Canon RF 200-800mm F6.3-9 IS USM

The Canon RF 200-800mm F6.3-9 IS USM ($1,899) is one of the biggest lenses in the RF mirrorless catalog, but that's not surprising given that it extends well beyond the 600mm focal length of most competing telezooms. It's also decently lightweight for its size, offers dust and moisture protection, has stabilized optics, and comes in at a reasonable price. That said, the narrow variable f-stop range limits its use in dim light and the autofocus system isn't consistently accurate. The 200-800mm is ultimately worth a look if you have an eye for wildlife and other far-off subjects, but more demanding photographers should save up to the brighter, lighter, and more reliably focusing RF 100-500mm F4.5-7.1 L IS USM ($2,899).

Lightweight for Its Size

There's no way to sugarcoat it, the RF 200-800mm is a sizable lens due to its extreme telephoto reach and full-frame coverage. The zoom measures 12.4 by 4.0 inches (HD) at its shortest 200mm focal length and extends to 16.1 inches at 800mm. At around 4.5 pounds, however, it's a little light for its size. The shorter Sigma 150-600mm F5-6.3 DG DN Sports (10.5 by 4.3 inches) for Sony and L-mount mirrorless systems is also 4.5 pounds, for comparison. As for Canon options, the RF 100-500mm F4.5-7.1 L IS USM (8.2 by 3.7 inches, 3.0 pounds) is exceptionally lightweight and compact considering its zoom range.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

The RF 200-800mm is not part of Canon's top-line L series, but it does match the look of those lenses thanks to its light gray barrel. The finish reflects light off its surface so the zoom can stay a little cooler on hot, sunny days. It's a nice touch, especially since the meager f/6.3-9 aperture range means that the lens works best in bright conditions. Most non-L lenses have a black finish, for comparison. Many white-barrel L zooms are full metal, but here Canon uses a mix of metal and polycarbonate elements for construction. The inner, telescoping portion that houses the lens elements and the tripod collar are metal, but the exterior housing is sturdy-but-light polycarbonate.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

The lens barrel includes internal seals to prevent dust and water ingress, though Canon omits anti-smudge fluorine for the front element. The included hood is a few inches deep and does a good job of keeping rain and your fingers away from the glass. You can optionally purchase a pricey 95mm front filter if you want to add a UV filter for extra protection.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

This zoom is massive enough to require a foot for decent balance on tripods. The non-removable foot integrates into a rotating collar and includes both the usual 1/4-20 and oversized 3/8-16-inch threads for mounting. Canon doesn't include dovetail cuts, so you need to attach a quick release plate if you want to pair the lens with an Arca-Swiss system. The collar omits 90-degree detents too, so it's up to you to set it at plumb angles. You do get visual indicators to line up the collar and lens, though these small, unpainted markers are a little hard to see.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

The 200-800mm focal length makes the lens most suitable for snapping photos of wildlife and team sports. If you enjoy documenting small, skittish critters like songbirds, you should appreciate the extra reach compared with a 600mm zoom, especially on APS-C bodies like the EOS R7.

Canon still doesn't allow third-party lens manufacturers on the RF lens system, so you can't pick up a Sigma zoom as an alternative. Canon sells a few other lenses for wildlife photogs to consider, however. The aforementioned RF 100-500mm F4.5-7.1 is a bit pricey and has a shorter reach, but weighs less and works better in dim light. The also lightweight RF 600mm F11 and 800mm F11 primes have appeal for budget shoppers, though they come with quirky, retracting designs and limited scope of coverage for autofocus. I ultimately don't recommend them for anyone but beginners, and the RF 600mm F11 is the better of the two. Otherwise, you can choose between the entry-level RF 100-400mm F5.6-8 and a few five-figure primes, such as the RF 600mm F4 ($12,999), RF 800mm F5.6 ($16,999), and RF 1,200mm F8 ($19,999). As is the case with the RF 200-800mm, all these lenses include optical stabilization and work with rear teleconverters.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

A Decent Set of Controls

The 200-800mm's on-barrel controls are a mixed bag. The zoom includes some uncommon features, such as a pair of programmable function buttons and a zoom tension switch, but it's missing the dedicated manual focus ring I expect on most lenses. Manual focus is still an option, though you have to turn to a narrow, knurled surface that sets EV compensation by default. Two duplicate programmable function buttons sit 90 degrees apart so they're in the same relative position regardless of whether you hold the camera in landscape or portrait orientation.

