Canon 800mm f5.6L IS 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.
What type of photography is the Canon 800mm f5.6L IS USM lens good for?
The type of photography that you are planning to use the Canon 800mm f5.6L IS 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 | Poor |
| Travel | Poor |
| Street | Poor |
| Wedding | Poor |
| Walk Around | Poor |
| Vlogging | Poor |
| Landscape | Poor |
| Macro | Poor |
Lenses in Canon EF Mount with Same Focal and Aperture Range
Canon 800mm f5.6L IS 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 800mm f5.6L IS USM Lens
Here, we've included a summary of the advantages and disadvantages of the Canon EF 800mm f5.6L IS 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 |
| DoF(Depth of Field) Scale |
| Compatible with Canon Teleconverters |
| Tripod Collar |
| Full-time Manual Focusing |
| Covers Full-Frame Sensor |
| 8 Diaphragm Blades |
| 800mm reach great for Wildlife Photography |
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Buy Canon 800mm f5.6L IS USM from Amazon or B&H PHOTO
| Slow Aperture for a Prime Lens |
| Heavy |
| Pricey |
Lens Mount
Canon 800mm f5.6L IS 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 800mm f5.6L IS USM has a maximum diameter of 163mm and total length of 461mm. It weighs 4500g / 158.7 oz.
Canon 800mm f5.6L IS USM has a filter thread of 52mm.
Focal Range
Canon 800mm f5.6L IS USM has a fixed focal length of 800mm. When it is mounted on an APS-C sensor camera with 1.6x crop, it provides an 35mm (FF) equivalent of 1280mm.
Teleconverter Compatibility
Canon 800mm f5.6L IS USM is compatible with the Teleconverter lenses below:
Canon 800mm f5.6L IS USM Focal Range and Aperture Change with Teleconverter
Weather Sealings
Canon 800mm f5.6L IS 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 800mm f5.6L IS USM with a weather sealed camera body such as Canon 1D X III, Canon 6D MII and Canon 5D MIV.
Optical Image Stabilization
Canon 800mm f5.6L IS 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 461mm and a weight of 4500g, the Canon 800mm f5.6L IS 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 800mm f5.6L IS USM has a Max Magnification Ratio of 0.14x and has a minimum focusing distance of 6m. 0.14x means that the max magnification ratio is very low and not suitable even for modest close-up shots.
Aperture
Canon 800mm f5.6L IS USM has a max aperture of F5.6 and a minimum aperture of F32.0.
Optical Formula
Canon 800mm f5.6L IS USM's optical formula consists of 18 elements in 14 groups . Following special elements are used in this design:
- Super Spectra lens coatings
- Aspherical elements to correct spherical aberrations
- refracting Fluorite
- UDSuper UD (ultra-low dispersion) elements
Lens Hood
Canon 800mm f5.6L IS USM doesn't come with a lens hood but there is an optional lens hood with a part code of ET-155 that you can order separately.
Body Colour
Canon 800mm f5.6L IS USM is available in White color.
Popular Comparisons of Canon 800mm f5.6L IS USM
Here is the eight most popular comparisons of Canon 800mm f5.6L IS USM amongst Camera Decision readers.