# EF 800 f/5.6L IS II [CR2]



## Canon Rumors Guy (Sep 3, 2013)

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<p><strong>More talk of the biggest of the whites

</strong>We’re told that an announcement for a new EF 800 f/5.6L IS II could come at any time, as the update is “ready to go”.</p>
<p>We’ll see if Canon can price it higher than <a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/918849-REG/nikon_2205_af_s_nikkor_800mm_f_5_6e.html/bi/2466/kbid/3296" target="_blank">Nikon’s version</a>!</p>
<p><strong><span style="color: #ff0000;">c</span>r</strong></p>
```


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## Ellen Schmidtee (Sep 3, 2013)

Updating the lens after 5 years? That would be quick. Is having a superior 800mm lens that important to Canon?


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## vlim (Sep 3, 2013)

I just hope this is not the " big lens " announcement we were talking about last week... i would prefer a " big " lens announcement like a new 100-400 or new 400...


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## viggen61 (Sep 3, 2013)

Ellen Schmidtee said:


> Updating the lens after 5 years? That would be quick. Is having a superior 800mm lens that important to Canon?


+1

I'm sure having the best 800 is important to a lot of folks, but I dare say a lot more folks would rather see improvements to some of the more affordable white lenses, like the 300 f/4, 400 f/5.6, 100-400, and maybe give us a non-DO 400 f/4 for the masses...


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## RVB (Sep 3, 2013)

I had this lens for 4years,I sold it to buy the new Nikon 800,the Nikon is far better than the Canon so i think any Canon user in the Market for an 800 will be glad to see this update,If it had been released already I probably would have bought it as I prefer the EF mount to the F mount..


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## Gadger (Sep 3, 2013)

viggen61 said:


> Ellen Schmidtee said:
> 
> 
> > Updating the lens after 5 years? That would be quick. Is having a superior 800mm lens that important to Canon?
> ...



I Agree  too


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## CTJohn (Sep 3, 2013)

Yippee! Time to break the piggy bank.


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## dstppy (Sep 3, 2013)

Yes, yes they CAN sell it at a higher price.

I think this qualifies as the BIG lens announcement. They get bigger, but at CR2, I doubt we'll be hearing about something else.


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## RGF (Sep 3, 2013)

RVB said:


> I had this lens for 4years,I sold it to buy the new Nikon 800,the Nikon is far better than the Canon so i think any Canon user in the Market for an 800 will be glad to see this update,If it had been released already I probably would have bought it as I prefer the EF mount to the F mount..



Matte they will take a page from the 200-400 play book and incorporate a 1.4 TC into the lens. Then the lens would be close to, if not top, $20,000 -ouch


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## Efka76 (Sep 3, 2013)

I always wonder who buy such lenses  Of course, I would like to try it (on 1dx, which I also do not have  ) From practical reasons such lenses are too much expensive as well as I do not know any other application means except for bird photography (which is not paying off).

It would be very interesting to hear from people who own such lenses the reasons why they bought them and where they use them. I am 99% sure that nobody in my country (Lithuania) has such lenses.


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## neuroanatomist (Sep 3, 2013)

viggen61 said:


> ...maybe give us a non-DO 400 f/4 for the masses...



I'm not sure why this keeps coming up...a non-DO 400/4 will be the same diameter and a bit longer than the 200/2. It won't be 'for the masses,' unless you think 'the masses' can afford a lens that will cost well over $6,000. An 'affordable' 400mm lens will have an f/5.6 aperture, and there are two already (100-400L and 400/5.6), and hopefully we'll see updates to both soon.


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## KyleSTL (Sep 3, 2013)

Ellen Schmidtee said:


> Updating the lens after 5 years? That would be quick. Is having a superior 800mm lens that important to Canon?


Well, you could look at it that way. 

Or you could be excited by the fact that this quick replacement means that Canon has yet again exceeded its own high bar. The original 800mm was sharper than the 600mm IS + 1.4x. Now that the 600mm IS II + 1.4x is sharper than the 800mm, not to mention lighter and has better IS. Currently there is absolutely no reason to buy the 800mm, since better IQ and greater versatility can be had with the 600mm and 1.4x III (for almost identical prices). Canon knows this and will update the 800mm accordingly. 

