Customer reviews from usa.canon.com
Canon - EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM Super Telephoto Lens for Most EOS SLR Cameras - White
Average customer rating
5
(3 Reviews)
Rating breakdown 3 reviews
5 Stars
3
4 Stars
0
3 Stars
0
2 Stars
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1 Star
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100%of customers recommend this product.
(
2 out of
2)
Customer Reviews for Canon - EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM Super Telephoto Lens for Most EOS SLR Cameras - White
Customer Rating
5
Canon's best long lens
on January 17, 2015
Posted by: Taylorphototexas
from Redmond, WA
So I decided long ago I'm not going to own every super telephoto for a number of reasons which are probably obvious to most people. Cost, weight, bulk, etc. I already had a 300mm f/2.8L and I have the "little" 400mm f/5.6L. So I decided I was only going to buy ONE lens larger than these. I looked at the 400, the 500, the 600, and the 800. I spent an entire year deciding. I wanted long reach, so having the 400 using with a 2x TC for 800/5.6 seemed a little crazy to me. For a little more money I could actually HAVE the 800, albeit with less versatility. In the end, I figured with the 600 f/4L I could use a 1.4x extender and i'm effectively at 840mm f/5.6. Also I come from an astronomy background where "it's all about the objective lens" and this one has the largest of all the super telephotos. So I get more reach than the 800 at f/5.6, very sharp with the 1.4x by the way and no noticeable focusing impact in decent light. Also I can use it without for 600mm, and I can use the 1.4x with the 300 to get 420mm f/4. Truthfully when I'm shooting soccer the 300 is long enough without the extender, and for wildlife the 600 is never too big. I bring along the 300 and 2nd body, or sometimes I'll shoot with 70-200 f/2.8. The reason I'm talking about all of these other lenses is that none of them are super telephoto. So in fact what I'm saying is for me the 600 is the one to buy. Maximum bang for the buck in terms of reach and autofocus / stabilization goodness. This is the holy grail of canon lenses, my friends. Don't let the 800 intimidate you; this objective is larger and with the 1.4x it outperforms the 800 in my humblest of opinions. I've also used this lens on manual focus with the 2x extender III for moon images and it does a ridiculously incredible job. 1200mm f/8 rivals some pretty serious refracting telescopes out there. Oh yeah, and it looks huge and intimidating but it's not all that heavy. In fact it's just a few pounds more than the 300. I'm totally happy with this beast!
Written by a customer while visiting usa.canon.com
Customer Rating
5
perfect wildlife/avian lens
on March 7, 2013
Posted by: Vern
I rented both the 500mm f4 II and 600mm f4 II for a week before deciding on the 600mm. They are both excellent lenses in every respect and I carefully 'weighed' this choice. The decision maker for me was the extra reach with the 600 and the fact that (at that time) newer canon bodies would only AF at a minimum of f5.6. This eliminated adding the 2XIII and having AF, which is just about essential for lenses of this focal length when shooting moving subjects (e.g. - birds). The other factor I weighed was the mass of the lens (not that funny, but true). The 500 is the right choice if you can't heft the 600 around on a tripod with a solid gimbal head - it really feels much lighter. After trying the 600, I was satisfied that I could manage the weight. Both of these lenses give excellent sharpness alone and with the 1.4XIII, but I found the 840mm focal length with the 600 + 1.4X just about perfect for small perching birds and handheld action shots of hummers. For small birds you just need the extra focal length. I use the lens frequently w/o a converter for high school sports and larger wildlife (deer etc...) and I'm delighted with the sharpness and contrast at all apertures - though I shoot wide open 90% of the time w or w/o the converter. If you invest in one of these super tele's and do not already have a solid tripod and a gimbal head, I would strongly encourage you to budget for one. While I can handhold the lens in certain situations when I need maximum tracking mobility, a tripod or monopod with a gimbal head enables a full day of shooting w/o risking your back. I really don't have a negative thing to say about the performance of this lens - the AF is super fast even w tele's, the extra choices of focus distance limiters really helps when shooting birds in trees (even a great AF system is challenged here), the IS modes are super (I get good images at 1/100 sec handheld most of the time and 1/30 occasionally on a monopod), weather sealed, nice hood, solid case. The price is a bit of a shock, but I can't see a better value if you love avian & wildlife photography. My wish list for the next generation of super teles (if I live that long) is a built in 1.4X like the planned 200-400 f4 zoom. It would be wonderful to quickly swing that in and out of the optics w/o fiddling around - there just isn't time w wildlife. The added weight and cost would be OK w me.
Pros: Fast auto-focus, Super-sharp images, Superior build quality, great w teleconverters, focus limit switches, three is modes
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting usa.canon.com
Customer Rating
5
Best Super Tele...Period!
on January 28, 2014
Posted by: 5d3-shooter
from Maine
I have other Super Teles, including the 800mm. I traded up from the 600mm VI and unlike with my 400mm I can tell the difference in the Vi and VII!
All around just a perfect lens, in every way, nothing else to say!
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting usa.canon.com