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The Focus/Control ring turns readily. The long throw for manual focus allows for precise adjustment, though the downside is that you have to turn the ring roughly 300 degrees to move from close-up to infinity. As such, you should rely on autofocus for moving subjects. The lens has an AF/Control/MF switch that lets you change the focus mode on the fly. The Control function is active only when you set the switch to Control. I note a slight change in the angle of view when I shift focus from near to far subjects. That's really only a concern for videographers who rack focus between subjects or macro photographers who stack images, neither of which is a typical use case for this lens.

Another switch toggles stabilization. The optical stabilization system should provide up to 5.5 stops of compensation, meaning you can get sharp images at longer shutter speeds than typical. I was able to get 1/13-second exposures with the EOS R5 at 800mm consistently and even dragged the shutter down to 1/6-second with hit-or-miss results. The latter result is a bit better than advertised.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

Optical stabilization also means you get a smooth, stable picture in the viewfinder. That's a huge advantage even on cameras that include in-body stabilization. In testing, I had great success handholding the lens with both the EOS R5 and EOS R7 at maximum zoom to find songbirds, and the steady view made it easier to keep track of sparrows and juncos hopping around on the ground.

The lens supports two actions for setting the focal length (twist or push/pull), along with adjustable tension. The twist action works along with the black, rubberized zoom ring, which you can easily find by touch or sight. I prefer the push-pull action here, as it works more quickly and allows me to easily use my left hand to cradle the front of the lens.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

The Smooth/Tight zoom tension ring is quite useful and does exactly what it indicates. I like that the tension adjustment is gradual and doesn't lock you into either extreme. I prefer the looser Smooth setting overall since it makes it far easier to zoom in and out, as well as complements the push-pull control. Zoom creep is somewhat of an issue with this setting, however, so I recommend twisting the ring over to the Tight option when you aren't actively using the lens.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

Autofocus Isn't Always Perfect

The RF 200-800mm uses Canon's ultrasonic motor (USM) focus tech to drive autofocus. I tested the lens with two bodies, the full-frame EOS R5 and APS-C EOS R7. I noted generally snappier focus performance with the R7, which makes sense since it is the faster of the two cameras. With the R7, the focus system is generally quick to pick up distant subjects, though slower to lock onto closer targets

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Focus accuracy is another matter. I missed more shots with this lens than I'm used to from the EOS R5 and R7. The lens often misses the perfect point of focus, so it's a good idea to set your camera to continuous drive to increase your chances of getting a tack-sharp image. This means you'll often end up picking your best shot based on focus, not on the pose of your subject or the most interesting activity. The RF 100-500mm, for comparison, provides more consistent results from shot to shot. The 200-800mm does a better job with focus in bright light given its dim f-stop and struggles most against a backlight; neither finding is surprising, though understanding this can help you get better results in the real world.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

For close-up work, the RF 200-800mm provides the most magnification at 200mm (1:4 life-size) thanks to its 2.6-foot (80cm) minimum focus distance and still gets fairly close at 800mm (9.2 feet for 1:5 reproduction). The close focusing versatility sets it apart from the affordable RF 600mm (14.8 feet, 1:7.1) and RF 800mm (20 feet, 1:7.1), though the RF 100-500mm (2.9 feet, 1:3) is among the best macro telezooms.

RF 200-800mm: In the Lab

I ran Imatest contrast evaluations with the RF 200-800mm and both the EOS R5 and R7. Because of its narrow angle of view, I had to use a smaller, less precise test chart at its longer focal lengths. But I also performed a test with our standard, high-resolution chart at 200mm to get a grasp on its performance with the EOS R5 compared with other lenses I've tested.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

Using the standard chart, the lens scores right at the cusp of the excellent range for the 45MP EOS R5 sensor at 200mm f/6.3-11 (3,700-4,100 lines). With the smaller chart, the results are lower (2,400-2,600 lines), but in line with other long lenses I've tested with the same equipment. Lab results are a bit better at 400mm and f/7.1-16 (2,400-2,700 lines), the best at 600mm f/8-16 (3,600-3,000 lines), and slightly lower again at 800mm f/9-11 (2,900-2,500 lines). It's typical for a lens to get sharper as you stop down, though diffraction and vibrations during testing likely caused the drop-off at longer focal lengths. Even so, we consider these results excellent overall.

