In-depth Canon RF 100-500mm review vs EF 100-400mm. Best RF telephoto zoom! Check prices at B&H: bhpho.to/3fgPW11 // WEX: bit.ly/3iNkAkX Buy Gordon a coffee: www.paypal.me/cameralabs Gordon's In Camera book: amzn.to/2n61PfI / Amazon uk: amzn.to/2mBqRVZ Cameralabs merchandise: redbubble.com/people/cameralabs/shop Sample images: www.cameralabs.com/canon-rf-100-500mm-f4-5-7-1l-is-usm-review/ Music: www.davidcuttermusic.com / @dcuttermusic #canon #rf #telephoto

Another really helpful and detailed review Gordon. Thanks and enjoy your coffee ☕️:-)

I have been waiting for this one. Clear, objective and in-depth. Thanks for sharing!

Thank you. I own the 100-400 IS II and a 1.4 III TC. I just took delivery on an R7. I plan to use that combination, along with my collection of older EF primes with the R7, at least for a while. I'm waiting on the RF/EF adapter, due today. I found your comparison of the auto focus (on the bicycle) to be very useful. I wish you had done a similar comparison on the bird in flight shots.

As always a superb review and comparison Gordon thanks for the hard work you have put in to do it for everyone 👍👌😉

All your videos are so informative... great work! Thank you!

Thanks so much for this review. Very helpful in filling in some of the blanks I had concerning AF and shutter modes!

I just rented this lenses this sunday and I'm amazed by the performance paired with the R6 high iso capabilities. One day I will definitely buy this lens instead of the 70-200.

Gordon, you really hit home with the “it’s so easy to enjoy a video, but then move on without realizing you never subscribed.” KZfaq suggests your videos all the time, and I love them, but didn’t realize I wasn’t subscribed until today. I really appreciate the work you put in, and the depth that you go into for videos like these. Keep up the excellent work, definitely subscribed now.

Fantastic video Gordon, loved the slo-mo videos and animal shots and in particular the dog at the beginning. I noticed some, very slight, hunting on the moon shots and some of the others, but it was very minor, the camera has it's work cut out at these focal lengths. As a combo, I have to gulp at the price though... must get a Saturday job!

Probably the best channel for in depth lens reviews. Thanks

I’m a fairly new follower, but this video is the best I’ve seen from you so far! Great review!

Wow those moon shots at the end!!! I'm sure you'll be able to see all kinds of interesting things filming like that!

First class review as usual, Gordon. Thank you!

Very interesting to hear about the teleconverters and actual lens construction - Australian prices for the Canon mirrorless system are still too high to justify leaving my 100-400 but I appreciate your review so much!

Super helpful review. I have the 100-400 vers ii. Based on your review, i think i’ll stick with it and just pick up the 1.4 teleconverter for a bit more reach.

Gordon, great review. I just bought the ef 100-400 L is ii. There was a brief sale on it and i still am using apsc canon dslrs. So the ability to work with that and an rf mount down the road, and use the teleconverters throughout their zoom range was what sold me on it. Craig

perfect comparison. i love too use the 100-400 verion 2 because of the perfect quality with both extenders. thank you, Gordon.

Thank you! I wish all reviews and comparisons were just like this. Subscribed.

Great video! Gotta say, I love that tune in the slow mo b-roll, it worked perfectly!

Thank you for the very thorough in-depth review. Liked and subscribed.

I was some what apprehensive about purchasing this lens. Your thorough review makes me feel so much better about my purchase. My pre-order is on the way.

I really like that you do this at 10:50. I wish more people has this kind of information available on their reviews

Again an outstanding thorough review Gordon 👍 Hope to see one of the RF24-70 f2,8 performing on the R5

AMAZING video, as usual. Thank you very much for all the time and effort you put into them, it really shows!

Thanks for this review! So, this lens is a great follow up to an already brilliant EF version.

Great work Gordon . My EF 100-400 mk2 and teleconverters will stay as rightly the review shows it’s not really worth the new lens purchase . Better for owners like me to save for the R5 or R6 body as I already have the RF adapter with the additional ring. I would highly recommend viewing your R camera reviews that provide all the answers to anyone pondering on what to invest in for the future. All in all another coffee donation is well warranted as I continue to enjoy your book and your brilliant back catalogue of KZfaq work . The industry would be a lot poorer without your commitment and honesty.

Great review as always Gordon, but I would like you to repeat the test using the EF 100-400mm mkii with the EF 1.4x mkiii teleconverter to see how that combination works, as I own these and have ordered a R5 but will not be able to afford the RF 100-500mm as well, I can not find a review on this combination anywhere on you tube. A lot of people who are switching over to the RF mount that did not buy a EOS R or RP would have this combination of lens and teleconverter.

fantastic, comprehensive video... thanks Gordon!

That chart at 10:00 is exactly what I needed to see, thank you for this!

Great video and great explanation as well!!!

Gordon, I love your reviews. Thank you for the time and effort you put into them. Only if I had the money to buy an EOS R5 + RF 100-500.

