The Canon 600mm f/4 L IS USM is an unique lens in many respects. It gives enough magnification to take frame-filling photos of distant subjects like birds and wildlife, and it has a wide aperture that allows to get clean background and fast shutter speeds. Last bust not least, it employs the excellent Canon image stabilization, that reduces the effects of shake by the equivalent of 2-3 stops.
Lens Specifications
Focal length: 600 mm
Lens construction: 17 elements in 13 groups
Number of Diaphragm Blades: 8 blades
Angle of view: 2.87º (on APS-C camera), 4.13º (on 35mm camera)
Max. Magnification: 0.12x (1:8.3)
Maximum Aperture: f/4
Minimum Aperture: f/32
Image stabilization: Yes
Autofocus: Inner ultrasonic motor
Full Time Manual Focus: Yes
Closest Focusing Distance: 5.50 meters
Filter size: 52 mm (Drop-In)
Dimensions (Diameter x Length): 168 x 456 mm
Weight: 5,360 g
Weather sealing: Yes
Price: $ 7,200 at B&H
Announced: 1999
Accessories: Rear cap, front cap, lens hood (ET-160), tripod socket, lens case
In The Field
The 600 f/4 is large, heavy and rock solid lens. The body is made of magnesium-alloy, and it is entirely weather sealed: this is clearly a lens made for heavy and continuous professional use. The front element is actually a flat glass, that can be easily replaced by a Canon Service Center, if it is damaged.
The lens has a robust, non-removable tripod collar. The weight and the bulk of this lens require a professional tripod: the best choice is the Gitzo 1548 with the Wimberley Head II, a very specialized head that is designed for super telephoto lenses as the 600 IS. Between the tripod collar and the mount there is a filter holder, where you can insert a gelatin filter. It is quite useless (I don't know any photographer that uses filter with such lenses), but you have the leave it in its place, because it is a part of the optical system (even without a filter).
Next to the tripod mount there are five switches and a button. The first one is the Focus Limiter switch: you can choose between 5.5meters-infinity, 16.2mt-infinity, 5.5mt-16.mt. Reducing the AF range improves visibly the AF speed, and it is particularly useful in low light or with non-professional cameras. The second switch is for AF/MF. For wildlife photography, I use always autofocus: this lens has "Full Time Manual Focus", too, so it is possible to focus manually in every moment, even if the focus switch is set on AF.
The image stabilizator has two switches. The first one allows to turn it on or off: I keep it on all the time. The manual supplied with the lens tells to turn off IS when you mount the lens on the tripod, but this is clearly wrong, as Canon itself has stated in many other occasions (see the Canon CPS FAQ for more information). The first generation IS created some problems when the lens was mounted on the tripod, but the supertele have second generation IS, that can be kept on even with the tripod. The second IS switch allows to select the IS Mode 1 or the IS Mode 2. The Mode 1 correct shake both horizontally and vertically, while Mode 2 acts only vertically: when you use this lens for panning, you have to select mode 2, otherwise the IS will try to compensate your (intended) movements.
The last switch works together with the "SET" button and the focus preset ring. The focus preset is a very useful function that allows to memorize a distance, and to come back instantly to this distance when you turn the FP ring. To use the FP, set the switch on "I" (active) or "((" (active, with beep). Focus on the distance that you want to memorize and press the the SET button. Now, you can instantly come back to this distance turning the FP ring; if you have activated the FP in "((" the lens emits a little beep when the focus is achieved. This function is very useful when you photograph subjects at very different distances: for example, you are photographing a pair of egrets far away, but you know that a kingfisher might perch in every instant on the branch 10 meters in front of you. Set the focus on the branch, save the distance and then come back photographing the egrets. When the kingfisher finally arrives on the branch, turn the FP ring, and the lens will focus immediately on the right distance.
The focus ring is very large and very smooth. What it the purpose of a manual focus ring on a lens that will be used 99% of times in AF? Simple: it allows to reduce the time for AF acquisition. In some situations (e.g. low light, low contrast subjects, etc), the AF takes some time to find the right subject, but you can help it turning the focus ring close to the subject. As already said, this lens has FTM, so you can use manual focus in every moment, even if the AF is turned on.
