CameraReview

Canon RF 100-400mm F/5.6-8 IS USM

Canon · 100–400 mm · f/5.6–8 · Image Stabilization

Canon RF 100-400mm F/5.6-8 IS USM

Score Breakdown

Scores combine our editorial testing with published lab data.

Physical 64
Optics 52
Features 47
Construction 54
54
SCORE /100
Buying Options
What We Like
+Wide focal length range with powerful magnification
+Ultra-low Dispersion (UD) elements reduce chromatic aberration
+Optical image stabilization gives you 5 stops of compensation
+Nano USM gives you fast and smooth AF
+9-blade rounded aperture for a rich bokeh effect
Worth Knowing
−Majority plastic barrel
−Slow max aperture of f/5.6 at widest angle
−Loss of edge-to-edge sharpness at max aperture
−No weather sealing

General

BrandCanon
Release Year2021
Production Status
ⓘ
Current status of lens manufacturing (e.g., in production, discontinued).
In Production
Lens Mount
ⓘ
The lens mount will tell you what type of lens range you can fit onto the camera body. Often the same camera company will have different lens ranges for different cameras.
Canon RF
System
ⓘ
Indicates which camera system the lens is designed to attach to.
Canon EOS R
Maximum Format
ⓘ
Largest sensor size compatible with the lens.
Full Frame

Physical

64/100
Lens Weight635 g
Lens Diameter
ⓘ
Width of the lens at its widest point
79.5 mm
Lens Length
ⓘ
How long the lens is from front to back.
164.7 mm
Front Filter Compatible
ⓘ
Some lenses are compatible with front filters, some are compatible with back filters and some are compatible with both. Front filters are usually more convenient to add and remove.
Yes
Front Filter Size
ⓘ
Diameter of attachable filters.
67 mm

Optics

52/100
Focal Range
ⓘ
Shortest to longest focal length of the lens (zoom range start - end )
100–400 mm
Aperture Range
ⓘ
Largest aperture at the lens's shortest focal length to longest focal length (aperture range start - end)
5.6–8
Focal Length Angle of View24.42°–6.19°
Flange Focal Distance
ⓘ
Distance from lens mount to sensor.
20 mm
Diaphragm Type
ⓘ
Structure and design of the aperture
Automatic
Blades
ⓘ
Number of diaphragm blades in aperture
9020
Zoom Lens
ⓘ
Zoom allows you to vary the focal length, change between long shots and close-ups
Yes
Zoom Mechanism
ⓘ
System enabling zoom function
Manual
Zoom Ring
ⓘ
If zooming is adjusted using a zoom ring
Yes
Zoom Type
ⓘ
The design or approach to zooming
Rotary
Closest Focusing Distance
ⓘ
Minimum distance for a subject to be in focus.
88 cm01500
Maximum Magnification
ⓘ
Largest size a subject can be reproduced
0.41x
Autofocus ModeYes
Manual ModeYes
Manual Focusing RingYes

Features

47/100
Weather Sealing
ⓘ
Weather sealing capabilities will give you more confidence when shooting in unfavourable conditions.
No
Fluorine Coating
ⓘ
Coating to repel water and oil from lens elements.
No
Built In Lens HoodNo
Lens Hood TypeRound
Zoom Lock
ⓘ
Zoom lock allows the zoom ring to be locked at the desired focal length
Yes
Teleconverter
ⓘ
A teleconverter (extender) is an extra piece of equipment that fits between the lens and the camera body to enhance magnification
Yes
Image StabilizationYes
IS Efficiency
ⓘ
IS efficiency refers to the effectiveness of the image stabilization system in compensating for the blurring effects of camera shake, quantified by the number of stops of stabilization it provides.
5.5 stops

Construction

54/100
Elements
ⓘ
Lens elements refer to individual pieces of glass within the lens.
12
Groups9
Aspherical Elements
ⓘ
The number of aspherical lens elements which can help correct aberrations such as spherical aberration.
1
Bi Aspherical Elements
ⓘ
Elements with two non-spherical surfaces
0
Low Dispersion
ⓘ
Elements that reduce chromatic aberration
1
Super Low Dispersion
ⓘ
Advanced elements further reducing chromatic aberration
0
CA Reduction
ⓘ
Built-in features to reduce chromatic aberration
0
Internal Focusing
ⓘ
Internal Focusing means that the lens does not change in size during focusing, and the front element does not rotate.
Yes