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Canon RF 600mm F11 IS STM Review

Having agreed to loan us the Canon RF 600mm f11, we were excited to find out if this might be the best budget super telephoto lens for Canon. This fixed focal length prime was one of three RF super telephoto lenses to launch back in 2020 for the EOS R mirrorless system, causing quite a stir for being so lightweight, compact and affordable.

There's not too many lenses which are able to reach into the clouds - captured with the Canon EOS R6 II. Camera settings: Camera settings: 1/800 sec. f/11 ISO 100

Having just finished shooting with the premium Canon RF 100-500mm Lens Review, our Canon RF 600mm F11 IS STM Review stays with a long focal width, but heads to the other end of the RF range. We aim to help you decide whether this is perfect for wildlife, bird and general telephoto photography, and discover just how sharp and versatile this lens could be for you.

Whether you're an experienced professional looking for a budget-friendly back-up RF lens, or an amateur who wants a super telephoto to explore new subjects, we shed light on how the RF 600mm f11 IS STM can help you reach new lengths in your photography to capture distant subjects.

Captured with the Canon EOS R5 (cropped). Camera settings: 1/500 sec. f/11 ISO 800

Canon RF 600mm key features

The Canon RF 600mm lens is a full-frame prime lens with a unique extending design, combining exceptional portability with surprisingly strong performance. Its features go well beyond what its price tag implies, which are detailed below.

• Super telephoto reach, placing you right in the action
• 5-stop image stabilisation (IS)
• Smooth and accurate STM focus motor, which is adaptable for stills and video
• Measures just 199.5 mm when not extended
• Weighs 930g
• Customisable lens control ring and focus limiter (12m)
• Minimum focus distance 4.5m
• Maximum 0.14x magnification
• Compatible with Canon RF Extender 1.4x (840mm) and 2x RF Extender (1200mm)
• 82mm lens filter thread

Captured with the Canon EOS R6 II. Camera settings: 1/800 sec. f/11 ISO 8000

What is the RF 600mm f/11 lens for?

With a fixed 600mm focal width, the Canon RF super telephoto lens can reach subjects which are a long way away from the photographer. This allows you to capture a variety of genres including wildlife, birds, sports and aviation, as well as landscapes and more.

The main consideration for this particular model is the f/11 aperture, which requires more available light than a wider aperture, making it a great choice for taking to the zoo, wildlife parks and similar locations.

Captured with the Canon EOS R5 (cropped). Camera settings: 1/400 sec. f/11 ISO 1000

Is the RF 600mm F11 STM compatible?

The RF 600mm F11 STM is compatible with Canon mirrorless EOS R series cameras. We shot with both the EOS R5 and R6 II camera, however it works perfectly with crop sensor bodies such as the R7, where it provides a 1.6x crop factor, which is equivalent to 960mm.

Captured with the Canon EOS R6 II. Camera settings: 1/800 sec. f/11 ISO 4000

What does F11 lens mean?

The RF 600mm has a fixed focal width, and a fixed f/11 (F11) aperture, which means you cannot change either. The aperture refers to the opening which lets light into the lens. F/11 is quite narrow, so you ideally need reasonable amounts of ambient or available light.

The benefit of an f/11 aperture is that you can expect good sharpness, with more of your subject in focus front to back, as f11 offers a greater depth of field. Our guide to camera lenses goes into more detail about how lenses work, what all the names mean and how to choose the right one for your photography.

Captured with the Canon EOS R5. Camera settings: 1/250 sec. f/11 ISO 1000

What is the minimum focus distance for the Canon 600mm F11?

The Canon 600mm F11 minimum focus distance is 4.5 metres, which is ideal for more distant subjects, but can be quite challenging for closer subjects. In practice this makes a great choice for trips to the zoo or photographing stags, where you’ll usually be a reasonable distance from the subject.