Next to the focus ring, there is a much slimmer ring: it is the already mentioned "Focus Present" ring. Rotate slightly this ring to move the focus on the memorized distance.
Next to the front of the lens there are four back buttons. These are the AF lock buttons: press one of them and the AF stay locked until you release the button. Personally, I find then very awkward to use on a long lens as the 600 IS: I much prefect to use the AF lock button on the body of the camera. The AF lock is very useful when you are photographing a still subjects: you can focus on the eye with the center AF sensor (the most precise one), then lock the focus and recompose the photo.
The lens hood is extremely large, but surprisingly light. It is also extremely expensive to replace (it cost more than an entry level DSLR!), so it better to don't lose or damage it ;-)
All Canon supertele don't have a real lens cap, but they use a leather-style cap that covers both the front element, the hood and nearly half of the lens body.
Using this lens in the field is a cool experience. The 600 f/4 is provided with a carrying case, that has the same build quality of the lens: sturdy and rock solid, but quite large and not light at all. You can even lock the case with a couple of keys, and it can be carried both horizontally or vertically. It is not easy to carry around this heavy and bulky beast but ,once you have mounted it on your sturdy Gitzo 1548 tripod with Wimberley head, it is a joy to look into viewfinder.
The reach of the bare 600 is good for many subjects - and with the 1.4x and 2.0x you have enough reach even for the most shy ones. When you half-press the shutter button, the lens snaps quickly into focus, thanks to the super fast ring-USM AF motor. The teleconverters slow down the AF by 25% (1.4x TC) and by 50% (2.0x TC), but it is still quite fast. Remember that you can use the AF with a f/8 lens (i.e. 600 f4+2xTC) only on the 1 series cameras; with the other cameras you can't use the 2x with AF (unless you use some trick, as the taped pins).
The image stabilization is just fantastic! Turn IS on, and the image into viewfinder ceases to shake. The stabilization is very useful even with fast shutter speeds and tripod: with a focal length of 600, 840 or 1200mm, even the most stable support has a little of shake, in particular if you don't lock the tripod head screws to have the agility to follow the subject.
Similar Lenses (for Canon EOS)
Sigma offers a super tele zoom, the Sigma 300-800mm f/5.6 EX HSM. Even though it is a sharp and versatile lens, I'd not recommend it; it lacks of the image stabilization and built quality of the Canon 600 IS.
The only real alternative to the Canon 600 IS is the cheaper, smaller and lighter Canon EF 500mm f/4 L IS USM. You have to consider what is more important for you: reach or portability?
Both of them are outstanding lenses, but I have chosen the 600 IS because I'm used to carry heavy equipment thus I don't mind the difference of weight, and I really want the additional reach of the 600.
Image Quality
The Canon 600 IS has the potential to deliver superb image quality, even wide open at f/4. The sharpness is awesome; vignetting, distortion and chromatic aberration are non-existent. That said, it is not easy to fulfill the potential of this lens: you have to fight two great issues, the motion blur and the atmospheric distortion.
The very long focal exacerbates every slight movement, that might result in motion blur. IS helps to reduce the shake, but you need also a sturdy tripod and a specialized head (I recommend the Gitzo 1548 with WH-200 head). Other than that, a fast shutter speed is ideal to avoid both the blur created by lens shake and subject movements.
The atmospheric distortion is an issue almost unknown to those who don't have a supertele. When you frame a very distant subject with a lens like the 600 IS, you "pass through" a lot of air. Humidity and heat waves can lower very much the image quality of the lens. In very warm days, the effect is impressive: if you frame a distant subject you can literally see the heat waves!
Usually, cold days allows to get the best image quality with distant subject, but at shorter distances (i.e. between 5 and 30 meters) you get almost always an good quality, even in warm days.
