Canon RF 400mm f/2.8L IS Review (physically awesome, optically impeccable)

So, we are talking about a $12,000 lens here. Welcome to a new Canon RF 400mm f/2.8L IS review. How doesn’t have a spare kidney?

At a glance:

• RF-Mount Lens/Full-Frame Format
• Aperture Range: f/2.8 to f/32
• Optical Image Stabilizer
• Super UD and Fluorite Elements
• Super Spectra and Air Sphere Coatings
• Customizable Electronic Focusing Ring
• Two Focus Presets
• Circular 9-Blade Diaphragm
• Weather-Sealed Design, Fluorine Coating
• Rotatable Tripod Collar

Christopher Frost posted his Canon RF 400mm f/2.8L IS review. He says:

This is literally the highest quality camera lens I have ever handled – physically awesome, optically impeccable…and incredibly expensive. Canon have been honing the craft of designing and producing these lenses for years, now: what can this latest version achieve to make it worth its asking price?

Watch the video below to learn what makes this lens so awesome, and so expensive.

Another rather interesting Canon RF 400mm f/2.8L IS review can be seen here.

Canon RF 400mm f/2.8L IS:

America: B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA
Europe & UK: Amazon DE, Amazon UK, Amazon IT, Canon IT, WEX Photographic, Canon FR, Canon UK, Canon DE

The Canon RF400mm F2.8L IS USM and Canon RF600mm F4L IS USM are both designed to be optically identical to their EF counterparts. The RF400mm and RF600mm weigh in at 6.37 and 6.81 pounds with a minimum focusing distance of 8.2 and 13.8 feet, respectively. Both lenses share many of the same critical features that help professional high-end super-telephoto lenses stand out from the crowd. Those features include:

• Ideal for a wide variety of shooting situations, including sports, aviation, trains, automotive, and wildlife, such as birding.
• Optical Image Stabilization with up to 5.5 stops6 of shake correction. Including three IS Operation Modes — still subjects, panning, and irregular movement.
• Proprietary Canon lens coatings, Super Spectra Coating (SSC), and Air Sphere Coating (ASC) help minimize ghosting and flaring. Lens placement and coatings are optimized to provide users with clear, high-contrast images even when there is a bright light source.
• Lenses include fluorite and super UD lens elements arranged in such a way to help correct chromatic aberration and make the models more compact. Like the latest Canon EF400mm f/2.8L IS III USM and EF600mm f/4L IS III USM lenses, released in the fall of 2018, weight on these RF-series super-telephotos has been significantly reduced vs. previous-generation Canon super tele designs.
• Compatible with Canon RF 1.4x and 2x extenders, and feature a customizable electronic focus ring, with manual focus capability during SERVO AF.
• A nine-blade circular aperture provides users beautiful bokeh and ideally blurred backgrounds when the aperture is stopped down.
• For added convenience when on a shoot, two focus presets are available. Users can instantly return to one of two memorized focus distances.
• Rugged Canon L-series dust and water-resistant design with vibration and shock resistance. The front element has been dressed with a fluorine coating for easy cleaning.
• Infrared reflective pigments with high reflectance and titanium oxide lens barrel coating with silica provide excellent UV weather resistance and heat reduction.