My take on the RF 600mm F11

When I ordered the Canon RF600 f11 IS STM lens I was 50/50 about keeping it even before I had it in my hands. There were so many negative comments on various sites (mostly about the “joke” F11 fixed aperture) that I worried I may end up returning it. But it was a super tele in a price range I could manage, so I gave it a try.

First off, why the 600 and not the 800? For me it was mostly about size… the reach of the 800 would be interesting, but I just felt like it was too big for the kind of shooting I do. And the price is fair at US$699. You can get the Canon RP with the RF24-105mm F4-7.1 kit lens AND this lens for right at $2000!

This lens has opened up some shooting possibilities I didn’t have before. For starters, although 600mm is not usually associated with landscape photography, it does landscapes that shorter focal lengths cannot.

First examples are an old homestead on a ridge and a cemetery in afternoon winter light. If you pixel peep, they are not super sharp, but these were taken from almost 2.5 miles away. Of course any 600mm lens could do this, but at this price, I now have the ability to photograph subjects far away, and with a perspective that’s unique. Getting closer to these locations would not have achieved the same feel. In these two examples, it’s almost like shooting from a drone.

More than two miles from my shooting location gives interesting perspective

Also more than two miles away... cemetery on a hill

The next two shots are similar… showing land contours and foliage from perspective not possible without the 600mm lens. In these first 4 pics, I don’t feel like the f11 has limited me in any way, and these two “winter and fall” pics have been well received in my gallery as large prints.

But what about sharpness? What about wildlife? Well, I am not interested in doing lab shots of test boards, so here are some shots of birds. I am definitely not a wildlife photographer (as you can see) but I took some pics of local birds with the 600. I missed focus a bit, but I feel this is mostly to do with my lack of patience and lack of experience. I got these shots in two 15 minute sessions, and believe the lens performed admirably. One thing I did notice is that the lens is terrible when shooting with spot focus, at least on the RP.

What about bokeh and focus transition? Well, at f11 you expect bad, but I feel it’s about using the lens in the right way. As you saw in the bird shots, you can blow out the background, even at f11. But here are some shots which help show transition a bit. To my eye, the effect is pleasing and natural, and the lens length allows this even from very far away. The hand truck was more than 100 feet away from me, and I hand held. This shows also that the IS is useful.

Last two examples show that the lens is useful for candid street shooting (I was so far away the guy did not notice me. I know, maybe a bit creepy, sorry). And the lens is also useful for astro, although mostly closer object like the moon.

PROS:

• Very affordable for 600mm full frame
• Compact and lightweight for 600mm full frame
• Good image quality

CONS:

• Has trouble focusing in “spot focus” mode… even locks up
• Lots of plastic… not sure how durable

CONCLUSION:

Canon has done a good job compromising on materials and specs, and used their solid engineering to come up with a very useful super tele at a great price. Unless you are a professional wildlife photographer who needs weather sealing and wider aperture, you should consider this or the 800. I’m definitely keeping mine!

Thanks for showing this in the RP. Everything I’ve seen so far is about how the R5 / R6 make it work.

You should have stopped down a little to get more sharpness. Just kidding. I wonder if there's just big sample variations. I thought the DP review samples looked really bad but I also see lot of samples that look really good. I don't mean that as a swipe to this site as I think most galleries really demonstrate lenses well but I was surprised at how the samples for this lens looked.

Great shots overall. I have the 800 F11 and enjoy it immensely. Now I'm thinking the 600 F11 as a walkaround LOL.

rmexpress22 wrote:

You should have stopped down a little to get more sharpness. Just kidding. I wonder if there's just big sample variations. I thought the DP review samples looked really bad but I also see lot of samples that look really good. I don't mean that as a swipe to this site as I think most galleries really demonstrate lenses well but I was surprised at how the samples for this lens looked.

You might be confusing the 600 and 800 galleries. I thought the 600 gallery had a number of nice shots in it. Admittedly there were a lot of bad slightly missed shots.

One thing to remember is that while this lens is probably razor sharp, at f/11 you will not see razor sharp images on the R5 ever. Not unless they implement a waveguide plasmon aperture in a $699 lens.

Great shots!  I love taking landscape photos with a long lens.  While currently a Sony shooter, I've considered buying a used RP and the 600 or 800.  Appreciate the review!

Ivan Arkhipov wrote:

I'm walking with 600mm f11 10-20km+, pretty comfortable.

I recently got the RF 100-400...it is now my new walkaround LOL