The following samples show the image quality of the lens between f/4 and f/8. The image quality is great even at smaller apertures (up to f/16) but, since this lens will be often used at its widest apertures, I choose to show some samples taken at these settings (two at f/4, one at f/5.6 and another at f/8). The photos had been taken in RAW format and converted with Photoshop CS2; I processed them to optimize the image quality (contrast, color, sharpness), and I saved them as high-quality JPEG for web display. You can download both the processed JPEG and the original, untouched RAW file.
[image samples in full review]
Canon EF 600mm f/4 L IS USM + Canon EF 1.4X TC II
The Canon EF 1.4x TC is a fantastic accessory for this lens: it transform the 600 f/4 in a 840 f/5.6. All teleconverters reduce, more or less, the images quality, but with the 600 IS the loss of sharpness is truly minimal, even wide open (i.e. at f/5.6). I shoot very often at f/5.6 with 600IS+1.4xTC, and I am very satisfied by the results. Of course, the two previously mentioned issues are even more pressing, but if you manage to avoid them you can take awesome and unique photos.
Using the teleconverter is very straightforward: mount it on the lens, and then mount the camera on the lens/teleconverter combo. To remove the TC, first remove the camera, then press the release on the left side of the TC, and rotate it to the left. If you observe closely the TC, you will notice that it is weather sealed: it is an "L" lens in every respect, even if Canon don't use the "L" designation for teleconverters.
The only downside of this TC is the unavoidable loss of 1 stop of light...the image quality, as already said, is excellent, and the AF remains pretty fast even for wildlife subjects. I use it on my 600 f4 the 90% of time.
The following samples show the image quality of the lens wide open (f/5.6) and at f/8. The photos had been taken in RAW format and converted with Photoshop CS2; I processed them to optimize the image quality (contrast, color, sharpness), and I saved them as high-quality JPEG for web display. You can download both the processed JPEG and the original, untouched RAW file.
Pros
. Excellent image quality, even wide open and with 1.4x TC
. Great reach (600, 840 and 1200 mm)
. Fast AF and very useful focus preset
. Very useful and effective image stabilization
. First rate built quality; weather sealed
. The short focusing distance allows to photograph small subject
Cons
. Heavy and bulky
. Very expensive!
Conclusion
The Canon 600 f/4 is heavy and bulky. It is very expensive, and you have to consider the cost and the bulk of a professional tripod and Wimberley head, too. Nevertheless, I love this lens! If you are seriously interested to wildlife photography, the reach and the quality of the 600 f/4 are truly unparalleled. I highly recommend the Canon 600 f/4 L IS USM to professionals and serious hobbyists who want the ultimate lens for wildlife photography.
"Remember that you can use the AF with a f/8 lens (i.e. 600 f4+2xTC) only on the 1 series cameras; with the other cameras you can't use the 2x with AF (unless you use some trick, as the taped pins)."
Can you enlighten me about such a trick please? Specifically, can I persuade my 10d to autofocus with a 300mm f4 IS lens and x2 teleconverter? To be able to do so would be fantastic!
Hi Ian,
the first three pins on the TC tells to the camera that a TC is being used. If the max aperture becomes f/8 or smaller, the camera (except 1D) disable AF - I guess that Canon do this to sell more 1 series bodies ;-)
If you put a small piece of tape on these pins, the camera don't see the TC and it focusses even at f/8. I don't know exactly how much it influences AF, but I have tried it briefly with the TC of a friend and the AF looked still quite good (350D+600f4+2X)...my 2X should arrive in a couple of weeks, as soon as I get it I'll report the results in depth.
Thanks Juza. I tried this and the AF was no longer disabled, but it would not achieve focus at all. Perhaps the evening light wasn't bright enough. I'll try again in better light and let you know. I do appreciate your help.
Hi Ian,
the lens becomes effectively f/8 so you need quite a lot of light. Other than that, you should use the center AF sensor to get the best AF (the center sensor is finer and more sensitive than the other ones).
