Canon 500mm f4.0L IS II USM is a Fixed aperture Auto Focus (AF)
Super Telephoto Prime lens with Optical Image stabilization and 35mm FF max sensor coverage, and it is designed to be used with Canon EF mount cameras.
Canon replaced the older Canon EF 500mm f4.0L IS USM with this model. Follow the link to read our detailed comparison of these models:
Compare Canon EF 500mm f4.0L IS II USM vs Canon EF 500mm f4.0L IS USM
What type of photography is the Canon 500mm f4.0L IS II USM lens good for?
The type of photography that you are planning to use the Canon 500mm f4.0L IS II USM is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated its suitability to various photography scenarios:
| Photography Type |
Suitability |
| Bird/Wildlife | Excellent |
| Sports | Excellent |
| Portrait | Fair |
| Travel | Poor |
| Street | Poor |
| Wedding | Fair |
| Walk Around | Poor |
| Vlogging | Poor |
| Landscape | Poor |
| Macro | Poor |
Lenses in Canon EF Mount with Same Focal and Aperture Range
Canon 500mm f4.0L IS II USM is a member of Canon's EF L series of lenses. Below you can see the latest lenses in this series.
EF L Series Lenses in Canon EF Mount
Reasons to Buy Canon EF 500mm f4.0L IS II USM Lens
Here we've included a summary of the advantages and disadvantages of the Canon EF 500mm f4.0L IS II USM lens in a list form to help you determine whether it offers the features you need.
| Optical Image Stabilization |
| Weather Sealed |
| Autofocus |
| Distance Scale |
| Compatible with Canon Teleconverters |
| Hood supplied |
| Tripod Collar |
| Full-time Manual Focusing |
| Covers Full-Frame Sensor |
| 9 Diaphragm Blades |
| 500mm reach great for Wildlife Photography |
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Lens Mount
Canon 500mm f4.0L IS II USM is compatible with cameras that have Canon EF lens mount. Some of the latest released cameras that are compatible with the Canon EF lenses are Canon 1D X III, Canon 6D MII and Canon 5D MIV.
Size, Weight and Filter Thread
Size and weight is a very important decision factor when searching for your next lens. Canon 500mm f4.0L IS II USM has a maximum diameter of 146mm and total length of 383mm. It weighs 3190g / 112.5 oz.
Canon 500mm f4.0L IS II USM has a filter thread of 52mm. Below are links to the filters that we recommend you to consider for your Canon 500mm f4.0L IS II USM:
Focal Range
Canon 500mm f4.0L IS II USM has a fixed focal length of 500mm. When it is mounted on an APS-C sensor camera with 1.6x crop, it provides an 35mm (FF) equivalent of 800mm.
Teleconverter Compatibility
Canon 500mm f4.0L IS II USM is compatible with the Teleconverter lenses below:
Canon 500mm f4.0L IS II USM Focal Range and Aperture Change with Teleconverter
Weather Sealings
Canon 500mm f4.0L IS II USM is a weather sealed lens which provides an extra protection to prevent water and dust get inside the lens and camera body under light rain, snow and wind. In order to have an effective protection, you have to pair the Canon 500mm f4.0L IS II USM with a weather sealed camera body such as Canon 1D X III, Canon 6D MII and Canon 5D MIV.
Optical Image Stabilization
Canon 500mm f4.0L IS II USM features an optical image stabilization system which helps to reduce the blur that occurs due to shaking during hand-held shooting.
Tripod Collar
With a total length of 383mm and a weight of 3190g, the Canon 500mm f4.0L IS II USM is a large lens. Fortunately, it comes with a tripod collar which you can use to attach the lens directly to a tripod or monopod instead of attaching the camera. This connection helps to better balance the lens/kit combination.
Maximum Magnification Ratio
Canon 500mm f4.0L IS II USM has a Max Magnification Ratio of 0.15x and has a minimum focusing distance of 3.7m. 0.15x means that the max magnification ratio is very low and not suitable even for modest close-up shots.
Aperture
Canon 500mm f4.0L IS II USM has a max aperture of F4.0 and a minimum aperture of F32.0.
Optical Formula
Canon 500mm f4.0L IS II USM's optical formula consists of 16 elements in 12 groups . Special elements used in this design is 2 fluorite elements.
Lens Hood
Canon 500mm f4.0L IS II USM comes with a removable lens hood which is handy to reduce lens flare and glare in your photos. The model number of the hood is ET-138.
Body Colour
Canon 500mm f4.0L IS II USM is available in White color.
Popular Comparisons of Canon 500mm f4.0L IS II USM
Here is the eight most popular comparisons of Canon 500mm f4.0L IS II USM amongst Camera Decision readers.
Top Alternatives of Canon 500mm f4.0L IS II USM Lens
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