Canon RF 200-800mm f/6.3-9 IS USM

[Lester Wareham]

Experimenting, yesterday evening out of car window with R7, 800mm jpg sooc. Was losing light fast, shot at 6400 iso, 1/1600, f9.
View attachment 63780

Looks OK - I often find shoverlar eyes don't look sharp even though they are. Impressive for the ISO, what NR did you use?

 

[Northroad]

Looks OK - I often find shoverlar eyes don't look sharp even though they are. Impressive for the ISO, what NR did you use?

That is an untouched jpeg sooc. Here is the CRAW run through Topaz, imported to Lightroom and then just used auto sliders. The green on his head looks a little brighter, but not much difference.

 

[Lester Wareham]

That is an untouched jpeg sooc. Here is the CRAW run through Topaz, imported to Lightroom and then just used auto sliders. The green on his head looks a little brighter, but not much difference.View attachment 63929

This looks a lot brighter and clearer all round to me.

 

[GoFasterPB]

My copy finally arrived at the local shop. Haven't been out much, but while out for a morning walk near JPL stumbled across a coyote. Plenty of Scrub Jays ready for their close up, which is good cause I'm gonna need a lot of practice keeping up.

800mm f/10


742mm f/9

 

[Dennis]

Our Moon as seen from Brisbane on 30th April 2024.

I fitted the Canon RF 200-800mm with the RF Extender x2.0 and the EOS R7 onto my Equatorial Mount (tracking mount). The Moon pretty much occupied some 80% of the view finder.

I used the built-in Interval Timer to take 75 frames (1 sec delay) as the mount tracked the Moon across the skies, compensating for the Earth’s rotation.

The 75 Frames were Aligned and Stacked in Autostakkert4! To improve the S/N Ratio.

I then used Wavesharp to deconvolve the resulting stacked image, which improves the image quality by removing some of the effects of the scintillations in the Earth’s atmosphere.

1600mm, F18, ISO400, 1/60 sec.

Dennis.

 

[Northroad]

Sandhill Cranes at 800 mm, Kenai, Alaska.

 

[Roboticspro]

I'm still waiting to hear when I will be receiving mine; 3 month wait so far...

 

[Jeff USN Photog 72-76]

I don't think I asked this already so here goes.,..

As you may know I got a 200-800 but sent it back due to it being very soft above 700mm with both my R6ii and R7, my dealer sent to back to Canon to see what they would say or do about it, if it comes back the same or if at 800 it isn't dang close to 600 I will return it.
That being said the question I have for anyone who has a 200-800 AND the 100-500 and both are acceptably sharp if I shoot with the 100-500 and R6ii and/or R7 and crop it to match the view of the 200-800 at 800mm with the same cameras, is the resulting crop comparable to the 200-800?

I am going to search youtube again to see if anyone has done that test.

I have used my 100-500 with the 1.4x and find the images to be acceptable with both cameras.

 

[Mr Roboto (View_Finder)]

...
I have used my 100-500 with the 1.4x and find the images to be acceptable with both cameras.

Jeff, I think you already answered your own question.
If your expectation of the IQ is going to be that close (splitting hairs), then why spend the extra money?

Keep in mind that I have used neither the 100-500 nor the 200-800, but I think the 200-800 is marketed for those who don't already have the 100-500.

You already have a lens that has better:
- Focusing (dual ring USM/STM vs nano USM)
- IS (multi mode vs single mode)
- Weather sealing
- Glass (6 UD + 1 super UD vs 3 UD)
- Lighter Weight (1.4kg w/o TC vs 2.0kg)

But since I don't have the 100-500 and I was super excited about the 200-800 (enough so that I prematurely sold my EF500F4L), I think I am going to hold out for a while to see if Canon brings out primes like a 500mm f/5.6 or 600mm f/6.3 to compete with Nikon. I don't want to do f/4s anymore but the zooms don't give me enough subject separation for the birds that I typically shoot. And I never really zoom anyways when I am shooting birds - I just leave it pegged on the long end.

 

[Jeff USN Photog 72-76]

While I am saying either a sharp lens for no lens, I am not sure I would stick to that... If it comes back no sharper I will say no thanks, but if it is sharp at 800 then do I get it or just crop the 100-500 or use it with the RF 1.4x...
Knowing myself as I do, I have never worried about having overlap in lenses, check my gear list LOL... I would be leaning towards getting it even if I don't use it that often...

 

[Dennis]

Today I managed to play hide-and-seek with the intermittent cloud cover and record this giant sun spot, AR3664 which has been classified as a 'Carrington-class' sunspot.

The Carrington Event was a large solar storm that took place at the beginning of September 1859, just a few months before the solar maximum of 1860.

I used the Canon EOS R7, RF 200-800mm and RF Extender x1.4 mounted on my equatorial tracking mount to grab 75 frames which I Aligned/Stacked in Autostakkert!4, deconvolved in Wavesharp and then finished in PS CC.

1120mm, 1/1,000 sec, F16, ISO400.

I fitted the RF x2 Extender to give 1600mm but the seeing (atmospheric conditions) was poor so the images were very soft and lacking detail.

Dennis.

 

[Jeff USN Photog 72-76]

Today I managed to play hide-and-seek with the intermittent cloud cover and record this giant sun spot, AR3664 which has been classified as a 'Carrington-class' sunspot.

