topic 100-400L ii replacement suggestions in Gear Guide

100-400L ii replacement suggestions

ekrartona — Sat, 06 Jun 2026 13:21:40 GMT

Hi, since I'm the happy owner of the RF 100-400 I'm willing to sell my EF 100-400L ii to replace it with something else as is getting little use.

I am strongly considering the ef 300 2.8 IS first version but I'm here to ask your opinion on this!

I mainly shoot birds with an r7, I like to shoot at dusk to include environment. Handholding or with an heavy fluid head (Manfrotto 502). I don't post much online but I print, so high sharpness and accurate autofocus are necessary. Whether sealing is much appreciated but not necessary.

What about a 70-200? f/2.8 or f/4? Ef or RF? What about the ef 300 F4? Any other hidden gem you know I'm missing? Thanks

Re: 100-400L ii replacement suggestions

shadowsports — Sat, 06 Jun 2026 13:31:40 GMT

Greetings,

So you are shooting birds with a 32 MP sensor and full frame lenses. This is giving you a more narrow field of view with cropping ability.

I'd probably recommend the RF 200-800 or the RF 100-500 for wildlife. That brings up your preferred shooting scenarios. Dusk and evening. Both of my recommendations offer more comfortable focal length and reach, They don't offer the constant f2.8 that a EF 300 would. However, neither has to be adapted. Just because my preference is RF doesn't mean that a EF lens on a mirrorless body is a bad choice. I had very good luck adapting EF lenses to my R5 C until I fully migrated to RF glass.

Some other strengths that you'd probably see using RF over EF is better subject tracking and faster focus acquisition. Maybe this isn't as important to you If all you shoot is stationary subjects. You could see some rolling shutter using an older adapted EF lens when shooting high frame rates. Maybe not with mechanical shutter but definitely with electronic. This may or may not be applicable to your use cases.

It might be worthwhile for you to rent One or more of these lenses before making a final decision.

Re: 100-400L ii replacement suggestions

SignifDigits — Mon, 08 Jun 2026 20:18:01 GMT

According to https://canon.jp/support/repair/period the repair period for the EF 300 f/2.8 will end November 2028. I agree with @shadowsports about rental being a good idea before making such a significant purchase.

The EF 70-200 was a great lens. I still have one but will be selling it as a I bought the RF Z version. I'm on a R6 Mark II. The AF is faster, weight is lighter, coatings slightly better, etc. It's just a better, lighter, faster lens because it's a latest technology lens. I wouldn't personally buy nor recommend a new EF lens again for an RF camera (used, yes, but not new).

Only you can decide about focal length. I also like my RF 200-800. It's a great value IMO, and you can see a ton of examples of folks shooting birds with it in the gallery. Yes, it's a bit dark, but IBIS and IS buy several stops for low light. I've taken several 800mm shots and marveled at the IS and IBIS combination shooting handheld, and even how well it does what are effectively macro shots.

Good luck on your decision!