Captured with the Canon EOS R5. Camera settings: 1/640 sec. f/11 ISO 2500

Using the RF 600mm lens in the field

The RF 600mm lens’ first noteworthy feature is just how compact and lightweight it is when stowed. This allows you to bring it on longer hikes and travel without the size and weight penalty typically associated with super telephoto lenses. During my time I scoured the landscape for deer across 4-5 miles of hilly terrain and had no issue carrying the lens at all.

Having just read Ben Hall’s wildlife photography tips I was keen to explore local woodland and nature reserves, in order to put what I’d learned into practice, and found it enjoyable to work at such a long telephoto range.

Once you’ve switched on the camera it reminds you to extend the lens into its shooting position, which is done via the unique twist-push-pull type mechanism. Once locked in place, it behaves exactly like any other lens, minus the reduced AF area and the ability to change the aperture value.

With the 4.5m minimum focus distance it helps to adopt a different mindset and scout for shots further afield, so I scanned the horizon for stags and deer, birds and other subjects of interest.

The lens performed well and kept pace with the R5 and R6 II autofocus capabilities, picking up birds in flight and animal eyes exceptionally quickly. While autofocus wasn’t as quick as the more expensive RF 100-500mm F/4.5-7.1 L IS USM Lens, it was able to achieve focus on rutting deer, birds in flight and other critters I saw during my time with the lens. The focus limiter is very useful if your subject remains further afield, reducing the need for the lens to hunt for focus from the minimum to infinity.

You do of course have to compensate for the f11 aperture in some way, so a lot of shots were taken at higher ISOs or by using slightly slower shutter speeds. You can however find the right balance for any suitable telephoto subject and capture beautiful shots using a variety of settings.

There is also plenty of photography software available, which reduces or completely eliminates noise from your RAW files, allowing photographers to work at ISO 1600 and well beyond, while still achieving clean results once processed. Several of the sample shots in this review were captured at ISO 4000 and even ISO 12,800 with workable levels of noise once cleaned.

Captured with the Canon EOS R6 II. Camera settings: 1/640 sec. f/11 ISO 2000

Canon 600mm F11 background blur and bokeh

Despite the narrow aperture, with its long telephoto range the Canon 600mm F11 lens achieves silky smooth background blur in order to separate your subject from distractions. Blur is especially pleasing when the subject is near and the background is further away, so it pays to get into the right position where possible.

Captured with the Canon EOS R6 II. Camera settings: 1/800 sec. f/11 ISO 2000

Canon RF 600mm F11 image quality

Thanks to Canon’s optical know-how, the 600mm lens captures surprisingly strong image quality with great detail, sharpness and contrast. It had no problem resolving 45 megapixel images from the R5 sensor and harnesses subject detection AF without issues, although the focus area is reduced to around 40% horizontal and 60% vertical coverage.

Captured with the Canon EOS R5 Camera settings: 1/400 sec. f/11 ISO 1000

Best Canon RF 600mm F11 lens accessories

There are several useful accessories for the Canon RF 600mm F11, starting with the optional Lens Hood ET-88B for RF 600mm F/11 Lens. A hood reduces incidental light in most situations, and therefore absolutely essential at this type of focal length.

The 82mm front filter thread enables you to add lens filters as required, such as a UV or circular polarising filter, both of which are useful when shooting in the great outdoors. For an even longer range you can choose to add either the RF Extender 1.4x or 2x RF Extender, which increase the focal width up to 840mm and 1200mm on a full-frame camera. An extender is helpful when you are not able to move closer to your subject.

In summary the Canon RF 600mm F11 IS STM is a remarkably compact and lightweight super telephoto lens, which is perfect for capturing a variety of distant subjects. Once you have learned how to work with its limitations the lens will reward you with beautifully sharp and detailed results, excellent background blur and accurate colours.

It also offers decent build quality for outdoor photography, and strikes a fine balance between affordability and practical features. Shop for your Canon RF 600mm f11 lens today and explore a whole new world of telephoto subjects.

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By Nick Dautlich on 18/10/2023