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PRICE: £699
CANON.CO.UK
Canon RF 100-400mm f/5.6-8 IS USM
Nicely priced and compact, this lens offers Canon mirrorless users great telephoto potential without breaking the bank – or your back!
I tested the RF 100-400mm on an EOS R5, and the duo is nicely balanced even with the lens set to 400mm. The lens barrel is 7.5cm longer at 400mm than at 100mm. Its broad zoom barrel operates smoothly and is taut, so it stays put in use; and the manual focus ring is equally smooth too, so no complaints with the mechanics. Optically, the RF 100-400mm performs well, and that’s creditable when you consider that the highly regarded Canon RF 100-500mm f/4.5- 7.1 is close to four times the price. On telephoto lenses, it’s the wider apertures that are used most, because extensive depth-of-field is rarely a key need in long-lens photography. That’s probably just as well – certainly for this model. Any aperture of f/16 or smaller at any focal length has a drop-off in image sharpness – it’s quite poor at the minimum aperture throughout. This is no problem if you’re viewing images on-screen at small sizes or on small prints, but for critical use, the smaller apertures are best avoided.
of which can be configured from the camera, and it accepts 67mm filters. No lens hood is supplied within the box, and if you want a Canon one, the ET-74B is £77 – but third- party hoods are available at £15. Also lacking is any form of optional tripod foot, although I found a £50 third- party option that works perfectly fine and still allows access to the various switches. Using this optic with the camera fixed to a tripod is feasible, but having a tripod foot shifts the centre of gravity of the camera/lens combination forward to give a much better balance.
TESTED BY WILL CHEUNG
CANON’S RANGE OF RF mount lenses has grown quickly and now numbers 32. Some are seriously top- end – the RF 1200mm f/8L IS USM is £22.5k – but Canon still caters for its owners on tighter budgets. Selling for £699, the RF 100-400mm f/5.6-8 IS USM only has a modest maximum aperture, but its range will have broad appeal to action, nature and travel shooters. For a long telezoom, it has the physical length of a typical 70-300mm zoom and weighs in at just 635g – so its portability is a big selling point. It is also fully compatible with Canon’s RF extenders, unlike the RF 100-500mm, which only works from 300mm. The lens has three switches: a zoom lock at 100mm, an autofocus/ manual focus switch and a stabiliser on/off switch. Its stabiliser claims a 5.5EV benefit, which increases to 6EV with an IBIS-equipped body. There is also a lens control ring, the function
SPECS › Price £699 › Mount Canon RF › In the box Lens, front and rear caps › Construction 12 elements in nine groups › Special glass One UD optic, one PMo aspherical
MINIMAL FUSS There aren’t a ton of switches, but key features are covered
The good news is that there’s no problem with the wider values – which are more likely to be used. At 100mm, f/5.6 and f/8 gave good sharpness that was especially decent in the centre, with a marginal quality drop at the edges. Set f/11 and you’ll enjoy edge-to-edge sharpness and good contrast – and this is the best value to use at 100mm. A similar performance pattern was seen at 200mm, again with f/11 the best overall setting – though wider settings were perfectly usable, too. Image quality at 400mm wasn’t quite at the standard of the shorter focal lengths, but the lens gave a good account of itself at f/8 and perked up at f/11 before falling away. Flare resistance is good, but a lens hood is advised. PN
› Diaphragm Nine blades › Autofocus Nano USM
› Aperture range F/5.6-8 to f/32-45 › Filter size 67mm › Coating Super spectra › Minimum focus 1.2m at 100mm, 88cm at 200mm, 95cm at 300mm, 105cm at 400mm › Maximum magnification 0.41x
SKYLINE Taken at sunset on an EOS R5. Exposure was 1/15sec at f/6.7 and ISO 1600. At max aperture and slow shutter speed, results are still pin sharp
TEST PANEL The RF 100-400mm f/5.6-8 IS was tested at 100mm, 200mm and 400mm settings on an EOS R5 body shooting full-size Raws processed in Adobe Lightroom. The lens was fitted with a tripod foot for ultimate stability, and a Gitzo Series 3 carbon tripod with Arca-Swiss ball head was used.
› Focus limiter No › IS 5.5EV built-in › Weather sealed No
› Other features Zoom lock at 100mm, control ring, AF/MF switch, stabiliser on/off › Dimensions (dxl) 79.5x164.7mm › Weight 635g
100mm
200mm
400mm
Verdict Canon’s attitude to third-party lenses is disappointing, but at least there are nicely priced optics in its own range. The RF 100-400mm f/5.6-8 IS USM is excellent for the money. It handles well, focuses quickly and turns in a fine optical performance at wider apertures. If you’re a Canon R owner after a long-range telezoom capable of clean, crisp images, this model comes highly recommended. PROS Price, lightweight, compact, capable performer, IS, compatible with RF extenders CONS Modest maximum aperture, no hood supplied, no Canon tripod foot option (independent options available), not weather-proofed, small aperture performance
f/8
f/8
f/8
f/8
f/8
f/8
f/16
f/16
f/16
f/16
f/16
f/16
f/32
f/32
f/32
f/32
f/32
f/32
Issue 105 | Photography News 35
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