Canon RF 100-300mm F/2.8 L IS USM: Hands On

Canon has announced the release of a new fast zoom lens – the Canon RF 100-300mm f/2.8 L IS USM, which will be a valuable addition to the RF lens lineup. This new telephoto zoom lens is designed for professionals and high-end enthusiasts who require a versatile and high-performance lens for sports, wildlife, and portrait photography.

Canon RF 100-300mm f/2.8 L IS USM

The Canon RF 100-300mm f/2.8 L IS USM lens features a maximum aperture of f/2.8 throughout the zoom range, which enables the lens to capture stunning images with shallow depth of field and beautiful bokeh.

The lens has a focal length range of 100-300mm and it supports both 1.4X and 2X Canon RF extenders (which will turn it into a 140-420mm lens or 200-600mm respectively).

The lens incorporates 23 elements in 18 groups, including 4 UD (Ultra-low Dispersion) elements and one Super aspheric element with another fluorite element.

It has a minimum focus distance of 1.8m and a maximum magnification of 1:6.2 (this is not a close-up lens by any means). It also has a very large front element that can accept 112mm filters but sadly no drop-in filters in the back.

It does have a rotating collar with a foot but this has no Arca (this should have been standard by now in the industry).

Rudy Winston from Canon discussing the new Canon RF 100-300mm f/2.8 L IS USM lens

The RF 100-300mm f/2.8 L IS USM lens is also equipped with Canon’s Image Stabilization (IS) technology and provides 5.5 stops of stabilization on its own or up to 6 stops when combined with a supported R camera.

The lens features a Dual Nano USM autofocus system, which provides fast, accurate, and quiet autofocus performance. As you would expect from a high-end L lens the Canon RF 100-300mm f/2.8 L IS USM lens is dust and moisture-resistant, making it durable and suitable for use in various environmental conditions.

The lens weighs in at 2590g or 5.7 lbs and is about 32.2cm long (12.7″). It has 9 rounded aperture blades and no less than 5 different switches (including presets, AF, stabilization, and a limiter) as well as two programable buttons and a focus, zoom, and extra programable ring.

The lens is targeted primarily at sports (both outdoor low light and indoor sports) as well as other pros (anything from red carpet events to fashion.

Official Canon video on the new lens shot with the R5C

Pricing and availability

The lens will be available for purchase starting in May 2023, with a retail price of $9500.

Hands-on from around the web

While Canon had only sent a handful of early pre-production samples of the lens out there are a few hands-on that we can share.

Gordon Laing looks at the prototype of the Canon RF 100-300mm f/2.8

Outdoorphoto look at the Canon RF 100-300mm f/2.8 shooting sports

Park Cameras look at the new Canon lens

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Iddo Genuth

Iddo Genuth is the founder and chief editor of LensVid.com. He has been a technology reporter working for international publications since the late 1990's and covering photography since 2009. Iddo is also a co-founder of a production company specializing in commercial food and product visual content.