I know only a very small minority will ever own or use this lenses, but it certainly shows Canon is able to surpass itself in a very short amount of time, and that should make all of us happy (except for the climbing retail prices on these new items).


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## RVB (Sep 3, 2013)

Efka76 said:


> I always wonder who buy such lenses  Of course, I would like to try it (on 1dx, which I also do not have  ) From practical reasons such lenses are too much expensive as well as I do not know any other application means except for bird photography (which is not paying off).
> 
> It would be very interesting to hear from people who own such lenses the reasons why they bought them and where they use them. I am 99% sure that nobody in my country (Lithuania) has such lenses.



Paparazzi love these lenses.. check out the shots of Kate Middleton in her swimsuit on holiday in france,a lens like this was used.. and those shots earned a lot of money..


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## AlanF (Sep 3, 2013)

neuroanatomist said:


> viggen61 said:
> 
> 
> > ...maybe give us a non-DO 400 f/4 for the masses...
> ...



+1, and the 300mm f/2.8 II + 1.4xTC III is a supersharp 420/4 lens already, second only to the incredible 400/2.8 II


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## Don Haines (Sep 3, 2013)

My prediction record is perfect..... wrong every time 

I stated that I doubt the "big lens" would be a 800F5.6 because of the shortages of big flourite elements.... or perhaps my wish for an upgraded 400F5.6 clouded my vision....


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## KAS (Sep 3, 2013)

I like that the embedded ads in this thread read "Slim your wallet! ...reach nirvana with a slimmer wallet"


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## jasonsim (Sep 3, 2013)

I had a good feeling it would be the 800mm; as stated in an earlier thread. But they better make it appealing. Not just compete on par with the Nikon version, which by the way is heavier than the current Canon 800mm. 

I don't know why it would need to be priced over the Nikon version. Since it uses elements that are smaller in diameter than the 600mm IS II. Less fluorite element should mean cheaper to produce. Also less material for the barrel, etc. But, more often than not these decisions make little sense.


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## Terry Rogers (Sep 3, 2013)

RVB said:


> Efka76 said:
> 
> 
> > I always wonder who buy such lenses  Of course, I would like to try it (on 1dx, which I also do not have  ) From practical reasons such lenses are too much expensive as well as I do not know any other application means except for bird photography (which is not paying off).
> ...



+1

LOL, for paparazzi, perverts and the CIA/NSA/FBI etc.


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## sanj (Sep 3, 2013)

Waiting!!!!


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## Ellen Schmidtee (Sep 3, 2013)

KyleSTL said:


> Ellen Schmidtee said:
> 
> 
> > Updating the lens after 5 years? That would be quick. Is having a superior 800mm lens that important to Canon?
> ...



Which is exactly why I neither excited, nor give a rat's ass about Canon's ability to surpass itself in a very short amount of time.

I care about Canon releasing lenses I both want and can afford, which seems rarer & rarer on Canon's menu.


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## Mt Spokane Photography (Sep 3, 2013)

In the interest of one upmanship, shouldn't it be 850mm?


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## Caps18 (Sep 3, 2013)

When are they going to make one with a built in 2x extender...? ;D


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## Don Haines (Sep 3, 2013)

Caps18 said:


> When are they going to make one with a built in 2x extender...? ;D



How about 800F4 with the built-in 1.4X teleconverter.... that would give you 1120mmF5.6, and probably for a reasonably priced $200,000..... After all, many years ago the 1200F5.6 sold for around $100,000, Im sure with updated materials and designs the price could double....

Not a lens I would purchase for a backpacking trip


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## expatinasia (Sep 3, 2013)

Wow, this has got to be a dream lens for those that shoot birds and wildlife.

I bet neuro's already working out how to fit it into his finances... 

And, why not. The technology behind a lens like this must be pretty incredible. Kudos to Canon.


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## AprilForever (Sep 4, 2013)

800 f4!!!


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## neuroanatomist (Sep 4, 2013)

expatinasia said:


> I bet neuro's already working out how to fit it into his finances...



Not really. I like having f/4 when I need it, and 840mm f/5.6 when there is sufficient light. I'm actually leaving leaning the other way, toward the 300mm f/2.8 IS II.


