy to clean smudges and fingerprints off.
Lens Hood With Side Window Allows Specialty Filters To Be Adjusted Even While Attached.
The lens hood features a sliding side window for easy operation and adjustment of specialty filters such as PL filters even with the hood attached.
Compatible with Extenders RF1.4x and RF2x.
When used in combination with the optional Extender RF1.4x or RF2x, you’ll be able to reach even further subjects that would traditionally require much longer focal lengths. With the RF 1.4x attached it is possible to achieve a range of 420-700mm at f/8-10, or a range of 600-1000mm at f/11-14 with RF2x attached.
*Extenders can only be used from a 300-500mm range (cannot be used from 100-299mm).