Canon RF 800mm F11 IS STM User Reviews

I was like many very confused when this lens was first announced. F11 and cheap so it cannot be any good can it? It was certainly not something I considered buying at the time. Partly because of my initial thought, but partly because I prefer to try and get closer rather than play the chasing focal length game. But there are times when I would love to get a record shot of a bird that fills more than the smallest focus square. So when I saw I could get one new for under £700 I thought why not ...

For some background, I currently own the Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS III lens, and have owned the Canon EF 800mm f/5.6L IS lens, so I am no stranger to long lenses. I will admit that I purchased this lens just for the novelty of trying it out, and I wasn't sure if I would like it. I took it to the lake on the new R5 to take pictures of birds. To my surprise, the 800mm f/11 is extremely sharp, and f/11 is not so big of an issue. Eye-af indeed does work. I was even able to track flying barn swallows ...