few close friends asking to work out new CANON RF200800mm lens with few camera … as the lens balance between weight, and light so it is F9 at 800mm and make many of us worry, how it perform in Rainforest.
Before I have the lens and other camera to work on, I already comment to them it work well with CANON R3 !!! but it is expensive camera with this lens … and it may not work really balance Investment-Performance .. than I am highly recommend to many CANON R6mark2 with really good ISO performance, AF performance
Low light … is always happen Rainforest here … think most the people consider this lens will have same thoughts
1. price – OK .. cheaper better la …
2. 800mm zoom at 2kg .. Good focal length + weight
3. F9 at 800mm !!!! what F9 !!! so dark how !
4. Image quality how ? …. all manufacturers lens dont think any still be complaint about sharpness .. but I really hope we know sharpness and clarity
5. Non L .. weather seal HOW !
6. Non L .. AF how !!!
let’s me share my experience over last 2 weeks fully use at cold weather, light rain (7C-15C) at Taiwan and raining, muddy .. dark environment at West Sumatra
1. price – OK .. cheaper better la …
Nothing to complaint for the price .. RRP RM9499
2. 800mm zoom at 2kg .. Good focal length + weight
Long is good but it have to come with some compensation … longer focal length mean more shutter speed require —> higher ISO
so please do not complain why why why last time 150600 or 200600 or any 500mm I can shoot 1/100 but now cannot get sharp picture ..
2KG is good for me to handle almost whole day with tripod or without tripod .. but may not for all … so go have a try … for me the “length” is the complaint it is clumsy to carry around !!!! but it is 200-800mm what are you expect ? 10cm !!!
3. F9 at 800mm !!!! what F9 !!! so dark how !
Yes .. it is dark .. so have to accept high ISO or stable tripod+head require
for actual field experience
HANDHELD .. with R3 … I am good with 1/160s with >50% success hit rate
Travel tripod and Gitzo 2-Way Fluid Head GHF2W … with R3 … I am good with 1/30 with >50% success hit rate
#Gitzo1WayFluidHeadGHF2W
so what’s our worry !!!!
F9 Handheld … even 1/160 normally in Rainforest most of the time I am shooting ISO6400-16000 !!!! so be ready
F9 Travel Tripod and Fluidhead … even 1/30 normally in Rainforest most of the time I am shooting ISO1600-8000 !!!!
*** so those shooting with R7 .. be ready to have even higher ISO as you need faster shutter speed for both “longer focal Length” + “high megapixel”
4. Image quality how ? …. all manufacturers lens dont think any still be complaint about sharpness .. but I really hope we know sharpness and clarity
so far, I dont have any complaint can view the full jpeg here
Finally, very first 800mm Full frame zoom lens available on my hand and very soon delivery to end user …
just a some of my thoughts before my first impression of the lens.
Part1 – F7.1 – F.63 Know what (20231214)
Part2 – Physical different (20231214)
Part3 – field test Full Size Jpeg sharing (20240113)
– add on R7+RF200800 (20240103)
– add on R7+1.4x+RF200800 (20231224)
– Sumatra Graceful Pitta
Part4 – real field test experience AF accuracy, handling (need more time to gather more information here) (20231221)
Part5 – 800mm !!! (update 20231222)
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Part5 – 800mm !!!
