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Canon RF 100-400mm f/5.6-8 IS USM Review: Should You Buy It?

Published by WPC Official Account on Feb'07,2022

0 | 714


Canon RF 100-400mm f/5.6-8 IS USM Review: Should You Buy It?

WPC Official Account
0 | 714 | Oct 01, 2023

According to some Photographers, the Canon RF 100-400mm f/5.6-8 IS USM is a budget-friendly lens that offers quality services. On the other hand, some other photographers argue that its performance is below average in some specific areas. In this article, we will see whether the Canon RF 100-400mm f/5.6-8 IS USM lens is worth buying or not. 

Canon RF 100-400mm f/5.6-8 IS USM Review: Should You Buy It?

Physical features

 

 Photo Credit:- Canon

The Canon RF 100-400mm f/5.6-8 has 7.95 centimeters by 16.46 centimeters dimensions. But it is comparatively lighter concerning its size, weighing only 635 grams or 6.4 ounces. It is a full-frame telephoto zoom lens. When you zoom the lens to 400mm, its length increases upto 24.76 centimeters. This lens is dimension-wise ideal for you if you are into outdoor shooting, and require a small and lightweight lens. The zoom ring and focus ring are made of rubber, which helps in smooth operation. The control ring is plastic-built and customizable. There are last chances of accidental shift, or stiffness in these rings, which frequently occurs in other telephoto lenses,  especially in the case of zoom rings. A lock switch is there, designated to work at 100mm only, along with a lens image stabilization turn on/off switch, and an AF/MF focus mode switch. 

Image Quality 

Photo Credit:- Canon 

The image quality of the lens is quite impressive. The bokeh effect is good. It has 9 aperture blades. Sharpness is even throughout the range. With the right lighting, you can create an inspiring bokeh with the lens. You might not get a vast range of colors, and will require a lot of post-processing to meet any special color requirement. You can also experiment with the white balance for that too. There is no chroma issue or distortion of images. 

Autofocus

Photo Credit:- Canon 

The Nano ultrasonic motor (Nano USM) used for autofocus is almost soundless. Movements of the frame are easily tracked and the focus position is updated rapidly. The focus is super fast. But again, if you want to click birds and animals, you better know that this lens is not very capable of tracking very accurately always, particularly with the  Canon EOS R. Because this camera has no animal or bird AF built-in. In this case, you can use the autofocus area expansion. As you will see, the efficiency of the Canon RF 100-400mm f/5.6-8 IS USM varies greatly from camera to camera. 

Downside 

Photo Credit:- Canon 

The weather protection system in RF 100-400mm f/5.6-8 IS USM is not up to the mark. It is far less than that of the Canon L-series lenses where the rubber gasket at the mount protects both the camera and the lens. There is no sealing to protect the lens from dust or moisture. Canon does not even provide a lens hood with the lens. The subject recognition feature is not up to the mark. Especially if you are using it with a  Canon EOS R, you might face issues to photograph birds or animals. 

What are the alternatives?

 

Photo Credit:- Canon 

Canon already has launched another RF mount long telephoto lens called RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1L IS USM which is assumed to be the biggest competitor of the Canon RF 100-400mm f/5.6-8 IS USM. This L-series lens has more zoom range, and is comparatively faster than the RF 100-400mm f/5.6-8 IS USM. The Servo autofocus is also much better in the RF 100-500mm f/4 5-7.1L IS USM. It has a removable tripod collar, 3 stabilization modes, and a focus limiter. You can change the tighten or loosen the zoom ring too. It is highly weather resistant. All these features are not available in the RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1L IS USM. At the same time, the RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1L IS USM is much heavier, and so, more difficult to handle. The price is also much higher than that of the RF 100-400mm f/5.6-8 IS USM. 

Price

 

Photo Credit:- Canon 

The price of Canon RF 100-400mm f/5.6-8 IS USM in India is around 55,995-58,995 rupees. 

Overall, the Canon RF 100-400mm f/5.6-8 IS USM is a lens worth buying due to its features at a low price. You can consider it as a budget-friendly full-frame telephoto lens with good service. 