Discussion
6 repliesThe Canon 600mm f/4 L IS USM is an unique lens in many respects. It gives enough magnification to take frame-filling photos of distant subjects like birds and wildlife, and it has a wide aperture that allows to get clean background and fast shutter speeds. Last bust not least, it employs the excellent Canon image stabilization, that reduces the effects of shake by the equivalent of 2-3 stops.
Lens Specifications
Focal length: 600 mm
Lens construction: 17 elements in 13 groups
Number of Diaphragm Blades: 8 blades
Angle of view: 2.87º (on APS-C camera), 4.13º (on 35mm camera)
Max. Magnification: 0.12x (1:8.3)
Maximum Aperture: f/4
Minimum Aperture: f/32
Image stabilization: Yes
Autofocus: Inner ultrasonic motor
Full Time Manual Focus: Yes
Closest Focusing Distance: 5.50 meters
Filter size: 52 mm (Drop-In)
Dimensions (Diameter x Length): 168 x 456 mm
Weight: 5,360 g
Weather sealing: Yes
Price: $ 7,200 at B&H
Announced: 1999
Accessories: Rear cap, front cap, lens hood (ET-160), tripod socket, lens case
In The Field
The 600 f/4 is large, heavy and rock solid lens. The body is made of magnesium-alloy, and it is entirely weather sealed: this is clearly a lens made for heavy and continuous professional use. The front element is actually a flat glass, that can be easily replaced by a Canon Service Center, if it is damaged.
The lens has a robust, non-removable tripod collar. The weight and the bulk of this lens require a professional tripod: the best choice is the Gitzo 1548 with the Wimberley Head II, a very specialized head that is designed for super telephoto lenses as the 600 IS. Between the tripod collar and the mount there is a filter holder, where you can insert a gelatin filter. It is quite useless (I don't know any photographer that uses filter with such lenses), but you have the leave it in its place, because it is a part of the optical system (even without a filter).
Next to the tripod mount there are five switches and a button. The first one is the Focus Limiter switch: you can choose between 5.5meters-infinity, 16.2mt-infinity, 5.5mt-16.mt. Reducing the AF range improves visibly the AF speed, and it is particularly useful in low light or with non-professional cameras. The second switch is for AF/MF. For wildlife photography, I use always autofocus: this lens has "Full Time Manual Focus", too, so it is possible to focus manually in every moment, even if the focus switch is set on AF.
The image stabilizator has two switches. The first one allows to turn it on or off: I keep it on all the time. The manual supplied with the lens tells to turn off IS when you mount the lens on the tripod, but this is clearly wrong, as Canon itself has stated in many other occasions (see the Canon CPS FAQ for more information). The first generation IS created some problems when the lens was mounted on the tripod, but the supertele have second generation IS, that can be kept on even with the tripod. The second IS switch allows to select the IS Mode 1 or the IS Mode 2. The Mode 1 correct shake both horizontally and vertically, while Mode 2 acts only vertically: when you use this lens for panning, you have to select mode 2, otherwise the IS will try to compensate your (intended) movements.
The last switch works together with the "SET" button and the focus preset ring. The focus preset is a very useful function that allows to memorize a distance, and to come back instantly to this distance when you turn the FP ring. To use the FP, set the switch on "I" (active) or "((" (active, with beep). Focus on the distance that you want to memorize and press the the SET button. Now, you can instantly come back to this distance turning the FP ring; if you have activated the FP in "((" the lens emits a little beep when the focus is achieved. This function is very useful when you photograph subjects at very different distances: for example, you are photographing a pair of egrets far away, but you know that a kingfisher might perch in every instant on the branch 10 meters in front of you. Set the focus on the branch, save the distance and then come back photographing the egrets. When the kingfisher finally arrives on the branch, turn the FP ring, and the lens will focus immediately on the right distance.
The focus ring is very large and very smooth. What it the purpose of a manual focus ring on a lens that will be used 99% of times in AF? Simple: it allows to reduce the time for AF acquisition. In some situations (e.g. low light, low contrast subjects, etc), the AF takes some time to find the right subject, but you can help it turning the focus ring close to the subject. As already said, this lens has FTM, so you can use manual focus in every moment, even if the AF is turned on.