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## jrista (Sep 4, 2013)

neuroanatomist said:


> viggen61 said:
> 
> 
> > ...maybe give us a non-DO 400 f/4 for the masses...
> ...



Aye. Both need some serious IS attention, and some improvement in IQ would be very welcome. I'd happily get rid of my 100-400L in favor of a new 400/5.6 L IS with at least four stops of hand holdability.


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## jrista (Sep 4, 2013)

expatinasia said:


> Wow, this has got to be a dream lens for those that shoot birds and wildlife.
> 
> I bet neuro's already working out how to fit it into his finances...
> 
> And, why not. The technology behind a lens like this must be pretty incredible. Kudos to Canon.



Actually, the 600/4 L II + 2x TC on a FF (either 5D III or 1D X) pretty much fulfills the dream. It is astonishingly sharp even with the TC, and mind blowingly sharp without it. For those times when you need to photograph a bigger bird, and prefer not to move (which usually scares off the birds), having the ability to go shorter than 1200mm or 840mm is extremely handy.


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## jrista (Sep 4, 2013)

neuroanatomist said:


> expatinasia said:
> 
> 
> > I bet neuro's already working out how to fit it into his finances...
> ...



"actually **leaning** the other way"??

Anyway, completely agree. I prefer the versatility of the 600 vs. the 800. The next lens on my list is also the 300/2.8 II, as 600mm is often a bit too long and heavy for wildlife work.


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## neuroanatomist (Sep 4, 2013)

jrista said:


> "actually **leaning** the other way"??



Yep, typo, now fixed. Thanks!

They'll have to pry the 600 II from my cold, dead hands. Or release a MkIII, whichever comes first...


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## dgatwood (Sep 4, 2013)

What I really want to see is a *collapsible* high-end telephoto lens. The long telephoto lenses are just impractically long; nobody's camera bag can hold a lens that's 18 inches long. But most of the space is air, which means that the vast majority of space taken up by these lenses is wasted. If Canon instead built their non-zoom telephoto lenses with multiple telescoping, locking segments, these lenses might actually be practical to carry around.


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## jrista (Sep 4, 2013)

dgatwood said:


> What I really want to see is a *collapsible* high-end telephoto lens. The long telephoto lenses are just impractically long; nobody's camera bag can hold a lens that's 18 inches long. But most of the space is air, which means that the vast majority of space taken up by these lenses is wasted. If Canon instead built their non-zoom telephoto lenses with multiple telescoping, locking segments, these lenses might actually be practical to carry around.



I think diffractive optics will solve that problem eventually. All of Canon's DO lenses are physically shorter than their non-DO counterparts. Sometimes significantly. Canon must have over a dozen patents related to grating and particle dispersion DO technology...only a matter of time before they have it perfected enough to use in a high end lens like the 800 or 600.


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## eml58 (Sep 4, 2013)

It will be interesting to see how Canon handle the Converter situation with the 800f/5.6.

Nikon are selling their 800f/5.6 with a dedicated 1.25x Converter, the other interesting thing with the Nikon 600 & I think the 800, is the Lens Hood comes in two pieces that fit inside each other, I noticed it recently on a trip where a Nikon user had the new 600f/4, seemed a sensible idea to me, at least it gives the opportunity to cut down the overall length of the Lens when in use if light onto the front element isn't an issue. With the Nikon 800f/5.6 retailing at US$18K, I imagine the Canon 800f/5.6 will be at least as expensive & with a built in 1.4x similar to the 200-400f/4 it will likely be a 20k Lens.


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## jasonsim (Sep 4, 2013)

neuroanatomist said:


> expatinasia said:
> 
> 
> > I bet neuro's already working out how to fit it into his finances...
> ...



I've got the 300mm f/2.8L IS II and the 600mm II and think the combo goes together well. The decision on which to use is really tough when I need 600mm. If I need to be mobile I go with the 300mm II + 2x III. When I can go with a large tripod, I choose the 600 II. 

Now if only the 7D II would come out and make that 300mm f/2.8 II even more useful!

Kind regards,
Jason


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## dolina (Sep 7, 2013)

Guaranteed it will breach the Nikon price. I have yet to see any Nikon or Canon equivalent lens price below the competition if it is newer.

So expect a 800mm IS II that surpases $18,000. I am thinking a nice round $20,000 at 3kg.


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