Another excellent, thorough and intelligently presented review, thanks Gordon.

Excellent review on a very interesting lens. I do agree that more affordable 200-600mm would be very interesting as well. Thank you very much for your great work !

Thanks for the video Gordon 👍🏻

That was the video, which I was serching for. Thank you. I own the 100-400 II (+ 1.4 Konverter) and I will keep it for my R5.

Another stellar review Gordon. Thank you!

Thanks for your video and i will got the RF100-500mm lens tomorrow. Lon Huang from Taiwan.

First, thank you for the video. Curious why you never compared the EF 100-400mm to the RF with a 1.4X III converter on the EF lens so they both reached out to 500mm? That would have been nice to see . With the greatly reduced price of readily available used 100-400 that would be a strong consideration I would have thought. Take care.

Excellent review. I found your descriptions of the autofocus modes that you chose to be especially useful to be able to judge the merits of the lens. I've watched several other reviews of this lens and yours was the best! I shoot a lot of star fields and have noticed that the 100-400 mm has slightly uneven and out-of-round images just away from the optimum focus at wide open aperture - a good test of optics. Ultimately, this limits the magnitude that you can reach for a given exposure/aperture/ISO. Have you tried this with the 100-500 lens?

Loving the slow motion b-roll Gordon! Plus the fact that my EF 100-400 is still competing with the new version.

Thank you, Gordon! Your reviews are 👍

Amazing review as always, please make a review on the RF 15-35mm vs the RF 24-70mm, they overlap in focal lengths but do they perform the same within the overlap??

Thanks for the complete review on this new lens.

Great review Gordon. I’d love to see how the IQ (and AF) holds up using the 1.4 or 2 teleconverters. And how well this lens works on an R. I know it isn’t always practical to test new lenses on older bodies, but I also don’t have $5500 to drop on a R5. As for 100-500/100-400, I rarely shoot below 400 on my 100-400 - I really just don’t have $10-11k to drop on a 400 prime...so for good IQ this is the only option. But need that 1.4/2 TC to get 600+ either way.

As always precise and clear review. Thank you.

This, like all of your review, is very helpful!!

Exactly the review I was looking for :)

I really enjoy your videos. I just ordered your book.

Another great video, Gordon. Thank you! Maybe one of these days my R5 will finally arrive. Until then, I won’t be ordering any RF lenses. Good to know what’s available, though, and by now Canon have released just about every type of lens I’d ever use. Perhaps the only thing missing is a native pancake lens.

As always an excellent review. I currently use a 6D and 5Ds and own a few L lenses but it's the new RF L lenses that make me want to pick up an R5. The R5 comnined with the new RF lenses seem so much sharper with the added benefit of IBIS and lens IS.

Great review thank you Gordon

Great review, thanks!

Nice review. After watching this I've decided to stay with my 100-400II. It's still a stellar lens and also works flawlessly with the 1.4x

After 2 years since you posted your review I still benefit from it! I'm about to buy a 100-500!

Awesome review. Thank you ! I think I will stay with my 100-400 lenses

Great balanced review, would it ever be possible to review a side by side comparison of the 100-500 against the Sigma 150-600 Sport ? I have found the sigma to be almost as sharp as my Canon 600 f4 IS II prime, but unlike the monster prime very practical when you're not sure what distance you will need to shoot at. Like a lot of Canon users, I have no issue swapping to the R5 as I was using the 5DSR and 7DMKII, but the thought of changing over 20k of glass is daunting, to say the least. I also have to say I'm not a fan at all of the new F11, with our weather in the UK being stuck at F11 in poor light would be a nightmare for wildlife, with either the shutter speed coming down or the ISO sky high both of which would ruin a lot of wildlife shots

A very useful review that tells me what I need to know, especially as I've owned the 100-400mm mkII lens for four years. One thing you might not be aware of is that the 100-400mm mkII has an undocumented close focus feature at mid-range. I've never actually measured this, but somewhere between 200mm+ to just over 300mm, it will actually focus to around 75cm instead of 98cm. I'm wondering if the 100-500mm might be similar. You can test it out for yourself, and maybe establish the exact figures.

Wonderful work. Thank you.

The latest AF from Canon is amazing. It’s almost set it and forget it, especially for video. It’s one of the reasons I’m migrating to EF and RF.

Super review. Thanks

Thanks for the great review. I’ve been shooting for the last month using my R6 with my 100-500. Love it! Doesn’t come off my camera!

Thank you for this, I have the R5, already had ef100-400 II and bought the RF 70-200 and rf800. I’m an old guy and find myself doing local hummingbirds.. I LOVE the RF 800 with the 2X, thx for that video too!!

wow amazing lens..i love it

I was either getting this for my rp or getting the r6 and 600 f11. Sold the rp and got the r6 and 600 and i don't regret it at all.

Loved the music with the dog walking around!! Great work as usual Gordon 👌

Great review. Perhaps because I was using the lower refresh rate in eco mode, but I found the EVF of the R5 very difficult to track kiteboarders in mid air vs a 5D body. I also found the subject detection was locking onto waves instead of people when the distances were greater than what you're showing in the video.