Next to the focus ring, there is a much slimmer ring: it is the already mentioned "Focus Present" ring. Rotate slightly this ring to move the focus on the memorized distance.
Next to the front of the lens there are four back buttons. These are the AF lock buttons: press one of them and the AF stay locked until you release the button. Personally, I find then very awkward to use on a long lens as the 600 IS: I much prefect to use the AF lock button on the body of the camera. The AF lock is very useful when you are photographing a still subjects: you can focus on the eye with the center AF sensor (the most precise one), then lock the focus and recompose the photo.
The lens hood is extremely large, but surprisingly light. It is also extremely expensive to replace (it cost more than an entry level DSLR!), so it better to don't lose or damage it ;-)
All Canon supertele don't have a real lens cap, but they use a leather-style cap that covers both the front element, the hood and nearly half of the lens body.
Using this lens in the field is a cool experience. The 600 f/4 is provided with a carrying case, that has the same build quality of the lens: sturdy and rock solid, but quite large and not light at all. You can even lock the case with a couple of keys, and it can be carried both horizontally or vertically. It is not easy to carry around this heavy and bulky beast but ,once you have mounted it on your sturdy Gitzo 1548 tripod with Wimberley head, it is a joy to look into viewfinder.
The reach of the bare 600 is good for many subjects - and with the 1.4x and 2.0x you have enough reach even for the most shy ones. When you half-press the shutter button, the lens snaps quickly into focus, thanks to the super fast ring-USM AF motor. The teleconverters slow down the AF by 25% (1.4x TC) and by 50% (2.0x TC), but it is still quite fast. Remember that you can use the AF with a f/8 lens (i.e. 600 f4+2xTC) only on the 1 series cameras; with the other cameras you can't use the 2x with AF (unless you use some trick, as the taped pins).
The image stabilization is just fantastic! Turn IS on, and the image into viewfinder ceases to shake. The stabilization is very useful even with fast shutter speeds and tripod: with a focal length of 600, 840 or 1200mm, even the most stable support has a little of shake, in particular if you don't lock the tripod head screws to have the agility to follow the subject.
Similar Lenses (for Canon EOS)
Sigma offers a super tele zoom, the Sigma 300-800mm f/5.6 EX HSM. Even though it is a sharp and versatile lens, I'd not recommend it; it lacks of the image stabilization and built quality of the Canon 600 IS.
The only real alternative to the Canon 600 IS is the cheaper, smaller and lighter Canon EF 500mm f/4 L IS USM. You have to consider what is more important for you: reach or portability?
Both of them are outstanding lenses, but I have chosen the 600 IS because I'm used to carry heavy equipment thus I don't mind the difference of weight, and I really want the additional reach of the 600.
Image Quality
The Canon 600 IS has the potential to deliver superb image quality, even wide open at f/4. The sharpness is awesome; vignetting, distortion and chromatic aberration are non-existent. That said, it is not easy to fulfill the potential of this lens: you have to fight two great issues, the motion blur and the atmospheric distortion.
The very long focal exacerbates every slight movement, that might result in motion blur. IS helps to reduce the shake, but you need also a sturdy tripod and a specialized head (I recommend the Gitzo 1548 with WH-200 head). Other than that, a fast shutter speed is ideal to avoid both the blur created by lens shake and subject movements.
The atmospheric distortion is an issue almost unknown to those who don't have a supertele. When you frame a very distant subject with a lens like the 600 IS, you "pass through" a lot of air. Humidity and heat waves can lower very much the image quality of the lens. In very warm days, the effect is impressive: if you frame a distant subject you can literally see the heat waves!
Usually, cold days allows to get the best image quality with distant subject, but at shorter distances (i.e. between 5 and 30 meters) you get almost always an good quality, even in warm days.