 

Written by Sanga Basu, Content Writer, WPC.

 


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According to some Photographers, the Canon RF 100-400mm f/5.6-8 IS USM is a budget-friendly lens that offers quality services. On the other hand, some other photographers argue that its performance is below average in some specific areas. In this article, we will see whether the Canon RF 100-400mm f/5.6-8 IS USM lens is worth buying or not. 

Canon RF 100-400mm f/5.6-8 IS USM Review: Should You Buy It?

Physical features

 

 Photo Credit:- Canon

The Canon RF 100-400mm f/5.6-8 has 7.95 centimeters by 16.46 centimeters dimensions. But it is comparatively lighter concerning its size, weighing only 635 grams or 6.4 ounces. It is a full-frame telephoto zoom lens. When you zoom the lens to 400mm, its length increases upto 24.76 centimeters. This lens is dimension-wise ideal for you if you are into outdoor shooting, and require a small and lightweight lens. The zoom ring and focus ring are made of rubber, which helps in smooth operation. The control ring is plastic-built and customizable. There are last chances of accidental shift, or stiffness in these rings, which frequently occurs in other telephoto lenses,  especially in the case of zoom rings. A lock switch is there, designated to work at 100mm only, along with a lens image stabilization turn on/off switch, and an AF/MF focus mode switch. 

Image Quality 

Photo Credit:- Canon 

The image quality of the lens is quite impressive. The bokeh effect is good. It has 9 aperture blades. Sharpness is even throughout the range. With the right lighting, you can create an inspiring bokeh with the lens. You might not get a vast range of colors, and will require a lot of post-processing to meet any special color requirement. You can also experiment with the white balance for that too. There is no chroma issue or distortion of images. 

Autofocus

Photo Credit:- Canon 

The Nano ultrasonic motor (Nano USM) used for autofocus is almost soundless. Movements of the frame are easily tracked and the focus position is updated rapidly. The focus is super fast. But again, if you want to click birds and animals, you better know that this lens is not very capable of tracking very accurately always, particularly with the  Canon EOS R. Because this camera has no animal or bird AF built-in. In this case, you can use the autofocus area expansion. As you will see, the efficiency of the Canon RF 100-400mm f/5.6-8 IS USM varies greatly from camera to camera. 

Downside 

Photo Credit:- Canon 

The weather protection system in RF 100-400mm f/5.6-8 IS USM is not up to the mark. It is far less than that of the Canon L-series lenses where the rubber gasket at the mount protects both the camera and the lens. There is no sealing to protect the lens from dust or moisture. Canon does not even provide a lens hood with the lens. The subject recognition feature is not up to the mark. Especially if you are using it with a  Canon EOS R, you might face issues to photograph birds or animals. 

What are the alternatives?

 

Photo Credit:- Canon 

Canon already has launched another RF mount long telephoto lens called RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1L IS USM which is assumed to be the biggest competitor of the Canon RF 100-400mm f/5.6-8 IS USM. This L-series lens has more zoom range, and is comparatively faster than the RF 100-400mm f/5.6-8 IS USM. The Servo autofocus is also much better in the RF 100-500mm f/4 5-7.1L IS USM. It has a removable tripod collar, 3 stabilization modes, and a focus limiter. You can change the tighten or loosen the zoom ring too. It is highly weather resistant. All these features are not available in the RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1L IS USM. At the same time, the RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1L IS USM is much heavier, and so, more difficult to handle. The price is also much higher than that of the RF 100-400mm f/5.6-8 IS USM. 

Price

 

Photo Credit:- Canon 

The price of Canon RF 100-400mm f/5.6-8 IS USM in India is around 55,995-58,995 rupees. 

Overall, the Canon RF 100-400mm f/5.6-8 IS USM is a lens worth buying due to its features at a low price. You can consider it as a budget-friendly full-frame telephoto lens with good service. 

 

Written by Sanga Basu, Content Writer, WPC.