topic Re: Canon 100-500 vs 200-800 for bird photography. in Gear Guide

Canon 100-500 vs 200-800 for bird photography.

aloma — Sat, 18 Oct 2025 05:28:09 GMT

Hi, I currently have a 100-500. I'm not getting the range I need. I tried a teleconverter and was unhappy with the results.

My big issue is the 200-800 doesn't have the "L" quality I'm used to. The worst thing the reviews said is it's bad in low light. I don't think that will be an issue in Florida.

I photograph large water birds. I've been having an issue where I can't get close enough and have to crop the hell out of it and photo quality takes a dive. It's not a common issue, but I'd get way more useable photographs if I had the extra 300mm.

I do not want to buy this and be disappointed with the picture quality. It's going to be paired with an r1.

Re: Canon 100-500 vs 200-800 for bird photography.

jrhoffman75 — Sat, 18 Oct 2025 11:49:12 GMT

rent one and see if it meets your needs.

Re: Canon 100-500 vs 200-800 for bird photography.

jrhoffman75 — Sat, 18 Oct 2025 12:54:45 GMT

https://community.usa.canon.com/t5/Share-Your-Photos/Shy-Male-Kingfisher-Taken-with-Canon-R3-and-Canon-200-800-lens/td-p/571632

Re: Canon 100-500 vs 200-800 for bird photography.

March411 — Sat, 18 Oct 2025 13:26:10 GMT

Renting one will take all the guess work out of your decision. I own the RF100-500mm F4.5-7.1 L IS USM and the RF200-800mm F6.3-9 IS USM, both lenses perform fantastic and the approximate 1.5 stops I lose on the RF200-800mm has rarely had impact. Knowing the limitations of the RF200-800mm I pack accordingly.

As for the quality, while the RF200-800mm isn't an L lens the IQ is very compatible to the RF100-500mm. We all know how the old saying goes, you get what you pay for.....

At half the price of the RF100-500mm there are some compromises that you will have to decide if you can live with if you pick one up. Personally, I'm a big fan of the RF200-800mm, it gives me quality images. Two things that bother me are having to manhandle the lens to get it to rack from 200-800mm, I normally twist the body/lens and the narrow FOV for birds in flight.

Re: Canon 100-500 vs 200-800 for bird photography.

shadowsports — Sat, 18 Oct 2025 13:30:03 GMT

Both @JFG and @March411 have posted wildlife images captured with their RF 200-800's. They are absolutely beautiful. I've used mine to capture images of the moon. IMO, it's a fantastic lens for the money. Take John's advice and rent one for a week. 😉

Marc's photos

https://community.usa.canon.com/t5/media/gallerypage/user-id/230711/tab/all

Joe's photos

https://community.usa.canon.com/t5/media/gallerypage/user-id/218934/image-id/70754i3D7AC4C4C4129E8E/tab/all

Rick's Moon Shot

https://community.usa.canon.com/t5/media/gallerypage/user-id/99879/image-id/60856iC2A8FFAAA40C82EE/tab/all