Why buy one of Canon’s f/11 lenses?
Alongside the 45Mp EOS R5 and 20Mp EOS R6, Canon has announced the RF 600mm F11 IS STM and RF 800mm F11 IS STM lenses. These are the world’s lightest 600mm and 800mm lenses with autofocus.
They are also compatible with the new Canon Extender RF 1.4x and Extender RF 2x teleconverters which take their focal lengths to 840mm/1,1200mm and 1200/1600mm respectively.
And at £749.99 / €869.99 / $699 and £979.99 / €1,149.99 /$899 respectively, they’re not crazily expensive. So what’s the catch?
Well, they both have a maximum aperture of f/11. In fact, they have a fixed aperture of f/11, so that’s the only setting available. We’ve become used to debating the pros and cons of f/4 and f/2.8 lenses, and fixed (maximum) aperture versus variable aperture lenses, but we’re in new territory with fixed f/11 optics.
An aperture of f/11 might seem pretty limiting, it’s certainly not an ideal choice of lens for shooting motorsports on a wet November day in the UK, but what about in the summer?
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