The following samples show the image quality of the lens between f/4 and f/8. The image quality is great even at smaller apertures (up to f/16) but, since this lens will be often used at its widest apertures, I choose to show some samples taken at these settings (two at f/4, one at f/5.6 and another at f/8). The photos had been taken in RAW format and converted with Photoshop CS2; I processed them to optimize the image quality (contrast, color, sharpness), and I saved them as high-quality JPEG for web display. You can download both the processed JPEG and the original, untouched RAW file.
[image samples in full review]
Canon EF 600mm f/4 L IS USM + Canon EF 1.4X TC II
The Canon EF 1.4x TC is a fantastic accessory for this lens: it transform the 600 f/4 in a 840 f/5.6. All teleconverters reduce, more or less, the images quality, but with the 600 IS the loss of sharpness is truly minimal, even wide open (i.e. at f/5.6). I shoot very often at f/5.6 with 600IS+1.4xTC, and I am very satisfied by the results. Of course, the two previously mentioned issues are even more pressing, but if you manage to avoid them you can take awesome and unique photos.
Using the teleconverter is very straightforward: mount it on the lens, and then mount the camera on the lens/teleconverter combo. To remove the TC, first remove the camera, then press the release on the left side of the TC, and rotate it to the left. If you observe closely the TC, you will notice that it is weather sealed: it is an "L" lens in every respect, even if Canon don't use the "L" designation for teleconverters.
The only downside of this TC is the unavoidable loss of 1 stop of light...the image quality, as already said, is excellent, and the AF remains pretty fast even for wildlife subjects. I use it on my 600 f4 the 90% of time.
The following samples show the image quality of the lens wide open (f/5.6) and at f/8. The photos had been taken in RAW format and converted with Photoshop CS2; I processed them to optimize the image quality (contrast, color, sharpness), and I saved them as high-quality JPEG for web display. You can download both the processed JPEG and the original, untouched RAW file.
[image samples in full review]
Other Reviews
- Canon EF 600mm f/4.0 L IS USM Review by The-Digital-Picture.com
- Canon EF 600mm f/4.0 L IS USM Comments by Robert Royse
Conclusions
Pros
. Excellent image quality, even wide open and with 1.4x TC
. Great reach (600, 840 and 1200 mm)
. Fast AF and very useful focus preset
. Very useful and effective image stabilization
. First rate built quality; weather sealed
. The short focusing distance allows to photograph small subject
Cons
. Heavy and bulky
. Very expensive!
Conclusion
The Canon 600 f/4 is heavy and bulky. It is very expensive, and you have to consider the cost and the bulk of a professional tripod and Wimberley head, too. Nevertheless, I love this lens! If you are seriously interested to wildlife photography, the reach and the quality of the 600 f/4 are truly unparalleled. I highly recommend the Canon 600 f/4 L IS USM to professionals and serious hobbyists who want the ultimate lens for wildlife photography.
Note: this is the NPN version of the review. Full review (with photos and image samples) here: Canon EF 600mm f/4 L IS USM Field Review
"Remember that you can use the AF with a f/8 lens (i.e. 600 f4+2xTC) only on the 1 series cameras; with the other cameras you can't use the 2x with AF (unless you use some trick, as the taped pins)."
Can you enlighten me about such a trick please? Specifically, can I persuade my 10d to autofocus with a 300mm f4 IS lens and x2 teleconverter? To be able to do so would be fantastic!
Ian
the first three pins on the TC tells to the camera that a TC is being used. If the max aperture becomes f/8 or smaller, the camera (except 1D) disable AF - I guess that Canon do this to sell more 1 series bodies ;-)
If you put a small piece of tape on these pins, the camera don't see the TC and it focusses even at f/8. I don't know exactly how much it influences AF, but I have tried it briefly with the TC of a friend and the AF looked still quite good (350D+600f4+2X)...my 2X should arrive in a couple of weeks, as soon as I get it I'll report the results in depth.
More info:
http://www.fredmiranda.com/TipsPage/
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1029&message=16094506
Ian
the lens becomes effectively f/8 so you need quite a lot of light. Other than that, you should use the center AF sensor to get the best AF (the center sensor is finer and more sensitive than the other ones).
Vincent
Botswana