– birder always want longer reach most of the situation, and now full frame first 800mm and it is compatible with 1.4x and 2x TC .. for minimum impact the image quality I am using 1.4x on both R3 (1120mm) & R7 (1792mm)。click on the picture for full size jpeg
Part4 – real field test experience AF accuracy, handling
– I am shooting Handheld for or Tripod
– AV mode with manual ISO, wide open Aperture default
– Center Zone AF, Animal Detection, Eye detection ON, occasion MF with Focus peaking. AD-On button set to “5points AF, Animal Detection, Eye detection ON” (for situation where main subject surrounding with obstacle)
update 20231221
Sample3 – Fast and small subject
– a very small, fast moving subject and prefer at bushes .. the lens and R3 get the bird detect and look for eye almost seamless .. (AF center zone, Animal detection, Eye detection)
– a very fast moving tiny bird with very soft call bird, it is so difficult to have a open picture .. but with the current new mirrorless animal detect and tracking. It is some how quite easy to have some picture even at complicated environment like this
– 非常小+快的小鸟。叫的很小声。也喜欢在丛里跳来跳去。现在无反的动物+动物眼的 AI ，被不大可能做成比较容易。只要一有机会，我都有办法拿下它。
a very simple test on a raptor flying on very windy harbor at Taiwan.Setting
– CANON R3
– ISO3200, F9, 1/2500, 800mm
– Animal Detect, Eye detectio, Tracking On
– point the view finder to the subject, half press the shutter button allow it lock the focus and from the view finder can see the focus tracking just continuous track the subject.. than follow by continuous press the shutter button
– we can see how good is the CANON system while the Background change do not affect the tracking at ll
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here sample 1
*** it is not easy to shoot small subjects under close range 800mm, either good practice, shoot shorter focal length. So far this length lock focus fast when from near focus point to further focus point. ****so important to always try to shoot nearer focus subject before point toward the main subject for the long focal length (500-800mm especially this lens at 800mm)
– Fast moving subject, seldom sit still for more than 1 second
ISO10000, 1/30, 707mm Original JPEGISO10000, 1/30, 707mm Noise Reduction – Adobe Photoshop ACR AI + Topaz
Sample 9 with CANON R7with RF200800
Blue-winged pitta, 马来八色鸫, 馬來八色鶇, Pitta moluccensis,ミナミヤイロチョウ, BURUNG-PACAT SAYAP BIRU
– CANON R7, CANON RF200800
– ISO6400, F8, 538mm, 1/50
update 20240103
– 2024 official day1 working, it is faithful start … we arrive the “feeding spot” but without put any “food” the bird just stand there waiting so are we shoot at feeding bird ? … but it is real challenge having long focal length + high megapixel camera … CANON R7 + CANON RF200800. I am shooting ISO6400, F8, 538mm, 1/50
many keep talking the F too small for the lens, lets be fair to every brand… for current situation, we need something smaller size mean smaller aperture !!! than how small aperture you accept ? if you 90% stay inside rainforest, you know F4 is not big enough for many cases .. so anything smaller F5.6,6.3,7.1 make small different .. than why keep ask why it is F7.1 ? simple smaller size and lighter .
here is one example
ISO1000 , F6.3 , 1/100
can replace
ISO1250, F7.1, 1/100
ISO1000, F7.1, 1/80
so the ISO just 1/3 stop ! to shutter speed slower by 1/3 stops .. big different ? but this lens with 2kg come with 800mm option which is many birder “wish” .. one of my HK buddy always say “一寸長一寸強“ mean we always need longer for birding not just reduce disturb, but walk less (haha joking) the longer the focal length allow us to get bigger subject without going too close to the subject.
but many more ask why F9… so for most the manufacturer provide 600mm F6.3 to have the 800mm we need use 1.4x teleconvertor. But than the bigger aperture will be at F9 too !!!! but than this lens before using the 1.4x tc already give us 800mm .. and it is 2kg .. all other xxx-600mm F6.3 … 2.1-2.2kg before adding tc !!!
so let’s go out birding with this lens ! stop ask why why F9 … and some ask why F7.1
I am hopping this lens arrive 10 days ago so I can bring to Sri Lanka birding trip but it arrive just before I am leaving to Taiwan – Indonesia.
Skip the open box, the lens weight 2050kg… I cannot reduce anything more like 100500, RF400mm F2.8 or RF600mm F4 as thetripod collard seem not easy to removed, the hood also cannot be changealready very light (thin and the only part of the lens look fragile).
The lens look long overall, but still manageable before zoom (extend)
– before the 100500 and 200800 extend compare to RF400mm F2.8
– after extend, overall the 200800 is really long to normal handling but when handhold still feel good before go to the field .
