Canon RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1L IS USM.
500mm of reach in a hand-holdable package. The default super-telephoto for R5 and R3 wildlife shooters.
The Verdict.
Gavler Meta-Score
“Canon's go-to RF wildlife zoom: corner-to-corner sharp across the whole range and light enough at 1,370g to carry all day, with weather-sealed L build. The catch is the f/7.1 long end — you'll ride ISO to freeze action at 500mm, and the teleconverters only mount past 300mm. Ideal for daylight wildlife and sports; look elsewhere if you routinely shoot in low light.”
The Gavler Verdict
Where to Buy.
Prices checked regularly
90-day price history
Price History
Steady at $2,899 for the entire 90-day tracking window — no increases, no discounts, across 67 tracked days.
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Precision Engineering
Sharp Corner-to-Corner at 500mm
The-Digital-Picture found it "extremely sharp" from full-frame corner to corner, wide open, across the entire range — a 20-element/14-group design with 1 Super UD and 6 UD elements.
1,370g, ~200g Lighter Than the EF 100-400 II
The retractable L-series barrel keeps a 500mm reach genuinely hand-holdable, undercutting the EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II by roughly 200g.
5-Stop IS, Up to 6 With IBIS
Optical stabilization rated to 5 stops climbs to 6 on the R5/R6, and Servo AF on the R5 impressed reviewers tracking sports.
Technical Specifications
The Scoreboard
Expert 91 sits two points above community 89: testing labs reward the exceptional cross-range sharpness and AF, while owners dock it slightly for the practical sting of the f/7.1 aperture at 500mm and the 300mm teleconverter restriction — real-world frustrations a lab chart doesn't capture.
Cast Your Vote
Do you think Canon RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1L IS USM deserves the #5 spot in Best Telephoto Zoom Lenses?
Global Critique
“Succinctly stated, the Canon RF 100-500mm F4.5-7.1 L IS USM Lens creates extremely sharp images from full-frame corner to full-frame corner, including at wide-open apertures, over the entire focal length range.”
“On test I was impressed by the speed of autofocus when shooting sport with the AF operation of the EOS R5 set to Servo AF.”
“In order to freeze fast action at 500mm f/7.1, you will either need a lot of light and/or boost your ISO settings.”
“Given its L-class designation, the lens is targeting professional users thus it's not surprising that the build quality is superb.”
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