Canon RF 100-400mm 5.6-8.0 IS USM

Yes, the Canon RF 100-400mm f/5.6-8 IS USM may not be the most fancy lens around, but it has to balance price and quality. Unlike lenses with shorter focal lengths, the center of attention is usually near the image center, and the Canon lens is capable of delivering pretty sharp results here. The outer image field is less impressive at the long end of the range. The sweet spot in terms of sharpness is around the 200mm mark, with a quite even performance here. Lateral CAs are good at 100mm but increase quite a bit the more you zoom out. However, image auto-correction will help here, as well as with the pincushion distortion that is present from the mid-range up. The raw vignetting is reasonably well-controlled and mostly gone with auto-correction. A weakness is the bokeh. To start with, the depth-of-field is usually quite broad, limiting the blur in the out-of-focus area substantially. The bokeh rendering is also somewhat harsh, and the "bubble-like" highlights may not be everybody's darling on such a mainstream lens. The build quality is decent relative to the price of the lens. The plastic quality feels quite good, and at least our sample didn't exhibit any wobbling. The target audience will surely also appreciate the compact size and low weight. A drawback of a lens that is often going to be used outdoors is the lack of weather-sealing. And while we are at cost-savings - Canon should abandon its practice of not providing a lens hood with its consumer-grade lenses. A plastic hood is a penny item for them, really, and asking an additional $25 is a bit ridiculous. The AF is both snappy as well as silent. The image stabilizer works effectively, although you shouldn't rely on the 5-6 f-stop gain that Canon is promising. Overall, the Canon RF 100-400mm f/5.6-8 IS USM is a good lens for the money, especially for those with a lower-megapixel camera body. If you want more ... well ... the RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1 USM L IS will cost you 5x this much.

Highly Recommended – The right specification, the right quality and the right price.

The RF 100-400mm becomes Canon’s most affordable telephoto zoom for the EOS R system without adapting an older EF lens. The optical quality is excellent for the money with sharp results across the frame near and far, and at the maximum - albeit modest - apertures. Canon’s kept the price, size and weight low by deploying a fairly dim f5.6-8 aperture which means you won’t achieve much blurring unless you’re very close to the subject and if you need a fast shutter to freeze any action, you’ll also need to be shooting in good light or be at peace with high ISOs. As a lower-priced lens, the RF 100-400 also lacks weather-sealing and a lens hood in the box, although Canon hasn’t skimped on focusing which is fast enough to capture fast action and impressively lacks any breathing. It also works with the RF teleconverters throughout the zoom range. So while the RF 100-400 lacks the glamour of the EF 100-400 or RF 100-500, I’m pleased Canon’s producing a selection of more affordable, not to mention lighter, native RF lenses alongside its flagship L series. As such the RF 100-400 is easy to recommend if you want long-reach from a native RF zoom without breaking the bank or your back.