Resolution begins to dip around f/16 at all focal lengths due to optical diffraction, with pictures looking soft at the smallest f-stops. The zoom has a minimum f/32-51 aperture range, but you shouldn't use those settings in most cases. You can get sunstars if you stop down all the way, though the 18-point stars from the 9-blade aperture lack sharp tines.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

Almost every mirrorless lens relies on digital correction to compensate for distortion and vignette. For the RF 200-800mm, the corrections are minimal. The optics show a slight vignette wide-open as well as some pincushion distortion throughout the range, but you won't see those effects in the viewfinder or out-of-camera JPGs since the camera applies a correction profile. If you use your camera for Raw capture, image processors like Lightroom Classic and Capture One Pro can apply fixes automatically. In any case, the compensation required to brighten corners and straighten lines with this particular lens doesn't noticeably affect picture quality.

I also tested the lens with the 33MP EOS R7 since I expect photographers using the high-speed, crop-sensor camera will have it on their short list. Despite using a smaller portion of the image circle, the zoom scores well through most of its range. It gets excellent results at 200mm and f/6.3-11 (3,000-2,700 lines) and manages similar scores at 400mm and f/7.1-11 (2,800-2,300 lines). The performance at 600mm and f/8-11 (2,800-2,600 lines) is the same. I couldn't test the zoom with the R7 in the lab simply because I ran out of space. That said, it puts up very good numbers at 742mm and f/9 (2,300 lines). The score drops off at 742mm and f/11-16 (1,900-1,700 lines), but that makes sense given that the R7's sensor uses physically smaller pixels than the R5 (diffraction sets in earlier in the f-stop sequence).

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

I perform lab tests under ideal conditions. That means I mount the camera to a tripod, utilize both the self-timer and electronic shutter to minimize vibration, and keep the ISO low to minimize noise. Within these parameters, the RF 200-800mm performed well. However, real-world results show the autofocus accuracy to be a limiting factor, as mentioned.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

The dim aperture is also a concern. If you're taking photos of subjects in shadow, under canopy, or during crepuscular hours, you have to pick between a longer shutter speed and an extreme ISO. Moving subjects—animals and athletes qualify—are more likely to cause blur in a photo than hand shake. By pushing the shutter speed as long as 1/200-second for songbirds, I was able to get a few perfectly focused shots of sparrows foraging in the grass or perched in branches. But their movements were enough to blur details in many images.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

The focus motor struggles when you work against a strong backlight. The lens does a decent enough job in that situation otherwise, as it doesn't show objectionable or excessive flare. If you end up with a photo where the sun is behind your subject, you can expect a little loss of contrast and, at worst, some soft glow. I noted some instances of purple fringing around tree branches and subject edges (indicative of lateral chromatic aberration) when I pushed the exposure to compensate for a backlight. I left it uncorrected in the above image of a mourning dove for reference, but Lightroom Classic's Defringe tool works well to eliminate the purple halos.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

Telephoto optics readily create background blur since their tight angles of view come with a narrow plane of focus. The same is true of this lens, despite its modest f/6.3-9 aperture range. Backgrounds don't quite melt away into nothing as with an F4 or F5.6 teleprime, but I'm happy with how the lens handles busy backgrounds like brush, branches, and even grass. Defocused highlights are round with generally soft edges, and I don't see any evidence of the soap bubble shimmer that can lead to distracting, characterful backdrops. Likewise, I couldn't spot false color (or LoCA) in areas of transition at the focal plane.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

A Versatile Telephoto Despite Focus Quirks

The RF 200-800mm F6.3-9 IS USM is very much in line with Canon's recent enthusiast lens offerings, most of which use smaller apertures to cut down carry weight, extend zoom power versus competitors, and keep the price reasonable. Its extreme telephoto angle has loads of appeal to birders, wildlife generalists, and sports photographers, and we like that the built-in optical stabilization keeps the view steady. However, its narrow aperture puts a damper on picture quality in tough light and the focus accuracy is inconsistent overall. We recommend Canon photographers step up to the pricier RF 100-500mm F4.5-7.1 L IS USM instead, which provides more reliable focus and a slightly brighter f-stop at the expense of less zoom power.