Excellent comparison ¡

Thank you so much for these reviews, it's so well explained and very helpful!

Just changed from Nikon D850 to a Canon R5, i went for the 100-400 but thought about changing till you pointed out the f stop difference, great review, one of the best I've seen so I've subscribed. Thank you

Fantastic review their Gordon did a great job I love it . I'm on the verge of moving into the RF system myself I borrowed a friend of mine's R5 to try it I was very confused and the look in the viewfinder ( I didn't like it ) I still do love my 7D Mark II I'm not quite ready to move into the R5 yet but when I do I probably will get the 100 to 500 like what you have used here the only question I have is why can't you use that 100-500 with 1.4 at all focal length's .

Good morning Gordon, thanks for another informative and interesting video. I just received my 800 f/11 with the RF 1.4x and weather permitting will photograph the moon 🌝 using a Fornax LighTrack II tracker. Thanks again! ☕️

I am definitely going to get this lens based upon your very detailed and helpful review. Thank you for such wonderful detail. One really important detail to me was the fact that 7.1 only kicks in after 472mm. This is a VERY important detail

I wasn’t quite expecting f7.1 on the long end! 😱

Excellent review although I would have liked to see the 100-400 with a 1.4TC attached vs the 100-500 naked. Using the RF 1.4TC is a bit of a no no really as it certainly restricts the range and field of view so if a subject is coming towards you you need to remove the TC. The 100-400 meanwhile is happy down to 140mm. I'd have like a comparison in AF acquisition between the the naked 100-500 and the 100-400mm plus 1.4TC. and is the latter faster on an R5 than on a body such as the 5D4?

enchanting 💖

Wow, I really loved this review ! ! I’m currently carefully investigating each lens on my wish list in order to make a choice of going with the Canon R5 platform vs the Sony a1 with GM lenses. That Sony 200-600 looks really, really sweet, but video stabilization is more stable on the Canon with the 100-500. Decisions, Decisions …

Great review thank you. Considering the majority of these lenses are used for photographing wildlife, I wish Canon would make a green or preferably camo version, I know that lens covers are available but they don't cover the bright white lens barrel when it is extended. I understand Canon claim it is to reflect heat but other manufacturers are able to overcome this issue so presumably it is just a marketing ploy which is ironic when I would be more inclined to purchase a non white lens.

Have you used the 100-500 RF on the EOS R7?

Well, looks like Canon did not lose its mind with those f/11 primes. This lens looks beastly!

Can the lens be locked at 472mm?

I love the idea behind this lens, which in my opinion was mostly it's portability for traveling. The compact design simply screams "take me to Iceland/ safari!". If I had to choose between this and a 70-200 I wouldn't hesitate one second and grab the larger lens and have the opportunity to photograph Puffins and have them nicely filling the frame without the need of cropping 300% and loosing a lot of the details. The teleconverters compatibility is a big bonus as well, regardless of the need to zoom in to 300mm to fit the extender tube withing the lens.

Great review, just bought this lens at a tax-free Boxing day sale, around USD 2,300. Looking forward getting out and shooting some photos now

Macro tubes are fun on long lenses

The greatest RF glass salesman ever! Now you’re tempting glass and that R3, you are truly providing temptation. Gotten your hands on a Ninja V+ that will record 8K ProRes Raw from the R5?

Hi, this is a great review like R5, thank you so much. Apparently new rf 100-500 beter than the old ef 100-400 is II. I will buy it now :)

Gordon, you are my favourite!

Thanks for your review. I bought the 100-500 and love it! I'm now thinking of getting the 1.4 or 2x teleconverter. Aside from the issue of not being able to close the lens down below 300mm, is there a preference? Do they both autofocus? What are the minimum F stop on each. Anything else I should know? Thanks in advance!

Great review. If only the R5 and this lens were actually available 😁. Still I’ve ordered your book to keep me inspired while I wait for Canon to get the UK some stock.

what about in shot zooming for motion?

Beast lens

Grate review, thanks. In comparison with RF 70-200 in similar focal length , which one is sharper?

Great job Gordon, must feel good to get out and try lenses! I’ll tip you a coffee!

Fever tree! You're a man of discerning taste.

Just got it used after i lost my ef-100-400 ii to water. I can agree 100% with the review: no discernable difference in image quality on 20mpix r6(mk i). Handling is better though with less weight, faster af and better image stabilizatiön

nice review

Great info, thanks! This lens look really tempting 🙂. I don't mind that with teleconverter you can't use wider part but it's not good that you can't even close the lens for transportation...😒

Another brilliant review! Cheers from a Nikon shooter.

Hi Gordon and many thanks for another excellent review. CAN YOU please direct me towards how I update the firmware on my R10. Have I got to download the firmware to my desktop, put it on to my card via a reader and then put the card in my R10 or iOS there an easier way, many thanks for your help

I have zero interest in this Canon lens, but really liked your review. Liked and subscribed.