Canon announces pair of super-telephoto lenses: RF 800mm F5.6L IS USM and RF 1200mm F8L IS USM
posted Wednesday, February 23, 2022 at 8:00 PM EST
Canon has announced a pair of new super-telephoto prime lenses for its mirrorless RF camera system that are sure to excite sports and wildlife photographers alike. Joining the existing RF 400mm F2.8 L IS USM and RF 600mm F4 L IS USM, the new Canon RF 800mm F5.6 L IS USM and RF 1200mm F8 L IS USM provide Canon RF photographers with even more reach.
Before discussing each lens, let's look at the shared features between them. Both lenses include two focus presets and the ability to switch between memorized focus distances, which is useful when photographing situations with set positions, like sports. For example, you can photograph the action in a baseball game and then hit a preset button to focus back on the pitcher on the mound instantly.
Both lenses incorporate a circular nine-bladed aperture diaphragm, promising beautiful, soft blurred backgrounds and bokeh.
Further, each lens is built to Canon's rigorous L-Series standards. The lenses promise high durability and rugged construction, plus dust- and water-resistance and a fluorine coating on the front element to allow for easy cleaning.
Canon RF 800mm F5.6 L IS USM
The Canon RF 800mm F5.6L IS USM weighs just 3,140 grams (6.9 lbs), which is very lightweight for a super-telephoto prime. Compare that to the Canon EF 800mm F5.6L IS USM lens, which weighs 4,490 g (9.9 lbs). The new RF lens is slightly shorter at 432mm (17.0"). The EF lens is 461mm (18.2").
One of the more interesting aspects of the RF 800mm F5.6L IS USM is its minimum focus distance of only 2.6 meters (8.5'). This results in a max magnification of 0.34x, which is superb and will help wildlife photographers fill the frame with small subjects. Compare this to the older EF 800mm lens, which has 0.14x max magnification. That's a significant improvement. If you want even more magnification, it's 0.49x with the RF 1.4x teleconverter and 0.71x with the RF 2x teleconverter. Both are fully compatible with the RF 800mm F5.6L IS USM, including with autofocus. These teleconverters provide effective focal lengths of 1,120mm (F8) and 1,600mm (F11), respectively.
Autofocus is provided by Canon's USM low-speed drive (Ring USM) AF technology, and the lens supports full-time manual focusing. You can select from three different manual focus speeds using a switch on the lens.
Optically, the RF 800mm includes 26 elements in 18 groups. Special optics include two fluorite elements, one Super UD lens and one UD lens element. The lens includes Super Spectra Coating and ASC, in addition to fluorine coating. ASC stands for Air Sphere Coating and it further reduces flare and ghosting due to internal reflections.
As evidenced by the 'IS' designation in its name, the RF 800mm F5.6L IS USM includes built-in image stabilization. The optical stabilization system is rated for up to 4.5 stops of shake correction and includes three IS operation modes. Mode 1 is for general shake correction, mode 2 is for correcting during panning and mode 3 is for correction only during exposure.
The RF 800mm F5.6L IS USM includes a dual-function manual focus ring/Control Ring, rather than a dedicated Control Ring like some RF lenses (but not the RF 400mm and RF 600mm) include. As a focus-by-wire lens, there's no built-in focus scale on the RF 800mm lens either.
The Canon RF 800mm F5.6 L IS USM will be available in late May for an estimated retail price of $16,999, which is $4,000 more than the EF 800mm F5.6's current price.
Canon RF 1200mm F8 L IS USM
While the RF 800mm F5.6L IS USM is a redesigned version of an existing lens, the RF 1200mm F8L IS USM is all-new. Yes, Canon made an EF 1200mm F5.6L USM lens, which was an absolute monster of a lens, the new RF 1200mm F8L IS USM trades a slower aperture for a much more user-friendly form factor. The RF 1200mm F8, despite its massive focal length, weighs just 3,340g (117.8 oz.). The lens is 537mm (21.1") long, but with a weight about the same as the RF 600mm F4L IS USM lens, it shouldn't prove difficult to handle. The lens includes IS and promises four stops of shake correction with the same three IS modes as the RF 800mm lens.
Like the RF 800mm lens, the RF 1200mm lens is also fully compatible with the RF 1.4x and RF 2x teleconverters, including with autofocus on all current EOS R-series cameras. The lens becomes a 1,680mm F8 and 2,400mm F11, respectively. The minimum focus distance is 4.3m (14.1'), which delivers 0.29x maximum magnification. With the 1.4x and 2x teleconverters, max magnification is 0.41x and 0.6x, respectively.
Autofocus is provided via a Canon USM low-speed drive (Ring USM) and full-time manual focusing is possible. Like with the RF 800mm F5.6, you can switch between three manual focus speeds with a switch on the lens. The manual focus ring also acts as the Control Ring when this setting is enabled on the attached camera.
The optical design of the RF 1200mm F8L IS USM lens includes 26 elements in 18 groups. Among these elements are two fluorite elements, a Super UD lens and a UD lens. The lens includes Super Spectra Coating, ASC and fluorine coating.
The Canon RF 1200mm F8 L IS USM lens will launch in late May for a suggested retail price of $19,999.