The Carrington Event was a large solar storm that took place at the beginning of September 1859, just a few months before the solar maximum of 1860.

I used the Canon EOS R7, RF 200-800mm and RF Extender x1.4 mounted on my equatorial tracking mount to grab 75 frames which I Aligned/Stacked in Autostakkert!4, deconvolved in Wavesharp and then finished in PS CC.

1120mm, 1/1,000 sec, F16, ISO400.

I fitted the RF x2 Extender to give 1600mm but the seeing (atmospheric conditions) was poor so the images were very soft and lacking detail.

Dennis.

View attachment 68862

View attachment 68861

Very nice! Good Job

 

[Mr Roboto (View_Finder)]

Today I managed to play hide-and-seek with the intermittent cloud cover and record this giant sun spot, AR3664 which has been classified as a 'Carrington-class' sunspot.

The Carrington Event was a large solar storm that took place at the beginning of September 1859, just a few months before the solar maximum of 1860.

I used the Canon EOS R7, RF 200-800mm and RF Extender x1.4 mounted on my equatorial tracking mount to grab 75 frames which I Aligned/Stacked in Autostakkert!4, deconvolved in Wavesharp and then finished in PS CC.

1120mm, 1/1,000 sec, F16, ISO400.

I fitted the RF x2 Extender to give 1600mm but the seeing (atmospheric conditions) was poor so the images were very soft and lacking detail.

Dennis.

Dennis, your moon and sun images are FANTASTIC (note that I didn’t say “out of this world”)!

And thank you for detailing the steps you took to capture these. It reminds me why I didn’t take up astrophotography

 

[Lester Wareham]

While I am saying either a sharp lens for no lens, I am not sure I would stick to that... If it comes back no sharper I will say no thanks, but if it is sharp at 800 then do I get it or just crop the 100-500 or use it with the RF 1.4x...
Knowing myself as I do, I have never worried about having overlap in lenses, check my gear list LOL... I would be leaning towards getting it even if I don't use it that often...

I think the 100-500 and 200-800 question (assuming acceptable sharpness) comes down to; is the 100-500 + 1.4x ok from a use-case point of view?

Ie is a 420-700 wide enough at the wide end.

I would say it is at times restrictive on an APS-C but probably ok on full frame.

Having said that I don't plan to get the 200-800; I think the 100-500 is in general a better more flexible lens.

But it also comes down to logistics, I can't carry both on foot; if I was mostly working from a car/truck then that may be different.

Then the is also the additional cost; no way would I give up the 100-500.

 

[Jeff USN Photog 72-76]

I think the 100-500 and 200-800 question (assuming acceptable sharpness) comes down to; is the 100-500 + 1.4x ok from a use-case point of view?

Ie is a 420-700 wide enough at the wide end.

I would say it is at times restrictive on an APS-C but probably ok on full frame.

Having said that I don't plan to get the 200-800; I think the 100-500 is in general a better more flexible lens.

But it also comes down to logistics, I can't carry both on foot; if I was mostly working from a car/truck then that may be different.

Then the is also the additional cost; no way would I give up the 100-500.

Yup I will never give up the 100-500., the only issue I have with it is that with the 1.4x it is 420-700 with the R6ii, the 420 is usually not wide enough where I shoot as the ponds I work there are birds out a ways and always also upclose or in bunches in the air. I just hate to miss shots.
But the 200-800 is heavy and not as fast on focusing.

Since I still haven't heard from the dealer as to what Canon found I have more time to sit down with cups of coffee and to consider what to do.

 

[Jeff USN Photog 72-76]

Still no word on the 200-800 from Hunts or Canon... As I have mentioned I am still up in the air, however I had the Sigma 150-600C that I rarely used but I did use it once in a while and I have the EF 100L macro that is rarely used but I have it...
I do love lenses and cameras and while I sold pretty much all my dups (except my EF100-400Lii that I use with my 90D and 7Dii) the 200-800 really isn't a dup for the most part.

Since the money was already spent and I could see using it down at Newport RI where at the shore I am shooting long and short in short order with the shore birds, I most likely will keep it when it comes back IF it is acceptably sharp above 600mm

 

[Jan1977]

I have the lens and I like the ability to zoom. For my standards I can get sharp enough photos with the 200-800 at 800. "Standards" are off course subjective and also I do not doubt the fact that there are RF200-800's out there that perform worse than they should. But with a decent copy I think it delivers. I have posted shots I took with the lens at various focal lenghts in the thread for the RF200-800 in the "lens sample archive" ( https://focus-on-photography-forum.net/threads/canon-rf-200-800mm-f-6-3-9-is-usm.2387/ ) and my recent post in the thread "Wild birds of Europe" ( https://focus-on-photography-forum.net/threads/wild-birds-of-europe.54/ ).

 

[edmidlifecrisis]

First test shot today. @800mm on a tripod. Cropped a bit

 

[edmidlifecrisis]

Second @800mm focused on bird on right, cropped to about 80% of frame. Tripod. I tried a focus stack to get all three in focus but the top left bird shifted position and PS wouldn't align it properly.

 

[dj63401]

Second @800mm focused on bird on right, cropped to about 80% of frame. Tripod. I tried a focus stack to get all three in focus but the top left bird shifted position and PS wouldn't align it properly.

View attachment 71269

Looks very good when I click on the photo!!